Headphones
Because I was not satisfied with the quality of the earbuds provided with the iPod 3G, I searched for new headphone. The headphone output of the iPod has a limited drive capability, so not all headphones are suitable. They need an impedance of more than 32 Ohms, and an efficiency over 105dB/mW to provide sufficient output. I've classified the headphone to their absolute sound quality, ignoring price levels.Very good
Sennheiser HD650. The
initial impression of the Sennheiser is that it has a
full sound, combined with attack and precision. Of all
the headphones I have tried, this is the one which
gives the least impression of a headphone. The spatial
image is not nailed into your head, but has some
distance. The bass performance is incredibly deep, and
punchy. The only objection I have is that it misses
some resolution. This becomes apparent when using an
equalizer, and attenuating the around 100-200Hz range
with about 2dB. Treble is strong, but silky. Voices
have lots of midrange energy, which makes the sound
very musical. The headphone is very comfortable, which
was the main reason for the upgrade of the HD497.
There is an extensive review of the HD650,
comparing it to the HD600, which explains the sound
very well, so I won't repeat it here. For me this is
THE headphone for in-house use. For the iPod, the
volume limit needs to be removed to get enough volume,
as the headphone is not so efficient. Recommended!!!
Etymotic ER-4S. The
Etymotics in-ear headphones are very convincing. If
fitted properly (not straightforward, no bass means
not right, and this requires some pushing and pulling
so now and then), they are capable of dragging you
into many details of the music. Especially the refined
treble is of top performance, and hardly heard in any
headphone. On the negative side, there is quite some
coloration in the high mid-range (an effect called
"voicing"), and overall the sound is a bit thin. The
isolation offered by in-ear headphones is a nice
feature, as you can listen to music at low volume
levels in noisy environments. The isolation is less
suitable in environments where you have many
interrupts like phone calls or people dropping in, as
constantly putting the Etymotics in and out of your
ears is annoying. Compared to a headphone like the
Sennheiser HD497, the Etymotics sound more "dry", less
warm, and also smaller scale. But they more accurately
give an idea about the "texture" and "size" of the
instruments, and give you more the idea you can "touch
the scene". When you like to listen music very loud,
the HD497 is a better choice, the voicing effect of
the Etymotics make them a bit oppressive when played
loud. I would compare them to good monitor
loudspeakers with electrostatic precision. Comparing
the ER-4P with the ER-4S definitely favours the ER-4S.
The ER-4P sounds a bit muffled, and misses the refined
treble. The ER-4S delivers an overall more accurate
timbre.
Good
Creative EP-630. This
is an absolute surprise, and a real killer! Good sound
for only €25! Sure, it does not have the grandeur
of a Sennheiser HD-650, or the refinement of the
Etymotics ER-4S, but this is a very musical headphone.
It has a good spatial field, quite some bass (a little
bit too much), fierce treble but never any sibilance.
And most important, quite some energy in the mid, the
area where most of the musjc and its drive is
situated. This is a perfect travel companion. Highly
recommended!
Sennheiser HD497. This
is an exceptional headphone for the price. I've never
heard such a balanced timbre and liveliness in such a
relative cheap product before (€69). I can amaze
most of my "audiophile' friends easily with these
headphones. It just misses a bit of resolution in the
treble range, and the sound stage is too close to the
ears to position it in the very good range, but all
the other properties would certainly position it
there. The overall sound timbre is very close
to the Sennheiser HD600. The HD600 is more refined,
has more resolution, and gives a better idea of the
spatial image. But overall this headphone is a true
bargain, that can compete with many others. If you
don't go for extreme quality, and use your iPod mostly
in-house or in the office, this is the headphone (or a
second stationary headphone) to go for! I have two of
them myself, and I enjoy them already for 3 years! The
HD497 is currently not produced anymore, and is
succeeded by the EH350.
Sennheiser HD600. This
headphone has more refined treble, and a deeper
spatial image. The only objection is that these
headphones have nasal coloration, do miss
live-performance, and suffers from quite some
sibilance. It is more refined than the HD497, but it
misses the coherent energetic performance, so it
doesn't fall into the very good category.
