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Topic: Recommended headphones for travel (Read 6499 times) previous topic - next topic
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Recommended headphones for travel

What models do people on this site recommend, or would warn against?

I'm looking for the best sound quality at say under £50/$80 and am not too worried about whether they are in-ear or not.

I'm particularly interested in reports from people who have tried various models.

I have a large pair of Beyerdynamic DT331s for home use but they are just too big to use when walking around/travelling by train!

I have Archos in-ear types for my MP3 player but they are not very comfortable (a common complaint about the Archos ones).

....apologies to those who have posted in 'Looking for good&cheap headphones' as there is useful info in there.

I know figures are far from the whole story... but, for example, Koss Sportapro and Koss Portapro headphones are rated at 15-25,000 Hz (Distortion <0,2%) with the Audio-Technica ATH-ES5 at 10-25,000Hz.

Does that mean the A-T's will give more bass?
 

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #1 –
I have the Sennheiser PX200 headphones (60€) and I'm largely happy with them.
they have passive noise canceling abilities so they are a good option for using them in places likes trains and planes to block out some noise. also, you can pump up the volume pretty high and still do not disturb anyone near you.
for my ears they are really comfortable plus light to wear.
the only drawback is a not so good bass reproduction IMO.

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/05207
Nothing but a Heartache - Since I found my Baby ;)

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #2 –
One of the reasons why noise cancelling, be it active or passive, is nice, is because you don't have to pump up the volume pretty high. With less noise you also need less music to drown it out. There is such a thing as hearing damage.

Bass response can not be derived from a headphone's frequency response range specification alone. Also bass not heard with your ears alone, and humans cannot hear much below 20hz to begin with.

If you want to know how bassy headphones are, read a review or find a frequency response graph.

My recommendation would be the Sony MDR-EX71SL, i'm not someone who has owned 20 different sets of headphones for comparison material though. I think their main weak point is the 16Ω impedance, which gives trouble on some devices limited by output capacitance. I paid €50 for mine.
Veni Vidi Vorbis.

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #3 –
I use the Sony Ex71SL as well, very good quality in that price range. Good alternatives are the Sharp HP-MD33 (identical to Creative EP630) and Koss 'The Plug'.

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #4 –
I recommend Sony MDR-E888LP headphones. I think they produce higher fidelity sound than MDR-EX71SL. But unlike the latter MDR-E888 is not a canal earbud and does not have any noise blocking. So if you travel in noisy environments this recommendation might not be the best. AFAIK this model is discontinued, check eBay to purchase one.
The object of mankind lies in its highest individuals.
One must have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #5 –
Quote
My recommendation would be the Sony MDR-EX71SL, i'm not someone who has owned 20 different sets of headphones for comparison material though. I think their main weak point is the 16Ω impedance, which gives trouble on some devices limited by output capacitance. I paid €50 for mine.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=333580"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


I have three pairs of those. They are awesome. They are confortable to wear for long periods, are easy to clean (a must), cheap, good isolation and, contrary to what HbG says, I find that my Rio Karma has less trouble driving them than my Sennheiser PX100.

They have good bass, too, once you have fitted them properly into your ear canal.
I'm the one in the picture, sitting on a giant cabbage in Mexico, circa 1978.
Reseñas de Rock en Español: www.estadogeneral.com

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #6 –
You didnt really say what kind of traveling your mainly doing, train, bike, car, fly, foot etc, it could make a differance. EDIT i just reread and saw walking and train

I dont do that much traveling now but use Sennheiser PX100 when i do, there very cheap, look/sound good, fold up.

on the negative side they are open so sound does leak, which might be an important factor to consider.

I'd buy some anyway as there so damn good for the money, or maybe some koss sporta pro, or ksc 35 75's.

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #7 –
Quote
You didnt really say what kind of traveling your mainly doing, train, bike, car, fly, foot etc, it could make a differance. EDIT i just reread and saw walking and train

I dont do that much traveling now but use Sennheiser PX100 when i do, there very cheap, look/sound good, fold up.

on the negative side they are open so sound does leak, which might be an important factor to consider.

I'd buy some anyway as there so damn good for the money, or maybe some koss sporta pro, or ksc 35 75's.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=333605"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


Those are very, very good (I have them myself), but for traveling I recommend the Sony: perfect isolation, good sound, tiny.

The Senn's sound awesome, but thay do leak and since they don't isolate as well, you will end up turning the volume more than recommended for your hearing.

The Sony's you can listen to very quiet and still not hear anything from the outside.
I'm the one in the picture, sitting on a giant cabbage in Mexico, circa 1978.
Reseñas de Rock en Español: www.estadogeneral.com

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #8 –
AtaqueEG, why do you need to own THREE pairs of the Sonys?

I must admit I've never tried earcanal phones, rather than the 'old fashioned' ear buds.

Though the folding headphones like the Audio-Technica ATH-ES5 look great they are rather more obvious if used when sitting at your desk (having travelled).

Hmmm, decisions, decisions!

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #9 –
Quote
AtaqueEG, why do you need to own THREE pairs of the Sonys?

I must admit I've never tried earcanal phones, rather than the 'old fashioned' ear buds.

Though the folding headphones like the Audio-Technica ATH-ES5 look great they are rather more obvious if used when sitting at your desk (having travelled).

