Ipod Headphones and Ipods…Amazing!

Ipod headphones…boy have things changed in the last couple of decades! In the beginning were portable transitor radios. Then came cassette playing Walkmans. Then came portable CD players.  Today, we all love the choice and flexibility that comes with owning our Ipods.  They’re convenient so we can choose to listen to whatever we want. And they carry so much memory (and improving all the time). Amazing!

Having a great portable listening device like these means choosing the right headphones.  After all, the music may be good,  but there’s a long way  between the Apple and your ears.  So, if the source between the two is cheap and poor quality, obviously sound loss is bound to occur. Now, I agree that the earbuds that come out of the box can’t be too bad…right? Let’s face it, millions of people use them and life still goes on.  However, they really are not the best options to protect your hearing.  Mainly because they don’t block a lot of the outside noise…so the volume has to go up to compensate.

So, that said…where do you get good quality Ipod headphones? You can buy them online at quality Ipod headphone sites like www.HeadphoneWarehouse.com. (surprised?)  Manufacturers and brands to watch for include Sennheiser, Shure, AKG, Etymotic Research, Ultimate Ears, V-Moda, SkullCandy and others.

When buying Ipod headphones, you’ll want to take into consider several factors, including comfort level, affordability, durability, and ability to accurately transmit the sound.

Let’s consider affordability.

1. If you’re looking for less expensive: supra-aural are the choice to make. (Supra-aural headphones are the kind that sits on the ear). They are inexpensive and mass produced. Admittedly, you’ll be balancing this against frequency loss because they will give up some quality by using them.  But, in spite of that there are many good ones out there, and you’ll probably be more than happy…as long as you don’t go too cheap.  I’ve found overall, you really can use price as a good general guideline to determine quality.  Of course, there are always exceptions.

2. The next most expensive option are styles called circumaural (which go all the way around your ear). These usually give better music quality because they block out a lot of background noise, resulting in higher quality from your Ipod. However,  for most Ipod use (which means portablity) they are often impractical because they’re so big. Of course, that the defeats the primary reason for carrying an Apple in the first place.

3. One of the best options, although it can also be one of the most expensive is to use canalphones.  These are the Shure, Ultimate Ears type of earphone.  This type is inserted directly into the ear canal (almost like earplugs). They have a softer, elongated outer shell which helps to block out excessive background noise (called passive noise reduction) and the sound is directed precisely into your ear. Giving better quality. Disadvantage?  They’re more expensive because of the cost to make the tiny components in them.

Although cost is not going to be your only decision-making factor it will figure into your thought process as you weigh the quality of sound against what your pocket book can bear. So, be sure to shop at a quality online dealer like Headphone Warehouse so you can compare the different Ipod headphones… by price, convenience, portabilty and quality.

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