When I got my Discman last Christmas, it came with a pair of fairly nice headphones-small, comfortable and having nice clear sound, and even decent (though not really good) bass. Unfortunately, after a lot of rough treatment in my backpack's back pocket, they sort of began to disintegrate; there are now holes in the foam pads and in one place the structure is held together with a little bit of tape. A few months back I bought a couple of big old headphones (with the older, bigger plug-6.5mm?) for $4 at a garage sale (also had to get a little adapter from RadioShack to make them work with the Discman). These are also not bad, though the sound is a little bit muffled sounding, especially in the treble. You also have to turn the volume control up to about twice the value needed with the original headphones. Also the cheap adapter fell to bits last week, so at the moment I am back to using the original small headphones. But I would like to buy some new ones. First option: Amazon.com has a pair of headphones, the Jensen Jf25, for $15, which got a really good review-"strong bass and clear, non-abrasive treble." Does anybody on Grex own a pair of these and want to say more about them? Second option: my friend Luka says that Sony Groove in-ear phones are good, but they cost $25 ($35 if you get the gold connector, but that is a rip-off because the part only costs about $2). What about these? Are earphones more likely to damage hearing than headphones? Any advice will be apprecciated...11 responses total.
I have a pair of $10 Sony earphones...the kind that have a headpiece, but rest in the ears. I love them...I'd deffinately buy them again, since I'm getting really good sound out of them, and they're still holding up, even though I'm pretty rough on them. And they have no pads to fall apart. :)
The little loose earbud headphones from Sony (mine are the "fontopia" style) are a little weak on the bass, but the high end goes *way* up where even my cats probably can't hear anything. Great for details, and harder to break since there isn't that headband.
All of the in-ear phones I've used (both the earbud style and the other kind) hurt my ears after I wear them for a little while.
I got a pair of Koss headphones for use with my discman at work. Headband and foam ear style, not their usual 'cans' style. Good bass and treble. Light enough to travel (if need be) and much better than than the $10 type headphones. I don't know the model number right now.
I had a pair of Koss phones....worst phones I'd ever owned.
Some time ago someone gave us an oldish Discman (D-34 number IIRC), with no headphones. My dad bought some cheapish ($15 or so) Sennheiser headphones for it. They are *awful*, very muddy and indistinct sounding. Presumably their expensive "studio" headphones are better quality. At the moment I am thinking that I will go with the Jensen phones because they are cheaper, have an inline volume control, and got such a good review. (they were described as "a rare treat in this price range" or something similar so they are probably not the average ten buck phones) I will however go down to SoundTrack sometime and see if they sell them (or something even better) there, rather than getting them from Amazon.
Don't ask me. I'm one of those people who buy the $5 special at Radio Shark. I've always had good luck with them, too. I'm using a pair of Koss headphones that I inherited from my ex-brother-in-law. They are at least 10 years old and still sound great, though I'm going to have to replace them before too long.
resp:6 :: Interesting, I've never heard of cheap Sennheiser phones. I've liked their more expensive headphones for many years, we currently have three pairs of them, and I've worn out at least two other pairs over the decades. For cheap headphones, Leslie and I have long been partial to the Sonys which sit lightly on top of the ear. Sony still makes that design to sell with Walkman tape and CD players, but they no longer sell them independently. The headphones designed for separate sale are now much bulkier and less comfortable. We are very bummed, and we're looking for a new reliable choice in cheap headphones, the sort of headphones you drag around in a backpack and beat to pieces in a year or two. Personal taste seems to affect headphone choice more than any other piece of stereo equipment. I've never liked Koss, because Koss' designs tend towards a very heavy bass sound; I find the Sennheiser and Sony sound lighter and better balanced.
I must be a basshead, then. I've been meaning to check out hmm..it's Panasonic's new headphone/personal CD player combo-- I forget what it's called, but it was put on the market just recently. The headphones have a separate unit that vibrates the back of your neck. That's an interesting concept, since low frequencies below about 400 Hz aren't heard by the eardrum, but a bone near the inner ear. I have a pair of Aiwa headphones that were about $20-- not exactly cheap, but the best I'd found at the time for personal-size sound systems. The range is incredible-- 5Hz to 20,000kHz. Since the wiring is oxygen-free copper, the impedance was fairly low overall (probably put in the midrange), and the plug is gold-plated, it performs pretty well for small headphones. You can keep the volume low and still get good clarity.
Note: Koss makes most Radio Shack headphones.
apologies in advance for any bad spelling & lack of capitals, i am typing this one-handed since I broke my thumb skiing 2 days ago. I got the Jensen headphones (after waiting a day because amazon said they were sold out, must be a popular item). They are good, but not perfect; the main problem I findwith them is in the treble; it's not exactly that the treble itself is too soft, but it can get a bit drowned out by the bass sometimes. I need a "digital mega treble" button were everybopdy else has the bass boost one. ;) otherwise good, comfortable (they are "cup" style, closing around your ears and thus shutting out some ambient noise); the single cord is good, as it can't get knotted up as double cords can when you lug the phones around in a backpack all day. And the volume control is handy, especially for someone like me whose discman's in-built one is broken. I'd give them a 4/5.
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