Hi all.

Well, I've been searching around on Headroom's website and have found several great looking ear buds and cans that I like. The problem now is picking which one I'm actually going to buy. Here is a list of the ones I like so far...

1. Sennheiser EH 350
2. Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
3. Ultrasone HFI-550
4. Shure E4C

Now, as you can see the price range varies somewhat on all of those, but I'd like to keep it around $100 if possible...$200 would probably be the most I would be willing to spend.
I'm mainly looking for a pair of headphones I can use with my iPod or my computer when at home.
Now, I want to get a pair with good sound but I also want them to be somewhat stylish at the same time. And I really don't want to get something that amps the bass response way up like alot of the Sony headphones do. I have a pair of the Sony MDR EX71s right now and am a little sick of the exaggerated bass response. This especially bugs me because I listen to alot of electronic music that already has heavy bass.
Now, I've liked the Shures for a long time...they look sleek and from everything I've read have great sound, which is pretty impressive since they are noise cancelling ear buds.
The Sennheissers I have listed have a decent enough look and from what I've read would work well with a portable player. I really don't want anything that requires an external amp to help drive them. So, I would feel pretty confident in purchasing either of those 2 cans.
The Ultrasone pair just looks great and seems like it would be a pretty comfortable pair of headphones...They are new though and I haven't really heard much about them. But I am definitely intrigued to say the least.

If anyone has any experience with any of the ones I listed or has any other suggestions I would really appreciate the input.
Thanks again,
JXL

Can't give you direct experience, but I have Shure E2 earphones. They're excellent, better than the EX71 I had before (I got tired off the exaggerated woolly bass too!). E4 would undoubtedly be very good and I can vouch for Shure's service to be first-rate. They aren't noise-cancelling by the way, they block external noise (passive rather than active). I can't make any comments on the other models but bear in mind that the Shures are worn differently and don't suit everyone....whatever you buy, enjoy!

Okay, I went to a few audio specialty stores and tried out some head phones yesterday. I will have to say that the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro was pretty impressive. It had a great seal and really blocked alot of outside noise. The sound quality was impressive too. It really packed a punch. However, I wasn't very happy with how they sat on my head though. They seemed a bit bulky...
I also tried out the Sennheiser HD 555s and they were real nice. The fit was insanely comfortable and they were designed really well. They sat perfectly and I could hardly tell they were on my head. And the sound was awesome. But after reading some more it seems they might be a bit too much for my iPod & comp to drive properly by themselves. (I don't want to use an amp)
And after finding a few places that sold the E4cs for sub $200, I'm pretty sure I'm going to purchase them. They have just about everything I need...except for the sound quality being a little weaker than some cans out there. Plus, for use out of the house I think IEMs / ear buds are a bit more practical and I probably will be happier using them.
JXL

Did you consider the Sony MDR-7506[ a.k.a. MDR-V6 ]? It is a superbly built headphone with very linear midrange and treble response. It will work on most portables with no need for an amplifier.

-Chris

May I recommend Panasonic RP-HJE50 in-ear phones? I find it sounds better than EX71, it has no coloured bass and dull mid-frequencies. RP-HJE50 phones cost eight times less than $200, but if you need more expensive model, then there are newer aluminium-made canalphones Panasonic RP-HJE70 (or this link). I haven't listened to RP-HJE70 yet but consider it an analogue of RP-HJE50.

Good luck!

Look on head-fi for people with your tastes in music and see what headphones they like. You should be able to do reasonably well for $100-$200.

I have the 555s and they are OK for use with my iRiver H340. Not if you want really LOUD volume, but it's fine for a quiet listening environment. Note that they're open air so you won't get noise isolation.

Perhaps you could bring your iPod to the shop and ask to hook it up with various 'phones?

Add these to your list!
http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-applicat...ss-portapro.php

Cheap, renowned and very efficient - the Grado SR-60. You can find these at HeadRoom and in many stores.

A bit more aggressive than the Sennheisers, the Grados are VERY efficient and work very well with portables. Open, airy and well defined with extended bass. They are "open-air" types, somewhat large and definitely no frills.

You can also find these in many stores. $70 and well worth it.

Thanks for all the suggestions...I've tried the Grado's and was impressed by their sound especially at the price they are asking for. I didn't really like the styling though and I found the Sennheisers more comfortable.

As for Sony....I've bought several of their headphones from $10 ear buds to decent noise cancelling ones and everytime I've been unhappy with them. As a result, I'm somewhat biased towards them now and it would really take something special to make me purchase another set from Sony in the future.

I checked out the Panasonics at Best Buy and they looked okay, but I get the fealing that they would leave me somewhat unsatisfied. I'm looking for something better than that.

And as for the Koss PortaPro, I just don't like the design well enough to use them. I'm looking for something with good sound as well as style, which is why this is taking me so long to choose a pair. Finding a comfortable pair that sounds good and looks good and meets my needs takes some time.

And when I'm testing out headphones I do bring my iPod in with me and just plug them in. Most places don't have a problem with this.

The Sennheisers would be perfect for home use, but having a 10 foot chord makes them somewhat inconvenient for listening to an iPod on your hip. The Shure's on the other hand have a 5 ft chord which is far more manageable and easier in general for portable use.

After all the looking around I'm still most impressed by the Shure E4c and will be most likely placing my order tomorrow for them. I'll let you know what I think after using them for a while.
JXL

The MDR-7506/MDR-V6 has nothing(in construction or sound) in common with the consumer headphones sold by Sony in mass market electronics stores. If you have a Guitar Center or other large music store near you, they may have MDR-7506 so that you can try the product first.

-Chris

I have tried out the Sony MDR-7506 and found them decent enough. I wasn't blown away, but they would definately work. I found a really nice article comparing these headphones with the Sennheisers. HD 280 Pro vs. Sony MDR-V6

The interesting part is that I also have a 3rd gen iPod and found his statement about the quality drop in sound to be very true. I tried both of these headphones out with the store's setup and my iPod. The change in sound quality from the stores Sirius hook-up compared to my iPod was really noticeable. I encode all the music on my iPod with EAS & Lame set at APE or APS, so it wasn't from the audio files.
I got nothing against those particular Sonys, but I just feel there are better head phones out there for me and my current needs.
Thanks again,
JXL

I bought a set of HD-280 Pros for use at work where I didn't want the sound leaking and disturbing everybody else. I don't think my Grado SR-60s would have gone down too well. The Sennheisers do an absolutely tremendous job of keeping the sound form leaking and I actually prefer the sound of them to the SR-60s which I wasn't expecting. The only problem is that they sound so good, they put me off my work sometimes ;-).
The most impressive thing I find with the HD-280s is that they sound great on the end of anything. I use them on my computer at work, my hi-fi system at home and on the end of my Sony Hi-MD walkman which is an European model with limited headphone output, but the Sennheisers still manage to give me plenty of volume.
I'd recommend them to anyone. I can understand what people say about them being a bit uncomfortable at times, but what I found was that it takes a little while to get them in the right position on your head. This sounds a bit strange but after a bit of experimentation I managed to get them to sit very comfortably and now have no problems with wearing them for hours at a time.