May 20, 2008
If you watch enough television, you’re sure to see those Bose commercials where people on a plane or at a busy office tune out from the chaos around them with the help of bulky, unwieldy noise cancelling Bose in-ear headphones. The actors look happy, but they didn’t have to shell out $350.00 for the things and they sure didn’t have to cope with regular battery recharges in order to keep the headphones functioning. The downsides to this ‘cutting-edge’ technology have to make you wonder if the benefit is worth the hefty investment.
The Bose in-ear headphones reduce background noise by sampling incoming noise, reversing it and adding that mirrored audio to your music – the background noise is canceled by its inverse. It works, but most Rube Goldberg machines work, too. The question isn’t whether or not noise-cancelling headphones work, but whether or not there’s an easier, cheaper way to get a better effect?
Absolutely. High-end sound isolating headphones accomplish the same task – keeping background noise out of your ears – better and more simply than Bose models by, well, physically keeping the background noise out of your ears. Sound isolating headphones are equipped with sleeves that focus sound into the the ear and create a barrier against outside noise. You might guess that this method is much cheaper than Bose’s more technological approach. You’d be right – over a hundred dollars cheaper in some cases. Of course, Bose doesn’t want you to know that noise-cancelling technology isn’t that expensive. Some Sony models with comparable technology cost under $50, while the Quiet Comfort models Bose sells cost more than six times that. The best technology – the micro-balanced armature drivers found in in-ear headphones – can be more costly, but it’s unquestionably worth the cost for listeners who need the best sound quality.
The other dirty secret Bose doesn’t want you to know? That so-called noise-cancelling technology doesn’t truly cancel out noise – and that Bose’s model isn’t even the most effective. Take a look at this study on noise reducing in-ear headphones. The most effective sound isolating earphone – the Shure SCL3-K – blocks over 16% more background noise than the comparable Bose model.
When it comes to Bose in-ear headphones, the moral of this study is to not always trust the company with the biggest marketing budget – at least not without doing research.
Posted in Choosing Earphones, Sound Isolating Earphones | No Comments 
Dec 3, 2007
We know you love your iPod, so why buy cheap headphones and scrimp on quality when you can listen to your music the way it was meant to be heard? Don’t just listen to that awesome drum solo – experience it! Here’s 5 tips to help you choose the best headphones for iPods:
1. Be A Creature of Comfort
You’re not going to enjoy your music if your earphones are hurting your ears. The Shure SE 530-PTH Earphones are lightweight and feature a gently curved design to match the contours of your ear. These earphones pride themselves on superior clarity and balanced bass. They’re also sound isolating earphones and block out ambient noise, so you don’t have to listen to that baby crying while you’re trying to enjoy the magic of Jimi Hendrix’s guitar. These revolutionary earphones, equipped with a “Push-To-Hear” control so you can tell your friends about that new band without removing your earphones, make them our best headphones for iPods.
2. Woofer – Not Just A Dog’s Bark
A woofer is a speaker driver that allows you to hear low frequency sounds, ensuring you experience every last morsel of that song you love. The Shure SE420-K Black Earphones come equipped with Dual TruAcoustic Microspeakers to give you concert-level clarity. These earphones give you the ability to listen to every detail of your music. With 109 dB SPL/mW, Shure SE420-K Black Earphones are the ultimate in sensitivity.
3. Don’t Get Tangled Up In The Wires
It’s no fun to be all wrapped up in your headphone wires, especially if you lead an active lifestyle and play sports while listening to your iPod. The Shure SCL5 Professional Version Headphones include cables that fit comfortable behind your ears to give your earphones a sleek, out-of-the-way look. They also come equipped with a small carrying case to easily store your earphones.
4. Take It From The Musicians
Do musicians like Madonna, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, and Gwen Stefani listen to the same headphones you do? Well if you’re tuning in with Westone Earphones, they are! Musicians know what quality music is supposed to sound like, and they expect their earphones to exactly replicate that sound. They feature Dual Driver balanced armatures with a passive crossover to give you a balanced output.
5. Earphones For Your Musical Tastes
The best headphones for iPods will make any style of music sound great, but the Shure SCL4 Black Earphones were created especially for jazz and classical music enthusiasts. They have a weaker bass but feature more detailed mids and highs so you can experience every crisp note that comes out of that saxophone.
We have the best headphones for iPods at EarphoneSolutions.com! Browse Shure and Westone earphones and learn the facts about earphones.
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