Sennheiser HD800. In
some aspects this headphone is amazing. The immediate
impression when listening to the HD800 is that it has
a very detailed sound. Subtle information in the
recording is explicitly revealed or magnified. This
intensifies the feeling of “being there”.
There is deep bass, full of detail, and tight. Voices
are supported by a rich harmonic midrange. The sound
stage is open, wide and deep, although not the same as
listening to loudspeakers (as claimed by some). Treble
is quite fierce (cymbals sound splashy/crashing), and
with some recordings can become intruding causing you
to lower the volume, to become fatigued, or press the
“next” button. The treble is definitely
not fluent or silky (cymbals are not singing with a
rich harmonic structure, female voices or sopranos get
a metallic edge). Overall the sound timbre can be
characteristic as “hollow” and
“canned", . Although the fundamental range seems
to be perfect aligned, the overall sound
characteristic misses the body that gives the music
groove, rhythm and energy, which make your feet tap
and get you involved. Summarized, I don’t feel
emotionally connected to the musical performance, but
rather looking to it as a distant spectator. Although
the HD800 certainly has some very strong points,
overall it was somewhat disappointing to me,
especially considering its price-tag
Acceptable
Sennheiser HD595. This
headphone has a lot of coloration in the mid (it
sounds "hollow"), misses live performance, and has a
muffled treble. Though the overall engineering is
performed well, you don't get involved into the music,
and it doesn't really shine.
Philips HP-890. I
bought this headphone for about € 68 one year
ago, to use with my iBook. Despite the size and
weight, the comfort of this headphone is very good,
one of the best I ever tried. You can leave it on your
head for hours, without any fatigue. The Philips
sounds quite nice, but has an "interesting" frequency
response. It has some emphasis in the 8kHz range,
which on a computer can be compensated a bit with an
equalizer. It has a strong punchy bass, but only in
the very low bass region. Base drums are not so
strong, as you would like for dance music. The treble
is clean, but a bit on the harsh side due to the
emphasis in the 8kHz range. Voices are a bit shallow,
and miss body. I would call it a warm-toned headphone,
a bit on "the dark side". It has an nice diffuse
field, but at the expense of some dynamics (all music
is "far away"). Seperation of sound sources is very
good. The sound pressure achieved with the iPod is OK
(109dB/mW, 32 Ohm).
Not so good
iPod 5G earbuds. If you
put the iPod earbuds (provided with the iPod Video) in
a good position, they sound quite powerful for
earbuds, with sufficient bass. The problem is that
with movement they quickly pop in another position.
The main problem of the earbuds, and the reason they
are rated as "non-good" is in the treble region
(basically, no treble at all, cymbals don't "sing"),
and the sound timbre is like the music is played in a
small bath room with tiles, resonating. 
Sennheiser MX400.
Though more dynamic, and more punchy than the iPod 3G
earbuds, their treble and accuracy are far below
reasonable levels. I can imagine people being
attracted to these headphones, because they sound very
"fat", but they miss the delicacy needed to reproduce
acoustical or vocal music, and sound oppressive at
louder volume levels. Good for boom-boom music,
unsuitable for others.
Beyer-Dynamics DT880.
It is immediately apparent that this headphone has a
lot of sibilance. Thought the sound stage is wide and
open, the excess of treble is so prominent, that it is
difficult to forget about it and enjoy the music.
Bad
Sony MDR-E888LP. I
didn't believe my ears hearing these buds. Despite
their € 79 price tag, they don't deliver
substantial more performance (if any) than the iPod
earbuds. These headphones are harsh, oppressive, lack
decent and refined treble, and have no bass
whatsoever. I also double checked with the output of
my CD player, just to be sure, but there it performed
bad as well. On some websites it is said that the Sony
needs time to "break in". Although I think this can
help a bit, I've never seen situations in audio where
"breaking-in" implies crucial changes in sound
characteristics, and in m any cases is more associated
in getting used to the sound.
Links
For extensive headphone tests, I suggest to have a look at other web pages, or magazines that have access to a much wider pool of headphones.- Headroom.
- Head-fi.
- In-ear headphones (Dutch).
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