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  1. #1
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    Headphones for a traveler

    Hi all,
    I'm way new to the forum, but I searched for any relevant posts and didn't turn up anything. Sorry if i'm repeating anyway. I'm going to Prague for a semester abroad in february, and wanted to get recommendations on the headphones I should buy. They'll be my only audio outlet for some months, so I want to get good ones. Conversely, I don't have a whole lot of money and I don't want to spend so much that i'd flip out if they got stolen/lost. I guess my budget is $100 for a really quality pair. I'm looking for earbuds that are a) durable, b) comfortable and C) have good bass quality. A lot of the high-end Sennheiser, Etymotic/Shure earbuds i've seen reviews for have a lot of bass issues. I'd be willing to sacrifice some overall audio quality in exchange for good bass and reliability/comfort.

    Thanks for your help,
    Drew

  2. #2
    Forum Regular vr6ofpain's Avatar
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    I dont like earbuds, but I love my Koss portaPro's($38 from amazon.com). They collapse and sound great with all types of music. They are not quite as clean, and not nearly as detailed as my Grado SR-80's($80 from Cambridge Soundworks), but they are useful for portability. If you are not worried about others hearing your music, try some Grado SR-60's or SR-80's. They sound awesome and are very affordable. I actually like the sound of my SR-80's more than my brothers Senn HD-600's($250 from JR music world).

    Koss makes a earbud, called the "Plug" that apparently sounds decent and you can pick them up on ebay for around $10. That is a deal.

  3. #3
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    I recently bought Koss Pro4aa's off of JR.com for 60 dollars. Normally they are a $100 pair of cans. They sound great, with very very nice low end. Their only downfall is that alot of people are put off by how big and heavy they are. They truly are a very heavy set of headphones, but if you are like me and you don't mind the weight I find them to be comfrotable and great sounding. There are 2 versions the Pro4aa's and the Pro4aaT's The T stands for titanium, but i chose the regular ones because of a few bad reviews of the new ti models.

    Also for 100 dollars you cant go wrong with Grado SR80's either.

  4. #4
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    Sony Fontopia earbuds w/inline volume control

    They're only 14.95 retail but they sound good, have an inline volume volume control and if lost, can be replaced without breaking the bank. They're comfortable for long periods of time and are reliable. I'd look at others in the Fontopia series too. There are different designs that address the ergo aspects differently.

  5. #5
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    Hello,
    Since I’m interested in the best-value-for-money headphones or earbuds for portable audio (generally, all cheaper earphones sound horribly), I’ve read some reviews and followed some discussions on this subject. What strikes me is that, apart from personal sound-taste from users, appreciation of a specific product is so widely different... One says ‘great’, the other one is really annoyed and says ‘what a rip-off’.
    Here’s a little question...I really do not know if it makes much sense, but it is because of personal experience.
    One year ago, I bought earbuds for portable audio : Koss The Plug (which reviewers rated from crap to great value for money). I found they sounded great : incredible bass, detailed mid and reasonable high tones. Two months ago, I lost some essential little piece of the earbuds, and returned them to the store (lifetime guarantee on the buds) : they returned them to Koss, and I had an new pair of The Plug for free. Some model, same make : these ones sound only HALF as good as the old ones... bass is still quite stunning, but mid and high tones sound as one big mess. And again, I’m gonna look for another great-value-for-money pair of earbuds, since these ones are really annoying me...
    I wonder if this is really possible if it’s same make and model. Could this be an explanation as to why appreciations are so widely different ? Has anyone had the same experience ?

  6. #6
    Can a crooner get a gig? dean_martin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hocc
    The Sennheiser PX100 or PX200 are promising, and they are great for travel and outdoor use. Both of them come with a transport case so you don't need to worry about damaging the headphones.
    I can second the PX100's. I bought my son a pair from headroom. When I placed the order, I asked about the difference between the 100 and 200. Apparently, the PX200 is an attempt at an inexpensive noise-cancelling phone. Headroom recommended the 100s. My impression from our conversation was that it's harder to manufacture a great sounding noise-cancelling phone. You would have to spend much more money for quality sound. My son likes his PX100s and they compare favorably to my Grado SR60s. Although I love the sound from my Grados, the PX100s win hands down at portability and comfort. In fact, they've been to Japan and back and on several school bus trips with band members and basketball players.

  7. #7
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    I've got a pair of Sennheiser PMX 60s which I use with my Sharp MT190H Minidisc. I think they sound really good, very bright and open with decent bass. They're wraprounds, I don't like earpods, too painful.

    Anybody looking for good music while on holiday, I've got a little pair of battery powered Sony speakers I connected up to my Walkman/Minidisc. They were too tinny and weak. Last year I took my computer speakers, AC powered ones with tone controls, plugged them into the minidisc and had far better quality of sound for the duration of the holiday.

  8. #8
    Forum Regular vr6ofpain's Avatar
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    My older brother just picked up some PX100's. He said they reminded him of my portaPro's, which he liked. So if you want a portable good sounding phone, the Koss portaPro and the Sennheiser PX100's are both good options.

