QOTD: Cover your ears
18 July 2010 by Shaun
27 Comments
Today’s question of the day comes from Gavin who asks the following. I am curious to know what headphones people use with their iPhones, smartphones or iPods.
Looking at something to get for my iPhone. My Sennheiser HD415 are excellent but too large for use on train etc.
Shaun: I have to say that the stock iPhone headphones on the iPhone 4 are hard to beat.
I only use BT stereo headsets (using them since about 2007). Currently using the amazing Sony Ericcson HBH-IS800.
iPhone – basic headset for out and about as it has the built in mic. At work, sennheiser noise cancelling headphones, I think PXC 250s but I can’t remember the number. For gaming, turtle beach x41 wireless 7.1 headset which is fantastic.
Just to clarify. The stock iPhone 4 buds are not bad but I need something portable to knockem for six.
I use Sennheiser PXC310..
Nice headphones, even with the noise cancelling turned off (which often it is as I would need to charge it then) they sound great…
http://www.sennheiser.com.au/au/home_en.nsf/root/private_headphones_travel-line_502386?Open&row=1
I just bought some Panasonic RP-HC55 noise cancelling earphones. The sound is amazing! But having the big thing with the battery in it is a bit of a hassle.
Quality sound in music is very important to me, so I tend to use higher end phones. (I rip CDs to Apple Lossless). I use M-Audio IE-40’s (equivalent to Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi Pros), Sennheiser HD238s and Grado SR-60s. The Grados (en particular) and the Senns really are too big for out and about use, so I use the IE-40s out and about and when I want to hear my music at it’s sonic best. I use these phones with my iPods as I don’t actually use my iPhone for music.
Donald what is the difference in file size from a 256 bit vs Apple Lossless ? And the difference is quality? I use mp3 at 256 bit at present. Thanks for info on headphones.
@Donald, many thanks. Just spotted the Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi Pros at a very low price (“Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi 10vi”) and so very interested now
@gavinfabl Huge difference in file sizes. Just looking at some random files I have, encoded at 256K AAC, they average 5-6 megs in size. The average of my lossless files is 20-30 megs! Honestly, I don’t recommend this for phones because they take a lot of space and they do, I believe, impact battery life. And quite frankly, a lot of folks can’t tell the difference. But if you’re going to use compressed files (and Apple Lossless actually are compressed in spite of the name) I’d recommend not going any higher than your ears can tell the difference. I’m no expert, but from my limited experience, I find 256 AAC is about as high as most people can really notice a difference. Beyond that you really need good ears and good phones to tell the difference. I’m 57 and my hearing is about the only sense that still works as well as it did in my 20’s, and I do notice the difference – but I listen very critically and have trained myself to hear things. But if you’re not as fussy as I am, just encode at the best you can hear and enjoy the extra space!
@Jah – Those were UE’s flagship universal IEMs for a long time and the price has gotten quite reasonable. The one thing I would caution you about is that fit can be a bear, depending on the size of your ear canals. And the tips that come with them aren’t are that comfortable either. I believe they now come with a pair of Comply ear foams, and those are FANTASTIC. Use those and not the vinyl ones. I use Comply TX500’s exclusively with mine (the ones with wax guard – believe me, you want wax guard!). Finally with IEMs, cleaning your ears before insertion is essential. Ear wax is yucky!
I’ve had my Shure e3c earphones for years. Cost me around £80 but I’ve had my use out of them. Noise isolating and so good you can’t hear anything at all from the outside when you have them in and the music on. As a result, I don’t like to use them when I’m walking!
All of my music us 196k VBR encoded using iTunes and I find that the quality and size are just right for me.
I have two pairs of on-ear Sennheiser phones at home, a full-sized set for quality listening, a smaller set by the bed when wife doesn’t want to be annoyed, I take the latter on holiday too. I have some Sony noise-cancelling phones for planes. And at work I use some “premium” logitech phones (I have to say Logitech have gone down in quality over the years, I had to dismantle and bypass the inline volume control) which aren’t bad. I also carry in my gadget bag some cheaper Sennheiser in-ear phones (MX300 I think) which are very small and portable, which I use with my mobile phone (Nokia E71) sometimes for podcasts etc.
So, the answer is: that depends on where you want to use them and for how long!
p.s. yes, I take the wife and the smaller headphones, LOL!
Thanks Donald.
I also though the ohms make a difference vs decibels ie 32 ohmns and a higher rating on the sounds per whatever it’s meant to be . So a pair of headphones at 32 ohmns and 110 db vs 16 ohmns and 110db, the 16 ohmns should have more energy, converting into more punch , less volume needed, more musical impact and the iPod should be able to drive the music with ease. So if you had 2 pairs of 16 ohmns the higher db value in theory should sound better. I think that is correct.
IMO the stock iPhone earphones are easy to beat because they just don’t fit in my ears! I’ve got bizarrely small ears and those earbud earphones just don’t work for me at all. I have to have the in-ear-canal earphones and even then with the smallest rubbery attachments. I also own 2 pairs of Sennheiser PX200 headband over-earphones which I use in the office and at home. For travel and out and about, I have a set of Philips HN060 noise cancelling headphones, which I love because they have a cord so they hang round your neck, so the weight of the battery/control unit doesn’t hang off the earbuds.
If you are looking for in-ear phones, I think the Sennheiser CX-300s are an absolute steal on Amazon at the moment – £14. The 400s are on at £20 but I can’t comment on the quality as I don’t have a pair.
