Rockin’ out: Ppros and cons of three major headphone styles

Everywhere you go, you see little wires hanging from people’s heads. Everyone is rockin’ out in their own world with their headphones and MP3 players, and you want to do the same. But,[omit tf] buying the right kind of headphones may can be a daunting task for the uneducated consumer.

Chances are,, if you’ve bought an MP3 player, you want to get decent sound out of it as well.This article aims to clarify the difference between headphone types and help you make a buying decision.

There are Three three common major types of headphones are common. First, there are Eearbud headphones, like those included with almost any MP3 player, . These are the cheapest and most popular variety of headphones. They are lightweight and compact and don‘ot require much power to be driven. However, they,but don’ot isolate soundd. and The the sound quality isn‘ot stellar–, as low frequency (bass) response is often bad and detail is usually muddy.

Canalphones, which fit in your ears like earplugs, are tThe second major type of headphones.is in-ear earphones. Also known as canalphones, they fit in your ears like earplugs. These are generally more expensive, but as they become more popular their price is decreasing. Theyseey are just as small and lightweight as earbud headphones but. Canalphones are best at noise reduction since they fill your outer ear canal. Without music playing,they are just as effective as earplugs without music playing. With music[playing tf], forget about hearing anything but the music at any volume!. Sound isolation could not be better without having active noise reduction (ANR) technology. Beware,[omit tf] though — this sound isolation makes them unsafe in places where you need toto be able to hear your surroundings. They also tend to produce a thumping noise with any blunt movement like running.

Cans, or The third kind, over-the-head headphones,(also known as cans), are larger and generally provide the highest best sound quality. They also come in closed-back and open-back formats, the former providing more sound isolation with less airy sopen-air-like[omit tf] sound and the latter providing a more airy open-air sound with less background noise isolation.

I am Being a stickler for audio quality and believe , the following is worth noting: it is important to note the following: aAny set of headphones will sound bad if connected to a poor source or if listening to poor source material. For purposes of these reviews, I tested each model tested all units were tested on an Onkyo TX-SR304 stereo receiver connected via optical cable to a computer. For test material, I used Test materials included Apple Lossless and MP3 tracks. The songs? A used were a320kbps[320 kbps tf?] MP3 version of Snow (hey oh) by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and an Apple Lossless version of Daahound by jazz artist Arturo Sandoval, both played with the equalizer turned off.

Earbud headphones: Standard[standard tf] iPod/iPhone earbuds.

Price: free with any new iPod/iPhone or $29 à la carte.

Despite the bad rap, these really aren’t bad earphones. Snow (hey oh) brings out their ability to reproduce mid-tone clarity, but they don’t work very well at high volumes as the highs tend to get blown out. Detail at the low end is also missinglacking, and there is no punch to the bass.bass punch to speak of. Listening to Daahound, however, was rather disappointing. The This track is instrumental track is , rich in highs and bassall frequencies. These headphones fail to immerse the listener in the music simply because they don’t reproduce it very well. Comfort is decent; they stay put better than the prior generation of iPod headphones did, but can still fall out if jarred.

Conclusion: Tthese are good for pop/rock, but don’t expect a whole lot outside of the mid-tones.Comfort is decent; they stay put better than the prior generation of iPod headphones did, but can still fall out if jarred.

Canalphones: Shure E4c earphones

Price: $175 or $189 for the slightly newer equivalent, the SE310.

You probably don’t want to leave these lying around, as they’re not cheap to replace. HoweverFortunately, they’re more practical to carry around than over-the-head sets. On Snow (hey oh), the bass line in the introduction is clear, though lacking in punchnot very strong. The high vocals–, guitar, and and drums —are very clear and crisp. In fact, the crispness of the highs is a bit overwhelming at times, which is a common complaint about this model. Listening to Daahound, however, is an experience in and of itself. Everything is clear, from the sound of each and every drum to the rapid bass notes and the trumpet. Again, the highs can be a bit sharp, so I had to turn down the volume slightlyHighs are still a bit sharp. Fortunately, sound detail is excellent at all volumes and ranges. Not much power is needed to drive them, and comfort is excellent. Several fittings are included. Tri-flange, hard plastic, soft plastic,[omit tf] and foam tips are all part of the package.

Conclusion: these These canalphones are pricy, but will provide the best sound quality in a compact package compared to the other two headphone types.

Over-the-head headphones: AKG K271 Studio headphones

Price: $199

Despite their name, these made-in-Austria headphones are excellent for music listening. The Studio simply denotes an auto-off mechanism that is useful for reducing noise pollution in studio environments. These use a closed[- tf]back design and are very good at sound attenuationreductionisolation,[omit tf], but not on par with the E4cs. Simply put, their high price is easily justified by their quality. In Snow (hey oh), highs, mids,[omit tf] and lows are well represented, and minor flaws in the original sound engineering are evident. In Daahound, the highs are extremely detailed, but smooth enough as not to be fatiguing. This is due, in part, to having broken them in through hundreds of hours of use. The purpose of these cans, just like with the E4cs, is to faithfully reproduce sound; bass is never going to be overbearing, but it is definitely present. Comfort is excellent – these go around the ears are circumaural and use headphones with a self-adjusting headband. They are also extremely durable; my dad has an almost identical pair from the 1980s that are in nearly as good of shape.

Conclusion: iIf you want to look like an audiophile in public, or simply love listening to music at home, buy these if you can afford it[them. tf].

A word on use with portable electronics – the Apple earbuds are best used with a rock EQ setting, while the other two are best used on a flat configuration. The output quality is still good on the iPod, SanDisk Sansa, and iPhone, but probably won’t equal the cleanliness of high and low frequencies of a decent stereo amplifier.

ANDREW LEONARD can be reached at science@californiaaggie.com. XXX