Good earphone for Samsung?

[Ritter197]

The earphones that come with these otherwise wonderful MP3 players are for
the birds.

What is a good alternative? How expensive?

[El Kabong]

Post by Ritter197
The earphones that come with these otherwise wonderful MP3 players are for
the birds.
What is a good alternative? How expensive?

Radio Shack - $19.95
Wal-Mart - $14.95
Bose - $249.95

All sound pretty much the same (well, maybe the Bose are a bit better) but
all are better than the best ear buds ever made.

;-)

El

[Joseph Ashwood]

Post by Ritter197
The earphones that come with these otherwise wonderful MP3 players are for
the birds.
What is a good alternative? How expensive?

The important question is what level of listening do you intend to do?

For casual listening a $20 pair of earphones from pretty much anywhere will
be acceptable.
At the other extreme are people who want to hear every tiny detail of the
music, and want to hear the difference between compressed and uncompressed
files, for this type of listener in-ear-monitors used by musicians are the
way to go and can cost $1000 without too much effort.

There is also the concern of what style of earphone you want, they range
from earhooks to flanges to custom molds. My personal preference is to use
some good in-ear-monitors for private listening where I don't have to hear
anything, and some $40 earhooks for out in the open listening.

The point being that there is always something "better" but what is best for
you will vary widely based on your personal preferences and listenign
styles. If you are like most people you will be able to hear the difference
between cheap earphones and expensive ones, but you probably won't care
about ones over about $50 USD. Fortunately, in the < $100 range the quality
and the price are very closely related and generally a $50 pair of earphones
sounds like a $50 pair of earphones.
Joe

[Ritter197]

Joe, thanks for the general information. I knew that BOSE had expensive ones
and user rating was not even that good for them.
I listen to classic and semi classic, jazz and blues. Since I am over 50 now
my hearing surely is not as good in the high frequency range as it used to
be.

In the $ 50 range do you or any one who reads this have a recommendation?

I saw at least 1 very good user feedback on the SONY.

Thanks for continued feedback.

Post by Joseph Ashwood

Post by Ritter197
The earphones that come with these otherwise wonderful MP3 players are
for the birds.
What is a good alternative? How expensive?

The important question is what level of listening do you intend to do?
For casual listening a $20 pair of earphones from pretty much anywhere
will be acceptable.
At the other extreme are people who want to hear every tiny detail of the
music, and want to hear the difference between compressed and uncompressed
files, for this type of listener in-ear-monitors used by musicians are the
way to go and can cost $1000 without too much effort.
There is also the concern of what style of earphone you want, they range
from earhooks to flanges to custom molds. My personal preference is to use
some good in-ear-monitors for private listening where I don't have to hear
anything, and some $40 earhooks for out in the open listening.
The point being that there is always something "better" but what is best
for you will vary widely based on your personal preferences and listenign
styles. If you are like most people you will be able to hear the
difference between cheap earphones and expensive ones, but you probably
won't care about ones over about $50 USD. Fortunately, in the < $100 range
the quality and the price are very closely related and generally a $50
pair of earphones sounds like a $50 pair of earphones.
Joe

[Bob Garrison]

Post by Ritter197
Joe, thanks for the general information. I knew that BOSE had expensive ones
and user rating was not even that good for them.
I listen to classic and semi classic, jazz and blues. Since I am over 50 now
my hearing surely is not as good in the high frequency range as it used to be.
In the $ 50 range do you or any one who reads this have a recommendation?
I saw at least 1 very good user feedback on the SONY.
Thanks for continued feedback.

Go to your local electronics stores and buy one that looks good to you. If
you're not satisfied return it for a refund and try a different one. Repeat
until you find the right one for you.

[a***@Example.com]

Ritter197 <***@comcast.net> wrote:
<snipped silly back-pedaling crap ;)>

Better sounding "speakers" will sound better, no matter your age.

Post by Ritter197
In the $ 50 range do you or any one who reads this have a
recommendation?

Yeah, I do. :)
Danggit, don't waste your money on anything less than these...

$80 tho.

Sony MDR-EX90-LP
-LP = Long Patchcord

Or if you like, see if you can get 'em with a short patchcord?
Sony MDR-EX90-SP

Got mine from www.Amazon.Com last time.

