Headphones

This is my first hit in the forum, my Sansa fuze 8GB its great, but the headphones have a litle quality sound, someone in the forum use another brand of headphone with the Sansa??? 

Sure do, have you used the user search yet? You will find recommendations in different threads.

RREbi

While this topic may have been covered many times in numerous threads, I think it is useful to re-submit such questions as things change so rapidly with electronic gear.

I am a firm believer that there is no one perfect set of headphones for all applications.  All 'phones have their strengths and weaknesses, so I currently use the following 3 regularly.

1.  The JVC Marshmallow “earbud”:  Great cheapie headphone.  I use them primarily for non-critical listening, but are great for talk only radio broadcasts…approximately $14

2.  AKG K 24P and AKG K 26P’s:  Very musical and highly effecient at 125 dB/mV and a great value for an inexpensive headphone…approximately $30

3.  Grado SR 60/SR 80’s:  One of the best inexpensive audiophile headphones.  If your program material is up to it, these headphones will make it shine…approximately $70-90 (depending on model)

With that said, no other item in the music chain is as personal as headphones.  What I like, you may not as everyones ears and tastes are different.  There is no way to be absolutely sure you will like a certain set of headphones until you give them a try with material you are familiar with.

I use the Philips SHS8000.  Personally, I love the sound quality for the price, and they’re very comfortable and secure, thanks to the soft-rubber hooks.  Great for anything, as they won’t fall out, and you can wear them all day w/o feeling them at all.  I have a much more thorough review around here somewhere, if you want to search for it.  

Bottom line is to pick a reasonable budget, headphone style (hoop/frame or separate, around-ear, on-ear, IEM’s/earbuds, etc), and what aspects are most important and you want to improve over the pack-in buds (which are terrible, IMHO).  Realize that headphone prices range from $1 to well over $1000, though you can have a great pair w/o breaking the bank.  If you’re not listening to all lossless music and aren’t a major audiophile, there’s no reason to get really expensive headphones for the best sound quality.  You can find great sound quality for most people for under $50.  I’d advise putting comfort and functionality high on your list as well, as sound quality won’t matter if you don’t like using them.  Not to mention that these 2 aspects honestly don’t seem to be related to pricing at all, as most super-expensive phones offer little or no improvement in this area, and you can often find more comfort in cheaper sets.  For instance, I love the Philips design, as its far more comfortable and secure than plain buds, yet the vast majority of high-end IEM’s are still the basic shove-in design with no further support.  So pick a comfortable, high quality set that you’ll love to use and fits your needs and budget.  Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few, either try them out if you can, or find some reviews and try to get some idea of sound quality.  Bottom line is its all up to you, what you think is comfortable, how much you think is reasonable to spend on quality headphones for a player with such great sound, and what fits these criteria and sounds the best.

I would advise against getting the Grado SR60. I hate mine. The highs are sometimes harsh and painful. The SR80 is much better than the SR60 having less harsh highs and more bass, although I still wouldn’t recommend it. I also have an SR80. I am more neutral about the SR80, but really hate my SR60. Both of these have a thick and heavy cord, and leak plenty of sound. I suggest you look at the Sennheiser $40 PX100 headphones that received great reviews, and the Sennheiser MX400, MX500, or MX560 earphones. A good low priced option is the Koss Sportapro at around $20, although this headphone is a bit too bassy for some people. For the price though, it is a good headphone to use while working out. It is very similar to the Portapro, but much cheaper.

@jk98 wrote:
I would advise against getting the Grado SR60. I hate mine. The highs are sometimes harsh and painful. The SR80 is much better than the SR60 having less harsh highs and more bass, although I still wouldn’t recommend it. I also have an SR80. I am more neutral about the SR80, but really hate my SR60. Both of these have a thick and heavy cord, and leak plenty of sound. I suggest you look at the Sennheiser $40 PX100 headphones that received great reviews, and the Sennheiser MX400, MX500, or MX560 earphones. A good low priced option is the Koss Sportapro at around $20, although this headphone is a bit too bassy for some people. For the price though, it is a good headphone to use while working out. It is very similar to the Portapro, but much cheaper.

This post highlights the importance of listening to headphones before purchase.  It is quite evident that JK98 and myself have very different ears and musical tastes. I’m not saying that one is right and the other is wrong…but like I mentioned earlier; there is no more personal component in the audio chain than headphones.  If you ask 100 people their favorite headphones, you’ll likely to find 100 different responses.  Purchasing headphones by recommendations alone is kind of a ■■■■ shoot at best.  You may be pleased, or sorely sorry.

Listen before you buy and purchase ‘what you like’ is far more important than taking recommendations at face value.  Good Luck! 

The JVC Air Cushions are considered among the best in-ear phones in the budget range (should be able to get them under $30).  I love mine.  Great sound, many fit options and better cord noise isolation than most in-ear phones in this price range.

Here’s a fairly good article about selecting headphones/earbuds:

One point this article seems to miss is that in-ear buds are really the only earbuds with very good sound, but they’ll make you deaf to the world. I have a pair of Sony EX-51 in-ear buds (a popular model). The first time I wore them, a very angry person tapped my on the shoulder and asked if she could get past…apparently she’d said “excuse me” several times, but I couldn’t hear her. After that I only wear them on airplanes (they’re great for blocking out the noise). I have to take them off at the airport, though…I nearly missed a flight once because they changed the gate and I never heard the announcement. You have to be careful when wearing those things! But on airplanes, busses, or in a big city with lots of traffic, they were the only thing that allowed me to hear the music.

Personally I’m a fan of headphones, particularly the PX-100. They give great overall sound for the price, are open (so you can hear around you), and are reasonably portable. There is also a PX-200 which isn’t as open. I haven’t tried those. My only real complaint is that the cord is very long, and you have to be careful not to catch it on things.

I use the in-ear buds when I have to, and the headphones when I can. I have other earbuds and headphones, but I always end up coming back to these.

Message Edited by bdb on 12-01-2008 10:01 AM