Best Headphones....

Murf

Murf

Murf

Soldato
Joined
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Newcastle
Hey guys, I'm looking for a pair of headphones for my MP3 player that I can take to the gym and are going to give me awesome sound quality while fitting securely.

The pair that came with my SE phone sounded amazing but would never stay in. Glancing over the reviews on websites isn't helpful. One review would claim awesome bass, the next no bass at all etc.

So ideally I'd like your recommendations as I'm gonna be ordering off the net and won't be able to test. It's of utmost importance they stay in while I'm running though. I'm flexible on price til we get to silly money.

Any advice would be ace. :)
 
For use in the gym and on the move I'd recommend a pair of Koss Sparkplugs - they'll probably cost you about £10-£12. For these uses you'd be ABSOLUTELY CRAZY to spend much more.

Why?

Well, I listen to a lot of music and audiobooks when out walking. I've tried the following phones-:

Ultimate Ears Metro-Fi's about £40
Shure EC2's about £40
Etytomic ER4p's about £150

Sold all of above

Shure SE210 cost me £99 my current favourites for sound quality, comfort/fit when stationary.

When doing anything other than sitting stationary I keep going back the Koss's.

With all the above I found that no matter what way I tried to fasten the cable-: over-ear, under-ear, down back/front, using clips etc, etc I found the microphonics i.e. russle of cable and thud of foot-fall made them unlistenable for me whilst on the move.

Whilst the Koss's offer the lowest sound quality if stationary, for gym and jogging they have by far the lowest microphonics and I'd say they would offer the best compromise between comfort/fit/sound quality/price. They are also the most likely pair to stay in your ears as they have a light cable and earpiece.

Finally, at a tenner a pair you won't shed too many tears if you break them!
 
You could try the Sennheiser PMX Sport series (~£20). They're too tight for my liking but the sound quality is what you'd expect of a pair of Sennheisers.
 
Get the Sennheiser PMX 80's (the ones that wrap around the back of the head).

I tried out a lot of different headphones when I wanted to find some that would actually stay in my ears while running with no fussing at all, and these were the only ones that even came close to doing the just properly.

Honestly, if you don't get these you will always regret it.

The only thing I would say is if your lying flat on a bench a lot the 'wrap around' bit that goes round the back of your head might get a bit annoying, but trust me, they will never fall out, ever.
 
What constitutes silly money?

If £100 isn't too much, I'd say get some FutureSonic Atrio M5's because these plug into your brain and don't move. They offer superb sound reproduction, bass that will move your body like being in a club, but they are probably too expensive to use and/or trash in a gym.

I'd go with the above choice of Sennheiser. I don't know much about the sports-type ones, so anything wrapping around the head is bound to be better than the drop-type ones that just hang down. If I had to choose a pair from those I know and have used, maybe some Creative EP-630 (£7?), Sennheiser CX500 (£25?) both of which will deliver a decent solid sound and stay in your ears. Careful of cheap imitations sold by dodgy ebay shops.

I'd agree with you that online forums and shops are flipping confusing. http://www.head-fi.org/ is the best forum I've found for "if I like these headphones, what are similar?" type threads. Go for the IEM subforum.
 
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Anything that doesn't hook over your ear will want to come out all the time while running or moving about energetically. They might have good sound quality etc but for the gym you don't want ear bud types.
 
Makunouchi said:
Anything that doesn't hook over your ear will want to come out all the time while running or moving about energetically. They might have good sound quality etc but for the gym you don't want ear bud types.
Click to expand...

I'm currently using default headphones for my Sony Ericsson phone which are bud types and I don't really have any issue with them when running. I do need new headphones however, as they are very much on the way out... again.
 
Nix said:
I'm currently using default headphones for my Sony Ericsson phone which are bud types and I don't really have any issue with them when running. I do need new headphones however, as they are very much on the way out... again.
Click to expand...

See I could never get those to stay in properly. Whichever size I buds I used. :confused:

This thread is just as confusing as consumer reviews on websites. :p

Just to expand my query slightly, cheap MP3 player and a strap so I can attach it to my arm, thoughts? :D
 
I'd have a look at the Koss Porta Pros. They are a headband design, sound great, pretty cheap, and won't be falling off/out as much as IEM's will, and you won't have the issue of microphonics interfering with the sound quality.

And for MP3 player, the new Clip+ is excellent. High capicty for the price, FLAC playback, tiny, easy to use, bright OLED screen... main drawback is the battery life which is 12-15 hours.
 
Fubsy said:
I'd have a look at the Koss Porta Pros. They are a headband design, sound great, pretty cheap, and won't be falling off/out as much as IEM's will, and you won't have the issue of microphonics interfering with the sound quality.
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Nice headphones; i have a pair of these but i wouldn't recommend them as the foam will quickly disintegrate if you sweat a lot.

I also have the Sennheiser PMX-80 and OMX-80. The PMX have the headband and the OMX hook around the ear. They're both decent enough for the gym or jogging but i much prefer the OMX as you can shape the earhooks for a great fit. I believe they use the same sound hardware inside but for some reason the OMX also sound better to me.
 
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Nix said:
How do people rate the Sennheiser CX 300-IIs?
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They were my first choice given the spec. They are the first IEM that i have found that actually stay in my ear without an over-ear hook or round-the-back-of-the-head strap.

Margaret said:
Extremely boomy bass on those.
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There's more bass than average, but I don't find it uncomfortable.

Just bought CX300 mk II, mainly for sports and gym-esq usage, at £15 I'm pleased and would recommend you look at them.
 
I have no real experience in this area but will put forward A recommendation.

Sennheiser Orpheus system with portable battery pack to power.
 
I would also highly reccommend the Sennheiser PMX80 Running Headhones. Will cost no more than £30... Do exactly what they say on the tin. Sound is awesome and they are very durable. I.e sweat resistant and will take a beating from the elements. I run marathons and spend a lot of time pounding trails and the pavements and i would not even consider using anything other than these babies whilst out running.

Would also reccomend a the new version of the ipod shuffle which is very sleek and lightweight and cheap now... will clip to a t-shirt or shorts so big arm strap...
 
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