Whether it is an iPod, a Zune, a Zen, a cell phone or something else, more people are satisfying their music Jones via portables than anything else. You can debate the merits of different codecs and bitrates or the need to go lossless, but one thing links all listeners on-the-go: Headphones. And while practically everyone uses them, many people still listen with the crummy phones that came packed with their player.
Without a doubt, purchasing a new pair of phones will be the biggest upgrade your portable will ever see. Beyond greatly improved sound, you'll get a better fit and superior noise isolation. But with so many models out there, how do you go about choosing the right set? Do you just go to the store or Web and plunk down your money and hope for the best? Of course not.
I asked six manufacturers to send headphones for review, allowing them to choose whichever model fit these stipulations: they had to be in-ear models because those are the most popular and they had to cost from $150 – $200. This would keep a level playing field and allow us to judge similar phones in a price range that many people would actually consider spending.
The reviewers had even broader guidelines. Take the phones, play with them for a week, and then write-up their findings. Listen wherever, whenever and to whatever and then score each phone based on fit, bass, noise isolation and overall sound quality. Then, using whatever criteria they determined, rank them from 1 to 6. These ranking were then averaged to determine the overall rank for each phone. In the following pages you will see each reviewer's comments for all of the phones, their individual ranking, and then the overall averaged rank. And to keep it totally unbiased, none of the reviewers saw anyone else's comments or rankings until it was all over. In fact, the listening sessions all happened independently in four different states! As you'll see, headphone listening is incredibly subjective, and in some cases what one reviewer liked best, another liked least.
Readers always clamor for a "winner," so that's what we're giving you. But whichever set you choose, if this shootout inspires you to get a new set for yourself, you'll ultimately be the big winner.
The SE210's "install" in your ear differently than others in the group, designed for the cord to loop over your ears. Once you get used to this and set the phones properly, they block out a tremendous amount of outside noise, allowing you to listen at lower volumes. They also fit very tightly into my ears, making them slightly less comfortable for extended sessions, but I never worried about them slipping out, which was a fair trade-off for me.
These phones sounded laid back, not really providing any real aural excitement. While the sound was smooth, even and balanced, there was no real life to the music. Without a lot of depth at the low end or detail at the highs, sounds just felt kind of flat an "eh." They also produced more "in the head" sound compared to the other models that delivered a wider soundstage. For their superior noise isolation and tighter fit, I ranked them better than the Denon's even though I thought the Denon's sounded better. Ultimately they just didn't deliver the detail and sonic enjoyment as the other phones in the group.
Brent Butterworth Ranking: 6The SE20's design shows that Shure's not content to follow the path most traveled. The SE210 can be inserted so the cable hangs down as it does with other earphones, or so that the cable extends upward and hooks over your ear. I tried both positions, but the latter drove me crazy. I'm not hip to what these crazy kids are doing nowadays, but does anyone really wear earphones like that? Either way, the SE210 stuck uncomfortably out of my ears, and I couldn't get it to seat so that it felt secure in my ears.
I found it extremely difficult to remove the earpieces, and almost as difficult to put new ones on. It's so hard, I worried that I might break the little plastic tube onto which the earpieces fit.
The SE210 exhibited extreme frequency response errors. Vocalists literally sounded as if they were singing through megaphones. The sound was thin and bassless. The deep bass notes that begin James "Blood" Ulmer's rendition of "Dimples" made the SE210 distort badly. Although this is a challenging passage, none of the other earphones I tested had a problem with it. I checked to make sure all the plugs were inserted correctly, and that my iPod wasn't set to some weird EQ curve, but everything seemed in order except the sound of the SE210.
I feel the same way about the SE210 as I do about tattoos. I guess they might be cool for some people, but I can't understand why anyone would want them.
Leslie Shapiro Ranking: 5The SE210's were oddly heavy, and they provided decent isolation that was most affected by earcup material. The soft foam lacked bass, the plastic triple-flanged was very uncomfortable and impossible for me to get to stay in, and therefore, the sound was very thin. Once the rubber inserts were used, the sound was most accurate and natural. However, trying to get these to stay in position was difficult. Only by holding the headphones could I get anything approaching a decent sound quality.
