What a difference...

[MadeInNewJersey]

I have top-notch headphones for home use; they're 100% impractical for portability though.

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[En Vind Av Sorg]

Yea, I also have a pair of big bulky shure headphones I use at home for music. Not very portable or stylish but they sound nice, and I prefer putting those on to the earbuds, which I only use as monitors now days.

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[Conspicuously Absent]

i've got a $90 pair of theatre headphones for home use, but I have a $20 pair of Sony earbuds that sound fairly good for travelling. If I could afford high quality earbuds, i probably would. By the time I can enjoy them, i won't be using them nearly as much.

 

[General Zod]

See it as an investment in saving your hearing from being damaged by unnecessarily loud, unnecessarily harsh cheap earplugs... and also being able to enjoy the music you love more

Exactly right on both counts. I did a little test, and found that I listen to my iPod at less than half the volume with the E3Cs than I do with the standard iPod earbuds. Aside from saving my hearing, and vastly improved music quality, it also conserves battery life.

Zod

 

[dorian gray]

some questions:
1) cant one use regular size over-the-ear headphones with these little iPod things? seems like you get better sound than in-the-ear phones for less money
2) doesnt the mp3 format make compromises in the sound relative to CD format? so, seems like having $150 headphones is a waste. just wodering. dont know for sure.

 

[Chromatose]

some questions:
1) cant one use regular size over-the-ear headphones with these little iPod things? seems like you get better sound than in-the-ear phones for less money
2) doesnt the mp3 format make compromises in the sound relative to CD format? so, seems like having $150 headphones is a waste. just wodering. dont know for sure.

1) of course, but that doesn't help the whole portability factor very much ..

2) some people can't hear a difference with poorly encoded mp3s, but once you get into higher bitrates, if encoded properly, there really is no way 99% of people will hear a difference between the quality of the mp3 and the cd. Though, YES, for sure, higher quality headphones will bring out imperfections with poorly encoded music, but with at least a decent audio source, the sound with dramatically improve with better headphones/earbuds

 

[dorian gray]

1) meh, i disagree. i grew up with walkmans with big-ass headphones. i always thought earbuds were a joke. nothing non-portable about over-the-ears, they only weight a few ounces.

2) heh, i dont really know what youre talking about but i believe you anyway.

 

[General Zod]

1) cant one use regular size over-the-ear headphones with these little iPod things?

Yes.

seems like you get better sound than in-the-ear phones for less money

Do over-ear phones offer sound isolation? Not sure how they could. When working out in the gym, something I do frequently, they're constantly pumping music that bleeds in unless:

a) You play your music so loud, to compensate, that you damage your hearing
b) You use sound-isolating technology

2) doesnt the mp3 format make compromises in the sound relative to CD format?

Yes. However, it has a lot to do with what bit rate you rip at. I doubt 95% of music fans could tell the difference between 192kbps and a CD. At 320kbps, any difference that may actually exist is inaudible.

so, seems like having $150 headphones is a waste. just wodering. dont know for sure.

Well, they dramatically improve sound quality, they're more comfortable, save your hearing and give you longer battery life. Also, keep in mind, what is and what isn't a waste depends on two factors; disposable income and priorities.

Zod

 

[Chromatose]

we might as well just walk around with boomboxes on our shoulders eh

 

[General Zod]

Whoops. Chromatose must be a faster typist.

Zod

 

[General Zod]

Closed headphones isolate pretty fucking well, but they're bulky and not something you could be wearing in the gym, heh.

Thanks for the info. By the way, when I wear over the ear phones, I find that my ears get very warm after a while, which can be unfomfortable/distracting.

Zod

 

[dorian gray]

mine itch. earbuds are just as uncomfortable though. for me anyway.

 

[dorian gray]

dont mean to derail the thread but since we're talking about expensive electronic shit: anyone have a flat panel tv, either LCD or plasma? im thinking about selling my bigass tube and getting a flat panel. i have some space constraints and wanna put the fucker on the wall. but, if it's not worth it, it's no big deal. i currently have a beautiful 32" sony flat screen tube. i bet the most i could get for it would be $500. a new 37" LCD costs around $2000. worth it?