Hmmm, decisions, decisions!
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=333708"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


I live in Mexico, and those are hard to find here. They also could get stolen (I work at a Hospital and they steal everything) or lost, since they are so tiny.
So, last time I went to the US, I bought three pairs. I also fear that they could gest discontinued and they are really good (at least for me). I doubt I could tell the difference with several-times-more-expensive Etymotics or Shure (and if those were stolen, I would probably go nuts!)
I'm the one in the picture, sitting on a giant cabbage in Mexico, circa 1978.
Reseñas de Rock en Español: www.estadogeneral.com

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #10 –
I understand.

On Amazon.co.uk there are a lot of reviews from people who say the Sony MDR-EX71SLs sound great, but the rubber covering comes off the cable very easily.

The Sony Fontopia MDR-E888LP, as has been said, is now out of production though bluetin.com in Singapore says it has them in stock...

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #11 –
Clemech: I haven't compared that many headphones, but I know the Koss Portapro are great. They don't look very cool, or even good - but that bass is massive :-)
davidnaylor.org

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #12 –
Quote
I have the Sennheiser PX200 headphones (60€) and I'm largely happy with them.
they have passive noise canceling abilities so they are a good option for using them in places likes trains and planes to block out some noise. also, you can pump up the volume pretty high and still do not disturb anyone near you.
for my ears they are really comfortable plus light to wear.
the only drawback is a not so good bass reproduction IMO.

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/05207
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=333560"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


Another vote for the PX200's from a satisfied owner here, actually prefered them to the PX100's and I find the bass response to be fine.  They block out a certain amount of noise, and when you're wearing them nobody can hear what you are listening too.
Dan

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #13 –
Quote
What models do people on this site recommend, or would warn against?

I'm looking for the best sound quality at say under £50/$80 and am not too worried about whether they are in-ear or not.

I'm particularly interested in reports from people who have tried various models.

I have a large pair of Beyerdynamic DT331s for home use but they are just too big to use when walking around/travelling by train!

I have Archos in-ear types for my MP3 player but they are not very comfortable (a common complaint about the Archos ones).

....apologies to those who have posted in 'Looking for good&cheap headphones' as there is useful info in there.

I know figures are far from the whole story... but, for example, Koss Sportapro and Koss Portapro headphones are rated at 15-25,000 Hz (Distortion <0,2%) with the Audio-Technica ATH-ES5 at 10-25,000Hz.

Does that mean the A-T's will give more bass?
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=333558"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I had a pair of the Sony MDR-EX71 that other people are mentioning, for some time. They're comfortable, give good isolation and sound fairly good. The bass is a bit boomy and the highs aren't perfect but for the price they're quite good. I didn't have problems with the rubber coming off either. I've just replaced them with Shures, otherwise I'd still be using them.

If you want sound isolation then in-ear (canal-phones) is the best option. Active noise-cancelling ones have significant drawbacks IMO but some people love them.

Comparing the manufacturers' quoted frequency responses isn't going to tell you the whole story - they quote misleading figures that aren't directly comparable. Ask what people think or do a comparison in-store if posssible. Sony quotes 6-23,000Hz for the EX71s but I'd take that with a pinch of salt! Firstly you can't hear that low (or high for 99.9% of adults!) and secondly they didn't say how it was measured or what the +/- dB was.

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #14 –
Thanks for the recommendations, people.

My brother also likes the PX200s a great deal (I can't test his as he lives in the Hague, Netherlands, and I'm in the UK) and has some Grados at home I'm sure cost more than he could afford!

>>>>I went for the PX200s - due for delivery in a couple of days. I will post a review in a few days time. I chose them over the PX100s because of the passive noise isolation, which will be useful on public transport and in the gym (where I currently have to put up with pop pap)<<<<<

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #15 –
>>>>I went for the PX200s - due for delivery in a couple of days. I will post a review in a few days time. I chose them over the PX100s because of the passive noise isolation, which will be useful on public transport and in the gym (where I currently have to put up with pop pap)<<<<<
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[/quote]

So far, so good. The PX200s sound good and do block out external noise. Folding up takes getting used to but they seem pretty durable. Recommended.

PS Turns out my best mate has a set too - he's enthusiastic as well.

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #16 –
Quote from: Clemech,Oct 15 2005, 05:20 AM

>>>>I went for the PX200s - due for delivery in a couple of days. I will post a review in a few days time. I chose them over the PX100s because of the passive noise isolation, which will be useful on public transport and in the gym (where I currently have to put up with pop pap)<<<<<
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=333743"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


So far, so good. The PX200s sound good and do block out external noise. Folding up takes getting used to but they seem pretty durable. Recommended.

PS Turns out my best mate has a set too - he's enthusiastic as well.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=334546"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
[/quote]

How difficult is to get good isolation on those? I have read that you need to place them perfectly over your ear.
I'm the one in the picture, sitting on a giant cabbage in Mexico, circa 1978.
Reseñas de Rock en Español: www.estadogeneral.com

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #17 –
I'll recommend the Sharp HP-MD33. Awesome canal phones! Incredible all around sound, nice bass, clean mids and nice highs! Also, it block the out side noise very well.

Recommended headphones for travel

Reply #18 –
[/quote]
How difficult is to get good isolation on those? I have read that you need to place them perfectly over your ear.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=334561"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
[/quote]

They have to be placed fairly accurately for the best isolation but it doesn't seem to be a problem.