What An Earful

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday November 15, 2004

Rod Easdown

Lightweight headphones are better than buds, writes Rod Easdown.

Some manufacturers call them mini headphones, or ear buds, and others call them in-ear headphones. Whatever, you see a lot of them around, which is a pity because there are many better sounding, inexpensive alternatives.

Perhaps the reason people use ear buds is they're supplied with portable music players and buyers assume they are the best the manufacturer can do for that player, which, of course, is tosh. Manufacturers supply ear buds because they're cheap to make and even cheaper to package and ship.

The sound quality of ear buds has never impressed us. They are tiny speakers that only create an effective musical range if pressed against the opening of the ear canal to form a seal. When this happens, sound quality improves dramatically; left untouched, they nestle in the ear without forming a seal and sound pretty tinny.

Poor sound quality is not the only reason to avoid ear buds. They also tend to fall out if you wear them, say, while jogging or working out in the gym. I've even had them fall out while walking.

I suspect the users of portable music systems don't experiment with alternatives to ear buds because it simply doesn't occur to them to do so. However, there are plenty of choices out there (even among ear buds) and if users just tried a few they would discover that sound from a portable music player, especially an expensive one, can be impressive.

If you like the convenience of ear buds, they can be bought with headbands to keep the buds tight against the ear canal (Sennheiser has just announced a new model for $19.95) and with brackets that fit around the ear to hold them in place during exercise. These cost from less than $10 to about $200.

However, larger headphones provide better sound, and choices include clip-on models without a headband, those with a neckband that sit just above the collar and others that fold up in a package about the size of a mobile phone. Almost all but the cheapest give a better result than ear buds, but certainly not all the clip-ons we listened to were disappointing.

We've looked at three alternatives for less than $30 and, again, stress the importance of checking recommended retail prices against the manufacturer's website or by calling its customer service centre. Mark-ups are not uncommon with accessories.

Sony MDRA106LP Headphones

These go through a double-jointed bi-fold to form a compact package. They're light and comfortable, even after long periods. They come with a 1m cord and a 3.5mm plug. Sound quality is good for the price, with adequate bass and nicely defined

mids and highs.

RRP $27.95 (spotted for $29.95)

Digitor C4114 Stereo Clip-on Headphones

These have gently spring-loaded frames that hold the pads against the ears. When not in use they clip together to form a compact package for a pocket or bag. They have a 1.1m cord and a 3.5mm plug. They are far from being the most comfortable clip-ons we've used and their sound is the worst here - scratchy and harsh. Most disappointing.

RRP $19.99

Koss KSC11 Stereophones

These are on a neckband that curves over the ear (supposedly to hold them in place, but in this case preventing proper contact with the ear) and around the neck, high enough not to snag the collar. They have a 1.2m cable and a 3.5mm plug. They're the most uncomfortable here and have a sharp, high-end sound that grates.

RRP $29.95

Infofile

Sony 1300 720 071 www.sony.com.au

Koss 9647 2009 www.koss.com

Digitor 1300 366 644 www.dse.com.au

The verdict

The Sonys walk away with this. They win in the key tests for headphones - sound quality and comfort - and, because they fold into a nicely compact package, they're practical, too. They kill the other two - and every other pair of ear buds we've heard.

next week

We compare $500 home-cinema systems.

© 2004 Sydney Morning Herald

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