I like sound.
Ever since I was a kid, I found ways to take music with me everywhere I went. When I was 6 I found a microcassette recorder in my mom’s drawer and quickly made it mine. When I was 10, my parents bought me our familys’ first CD player. A year later I got a cassette recorder. A few years later I also comandeered my mom’s Discman to take to school with me. Still later, I got the first digital MP3 player (A Rio PMP300) followed by a Zen Nomad, an iPod Nano, an iPhone, a Zune….
The list goes on, and you get the point. I once missed a flight to Washington DC because I forgot my iPod. It was worth it.
Not that I think I’m the end all with sound. Ultimately, I do believe in personal preference. If you like deep bass, embrace it. If you like trebles, more power to you. If you can’t really tell what’s either, but you think something sounds good, by all means, enjoy.
Here’s my latest set.
Decisions Decisions
The Etymotic MC3′s
These are clean, clear earphones. Crisp is how I describe them, as well as a “wide range”. This means loud’s sound loud, and soft’s sound soft at the same volume. They fit fairly comfortably, and the eartips they include should be sufficient for even the most unique of ear canals. If you’ve got another 100 bucks to spend on top of the cost of the earphones, you can also visit an audiologist and get custom fit ear tips, which I plan on doing myself. A tight, correct fit is essential on these or else you will get absolutely 0 bass. Which brings me to the counter point, the bass is really lacking. To some folks, this is a problem. To me, at first, it was also a problem. But you know, today, bass is too easily tied to percieved “sound quality”. Remeber when THX sound came out? And how it would shake the entire theatre? I think that’s stuck in some folks minds as an indicator of sound quality, but it really isn’t. To me the THX was as much about the crisp treble, the progression of softs to louds and just general euphoria the feeling of being envoloped in sound was like. The feeling of 9.8 earthquake was a minor “perk” at best. If you like clear sound, and have 100 bucks to spend, get these.
The Klipsch S5i’s
http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-Image-S5i-Headphones-3-Button/dp/B0043M9ATS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1324536365&sr=1-1\
Think I’m full of shit about bass not being as important? That’s ok, they make earphones for that, and these are them. These are very bass heavy, and a completely different sound – for the same price as the Etymotics. The s5i’s are actually a rugged version of the very popular s4i’s, which are slightly less (at about 75 dollars), but boast the same drivers. What does rugged get you? A Kevlar reinforced cord, bigger control buttons on the wire, and some better waterproofing. That being said, I’ve had Kevlar reinforced wiring on my earphones before, and they have succumbed just as easily to over-pulling and a very determined cat with teeth as other earphones. I will say though, the wiring is somewhat more tangle resistant, and the option to wear the wire over the ear or just regular in-ear is nice.
So what’s the difference to me?
Well, I like the Etymotic’s more, but here’s the practical difference.
Plugging into my Zune I:
- Turn the volume up for the Etymotic MC3′s, and turn the volume down for the Klipsch S5i’s
- Never have to adjust or reinsert for the Etymotics (because they are so far in my head). Subsequently, I can never hear anything else once the seal is tight.
- Enjoy a less invasive cord-remote.
That being said, none of the reasons above are particularly good reasons to overrule the sound of the S5I’s, if you prefer that sound more. That’s how subjective and nitpicky this stuff is. Also I do not expect either of these to last more than a year of heavy use (where heavy is 4+ hours, daily). Oakland is a tough city on the ears.
Bonus: Do you go to the gym or do active stuff?
Buy any of these:
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/sport-headphones-earbuds-Sennheiser-adidas
Why?
Because a safety cord (a two section cord that breaks away when caught) goes a long way. The sound is good on these (not great) but since you’re so active you’re used to breaking earphones monthly by now right?