At the Hifiheadphones 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.
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-OX5 SonicFuel Closed Back Headphones
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sennheiser headphones invariably offer excellent audio quality, good looks and are generally designed to last. The HiFi Headphones store holds a large inventory of Sennheiser headphones as well as many other high quality brands.
Sennheiser have a long history in the audio industry making headphones and microphones, but more recently have also become involved in making aircraft systems and telecom’s equipment.
This blog entry provides a brief summary of some of the best Sennheiser headphones on offer from each of the major headphone types.
Sennheiser HD650 – One of the most highly regarded consumer headphones available at an affordable price is the super smooth sounding Sennheiser HD650. The Sennheiser HD650’s are superbly balanced and are perfect for listening to high quality audio sources at home. The open back design and relatively large size means it’s not really practical to use the HD650’s on the move, but we have heard of HD650’s being used mobile with an iPod!
Sennheiser CX300 – The Sennheiser CX300 is an excellent first step into the area of sound isolating ear canal headphones. Ear canal headphones generally seal inside the ear canal to keep out external noises, meaning you hear the audio better and can listen at safer volumes.
The CX300’s do not push completely into the ear canal like more expensive models (such as the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio or Shure SE110), but do seal over the entrance to the the inner ear. This makes fitting the CX300 a little easier than the real deal.
Sennheiser RS130 – The Sennheiser RS130 wireless headphones are currently one of the best sounding wireless headsets under £100. The Sennheiser RS140’s are more expensive, and come with closed back earcups to keep noise out and prevent sound leakage. The RS140’s closed back earcups can be handy if you don’t want to annoy people nearby, but the earcups add their own problems with sound reflections.
The Sennheiser RS130 headset is definitely the best of the Sennheiser wireless RS range and definitely worth the extra money over the RS120’s. The RS130 feels slightly better constructed than the RS120, has ‘over the ear pads’ which are more comfortable and also have an easy to use auto tune feature (the RS120’s have to be tuned manually).
It is truly liberating to be able to listen to your music without wires, it has to be said that audio quality is not as good as an equivalent wired headphone. For example you may notice a background hiss during quiet passages of music. So while it’s not possible to claim any of the RS range are audiophile quality sound, but the convenience more than makes up for it!
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