I keep hearing a lot of good things about the Shure E-2's also. I haven't been able to try them myself, but they are an in-the-ear isolating type of bud for less than a hundred.
The look cool and apparently sound pretty decent, but I'd get the ER-6 for $30 more.
johnq: The ER-4Ps are brand new. That's why at $225 (shipping) they are a steal.
AFA the sony DJ headphones: BEWARE: You want a pair of 'low impedance' headphones, DJ headphones are (surely?) designed to be plugged into an amp, and thus are likely to be high impedance.
What this means: even at the highest volume setting music will be too quiet.
That's why I got the Etymotic ER-4P instead of the ER-4S (that, and you can get a cable that turns the P into an S). I will be plugging these into a discman and someday an iPod.
AFA dropping mad coin on phones, I'm not rich (far from it!) but these puppies will last me years and give me (a music junkie) tremendous pleasure. Also, I'll likely be using these on the bus daily and I don't want 'noise cancelling' headphones for a variety of reasons (batteries, sound quality, clunkyness), so the 23db drop in external noise supplied by the etys is a major feature. It allows you to keep them at a low volume levels even in noisy environments, saving my precious ears.
Besides, compared to Shure E5c ($500) (Yum!) or Precision Labs Challenger Pro 6500 ($750) they are great value for money... for me
AFA the sony DJ headphones: BEWARE: You want a pair of 'low impedance' headphones, DJ headphones are (surely?) designed to be plugged into an amp, and thus are likely to be high impedance.
What this means: even at the highest volume setting music will be too quiet.
Eh? What brand of crack are you smoking? All the headphones I've looked at have power handling rated in mW -- less than 1W. I haven't seen a pro amp that puts out less than 100x that. Plugging headphones into an amp would probably make you go deaf about a tenth of a second before they explode (literally).
Edit: I've used Sony's DJ headphones and they go a lot louder than I need them to, and without any extra gear too.
I recently walked into a Bang & Olufsen store and tried out their headphones. I must say that these were the most comfortable earbud-like headphones I've ever hried, and the sound was unbelievable! I couldn't believe my ears, and it felt like they weren't even in. They are $160, which seems like a lot for earbuds, but I they were so good I almost bought them on the spot. I guess I'll have to wait until payday... \
Eh? What brand of crack are you smoking? All the headphones I've looked at have power handling rated in mW -- less than 1W. I haven't seen a pro amp that puts out less than 100x that. Plugging headphones into an amp would probably make you go deaf about a tenth of a second before they explode (literally).
Whisper, take my word for it... many (high end) headphones are high impedance, like, eg, Etymotic ER-4S. Which means 'loud enough' volumes CANNOT be achieved with low power amps from CD discmen and iPods. If someone buys high impedance headphones with the intention of using them with a portable, they will be sorely disappointed with their expensive investment.
PS... you can circumvent this with a portable amp... but the extra batteries, hassle, and cost suggest this should probably be avoided (unless you really are an audiophile!).
edit: Whisper, notice that virtually all amps have a 1/4" stereo headphone jack socket.
Whisper, take my word for it... many (high end) headphones are high impedance, like, eg, Etymotic ER-4S. Which means 'loud enough' volumes CANNOT be achieved with low power amps from CD discmen and iPods. If someone buys high impedance headphones with the intention of using them with a portable, they will be sorely disappointed with their expensive investment.
PS... you can circumvent this with a portable amp... but the extra batteries, hassle, and cost suggest this should probably be avoided (unless you really are an audiophile!).
edit: Whisper, notice that virtually all amps have a 1/4" stereo headphone jack socket.
I've looked at hundreds of amps and never once have I seen a headphone jack on one. Just two input channels, two output channels, and two volume knobs. Are we talking about the same thing here?
Edit: You're talking about Home Theater amps, right? I was talking about Pro Audio amps. Two different beasts. The Stereo 1/4" jack to which you refer doesn't amplify the signal (or not much, anyway).
I know you are not looking for another set of earbuds, but...
Have you considered Sony's MDR-EX71SL.
Super comfortable, you don't even feel them, since these things are inserted right into your ear canal, they won't fall out. They sound fantastic IMHO, and u can get them in white on eBay.
I've looked at hundreds of amps and never once have I seen a headphone jack on one. Just two input channels, two output channels, and two volume knobs. Are we talking about the same thing here?
Edit: You're talking about Home Theater amps, right? I was talking about Pro Audio amps. Two different beasts. The Stereo 1/4" jack to which you refer doesn't amplify the signal (or not much, anyway).
No, I think he's referring to headphone amps. They do exist, and in fact, they're supposed to make headphones sound a LOT better. There are even portable amps you can get for on the go.
