Headphone Recommendation

CX300Part ear-bud, part canalphone, the Sennheiser CX300 are my favourite headphones for city life. They fit like a pinky fingertip in your ear and it’s that light seal that affords for very deep bass. They also block most outside noise which is great because they’re great even on the subway, but be careful crossing the street, and for heaven’s sake don’t wear them when you’re riding a bike.

Something strange is happening to their pricing from various merchants Tiger Direct has sold them for as low as $62 but they’re currently listed at $107. A lot of people think that $100 is a lot of money for what are essentially ear buds, but if you are using them every day you will appreciate the difference.



Published:
4.16.07 / 5am
Category:
Hi-fi

9 Comments

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  1. Geoff 4.16.07 / 10am

    I just bought my first iPod… don’t laugh… and yes, the sound quality is somewhat underwhelming.

    I was thinking about buying these beauties – http://www.turntablelab.com/dj_equipment/0/0/17437.html?view=closeup

  2. Andrew White 4.16.07 / 11pm

    Geoff, those look awesome. Are you buying them from somewhere in Toronto?

    I have a pair of AKG K 26 Ps my wife gave me for Christmas ‘05. They sound amazing, but the cord gives at the plug. Mine are wrapped in electrical wire like every other set I’ve seen.

    I wish Grado made a good closed-can in the price range of the SR60 or SR80.

  3. Geoff 4.17.07 / 5am

    I was only kidding about the green ones :O) though they do make quite a statement. If I were serious I would follow Ryan’s recommendation and look into those Sennheisers. At work, for years I have had these decent all purpose phones and I quite like them.

  4. ryan 4.17.07 / 7am

    Aside from sound quality, city/work headphones IMHO need the following:

    • Durability. Need to be able to survive as backpack cargo. My Grados died this way. The CX300 have an unbelievable 3 year warranty.
    • Isolation. Won’t disturb colleagues.
    • Easy to get out. Canalphones can’t can’t pop out quickly enough.
    • Comfort.
  5. Andrew White 4.19.07 / 6am

    Geoff: I refuse to feel silly. I LOVE ‘EM. Audio Technica has a few circa-1970-styling over-the-ear cans, and I’d really like to get a set. I think I’m stuck in that man-boy phase.

    Ryan, the AKGs I mentioned are actually really durable except for the cord issue. The actual wire is really, really thick, so they’re holding up very well. They’re closed headphones, too, and make a good seal on the ear.

  6. Geoff 4.20.07 / 5am

    OK, believe it or not, I saw a woman on the street yesterday wearing the Panasonic cans, not the green ones mind you, but they didn’t look so bad. So many people are wearing headphones around, you don’t really notice anymore. After 2 weeks of continual listening, my apple ear buds are failing to grow on me. A radical change may be required here.

  7. Andrew White 4.20.07 / 6am

    A quick fix for the Apple ear buds are the Senheisser MX 400s. They’re buds as well, but for $25, they sound surprisingly good. The only problem is the cord is very short.

  8. Peter 5.13.07 / 9pm

    For the same money ($80 – $100) you can pick up a pair of sure e2’s, which in my opinion are FAR superior……..

    http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/Products/Earphones/ESeries/us_pa_E2c_content

  9. ryan 5.14.07 / 7am

    Peter: a few weeks ago a friend of mine came over with his and did a comparison. I think we were both left with the impression that the e2c’s were less muddy in the mid-range (especially with vocals) but in other aspects the cx300’s had them beat.

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