Post by Ritter197
I saw at least 1 very good user feedback on the SONY.

I like those EX90's almost as much as my UltimateEars "5-Pro" which
have two speakers in each earbud.

I was a Sony MDR-E888 and MDR-A44L buff tho. ;)

Alvin the old fart in AZ

[a***@Example.com]

Post by a***@Example.com
Sony MDR-EX90-LP
Sony MDR-EX90-SP

http://www.amazon.com

No SP's available yet... but they have LP's for $65 plus shipping.

I might as well make my own short-wired set, been looking for SP's
for a year now. :/

Alvin not gettin younger in AZ

[Ritter197]

Thank you again. I just found these earphones via a search.
I will try to see whether I can get them locally. I bought a pair of KOSS
earphones but they do not stay tight in my ears. I have to return them.

Post by a***@Example.com

Post by a***@Example.com
Sony MDR-EX90-LP
Sony MDR-EX90-SP

http://www.amazon.com
No SP's available yet... but they have LP's for $65 plus shipping.
I might as well make my own short-wired set, been looking for SP's
for a year now. :/
Alvin not gettin younger in AZ

[royc]

Post by Ritter197
Thank you again. I just found these earphones

via a search.

Post by Ritter197
I will try to see whether I can get them

locally. I bought a pair of KOSS

Post by Ritter197
earphones but they do not stay tight in my ears.

I have to return them.

Post by Ritter197

Post by a***@Example.com

Post by a***@Example.com
Sony MDR-EX90-LP
Sony MDR-EX90-SP

http://www.amazon.com
No SP's available yet... but they have LP's

for $65 plus shipping.

Post by Ritter197

Post by a***@Example.com
I might as well make my own short-wired set,

been looking for SP's

Post by Ritter197

Post by a***@Example.com
for a year now. :/
Alvin not gettin younger in AZ

i aways have problems with phones staying in my
ears! so i now use the ones with a band behind the
head.

roy

[Ritter197]

I guess with age our ears either get larger or worn out. That is why the
earphones fall out, right?

Post by Ritter197

Post by Ritter197
Thank you again. I just found these earphones

via a search.

Post by Ritter197
I will try to see whether I can get them

locally. I bought a pair of KOSS

Post by Ritter197
earphones but they do not stay tight in my ears.

I have to return them.

Post by Ritter197

Post by a***@Example.com

Post by a***@Example.com
Sony MDR-EX90-LP
Sony MDR-EX90-SP

http://www.amazon.com
No SP's available yet... but they have LP's

for $65 plus shipping.

Post by Ritter197

Post by a***@Example.com
I might as well make my own short-wired set,

been looking for SP's

Post by Ritter197

Post by a***@Example.com
for a year now. :/
Alvin not gettin younger in AZ

i aways have problems with phones staying in my
ears! so i now use the ones with a band behind the
head.
roy

[a***@Example.com]

Post by Ritter197
I guess with age our ears either get larger or worn out.
That is why the earphones fall out, right?

Yep.
Us old farts need our ear-holes counter-bored and bushings pressed
in.

Alvin in AZ (old post)

[Ritter197]

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I went to the AMAZON site and there are 100+
earphones, but that particular SONY is not there anymore.

Post by a***@Example.com
<snipped silly back-pedaling crap ;)>
Better sounding "speakers" will sound better, no matter your age.

Post by Ritter197
In the $ 50 range do you or any one who reads this have a
recommendation?

Yeah, I do. :)
Danggit, don't waste your money on anything less than these...
$80 tho.
Sony MDR-EX90-LP
-LP = Long Patchcord
Or if you like, see if you can get 'em with a short patchcord?
Sony MDR-EX90-SP
Got mine from www.Amazon.Com last time.

Post by Ritter197
I saw at least 1 very good user feedback on the SONY.

I like those EX90's almost as much as my UltimateEars "5-Pro" which
have two speakers in each earbud.
I was a Sony MDR-E888 and MDR-A44L buff tho. ;)
Alvin the old fart in AZ

[a***@Example.com]

Post by Ritter197

Post by a***@Example.com
Sony MDR-EX90-LP

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I went to the AMAZON site and there
are 100+ earphones, but that particular SONY is not there anymore.