@Gavinfabl Yes, you’re correct about the ohms, although I’m not sure about the dBs. Most cans are 24-32 ohms and the lower the resistance, obviously the more the volume. For IEMs, 32 ohms seems to work well given how they are basically jammed in your ear. But for on-ear cans, I find that you really need to crank up the volume more to get the same level of sound. Every set of cans I’ve owned has always been 32 ohms, and like I said, for IEMs this is fine. I wish they would lower the resistance on on-ear cans to 24 though just so you don’t have to crank them up so far to get decent volume.
@AndrewP A lot of people like the Senn CX-300 and I’ve never heard them, but I’m told they’re really bass-heavy. A lot of what you choose in a can has to do with the sound signature you’re looking for and the type of music you’re listening to. I look for balance across the entire hearable frequency range where no one area of the range is artificially enhanced. But on the other hand, I don’t want absolutely neutral phones either (they tend to sound bland to me). Since I listen to mostly classical and orchestral music balance is essential and the Grados are probably best in that department. However for classic rock I prefer the Senns or the IE-40’s which both have more punch to them. Buying earphones is a dark science you know! Most people from what I can see just stick with what comes with their player/phone. But once you get past those, the choices are myriad and confusing. I’ve spent more money than I care to admit looking for the perfect set of cans, and have settled on the three I’ve mentioned.
@ Donald. As an ex audiophile I think the db does makes a difference . Anything under say 105db could start to lack a pulse. I currently use a pair of Sennheiser HD415. They are 32ohm and 110db and sound awesome with the iPhone 4. Interesting neither my iPod Touch 2g or iPad can get near the sheer brilliance of the iPhone 4. I really think you ought to
see if you can try one with your cans. My ear canals are an old pair of Sonys which were about £70 new. Quite good too.
Has anyone tried the big Sony Headphones that say extra bass. Cost about £60 . Lots of great reviews .
The sonys are mdrxb700.
@gavinfabl I didn’t address the dB issue mainly because I just don’t know enough about it to offer an intelligent opinion! I’m not sure why most cans have a 32 ohm impedance, but I’m sure there is a good reason and my only beef with that is that you have to turn the volume up higher therefore risking distortion and having a negative impact on battery life. It’s good to know that the HD415s have that impedance and drive well with the iPhone 4.
Since owning iPods (I have two – a 5G 80GB that I use exclusively in the car and a 160GB classic that I use in the house) I don’t use my mobile phones for music because of the space restrictions. Since I rip at Apple Lossless the files are huge and I have a LOT of music (over 100 gigs of music alone) that just won’t fit on a phone. And I hate having to chose which songs to put on the phone and having to rotate them out. So I just don’t put any on the phone at all. However, you have piqued my curiosity and now I’m going to have to put some on my iPhone 4 to compare the sound quality!
I gotta tell you that phones that offer ‘enhanced’ bass are anathema to me! I find that those cans tend to overemphasise the bass and it often comes out muddy sounding and the higher freqs get sacrificed. I know a LOT of folks like that, and more power to them, but no thanks!
Interesting that you say you’re an ex-audiophile. How do you stop being one!
@ Donald
you don’t , other than kids impact budget restraints and when they were babies I couldn’t bear them poking their fingers into my speakers and Class A Amps, so I sold them and got baby proof equipment. The db rating allows for more energy per decibel. So even a 32 ohm speaker
can sound good if a high db. The other thing I have done is play music loud for 1 week continuous on the sennheisers to make them better. Due to
the nuances and quality of the iPhone 4. , I now believe that betters cans will be worth it. Seen some other reviews on the Sony cans that say subtle music is crap on them . I listen to everything so need a good all rounder.
@gavinfabl Hee hee.
I have audiophile ears but an earbud budget! I could never really afford to be an audiophile, and when I was in the Navy (I’m retired) I moved too much to want to risk the USN destroying expensive equipment during a move (even if I could have afforded it). I do know about break-in and with both my on-ear cans, I’ve done exactly that and it does seem to make a difference – more so with the Senns than with the Grados. I’ve seen arguments back and forth about breaking in IEMs depending on whether they were balanced armature or not (I forget the name of the other armature type) but honestly I don’t find that the sound sig on my IE-40’s has changed one bit from the day I first bought them 2 years ago.
Thanks for the info on decibels. (I guess I really should read my back issues of Stereophile magazine!). That’s something I’ll keep in mind when I buy my next set of high-end cans.
When I had my first flat (apartment) I had 3 racks of hifi equipment , floor standing speakers , 2 inch wide speaker cable -and a sofa bed and one shelf. I had nothing else lol . I finally ended up with a pre and power amp combo, capable of delivering a peak of 2000w per channel! However , such was the immense current I rarely needed to go more than 3 watts per channel to totally fill the room with sound. To give you an idea at 30 w per channel anything on my shelf would vibrate off
the power amp was so heavy it needed 4 people to lift it!
Those were the days. And the best part, I had no neighbours and could enjoy my music fully.
@Gavin, wow i did ‘t know about your hifi heritage. I still have a Linn LP12 and Naim setup.
@Donald, ordered the UE headphones!
@gavinfabl Mouth hanging open! I don’t even know what to say to a set up like that! My hat off to you, sir, for such an elabourate setup! Do you still have any of that equipment?
@Jah – Cool! Please report back and let us know what you think of them. Just remember what I said about the tips – if they come with the Comply’s, use them. Your ears will thank you!
@ jah neat setup
@ Donald afraid not. Can you imagine the space
needed:) lol and not having no room for furniture
[...] vocal, and informative, on the subject of mobile music quality and the best equipment to use (see here) , and it would be interesting to follow this up and find out what music you like listening to on [...]
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