There was a very unnatural sound to male vocals - pulled back and lacking focus. In fact, anything panned to the center of the mix lacked image focus. Overall, the SE210 had a lackluster, muddy sound. The acoustic piano in Five For Fighting's "World" had a resonance that was very unnatural.
Mike Gaughn Ranking: 5Since I had little trouble getting a good fit with most of these earbud pairs, I concentrated mainly on their sonics. My most brutal torture track was Ray Charles' "It Makes No Difference Now," off the 1995 Steve Hoffman-remastered DCC release of Charles' Greatest Country and Western Hits. This track features extremely realistic and detailed vocals and piano with an equally you-are-there brass-and-winds section that goes triple-forte, with a jolt, about 2/3s of the way into the track. Not quite as grueling, but almost as revealing, were Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Insensatez" (off the Lost Highway soundtrack CD), with its crucial but subtle percussion hits, airy flute tones, upfront cellos, and wide-open soundstage, and Cake's "Frank Sinatra"(off Fashion Nugget), which opens with clacking drum sticks, super-resonant drum hits, and a filtered vocal floating above a meandering organ and clattering junk-yard-metal guitars.
The buds that fell into Slots 2 through 5 fell there pretty tightly, meaning that you could pretty much shuffle that ranking around, depending on how much emphasis you wanted to put on this or that piece of praise or blame. Translation: All four pairs performed similarly well and, while none of them equaled my No. 1 pick, I wouldn't have felt like it was any great hardship to use any of them as my everyday pair. I had no problem getting the Shure's to fit snugly. Sonically, they were a bit hard and trebly on "It Makes No Difference Now," and the bass wasn't as full and present as it should have been. They proved similarly bass-shy on "Insensatez," but didn't sound all that bad on "Frank Sinatra." The opening drum hits didn't sound natural, though—the resonance of the snare-drum wires, for instance, was completely MIA. The bass was decent enough, but it was much more forward here than it was on the Charles and Jobim tracks.
These were the smallest and least expensive of the bunch and, like that crazy thing from Star Trek II, they completely disappear into your ears. I found it very difficult to change the ear tips, which was a problem for me since I had an impossible time finding a good fit for my left ear. I tried every tip and none of them fit me even close to comfortably. No matter what I tried, it always felt like the phone wasn't seated correctly and was about to fall out. Due to this, I felt sound isolation was poor, barely cutting out any outside sounds and making little improvement over having nothing.
On the plus side, I really liked the in-line volume control, which is a great way to adjust volume if your portable is in a pocket. But since I fought the poor fit for so long, the sound quality really didn't matter too much to me. It did have sizzling highs, giving some songs a harsh, scratchy edge. Bass was there, but in the background, again likely due to the poor fit. For me, these are the perfect example of why you MUST try phones on before you buy them, and these were the only phones in the group that would not have been an improvement over the $30 models I typically use.
Brent Butterworth Ranking: 4Companies seem to design earphones mainly for customers in the Miley Cyrus demographic. They sure don't design them for people who wear glasses. That's a problem because when I'm wearing headphones, I'm often hiking or cycling—and I don't wear my glasses, so it's hard for me to see the nearly microscopic "L" and "R" on the two otherwise identical buds of Sennheiser's CX500 earphones. In fact, it was hard to see them even with my glasses on.
That complaint lodged, the CX500 is otherwise an ergonomic champ. It's extremely light, a trait that allows it to stay in place as you're moving around, but without fitting so tight that it feels like someone shoved a hot dog into your ear canal. It also has a low profile, so it slips unnoticed under a ski hat.
The CX500 has a rich, smooth sound I enjoyed quite a lot. Its soft-sounding treble tames edgy-sounding recordings, although it can make many recordings sound a bit lifeless. It's competent and pleasant, just not particularly engaging. However, the great ergonomics easily make the CX500 my earphone of choice for skiing.
