in which Nick attempts to find new headphones
I own a pair of Sennheiser HD 202 Headphones that I use on my PC (replacing a pair of Sennheiser RS-130's I grabbed off Woot a few years back that migrated upstairs). I currently use a pair of Sony MDR-J11G h.ear Sports Headphones with my 2 mp3 players, as the buds that come with the iPhone are crap and I've yet to find anything suitable to replace it. Based on that last fact, I decided to go looking with my Xmas gift certificate for a good headphone for me. I decided, initially, to stick with Sports models for more 'ruggedness' - water resistance for weather, meant to be taken out of doors/gymward, etc.
Thus far, I've tried two:
Sennheiser OMX80 Sport Series II Stereo Clip On Ear Phones - These just hurt my ears. The clips are super adjustable, but even with that there was no way I could find to have it stay snug on my ear AND not pinch painfully. It's a bit troubling, given that the non-flexible hard plastic of the Sony's is so much more comfortable than this. The sound quality, mind, was STELLAR. Still, they weren't useable for me.
Sennheiser CX380 Sport Series II Noise Isolating Earphones - As with the other 3 Sennheiser's I've used, the sound quality is incredible. There's a bit of wire noise initially, but once the music was going I never noticed it again. I tried all 3 different pairs of earbuds that came with these, and none worked - only the smallest offered a tight seal, and even that wasn't tight enough for my apparently dainty earwells. Taking the pads off completely resulted in a snug and comfortable fit, but with virtually no noise isolation. Plus, ick. Returned these as well.
I bought a pair of Sennheiser PMX80 Sport Series II for my kid brother for Xmas. He seems to like them, but says that they are very snug when he works out. Given that my head is a goddamn pumpkin, as much as I'd love to try them I don't know that it's feasible.
I think my next test will be of the Shure SE115 - Gizmodo LOVES them, and they seem to be good solid earbuds to boot. With 5 different adapters, I'm hoping I find one that'll work for me before the inevitable return. It'll break my run of Sennheiser-only, sure, but I'm less tied to the brand after each respective fit failure.
What do YOU use?
Thus far, I've tried two:
Sennheiser OMX80 Sport Series II Stereo Clip On Ear Phones - These just hurt my ears. The clips are super adjustable, but even with that there was no way I could find to have it stay snug on my ear AND not pinch painfully. It's a bit troubling, given that the non-flexible hard plastic of the Sony's is so much more comfortable than this. The sound quality, mind, was STELLAR. Still, they weren't useable for me.
Sennheiser CX380 Sport Series II Noise Isolating Earphones - As with the other 3 Sennheiser's I've used, the sound quality is incredible. There's a bit of wire noise initially, but once the music was going I never noticed it again. I tried all 3 different pairs of earbuds that came with these, and none worked - only the smallest offered a tight seal, and even that wasn't tight enough for my apparently dainty earwells. Taking the pads off completely resulted in a snug and comfortable fit, but with virtually no noise isolation. Plus, ick. Returned these as well.
I bought a pair of Sennheiser PMX80 Sport Series II for my kid brother for Xmas. He seems to like them, but says that they are very snug when he works out. Given that my head is a goddamn pumpkin, as much as I'd love to try them I don't know that it's feasible.
I think my next test will be of the Shure SE115 - Gizmodo LOVES them, and they seem to be good solid earbuds to boot. With 5 different adapters, I'm hoping I find one that'll work for me before the inevitable return. It'll break my run of Sennheiser-only, sure, but I'm less tied to the brand after each respective fit failure.
What do YOU use?