  9. #9
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    Sony MDR-EX71SL

    Look for the Sony MDR-EX71SL, should be between 45 and 55 bucks (I paid 49 at amazon)

    they are very comfortable with a soft rubber in ear design (3 sizes of flanges for good fit), have excellent and deep bass if you wear them correctly (fully inserted into your ear), have crystal clear sound, and i consider them an excellent value.

    I tried two different pairs of higher priced earphones and did not find a sound quality difference that was worth the price premium, considering that most of the listening you will do with an IPOD is in a loud environment and with music that has been compressed.

    hell... with your budget, buy two pairs.

  10. #10
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    I just bought the Sony MDR-EX71SL earbuds a couple of months ago, these are the in-ear style buds that are excellent at blocking out ambient noise. I have worn them on noisy prop planes next to the engines and they did an excellent job of eliminating the annoying drone. These headphones always get rave reviews, and they most likely can be bought at your local circuit city or best buy for around 50$ (probably can find them cheaper online). This price seems expensive for earbuds, but it is a steal compared to similarly designed models from Shure (which can run upwards of 250$). Not only do they block out almost all ambient noise, but the clarity and bass is excellent because they seal off your ear canal. I have never had any problems with them falling out (they come with 3 different size ear buds to tailor them to your ear). The only drawback is that interior sounds (such as chewing or coughing) are louder than with normal headphones, but it is really not that noticeable and you get used to it. Considering the advantages (great sound, blocks out ambient noise, compact and light) of this in-ear type bud, especially for travelers, made the decision easy for me.

  11. #11
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    Traveling Headphones

    Quote Originally Posted by cmaglio
    I just bought the Sony MDR-EX71SL earbuds a couple of months ago, these are the in-ear style buds that are excellent at blocking out ambient noise. I have worn them on noisy prop planes next to the engines and they did an excellent job of eliminating the annoying drone. These headphones always get rave reviews, and they most likely can be bought at your local circuit city or best buy for around 50$ (probably can find them cheaper online). This price seems expensive for earbuds, but it is a steal compared to similarly designed models from Shure (which can run upwards of 250$). Not only do they block out almost all ambient noise, but the clarity and bass is excellent because they seal off your ear canal. I have never had any problems with them falling out (they come with 3 different size ear buds to tailor them to your ear). The only drawback is that interior sounds (such as chewing or coughing) are louder than with normal headphones, but it is really not that noticeable and you get used to it. Considering the advantages (great sound, blocks out ambient noise, compact and light) of this in-ear type bud, especially for travelers, made the decision easy for me.
    The Sony MDR-EX71SL is just a two corded version of the EX51 and $10 more dollars. The 51's single cord is a little shorter than the dual corded Sony MDR-EX71SL, but otherwise, the earbuds are identical. Like a previous post mentioned, if you don't mind how they look and don't mind disturbing your neighbors a little, for about $65, you can get the Grado SR60's. They will be much better sounding than any of the earbuds, but larger... You would have to balance what you are looking for.

  12. #12
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    Koss is the Boss

    Quote Originally Posted by kaliyama
    Hi all,
    I'm way new to the forum, but I searched for any relevant posts and didn't turn up anything. Sorry if i'm repeating anyway. I'm going to Prague for a semester abroad in february, and wanted to get recommendations on the headphones I should buy. They'll be my only audio outlet for some months, so I want to get good ones. Conversely, I don't have a whole lot of money and I don't want to spend so much that i'd flip out if they got stolen/lost. I guess my budget is $100 for a really quality pair. I'm looking for earbuds that are a) durable, b) comfortable and C) have good bass quality. A lot of the high-end Sennheiser, Etymotic/Shure earbuds i've seen reviews for have a lot of bass issues. I'd be willing to sacrifice some overall audio quality in exchange for good bass and reliability/comfort.

    Thanks for your help,
    Drew

    From the day I realized what earphones were I bought a pair of KOSS

    (circa l963). Big Ugly things that hurt after 20 minutes. But the sound was to die for.

    Over the years, their lightwight models AND the Sport-Pro model as well

    are good enough, and reasonably priced enough to fit the bill.

    note: I found that with any over-the-ear headphone,

    one needs to shift the drivers to pinpoint the precise hotspot for sound.

    i.e. move them foward or back on your head to change what you hear from the

    drivers. You can actually create a splendid mid-range boost this way.

  13. #13
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    one other thing - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by franklinpross
    From the day I realized what earphones were I bought a pair of KOSS

    (circa l963). Big Ugly things that hurt after 20 minutes. But the sound was to die for.

    Over the years, their lightwight models AND the Sport-Pro model as well

    are good enough, and reasonably priced enough to fit the bill.

    note: I found that with any over-the-ear headphone,

    one need to shift the drivers to pinpoint the precise hotspot for sound.

    i.e. move them foward or back on you head to change what you hear from the

    drivers.
    The sensitivity is quite important here.

    Look for upwards of 102 db in the specs. It'll seem to SOUND louder compared

    to another headphone.. Also the detail in the Koss is spectacular.

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