Leslie Shapiro Ranking: 4These have a very small body that's comfortable for long listening sessions. However, no matter what earcups I tried, the sound isolation was not very good. I also had to turn up my source much higher than any of the others. They still played plenty loud enough. The cables were slightly subjective to physical transduction of sound when moving them. I had very high hopes for the sound of these, but found the bass lacking impact. Duffy's "Mercy" just didn't have the deep impact it should. Even the midrange was pulled back, leaving a thin, empty sound.
Mike Gaughn Ranking: 2The ear seal attached to the Sennheiser buds worked like a dream for me, supplying a tight enough fit that kept the outside world at bay, but I suspect it won't work well for everybody. Also, I've had experience with similar Sennheiser models, and can tell you that the seal wears out over time, making the buds at first difficult, and then impossible, to use. So, why wasn't that enough to knock these buds from their No. 2 perch? Because, with the exception of the Future Sonics, I haven't had enough experience over the same amount of time with the other buds in this roundup to judge how well their various seals hold up. The Sennheisers produced decent bass on "It Makes No Difference Now," while also displaying a more open sound than any of the other buds except the Ultimate Ears. On "Insensatez," they had good presence and a broad soundstage, but were a little sizzly with the highs. The sound on "Frank Sinatra" was nice and full—maybe too full, with the bass threatening to overwhelm the mix. The effect wasn't unpleasant, but the balance wasn't accurate. Some parts of the mix, like the organ under the opening vocal, actually sounded better with the Sennheisers than they did with the Ultimate Ears.
The Denon phones were the largest and heaviest of the bunch, with a machined aluminum housing. The cable plug extension is heavy and I found it had a tendency to catch on things and try to pull the phones out of my ears. I was able to get decent fit, but with their weight and size, I was always aware of the phones being there and they didn't "disappear" the way that others did.
For me, the Denon's had the deepest bass of the bunch, like someone found the volume knob on the sub and gave it a squeeze. I listened to The Crystal Method's "High Roller" and when the song takes off at 1:06, you want to feel like the drummer is really dropping the hammer and the Denon's delivered that in spades. However, vocals were very laid back, and had a way of sounding like the performer was hiding at the back of the stage. Vocal heavy songs like Dave Matthews' "Bartender" sounded completely different from some of the other models that it could have been a totally different mix. Overall, they sounded like the classic V-shaped EQ curve with emphasized highs and lows; a sound that will appeal to many listeners, but not me. While I was OK with this in the bass, it didn't work for me in the highs, especially with drivers sparkling just millimeters from my eardrums. Ultimately, the brilliant highs kept me from wanting to turn the volume up too high.
Brent Butterworth Ranking: 3Metal's great for cars, planes, and watches. But when I'm choosing something to put in my ear, I'm not such a big fan of metal. The moment I slipped the cold aluminum shell of Denon's AH-C751 into my ear, I felt as if I'd been transported to a doctor's office and was undergoing a physical.
The metal shell also adds weight, so the AH-C751 feels heaviest of all the earphones tested. The weight keeps them from resting comfortable in your ears; you can't forget they're there. And although they never threatened to fall out, they never seemed quite secure in my ears, either.
The rock-solid metal chassis seems to elevate the AH-C751's sonics. From the very first note, I felt almost as if I were listening to an excellent pair of freestanding speakers, so natural was the tonal balance. In fact, the AH-C75's sound reminded me of the $20,000-per-pair Revel Salon2 I recently reviewed for S&V. No, the sound isn't as detailed, delicate, or airy—but it is that neutral. And it has a fantastic sense of space and ambience.
This is a great earphone for sedentary uses, such as sitting on a plane or drowning out the chatty Cathy in the next cubicle. But it's really too heavy for active use.
Leslie Shapiro Ranking: 2The Denon AH-C751 didn't have as many fit options as the others, but luckily for me, I found a good fit. They provided decent sound isolation and were comfortable and felt surprisingly secure.
The AH-C751 had an accurate high-end - sounded nice on acoustic guitar and female vocals. However, the muffled bass, lacking impact and punch, detracted from the overall sound quality. The midrange was clean and warm, but there was a slight harshness in the upper midrange on snare drums, hi-hat, and vocals. I had to turn down the overall volume on "Tell Me 'Bout It" by Joss Stone to keep the harshness in this bright mix from becoming uncomfortable.