They've been moved to "the new amazon market place" or some silly
salesman crap like that.

Last night I found them for $65 + shipping.

I'd post a direct link for you but I'm basically just a Dos3.3 guy
only pretending to be in the 21st century. :/

My girlfriend prefers the the EX71's, the EX90's are too big and
heavy etc and since she mostly listens to talky-podcasts anyway,
the EX71's actually work out better.

Alvin using Tin & Pico in AZ

[Ritter197]

Alvin, Thanks for the info. I found them too but settled for the SONYMDR
EX71 SL too. Mostly because of price.

I remeber the DOS days very well,having been for 27 years with IBM.

BUT I now enjoy WinXP much more, I must say.

Thanks again for the pieces of advice from MD, where it is in the 90's and
humid too to-day. No rain for weeks, but that is probably the most common
thing in AZ.

Post by a***@Example.com

Post by Ritter197

Post by a***@Example.com
Sony MDR-EX90-LP

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I went to the AMAZON site and there
are 100+ earphones, but that particular SONY is not there anymore.

They've been moved to "the new amazon market place" or some silly
salesman crap like that.
Last night I found them for $65 + shipping.
I'd post a direct link for you but I'm basically just a Dos3.3 guy
only pretending to be in the 21st century. :/
My girlfriend prefers the the EX71's, the EX90's are too big and
heavy etc and since she mostly listens to talky-podcasts anyway,
the EX71's actually work out better.
Alvin using Tin & Pico in AZ

[Trimble]

Are you sure you want earphones type ??
IMO the open backed , over the ear with headband or neckband
offer the best value for sound / money ....many choices Sennhiser px100 or
px200 maybe.
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(") mouse

[Ritter197]

I do have a noise reduction headphone also, but for walking around the city
I want earphones.

Post by Trimble
Are you sure you want earphones type ??
IMO the open backed , over the ear with headband or neckband
offer the best value for sound / money ....many choices Sennhiser px100 or
px200 maybe.
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(") mouse

[jcz]

I use Creative Labs noise-cancelling, folding headphones. They were $29.95. I LOVE them for just plain good listening, but they don't work at the gym. They are padded headphones and are too hot and heavy when working out, so when there, I just use a pair of el-cheapo dollar store around-the-back-of-the-head things.

Post by Ritter197
The earphones that come with these otherwise wonderful MP3 players are for
the birds.
What is a good alternative? How expensive?

[a***@Example.com]

Post by jcz
I use Creative Labs noise-cancelling, folding headphones.

A friend of mine sez using noise-cancelling head phones make him
feel sea-sick. Ever heard of that before?

No sweat for me... if it's noisy, I don't listen to music. <shrug>

Alvin in AZ

[Joseph Ashwood]

Post by a***@Example.com

Post by jcz
I use Creative Labs noise-cancelling, folding headphones.

A friend of mine sez using noise-cancelling head phones make him
feel sea-sick. Ever heard of that before?
No sweat for me... if it's noisy, I don't listen to music. <shrug>

I've never heard of it, but it is possible, motion sickness is triggered in
large part by a conflict between the inner ear and eyes. The inner ear is
obviously influenced by sounds, and so I can see where noise-cancelling
headphones could cause or enhance the problem. I've got an easier solution,
use In-Ear-Monitors, the sound quality is better, and they are more
effective, not to mention much of the time they are cheaper too.
Joe

[Ritter197]

No, the in ear phones not not much better than a good noise cancelling
headphone.

I have both and can attest to that. Good headphones are much better.

Post by Joseph Ashwood

Post by a***@Example.com

Post by jcz
I use Creative Labs noise-cancelling, folding headphones.

A friend of mine sez using noise-cancelling head phones make him
feel sea-sick. Ever heard of that before?
No sweat for me... if it's noisy, I don't listen to music. <shrug>

I've never heard of it, but it is possible, motion sickness is triggered
in large part by a conflict between the inner ear and eyes. The inner ear
is obviously influenced by sounds, and so I can see where noise-cancelling
headphones could cause or enhance the problem. I've got an easier
solution, use In-Ear-Monitors, the sound quality is better, and they are
more effective, not to mention much of the time they are cheaper too.
Joe

[Joseph Ashwood]

Post by Ritter197
No, the in ear phones not not much better than a good noise cancelling
headphone.
I have both and can attest to that. Good headphones are much better.