This site is amazing and will help you to figure out what you want to get. I live by mt Sennheiser HD 280 pro's. I totally reccommend headphone.com to anyone who is looking for some really good headphones.
This site is amazing and will help you to figure out what you want to get. I live by mt Sennheiser HD 280 pro's. I totally reccommend headphone.com to anyone who is looking for some really good headphones.
I thought about the 280pro, but I just couldn't rationalize spending $200 on them. Anyways, the HD497 just seems to have a lot of great reviews and liked overall by several different sources, plus they cost only about $70.
So what's the deal with these amps that connect between your headphones and music devices. I read about them on couple of other sites and now there is some discussion here. What do they do? Do they improve the sound?
$330 earbuds?!?!??!? The hell you people have money to throw around or somethin????
Those Sony V7000DJ are dope...was thinkin bout gettin some but then again I want some earbuds for my Sony walkman...and I already got some old skool cans that I use with my computer too.
Whisper, man you are exasperating. If you don't know what "High Impedance" means, you really don't know much about headphones, audio, and amplification. Type some search terms into google or something.
There is an amp in an iPod, but it does not produce enough power for high impedance headphones to sound reasonably loud. Period. Thus, you will need low impedance headphones (for any portable player), which DJ-specific headphones are likely not. WHy not? Because DJs spin records, and the signal out of a record player is unbelievably weak; it requires amplification.
AFA headphone amplifiers, here's a bunch. Cool, yet I can't really see using one enough to justify the cost. They suck batteries too of course.
Whisper, man you are exasperating. If you don't know what "High Impedance" means, you really don't know much about headphones, audio, and amplification. Type some search terms into google or something.
There is an amp in an iPod, but it does not produce enough power for high impedance headphones to sound reasonably loud. Period. Thus, you will need low impedance headphones (for any portable player), which DJ-specific headphones are likely not. WHy not? Because DJs spin records, and the signal out of a record player is unbelievably weak; it requires amplification.
AFA headphone amplifiers, here's a bunch. Cool, yet I can't really see using one enough to justify the cost. They suck batteries too of course.
When you talk about impedance, you are talking about what?
I looked it up: impedance: The total passive opposition offered to the flow of electric current. Note 1: Impedance is determined by the particular combination of resistance, inductive reactance, and capacitive reactance in a given circuit. (188) Note 2: Impedance is a function of frequency, except in the case of purely resistive networks.
But is kinda confusing, so when I look at the specs of a pair of headphones what would tell me what the impedance is, the frequency response?
For the iPod is it better to have a low impedance headphone?
Here's a rough lineup of semi random headphones of various styles.
I've sorted them by frequency response. Note the Sony DJ's are the best overall in terms of impedance, frequency response, and price. It's the best value in my opinion. Super low impedance (as far as cans go), very low and very high dynamic range (left number: lower=better, right number higher=better) and price, well, $99 would be nice but...not bad.
I'd say Sony delivers wonderfully low impendance for such large headphones. I assume 1337_5L4Xx0R is fearing that you might get stuck with headphones that are 100 ohm or greater. Since 32ohm is typical for lightweight headphones, 24 ohm for larger Sony MDR-V700DJ is pure magic.
To be fair, 1337_5L4Xx0R is probably most familiar with either older headphones or higher-end headphones, and those do have high impedance.
I think the real issue is that the Sony MDR-V700DJ are somewhat "faux" or poseur or non-traditional (whatever way you want to phrase it) DJ headphones, so the worries about them being high impedance or unsuitable for portable use are unfounded.
To answer your question, anything in the less-than-60 ohm range (ballpark) should be fine for an iPod. But lower is better for ohms.
(Hope it formats correctly on the forum, bear with me if I need to edit it)
(Senn is Sennheiser: truncating to keep things narrow; frequency response in Hz, naturally: lower-higher; prices USD)
Comments
http://www.audioreview.com/Headphone...9_2750crx.aspx
The look cool and apparently sound pretty decent, but I'd get the ER-6 for $30 more.
johnq: The ER-4Ps are brand new. That's why at $225 (shipping) they are a steal.
AFA the sony DJ headphones: BEWARE: You want a pair of 'low impedance' headphones, DJ headphones are (surely?) designed to be plugged into an amp, and thus are likely to be high impedance.
What this means: even at the highest volume setting music will be too quiet.
That's why I got the Etymotic ER-4P instead of the ER-4S (that, and you can get a cable that turns the P into an S). I will be plugging these into a discman and someday an iPod.
