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Best headphones under $50 for IPOD
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If things worked that way AOL wouldn't have many subscribers and reality TV wouldn't have many viewers. But the average person is pretty damn stupid, and half of them are even dumber than that. Throw gimmicky white plastic and some tacky neon lights on just about anything and it'll sell.
Koss Plugs $15 and sound exactly the same as Sony EX71SL's. For the record the stock iPod earbuds suck and make the iPod sound like AM Radio. The only reason not to throw them out is if you want to be a trendy wanker advertising to the world you own an iPod via the white earbuds.
But on the upside it's not a complete piece of garbage like the nomad is, and most likely the iRiver. Of course I'm exaggerating (not as much as you would think) but the unit itself is very unusable in any nomad I've seen (including zen and jukebox), it crashes even more regularly than my karma, and the whole one tiny scroll wheel is about the dumbest idea anyone ever had. The software is really, really bad for nomads too. I would rather use a command prompt.
Also, AAC sounds quite good on the iPod. I can't speak to the equalizer because I don't generally do too many advanced equalizations. The SNR is a bit of an issue when I use an amp and Etymotics, but even then no mp3 player produces sound as good as a cd unless it's FLAC encoded.
Back on topic, the SR60's are very good. Maybe you can wear a hat to look less geeky. I would agree that the mx400/500's are not adequate in loud environments. Earphones that rest in the ear canal have their own set of problems too in some situations. It really depends on how he will use them.
Also, AAC sounds quite good on the iPod. I can't speak to the equalizer because I don't generally do too many advanced equalizations. The SNR is a bit of an issue when I use an amp and Etymotics, but even then no mp3 player produces sound as good as a cd unless it's FLAC encoded.
Back on topic, the SR60's are very good. Maybe you can wear a hat to look less geeky. I would agree that the mx400/500's are not adequate in loud environments. Earphones that rest in the ear canal have their own set of problems too in some situations. It really depends on how he will use them.
All I've done is state a true fact & defend it, no need to get on my case for making you realize your beloved iPod isn't perfect kiddo.
Actually the iRivers are quite nice. While other players have their own set of problems, they're still debatably better than iPods - and at a much lower price.
I have used the zen for about 1 hour and it crashed twice. I used the nomad 3 for days, and the creative software application was extremely buggy. It would often lose track of my mp3 player. Sometimes during the middle of a transfer. Sometimes it wouldn't recognize the player when I attached it. Finally, it would just sporadically crash.
As far as the iRiver goes, as I mentioned many times before, my experience with iRiver is that it usually sounds good but the software bugs cause some really weird and awful sound sometimes (in the case of the slimX, often). It also depends on your use. I use mp3 players in numerous environments... attached to my pc speakers, with etymotic earphones, with/without headphone amps, mx500's, tape adapters, line outs to my home theater, and so forth.
No player sounds good in all of those environments. Rarely will they sound good in even ONE environment compared to a cd. AAC on the iPod sounded generally better than the iRiver units I tested (one USB and a couple cd players), again due to the weird anomalies in iRiver playback. The zen sounded pretty good, but the user interface was just too weak to deal with.
As far as the iRiver goes, as I mentioned many times before, my experience with iRiver is that it usually sounds good but the software bugs cause some really weird and awful sound sometimes (in the case of the slimX, often). It also depends on your use. I use mp3 players in numerous environments... attached to my pc speakers, with etymotic earphones, with/without headphone amps, mx500's, tape adapters, line outs to my home theater, and so forth.
No player sounds good in all of those environments. Rarely will they sound good in even ONE environment compared to a cd. AAC on the iPod sounded generally better than the iRiver units I tested (one USB and a couple cd players), again due to the weird anomalies in iRiver playback. The zen sounded pretty good, but the user interface was just too weak to deal with.
I honestly don't understand why iPod owners are so unable to admit fault with it and so hostile to those who speak about its faults. My best guess is that, judging by how it looks, and its feature & quality to price ratio, most owners are children. That would also explain why price isn't an object; they're not spending their own hard-earned money on it, just whining till mom & pop buy them what all the other kids have.
The sound quality the OP is after won't be attainable by buying new headphones, and he'll only be out more money if he tries to correct the problem this way. I'm merely stating a fact about the product & trying to save him money. My reply was entirely on-topic. Yours, on the other hand, is not.
Koss Portapro. It costs $49 and they are simply amazing. You wouldnt think of koss as delivering such a good sounding product. I would also recommend Grado SR325, but those are 299$. I have those as well, and you cannot get better than that. 16-22000hz @ deviation of 0.5db is hard to compete with IMHO.
Not directed to OP: BTW, Ipods do use a less than luster audio codec compared to iriver. The set of Bose headphones sounded like ass on the ipod (asb no bass). I dunno if it was the Bose or the ipod.
Directed to OP: Ipod is probably good enough for your needs, in fact it is good enough for quite a huge population of people. The Koss wont let you down - try them out at any local audio enthusiast store near you. More than enough bass, and great mids and highs. Slightly lacking in a few areas on mid-high range, but you may not even notice.
Not directed to OP: BTW, Ipods do use a less than luster audio codec compared to iriver. The set of Bose headphones sounded like ass on the ipod (asb no bass). I dunno if it was the Bose or the ipod.
