Good portable headphones?

[gavstar]

Hi all.
I'm thinking of asking for some new headphones for Xmas. Sound quality needs to be very good, but I also want to be able to listen to them whilst commuting without upsetting my fellow travellers. I'd ideally like some on-ear designs as the over ear ones look too big, and in ear are usually a compromise on sound.
The Bose on-ear ones have caught my eye, but I'd be interested to hear some opinions or recommendations of alternatives before I take the plunge. Shops usually aren't too keen to let you try headphones are they...
Thanks people.

[rebelstar]

Shure in-ear earphones have fantastic quality sound. You can't hear anyone, and unless you're into bleeding-eardrum volumes they won't hear your music either.

Starting at the bottom range with the E2 (£50), goes all the way up to E500 (£400).

[twister]

I fell in love with my in-ear Sennheiser CX300's the second I started noticing fine details in music I'd listened to countless times on my older in-ear buds without ever being aware of said detail... Lightweight, inconspicuous, comfortable enough to wear for hours without noticing they're there, and pretty good at blocking ambient noise without the added expense of active noise cancelling.

[gavstar]

Thanks guys. So you obviously think in-ear are the way forward? I would have thought the larger ones have better bass, but are these in-ear jobbies able to do the same by stuffing themselves right inside your ear? Am I right in thinking that any on-ear ones will be quite leaky by nature of their design?

[agent006]

I use Senheiser PX200. They're over head, like wot you don't want though, but fold up fairly small ish. Quality is fantastic, not too spensive either.

www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-PX200-Closed-Mini-Headphone/dp/B000089GN4/sr=8-4/qid=1166570213/ref=pd_ka_4/203-5327931-2963941?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

[gavstar]

agent006 said:

I use Senheiser PX200. They're over head, like wot you don't want though, but fold up fairly small ish. Quality is fantastic, not too spensive either.

www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-PX200-Closed-Mini-Headphone/dp/B000089GN4/sr=8-4/qid=1166570213/ref=pd_ka_4/203-5327931-2963941?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

Over the head is OK - do they leak sound though? Ta.

[Tonsko]

I've got some Sennheiser HD 25-1 Pro's. Some of th ebest headphones I've heard - although they are cans, which you have said you don't want. They are around 120 quid now, generally reduced from 190. They do not leak sound, and generally, the speakers are of such good quality that you can talk to people and hear stuff going on around you and still hear your tunes (if they are at a reasonable volume)

Used to have a pair of Shure E2C's which were my previous faves until I used these Senn's. don't be worried about the bass on the Shure E-series - the magnets in them sound spectacular for the size they are. The one thing I will say about the inner ear ones is that they totally shut out all sound from around you, which made for some dicey moments when crossing roads when I wasn't really concentrating!

Edited by Tonsko on Wednesday 20th December 11:08

[cactussed]

Hi there

I thin in-ear are pretty impressive. I used regular buds for a while which are fairly dreadful in terms of sound. I also have a large pair of over the ear sennheiser's at home if I want to listen without bothering the missus. For commuting I use in ear or canal phones (same thing).

The entire trick with these things is to form a good seal around the ear. If you cannot get that, the phones sound weak and tinny. My first pair were the Koss 'the plug' phones. Quite cheap and effective. The seal is formed by a foam earplug with a hole through it to conduct the sound. By far the most bass of all phones I've tried but getting the plugs to fit is fiddly at best, the sound is not overly detailed (not such a bad thing for rock or bass heay music) and they're not all that comfortable. I got some cheap Maxell phones and they were beyond terrible. A genuine waste of money IMHO. I then tried some Sony Fontopia's and they are pretty good for the price, comfortable and good sound reproduction.

Currently using some Sennheaiser CX300's which (to my cloth ears) sound fairly similar in standard to the Sony's. Lovely sound detail, good bass and midrange and comfortable. I can't comment about the high end stuff like Bose, Shure, Etymotic etc but the prices are enough to make me think twice, esp since I only use them on the tube and like all audio gear, I suspect the law of diminishing returns applies.

Ceteris paribas, canalphones are miles ahead of regular earbuds in terms of sound detail and bass / midrange response so barring outright rubbish, whatever you buy I think you'll be happy.

Drew

[gavstar]

Thanks for your input chaps, I think I am going to plump for the Senheisser PX200 as recommended by agent006. They seem to fit the bill perfectly, and can be got for £23 but also as much as £45, so it looks as though the price has dropped.
Cheers, and Merry Christmas!