Mike Gaughn Ranking: 6The Denon's were the one set of buds from this bunch that failed to make any kind of positive impression on me at all. Not only did they have the worst fit and sound isolation, but their sound was so aggressively treble that it became difficult to listen to after a while. They displayed decent bass on "It Makes No Difference Now," but the treble was so tinny and insistent that it was a constant distraction. And the midrange was so deficient that it couldn't even begin to compensate for the upper-end clangor. The track's sax-and-brass blasts were so harsh they almost hurt. Meanwhile, the percussion hits on "Insensatez," so crucial to establishing the track's bossa nova groove, lacked roundness and presence, and the whole mix was overwhelmed by an annoying "tssh"-y sound. The bass was OK, though, and the Denon's fared better here than they did with the more demanding Ray Charles track. "Frank Sinatra" yielded pretty much the same results, causing me to cringe at the aggressive opening drum hits, which had no depth to them at all.
I had a difficult time getting a good fit, but ultimately went with the foam over the silicone tips and after some finagling got them to seat pretty well. This gave a fair amount of noise isolation, but it wasn't as dramatic as the Shure or anywhere near the Etymotic ballpark.
These phones were the most sensitive of the bunch and every time I switched to them, I went running for the volume control. The Super.Fi5's have a very forward sound to them, like you are up on stage with the band. Brass instruments are really up front and present, like the band is sitting just feet away from you. Bass was good but not overwhelming, with low notes present but just subdued compared to the ultra-forward mids. For vocal heavy tracks, these sounded great. It seemed like Fiona Apple was alternatively purring and raging right into my brain. They sound really nice with jazz and light rock where there isn't a ton of big low end.
While it doesn't affect the quality, these come with a tiny carry case, making it tough to store the phones. Fortunately, the cable resists kinking really well. My listening notes accurately sum up my feelings: "I really like the sound; just wish they fit me better."
Brent Butterworth Ranking: 5
What's with audiophiles? They fret about midrange and treble but never worry about bass. In fact, they often prefer to do without it. For them, the Super.Fi5 may be the perfect headphone.
Compared with the other earphones in this survey, it delivers very little bass. But what it lacks on the low end it makes up in the high end. The midrange and treble sound smooth and super-detailed, much like the highs and mids of the Etymotic hf5. Percussion—electronic and acoustic—from Cibo Matto's Stereo Type A CD danced in my head. Vocals sounded natural, save for a few apparent mild dips and peaks in the lower treble.
The Super.Fi5 is a nice, light earphone that fits easily into the ear, thanks in part to the nice foam earpieces Ultimate Ears includes. That might make it a great skiing 'phone, except that I really like to hear that bass grooving to give my legs some extra snap and my turns a sense of rhythm. The cord is surprisingly stiff and tangles easily, and the plug fits tight in the jack of my iPod—so tight that it's hard to push it, but I guess that also makes it hard to pull out.
Leslie Shapiro Ranking: 3After settling in on the soft earcups, these fit comfortably but didn't have very good sound isolation. The sound of these was more subjective to very slight positioning changes. One moment they're quite thin with a harsh high-end, but a slight twist of positioning, and the bass becomes overwhelmingly boomy. The subtle kick drum and bass line on Brett Dennen's "Blessed" was almost too much on this light-hearted mix. These provided the best sound isolation for my ears.