Directed to OP: Ipod is probably good enough for your needs, in fact it is good enough for quite a huge population of people. The Koss wont let you down - try them out at any local audio enthusiast store near you. More than enough bass, and great mids and highs. Slightly lacking in a few areas on mid-high range, but you may not even notice.
If you'll at least make an attempt at reading, you might see that I accused people of being unable to admit faults with iPods, not themselves - and it's quite true for many people, as I've observed firsthand in threads about DAPs. I'd provide links, but they would only hurt your argument and so be ignored. I didn't insinuate that the iPod sounds bad; I stated it as fact with links to back it up. The OP asked a question. I attempted to answer it, you attempted only to insult me. Grow up.
You answered the question.... riiighht...
Well let's examine all the things the OP posted and you tell me how you answered the question.
"Best headphones under $50 for IPOD / stock headphones suck. I'm looking for some decent headphones for my ipod. Hopefuly with some bass."
Answer: "Hate to break it to ya, but it's not the headphones. Among many, many other reasons not to buy iPods is their notoriously bad sound quality. The price you pay for being trendy. Sorry man."
How is that an answer? He did not even claim any problem, what is the "it" you refer to? He made no mention of the sound quality of the stock headphones too. He said only that they suck. Maybe he doesn't like the color. Maybe the cord is too microphonic for him. Maybe it's not long enough. Maybe the plug is not working properly. Maybe they fall out. The only real clue we have is that they don't have enough bass, which is common in many cheap earbuds.
Even if we grant that the iPod has "notoriously bad sound quality" one can still answer the question of what the best headphones for the iPod are. No matter how much you dislike the platform it is always possible to assess headphones for them. For example, I might stipulate that the atari 2600 is a piece of crap. But I could still assess which joystick is the best. The "correct" answer is never, "atari sucks, sorry to break it to you man"
Well let's examine all the things the OP posted and you tell me how you answered the question.
"Best headphones under $50 for IPOD / stock headphones suck. I'm looking for some decent headphones for my ipod. Hopefuly with some bass."
Answer: "Hate to break it to ya, but it's not the headphones. Among many, many other reasons not to buy iPods is their notoriously bad sound quality. The price you pay for being trendy. Sorry man."
How is that an answer? He did not even claim any problem, what is the "it" you refer to? He made no mention of the sound quality of the stock headphones too. He said only that they suck. Maybe he doesn't like the color. Maybe the cord is too microphonic for him. Maybe it's not long enough. Maybe the plug is not working properly. Maybe they fall out. The only real clue we have is that they don't have enough bass, which is common in many cheap earbuds.
Even if we grant that the iPod has "notoriously bad sound quality" one can still answer the question of what the best headphones for the iPod are. No matter how much you dislike the platform it is always possible to assess headphones for them. For example, I might stipulate that the atari 2600 is a piece of crap. But I could still assess which joystick is the best. The "correct" answer is never, "atari sucks, sorry to break it to you man"
He claimed the stock headphones suck and that he wanted headphones with more bass, but since the problem is with the iPod itself and not its headphones, purchasing aftermarket headphones would be a waste of money.
Your attempts to defend it are laughable, however, please keep it up as I find it quite entertaining 😀 Here we're discussing the quality of sound; how accurately a DAP can reproduce sound is measureable, and the iPod's frequency response curve proves that lack of bass has nothing to do with the headphones. How "good" an Atari game is, obviously, is not measureable. But you made it painfully obvious that you find reading difficult when unable to read even my last post; I'm sure you didn't do the even more difficult task of clicking on the links I provided and reading what others have to say, or interpreting any technical jargon... So here's another link you probably won't click on...
Text
Your attempts to defend it are laughable, however, please keep it up as I find it quite entertaining 😀 Here we're discussing the quality of sound; how accurately a DAP can reproduce sound is measureable, and the iPod's frequency response curve proves that lack of bass has nothing to do with the headphones. How "good" an Atari game is, obviously, is not measureable. But you made it painfully obvious that you find reading difficult when unable to read even my last post; I'm sure you didn't do the even more difficult task of clicking on the links I provided and reading what others have to say, or interpreting any technical jargon... So here's another link you probably won't click on...
Text
I call shennanigens. Please post scientific data proving how "the iPod's frequency response curve proves that lack of bass has nothing to do with the headphones" or retract the statement.
I thought for sure I wrote joystick, not game. Hmmmm.
The ipod has LESS bass than some players, but that does not mean it is so bad that any new set of headphones will not have more bass. If you are truly trying to be helpful then stop trying to argue this point, as it is factually incorrect. Though the iPod headphones are ok, they are not the best ones under $50 and certainly not if you are interested in bass.
[added]
What does that article which is about the mini have to do with the non-mini sound quality?
The ipod has LESS bass than some players, but that does not mean it is so bad that any new set of headphones will not have more bass. If you are truly trying to be helpful then stop trying to argue this point, as it is factually incorrect. Though the iPod headphones are ok, they are not the best ones under $50 and certainly not if you are interested in bass.
[added]
What does that article which is about the mini have to do with the non-mini sound quality?
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