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Bole2Harlem mention in larger article about headsets
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The Denver Post, Bole2Harlem mention in larger article about headsets >>
Getting an earful
-by Michael Booth, Denver Post Staff Writer
So your "ear buds" have stretched your sound holes to the size of manhole covers. And the over-ear headphones you inherited from Cousin Dweezil in 1973 weigh more than your CD collection.
It may be time to upgrade that headset for your iPod or laptop to something designed for sound quality, instead of pre-packaged convenience. I was skeptical, myself— my cheap, standard-issue ear buds seem to blast Keane and Bole2Harlem plenty loud for jogging around Denver.
But a listening browse through the racks at headphone sellers like ListenUp or the Bose store in Cherry Creek can revise your Christmas list faster than you can push the shuffle button. And you don't have to shell out $400 for a decent headset — though models in that range sound mighty fine. A mere $69 can secure a head-pleasing model like the Grado SR60, a rich over-ear phone for home or office listening that even the audiophile websites call a great set for the money.
"Having been able to pick up Blue Note CDs for shows that I have attended, the SR6o's sound a lot like the performance I saw," said one reviewer on the opinion-rich site headphone reviews.org.
If your family thinks you've been very, very good this year, and your headphone budget is higher, treat yourself to a jetengine demo at the Bose store. The Bose noise-cancellation headphones retail for $349 — put them on, and you feel like you're floating. The room disappears, and a blend of notes floats around your head like a warm bath.
Then you notice the clerk waving in your face. You lift one corner of the headphone pad, and ROAAARRRR, you realize that all along, the demo stand has been jacking out a lowfrequency whoosh equivalent to that of sitting on a modern jetliner. But you couldn't hear any of that — only the music. Some audiophiles claim noise cancelers, which emit their own frequency to combat unwanted sound, don't offer the highest sound quality. For frequent travelers, though, or workers sitting in a cubicle overwhelmed by A/C vents, noise canceling is a ticket to sanity.
The first step in buying new headphones is picking out a general design. Ear buds sit on the cartilage platform under the opening to your ear canal. Some joggers swear by them, others can't keep them on their ears for a whole song.
In-ear or canal phones fit snugly into the ear hole like a safety plug, with sophisticated electronics packed inside a cone that can often be adjusted for the listener's comfort.
On-ear or supra-aural phones have a wide pad that sits on top of the whole ear, like a telephone receiver. They don't isolate the music as well as other models, but they let you hear voices or traffic noise if you can't afford to be cut off from all sound.
Over-ear, around-ear or circum-aural phones have the fat, comfortable pads that fit all the way around the ear and cradle your head like two big pillows. They tend to block most outside sounds; noise-canceling phones are just one version of this style, so make sure you know which you are getting.
Many travelers are using headphones to watch in-flight DVDs these days, either on their own laptops or by plugging their personal earphones into the airplane system. ListenUp's Dave Jackson recommends the Shure E2C canal model at $99. "It has great voice articulation for movies," Jackson said.
All of the Shure models at ListenUp offer far richer bass than the cheap ear buds that come standard with most iPods. At $299, the Shure E4C made it sound as if the entire band had just walked into the room.
The next step up, the E5C at $499, is a shocker, and not just for the price — whatever song happens to be playing on your iPod when you plug it in, you immediately turn down. The sound is so powerful, you need far less volume. They work effectively as noise-cancelers, too, making it nearly impossible to hear someone speaking right next to your ear.
ListenUp also offers far cheaper models, including the Grado SR60 mentioned above. The iGrado, at only $49.99, puts out a warm, heavy bass sound in over-ear phones. Take heed: Going back to your standard iPod buds after listening to the Grado models will make your old music sound tinny, and a little irritating.
Sennheiser offers a full line of over-ear headphones at ListenUp and numerous Internet sites, from low end to high end. My amateur ear couldn't tell the difference between the HD515 for $139 or the HD650 for $500 — but they both sounded fantastic, and
were some of the most comfortable sets for long-term listening that we tried.
(Note: Many of the high-end headphones need a readily available adapter to step down their quarter-inch stereo plug to the jack on an iPod or other MP3 player.)
The Grado SR225 at $199 is also a great-sounding headphone, but the ear cups are not as comfortable as the Sennheiser models.
The main lesson from headphone shopping is that customization is comfort. We're often wearing headphones for hours as our homes, offices and vehicles go multi-media. Picking out the model that suits you best can measurably improve those hours.
-Staff writer Michael Booth can be reached at mbooth@denverpost.com.
12/12/06
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