Mike Gaughn Ranking: 1This isn't going to come as any great shock but, in general, the Ultimate Ears sounded the most natural to me. On "It Makes No Difference Now," the rim hits were startlingly realistic, as was the overall soundstage. Those triple-forte sax-and-brass chords had the necessary impact without sounding harsh; you could hear the individual instruments instead of a blurred wall of sound. The Ultimate Ears had more punch—a realistic dynamic presence—than any of the other buds without ever becoming harsh. And the acoustic bass, piano, and baritone sax covering the bass line sounded like individual instruments throughout, instead of occasionally merging into an indistinct low-end thump, as they did with most of the other buds. The bottom end was consistently full without ever sounding pumped up. On "Insensatez," the sound was again very warm, full, and natural, with just the right amount of bass. The track exhibited a wide, airy soundstage with natural placement of the instruments. The flute tones were round and open, especially during the intro. And that crucial separation of the percussion hits only came across effectively through these buds. The piano had a fullness of tone missing with the others. Nice bite to the cello attacks, too. There's not much to be said about "Frank Sinatra" without becoming redundant, but the drum kit in the opening sounded—surprise!—full, crisp, and convincingly real.
I was expecting a lot from Etymotic, the company that pioneered in-ear headphones. Usually big expectations come with big disappointments (Phantom Menace anyone?), but thankfully that was not to be the case here.
The phones created an unbelievably tight seal and raised (or lowered) noise isolation to a new level. Once the phones were in place, all outside sounds disappeared and it felt like I'd locked myself inside a vault. These would be great for commuters who don't even listen to music—they are that good. I didn't score them a 5 for comfort just because there is some pressure in the ears that makes me wonder how long I could leave them in.
Any contact with the cabling leading to your ears really transmits noise, which was incredibly distracting. I couldn't change positions in my chair – let alone walk or jog – without tons of shuffling noise. Then I discovered the included cable clip and secured the cable to my shirt, greatly eliminating this distraction.
Sound quality was just terrific, regardless of genre. Because the background noise was wiped out, you could really hear every detail and nuance of the music. Highs were detailed and precise without crossing the line into being shrill. While they didn't plumb the bass depths of the Denon's, there was enough depth and punch to easily stand up to the cacophony of Blue Man Group or anything else I threw at them. And this was a lot since these phones had me whizzing through my iPod's contents eager to listen to all of my favorites.
Brent Butterworth Ranking: 1
I think of Etymotic the same way I think of most audiophile brands—as a purveyor of gear that thrills enthusiasts but presents too many peculiarities for practical use. The hf5 would seem to follow that pattern. Its long, tube-shaped driver housings couldn't even hide inside Barack Obama's ears. In fact, they're so long that the hf5s didn't fit easily under the straps of my bike helmet—and there's no way they could fit comfortably under a ski hat. Plus, they have a filter that you have to clean with a special tool, a process that seems overly fussy for a set of earphones.
However, I loved the compressible foam earpieces Etymotic offers. They look like the disposable ones you get for mowing the lawn, and they're just as effective at blocking external sound. For me, they held the hf5 securely and comfortably.
Which is good because you may never want to take these things out. They deliver incredible detail and snap, yet they never sound etched or bright or annoying. Acoustic stringed instruments sound like they're right in the room with you. The bass doesn't rock you as it does with many earphones, but it sounds accurate and it doesn't distort when you push up the volume. These are some of the best audio transducers I've ever heard. Wow. My listening notes included the word "frigging" five times, always followed by a positive adjective like "awesome."
Leslie Shapiro Ranking: 6The Etymotic hf5 offered the most fit options, yet for me the compressed foam gave me the most comfortable fit and best sound isolation. Even so, they still never felt seated properly. They stick out uncomfortably, and no positioning of the cables got them settled in.
Slight discomfort can be forgiven if the sound was incredible. Unfortunately, this was not the case with the hf5. Any complex sources were distorted, even at moderate listening levels. The hf5 were also very bright, and had a tendency to bring out the worst in an MP3 file, accentuating digital artifacts in Gomez's "See The World". The thin bass didn't help this situation.
