iPod Headphones

Archive for November, 2007

High end audio without breaking the bank

Published on November 22, 2007 in Headphone Opinion. 0 Comments

Have you every looked through a HiFi magazine wondering how on earth anyone can afford to pursue an interest in high fidelity audio equipment? The cost of audiophile quality gear can be astronomic. A quick glance through What Hifi magazine and you will soon find a pair of speakers that cost three grand. Ouch!

How about an alternative to all this expensive HiFi? Imagine owning an audio setup that sounds like it costs thousands of pounds, but actually costs just a few hundred! It’s actually really simple. It’s no secret that the budget route to achieving sonic excellence is via headphones. You really do get dramatically more ‘bang for your buck’ with headphones.

Take for example the Sennheiser HD650’s Audiophile series headphones. These headphones are widely regarded as the ultimate pair of Sennheisers! The Sennheiser HD650’s have an RRP of £329 (approx $650) and you can find them for less than £250 (approx $500). Where would you find a pair of truly audiophile speakers for that kind of money?

Sennheiser HD650 HiFi Headphones

Sennheiser HD650 Headphones

Yes, you can spend thousands of pounds on headphones, but for normal HiFi listening a pair of £300 headphones can offer astonishing levels of detail and audio dynamics. Paired with a good quality headphone amplifier you enter a world of high fidelity audio that would normally cause serious financial trauma.

Take a look at our broad range of high quality HiFi headphones from Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, Grado and many other top brands at the HiFi Headphones store.

Sennheiser Headphones - UK market leader?

Published on November 9, 2007 in Headphone Product Info and Sennheiser Headphones. 0 Comments

Sennhesier Headphones

We are a big fan of Sennheiser headphones here at HiFi Headphones. Sennheiser are the without doubt the headphone & earphone company with the largest market share. Their range covers everything from humble ear buds that replace the standard issue Apple earphones, to sports headphones for jogging and cycling, right through to high end full size Hi-Fi models. With a headphone business that includes supplying specialist headphones to helicopter and jet pilots, they really do have it all covered. If you read Sennheiser’s marketing blurb they are quite partial to the term ‘electroacoustics’ to explain what they do.

So, Sennheiser are market leaders, but are their headphones and earphones any good? Well, yes! In our experience Sennheiser’s headphones and earphone are always well made and the sound quality if often excellent, even with the cheaper models. It was once said in the IT industry that you could never be fired for buying IBM computer equipment, well we think that phrase fits well for Sennheiser. If your job depended on it you couldn’t go wrong with a Sennheiser headphone purchase!

One word of warning. Beware of cheap fake Sennheiser headphones! We have seen (and have even been offered) very cheap Sennheiser headphones. These are always fake. Often these rip-off headphones are of the lower end (e.g. CX300 ear bud headphones) and are offered at bargain prices.  These are not genuine Sennheiser’s and the quality is very poor.  They can look almost identical to the real thing, but it’s not until you actually plug these headphones in and hear how bad the sound quality is that you will realise they are fake.  As always you don’t get something for nothing!

For a wide selection of competitively priced genuine Sennheiser Headphones take a look at the HiFi Headphones store.

Sennhesier HD 465 Headphones

Sennhesier HD 465 Full Size Hifi Headphones

Audio-Technica Headphones - stylish new headphone range!

Published on November 9, 2007 in Audio-Technica Headphones and Headphone Product Info. 0 Comments

Audio Technica Logo

Audio-Technica ES7At the HiFi Headphones Store we appreciate products that sound as good as they look. All too often good looks are not backed up by solid audio engineering.  Audio Technica seem to have got it just right with their newest range of stylish consumer and semi-pro headphones.

Check out a wide selection of Audio-Technica headphones at the HiFi Headphones online headphone shop.

If you follow the world of professional audio you won’t be surprised they sound so good, as Audio Technica have a background in professional sound and audio equipment. Audio Technica are primarily known for their range of professional microphones and studio headphones.

It may not be a surprise that Audio Technica are the number one headphone manufacturer in Japan. A bit like Sennheiser in Europe, Audio Technica have the Japanese market well and truly sown up. Audio Technica are widely regarded as the best headphone manufacturer in Japan.

Audio Technica offer a large selection of headphone models to suit most budgets and applications, including portable/iPod, high end hifi models, noise cancelling and semi-professional headphones. Audio Technica have really paid attention to the aesthetics and design - their headphones look beautiful.

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Headphones

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Headphones

More Information

Take a look at the full range of Audio-Technica headphones on the Hifi Headphones website.

Why should I upgrade my standard iPod headphones?

Published on November 8, 2007 in Headphone Opinion. 0 Comments

So what’s wrong with the standard issue iPod ear bud headphones? They’re good enough for mobile listening, aren’t they? Well, at Hifi Headphones we’ve heard this said more than a few times! We’d normally be pretty quick to offer a different opinion :)

If like many iPod owners you’ve imagined that your standard headphones are pretty good, then you really have been missing out! Unfortunately Apple chose to supply relatively poor quality ear bud earphones with their little musical marvel. There is a level of detail and audio clarity that is simply missing with these standard issue earphones. We would always recommend upgrading the standard iPod headphones to something with a more musical punch.

So what are the iPod headphone upgrade options? Below are a some ideas:

Sennheiser MX 500 ear bud headphones

If you must stick with ear bud headphones then the Sennheiser MX 500’s give good performance and are very competitively priced.

Sennhesier MX 500 Headphones

Ultimate Ears super.fi 3 Studio Sound Isolating earphones

The audio quality on these sound isolating ‘ear canal’ headphones is light years ahead of the standard iPod ear buds. The Ultimate Ears super.fi 3 Studio headphones give a smooth, even response across the entire audio range and decently-articulate mids and highs. Their bigger brother the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Studio’s have even better high end response.

Ultimate Ears super.fi 3 Studio Headphones

AKG K 26 P foldable headband headphones

The AKG K 26 P’s offer an alternative to the normal in ear varieties, with a neat and tidy foldable head band. The bass responses on these headphones is truly astonishing! The convenient design and killer sound make the AKG K26 P’s a serious contender for best portable headphones at this price point.

AKG K 26 P Headphones

Considering an iPod can set you back hundreds of pounds (or euros, dollars, etc), it really is worth investing a little bit extra in a decent set of headphones.

For a huge range of headphones and earphones for the iPod and much more please visit the Hifi Headphone online store.