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

I bet you'd be lucky to get $250 for a 32" Sony. I have a 36" WEGA, and brand spanking new it's about $750 now.

I would definitely go toward LCD, but there are a LOT of options/details to consider, to make sure you're getting the best TV for your dollar. Also, FYI, I've seen several 40"+ LCDs (all HDTV) going for < $2K with holiday sales & whatnot.

 

[dorian gray]

yar. last year my tv was $900. it's alot less now im sure. if they even still make it. dell has a 32" LCD for $1700 right now. but im so sick of buying shit, i dont really care. i just gave my other 26" tube tv to my mom. if i sell this 32" WEGA, i might just go without television.

 

[Erik]

im so sick of buying shit

Don't.

i might just go without television.

Sane idea imo

 

[JayKeeley]

Since I had no idea how I would like them (sound, comfort, etc.), I decided to buy them from a store with a liberal return policy. I bought the E2Cs. Amazing sound, but I found the heavy chord and the size of the bud (comes with 7 different in-ear attachments) a bit uncomfortable. After three weeks, I returned them.

I'm surprised you lasted 3 weeks. I borrowed a pair for one evening, used the smallest in-ear attachment, and after 20 minutes couldn't wait to get them out of my ears. Way too big and uncomfortable.

Yesterday I picked the E3Cs. Awesome. Their sound is only a little better than the E2Cs, but they fit in my ears better and the lighter cord more enjoyable.

OK this looks like the way to go then.

The sound is amazing. Because they block out all outside noise, I found that I had the volume at less than half what it was with my Apple earbuds.

I found a slight problem with the way they cut out external noise. Essentially, since they fit snug into the ear canal, you hear every "internal" noise as well. So for example, you don't want to be eating anything because you hear every bite. Likewise, I found that when I walked, I could hear the 'thud' of every step I took -- kind of like sticking your fingers in your ears.

That's a minor gripe though because 90% of the time, I would be sitting stationary when using the headphones. Yeah, I don't mind spending a lot of money to saving my hearing. Being able to turn the volume down and still hear everything better is worth it alone.

 

[General Zod]

I'm surprised you lasted 3 weeks. I borrowed a pair for one evening, used the smallest in-ear attachment, and after 20 minutes couldn't wait to get them out of my ears. Way too big and uncomfortable.

Hmm... everyone's ears are different, and they do warn about an adjustment period.

OK this looks like the way to go then.

Still love them, but if I had one complaint, it would be that the chord is a bit long.

I found a slight problem with the way they cut out external noise. Essentially, since they fit snug into the ear canal, you hear every "internal" noise as well. So for example, you don't want to be eating anything because you hear every bite. Likewise, I found that when I walked, I could hear the 'thud' of every step I took -- kind of like sticking your fingers in your ears.

Exactly right. The other problem is, they're so effective at removing outside noise, that I can't hear my desk phone ring (which sits less than a foot away) when I'm wearing them.

That's a minor gripe though because 90% of the time, I would be sitting stationary when using the headphones. Yeah, I don't mind spending a lot of money to saving my hearing. Being able to turn the volume down and still hear everything better is worth it alone.

Agreed.

By the way, some stores, like Tweeter, have them set up so you can try every pair, which each type of ear bud they ship with.

Zod

 

[dorian gray]

Exactly right. The other problem is, they're so effective at removing outside noise, that I can't hear my desk phone ring (which sits less than a foot away) when I'm wearing them.

haha that seems like it would be kinda scary at first. do you get used to that lack of ambient noise?

 

[General Zod]

haha that seems like it would be kinda scary at first. do you get used to that lack of ambient noise?

It's not an issue. It feels like listening to headphones in a quiet room. I wouldn;t describe it as disconcerting at all.

Zod