Mike Gaughn Ranking: 3The Eytmotics and the Denons were the only two sets of buds that felt at all uncomfortable to me. The Etymotics protrude so far from your ears that it's hard to keep them well-seated, which meant that more ambient noise leaked in than it did with most of the others. The sound on "It Makes No Difference Now" was trebly and just a touch hard. There was nothing egregiously wrong with this, but, for instance, I know that the saxes on this track just don't sound that thin. Overall, I found the Eytmotics clear, cold, and analytical. I could hear all of the details in the Charles mix, but everything was a bit harsh—and a bit bass shy. I had a similar impression of "Insensatez," which sounded cold, with sizzly highs, a strong midrange, and slightly thin bass. I was again struck by how analytical the Etymotics sounded, lacking presence and warmth. Not surprisingly, the opening drum hits on "Frank Sinatra" were papery, without the necessary depth. Everything came across super-clean but trebly, too. While I had some minor qualms about the Etymotics' sound, they're obviously a good pair of earbuds, and I can see where what seemed analytical to me could come across as natural or accurate for somebody else.
The Atrio's flange tip design really fit me great. They were also very lightweight, super comfortable and felt like I could wear them for hours at a time. The tight fit provided good sound isolation, noticeably cutting down the level of outside sounds but not completely shutting them out.
Sonically, they had a very open airy sound that was easy to listen to even at louder volumes. Bass has depth and tightness without being over bearing, and sounded like a high quality 2-channel system with a well-integrated sub. It was easy to pick out the details of each bass note on Paul Chambers' playing on Kind of Blue's "So What." Cymbal strikes were present and detailed without being harsh or sibilant. I love Diana Krall's Live in Paris, and the Atrio's allowed you to feel her fingers gliding over the piano keys and all the husky nuances of her voice. I kept returning to these because of their great fit and smooth, easy sound. They also delivered a really wide soundstage that felt like it extended well beyond my head. It didn't have the forward presence of the Ultimate Ears, or the deep bass of the Denon's, but it walked a smooth and delicious line between them.
Brent Butterworth Ranking: 2
It is possible to have too many choices. And with most high-end earphones, you do—plastic inserts of all shapes and sizes. That's why I was so happy to see that Future Sonics equips the Atrio with compressible foam earpieces, as Etymotic does with the hf5. As soon as I see these, I know they're the earpieces I want. They keep the earphones firmly in place, they're comfortable, and they provide superb isolation from outside sound.
Because a lot of people think bass is the sole determinant of sound quality, a lot of earphones have a lot of bass. The Atrio does, too, but it's not dumb, bloated, "crank up the bass knob" bass. It's just full, fat, and satisfying, and it lends extra oomph to great grooves. I honestly couldn't sit still when listening to the blues classic "Dimples," from James "Blood" Ulmer's Memphis Blood—so maybe the people sitting next to you on an airplane would rather you didn't buy this earphone.
Besides the bass, the Atrio sounds smooth, dynamic, and inviting, striking a great overall balance that might make it the favorite 'phone of this bunch for many listeners. In fact, I was torn between the Atrio and the hf5. Catch me on another day and the Atrio might have been my favorite.
Leslie Shapiro Ranking: 1The Atrio's had a very light and comfortable feel that could easily be worn for hours. Fit options were somewhat limited, and I settled on the foam inserts for best fit and sound isolation.
The Atrio had a veiled upper high-end that lacks sparkle and treble clarity in the upper ranges, but for most pop mixes, they were plenty bright. They had a round, full bass, but it was almost boomy. The deep bass on "Hold On" by KT Tunstall lacked definition and attack. There was deep bass, but it felt like there was a hole between that deep bass and lower midrange. With these faults, these were still the ones that, in my ears, had the most natural sound overall.
Mike Gaughn Ranking: 4The Future Sonics extended farther away from the ear than most of the other buds and, while they weren't uncomfortable, their size seemed to pull them down a bit, letting some ambient noise leak in. They were much warmer sounding and bassier on "It Makes No Difference Now" than the Shures and Denons were. The sound was so warm, in fact, that it was borderline muddy or thick. And, while there was more bass, it wasn't necessarily tighter bass. Oddly, "Insensatez" sounded distant and restrained, almost anemic—maybe because the necessary air around the instruments and the broad soundstage were restricted. Meanwhile, "Frank Sinatra" sounded full, but also a little heavy. There's nothing particularly wrong with the sound of the Atrios, but they were so insistently colored—with the kind of warmth that vinyl-and-tube fans find so beguiling—that they probably had the least natural sound of the bunch.