There are only 2 cases i can think where that would happen:
1) The headphones you are using are really good, the in-ears really bad
2) You have found a way around physics.

I strongly suspect that 2 is not the case. In fact 1 is probably the case.
When I say IEMs, I don't mean in-ear phones, I mean in-ear-monitors. So
compare any pair of noise-cancelling headphones you like to the Shure E5c
earphones. Or for that matter compare any pair Westone ES3s. No these aren't
cheap, in fact they are top of the line. As for noise reduction, the Shures
listed achieve 32 to 33 dB, noise cancelling headphones rarely if ever cross
20dB. This all comes down to physics. IEMs physically block the sound,
thereby avoiding nasty artifacts. Noise-cancelling headphones actually
generate a phase-inverted signal, but they cannot sample the sound where the
generate the sound, so there is always at least some comb-filtering,
variable delays, etc. This results from physics, because of the way sound
propogates through air even measuring sound at two points 1 inch apart
results in substantially different waveforms, as such recreating the inverse
of one will not cancel the sound at another, this is a fact of physics with
regards to compression waves. Further ruining the ability of
noise-cancellation to deliver anything above tolerable is the simple fact
that sound propogates awith a speed determined by the density (among other
things, but for this argument density if the most important) of the medium,
and as luck would have has a random density pattern with no known method of
computation beyond estimates from brownian motion. Combined these two
factors mean:
1) Noise-cancellation technology can't know what sound it has to generate
2) Noise-cancellation technology can't know when to generate the sound
anyway

As such noise-cancellation technology always has and always will be inferior
to noise blocking designs. So like I said, IEMs will sound better and be
more effective.
Joe

[Ritter197]

Joe:

I really appreciate the additional, very fine and detailed information.

I also saw now quickly where I was mistaken.
I always thought you were speaking of in ear phones, not in ear monitor
phones.

That makes all the difference.

Thanks again for helping me to get a little smarter.

Post by Joseph Ashwood

Post by Ritter197
No, the in ear phones not not much better than a good noise cancelling
headphone.
I have both and can attest to that. Good headphones are much better.

1) The headphones you are using are really good, the in-ears really bad
2) You have found a way around physics.
I strongly suspect that 2 is not the case. In fact 1 is probably the case.
When I say IEMs, I don't mean in-ear phones, I mean in-ear-monitors. So
compare any pair of noise-cancelling headphones you like to the Shure E5c
earphones. Or for that matter compare any pair Westone ES3s. No these
aren't cheap, in fact they are top of the line. As for noise reduction,
the Shures listed achieve 32 to 33 dB, noise cancelling headphones rarely
if ever cross 20dB. This all comes down to physics. IEMs physically block
the sound, thereby avoiding nasty artifacts. Noise-cancelling headphones
actually generate a phase-inverted signal, but they cannot sample the
sound where the generate the sound, so there is always at least some
comb-filtering, variable delays, etc. This results from physics, because
of the way sound propogates through air even measuring sound at two points
1 inch apart results in substantially different waveforms, as such
recreating the inverse of one will not cancel the sound at another, this
is a fact of physics with regards to compression waves. Further ruining
the ability of noise-cancellation to deliver anything above tolerable is
the simple fact that sound propogates awith a speed determined by the
density (among other things, but for this argument density if the most
important) of the medium, and as luck would have has a random density
pattern with no known method of computation beyond estimates from brownian
1) Noise-cancellation technology can't know what sound it has to generate
2) Noise-cancellation technology can't know when to generate the sound
anyway
As such noise-cancellation technology always has and always will be
inferior to noise blocking designs. So like I said, IEMs will sound better
and be more effective.
Joe

[Ritter197]

NO, never heard of it. I have some and use them all the time on the plane.

Post by a***@Example.com

Post by jcz
I use Creative Labs noise-cancelling, folding headphones.

A friend of mine sez using noise-cancelling head phones make him
feel sea-sick. Ever heard of that before?
No sweat for me... if it's noisy, I don't listen to music. <shrug>
Alvin in AZ