AFA dropping mad coin on phones, I'm not rich (far from it!) but these puppies will last me years and give me (a music junkie) tremendous pleasure. Also, I'll likely be using these on the bus daily and I don't want 'noise cancelling' headphones for a variety of reasons (batteries, sound quality, clunkyness), so the 23db drop in external noise supplied by the etys is a major feature. It allows you to keep them at a low volume levels even in noisy environments, saving my precious ears.
Besides, compared to Shure E5c ($500) (Yum!) or Precision Labs Challenger Pro 6500 ($750) they are great value for money... for me
Originally posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R
AFA the sony DJ headphones: BEWARE: You want a pair of 'low impedance' headphones, DJ headphones are (surely?) designed to be plugged into an amp, and thus are likely to be high impedance.
What this means: even at the highest volume setting music will be too quiet.
Eh? What brand of crack are you smoking? All the headphones I've looked at have power handling rated in mW -- less than 1W. I haven't seen a pro amp that puts out less than 100x that. Plugging headphones into an amp would probably make you go deaf about a tenth of a second before they explode (literally).
Edit: I've used Sony's DJ headphones and they go a lot louder than I need them to, and without any extra gear too.
Originally posted by Whisper
Eh? What brand of crack are you smoking? All the headphones I've looked at have power handling rated in mW -- less than 1W. I haven't seen a pro amp that puts out less than 100x that. Plugging headphones into an amp would probably make you go deaf about a tenth of a second before they explode (literally).
Whisper, take my word for it... many (high end) headphones are high impedance, like, eg, Etymotic ER-4S. Which means 'loud enough' volumes CANNOT be achieved with low power amps from CD discmen and iPods. If someone buys high impedance headphones with the intention of using them with a portable, they will be sorely disappointed with their expensive investment.
PS... you can circumvent this with a portable amp... but the extra batteries, hassle, and cost suggest this should probably be avoided (unless you really are an audiophile!).
edit: Whisper, notice that virtually all amps have a 1/4" stereo headphone jack socket.
Originally posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R
Whisper, take my word for it... many (high end) headphones are high impedance, like, eg, Etymotic ER-4S. Which means 'loud enough' volumes CANNOT be achieved with low power amps from CD discmen and iPods. If someone buys high impedance headphones with the intention of using them with a portable, they will be sorely disappointed with their expensive investment.
PS... you can circumvent this with a portable amp... but the extra batteries, hassle, and cost suggest this should probably be avoided (unless you really are an audiophile!).
edit: Whisper, notice that virtually all amps have a 1/4" stereo headphone jack socket.
I've looked at hundreds of amps and never once have I seen a headphone jack on one. Just two input channels, two output channels, and two volume knobs. Are we talking about the same thing here?
Edit: You're talking about Home Theater amps, right? I was talking about Pro Audio amps. Two different beasts. The Stereo 1/4" jack to which you refer doesn't amplify the signal (or not much, anyway).
Have you considered Sony's MDR-EX71SL.
Super comfortable, you don't even feel them, since these things are inserted right into your ear canal, they won't fall out. They sound fantastic IMHO, and u can get them in white on eBay.
:-)
Originally posted by Whisper
I've looked at hundreds of amps and never once have I seen a headphone jack on one. Just two input channels, two output channels, and two volume knobs. Are we talking about the same thing here?
Edit: You're talking about Home Theater amps, right? I was talking about Pro Audio amps. Two different beasts. The Stereo 1/4" jack to which you refer doesn't amplify the signal (or not much, anyway).
No, I think he's referring to headphone amps. They do exist, and in fact, they're supposed to make headphones sound a LOT better. There are even portable amps you can get for on the go.
Originally posted by seb
Check out www.headphone.com [/B]
This site is amazing and will help you to figure out what you want to get. I live by mt Sennheiser HD 280 pro's. I totally reccommend headphone.com to anyone who is looking for some really good headphones.
Originally posted by Yevgeny
This site is amazing and will help you to figure out what you want to get. I live by mt Sennheiser HD 280 pro's. I totally reccommend headphone.com to anyone who is looking for some really good headphones.
I thought about the 280pro, but I just couldn't rationalize spending $200 on them. Anyways, the HD497 just seems to have a lot of great reviews and liked overall by several different sources, plus they cost only about $70.
So what's the deal with these amps that connect between your headphones and music devices. I read about them on couple of other sites and now there is some discussion here. What do they do? Do they improve the sound?
Those Sony V7000DJ are dope...was thinkin bout gettin some but then again I want some earbuds for my Sony walkman...and I already got some old skool cans that I use with my computer too.
Anyone know if these are any good??? http://www.audiocubes.com/product_in...5218c3bf4cd823
There is an amp in an iPod, but it does not produce enough power for high impedance headphones to sound reasonably loud. Period. Thus, you will need low impedance headphones (for any portable player), which DJ-specific headphones are likely not. WHy not? Because DJs spin records, and the signal out of a record player is unbelievably weak; it requires amplification.
AFA headphone amplifiers, here's a bunch. Cool, yet I can't really see using one enough to justify the cost. They suck batteries too of course.
Originally posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R
Whisper, man you are exasperating. If you don't know what "High Impedance" means, you really don't know much about headphones, audio, and amplification. Type some search terms into google or something.
There is an amp in an iPod, but it does not produce enough power for high impedance headphones to sound reasonably loud. Period. Thus, you will need low impedance headphones (for any portable player), which DJ-specific headphones are likely not. WHy not? Because DJs spin records, and the signal out of a record player is unbelievably weak; it requires amplification.
AFA headphone amplifiers, here's a bunch. Cool, yet I can't really see using one enough to justify the cost. They suck batteries too of course.
When you talk about impedance, you are talking about what?
I looked it up: impedance: The total passive opposition offered to the flow of electric current. Note 1: Impedance is determined by the particular combination of resistance, inductive reactance, and capacitive reactance in a given circuit. (188) Note 2: Impedance is a function of frequency, except in the case of purely resistive networks.
But is kinda confusing, so when I look at the specs of a pair of headphones what would tell me what the impedance is, the frequency response?
Sony MDR-V700:
Impedance: 24 ohms Ê
Typical impedance for headphones is around 75 - 150 ohms.
Etymotic ER-6 Isolator:
Impedance: 48 ohms
Sennheiser HD 497:
Impedance: 32 ohms
Impedance is usually explicitly stated in the specs, look for a number with "ohms" after it, or sometimes using the Greek omega symbol.
Originally posted by Mac Man 020581
For the iPod is it better to have a low impedance headphone?
Mac Man,
Well yes, but we don't know what 1337_5L4Xx0R is calling a high impedance headphone. He hasn't said what is bad/good/best.
Longer post forthcoming....gotta work, sorry
Originally posted by Mac Man 020581
For the iPod is it better to have a low impedance headphone?
Here's a rough lineup of semi random headphones of various styles.
I've sorted them by frequency response. Note the Sony DJ's are the best overall in terms of impedance, frequency response, and price. It's the best value in my opinion. Super low impedance (as far as cans go), very low and very high dynamic range (left number: lower=better, right number higher=better) and price, well, $99 would be nice but...not bad.
I'd say Sony delivers wonderfully low impendance for such large headphones. I assume 1337_5L4Xx0R is fearing that you might get stuck with headphones that are 100 ohm or greater. Since 32ohm is typical for lightweight headphones, 24 ohm for larger Sony MDR-V700DJ is pure magic.
To be fair, 1337_5L4Xx0R is probably most familiar with either older headphones or higher-end headphones, and those do have high impedance.
I think the real issue is that the Sony MDR-V700DJ are somewhat "faux" or poseur or non-traditional (whatever way you want to phrase it) DJ headphones, so the worries about them being high impedance or unsuitable for portable use are unfounded.
To answer your question, anything in the less-than-60 ohm range (ballpark) should be fine for an iPod. But lower is better for ohms.
(Hope it formats correctly on the forum, bear with me if I need to edit it)
(Senn is Sennheiser: truncating to keep things narrow; frequency response in Hz, naturally: lower-higher; prices USD)
Low End Portable:
(Mostly "craptacular", no offense!)
Koss KTX-Pro1 15-25,000 60ohm 19.99
Koss Porta Pro 15-25,000 60ohm 44.95
Senn PMX 60 18-21,000 32ohm 24.95
Koss UR-29 18-20,000 100ohm29.95
<-High impedance!
Senn PX4020-20,00032ohm 14.95
Senn PX 3030-20,00032ohm 9.95
Koss KTX-4 40-20,000 32ohm 14.95
Koss KTX-840-20,000 32ohm 14.95
Senn Hd 26 50-18,500 32ohm 9.95
Koss KTX-1 80-18,000 32ohm 4.95
Koss KTX-6 80-20,000 32ohm 9.95
Mid-level General Use
Sony MDR-V700DJ 5-30,000 24ohm 134.95
Sony MDR-7509 5-30,000 24ohm 233.95
Sony MDR-7506 10-20,000 24ohm 116.95
Sony MDR-7505 10-20,000 24ohm 98.95
Off the Hook
Koss ESP-950 8-35,000 100ohm 899.95
<- DAMN!!
Senn. Hd 280 PRO8-25,000 64ohm 179.95
Senn HD 590 prestige12-38,000 120ohm 242.95
Senn EH 2270 12-22,000 64ohm 170.95
Senn Hd 250 II12-19,000 300ohm 224.95
<- That's HIGH IMPEDANCE!