Headphones Reviews

Before venturing into the costly world of MP3 players, I wanted to be well informed and researched almost every MP3 player available on Amazon. Flash memory is the most convenient type but as a good one (in terms of memory) can be [$+], I decided a MP3 readable CD player would be an excellent solution. I am very happy with it--although it has a few design issues, the iRiver iMP-400 certainly lives up to its hype.
The Good Stuff:
1. Tons of features to customize to your liking (languages too)
2. Beautiful slim design
3. Good sound (has an customizable EQ)
4. Back-lit remote which definately increases its readibility
5. Easy to sort through folders and lists
6. Has a radio (reception is okay)
7. Comes with rechargable batteries and has AC adapter
The Bad Stuff:
1. Awful headphones (I replaced them with the Sennheiser MX500)
2. Unless the hold button is on, the remote buttons are easy to push accidently as the remote itself is only about the width of two fingers
3. Remote control cord is too long (~30 inches)! With my headphones plugged in, I feel like an octopus dragging so many cords around. They tangle at every opportunity!
4. Most of the necessary options are on the remote, the main console offers no text
5. My player has only given me about half the battery life it advertises
6. Weaker bass (even with the tweaked EQ) so beware if you like rap, R & B, soul, etc.
7. Price ... is hard to swallow
8. Console can get warm if you play it for a while (I generally listen up to three hours at one sitting)
Still, a product worth recommending if you are looking for customizable features and slimness! If you just want something that will simply play the songs, I recommend the Sony D-NE710 ATRAC3/MP3 CD Walkman. It has better bass, plays Sony's ATRAC3 but has little else in comparison.

After much searching online for a good mp3 CD player, I decided that the iMP-400 looked like the right CD player for myself (unfortunately this was just a little before the release of the iMP-550). It had many features that appealed to me, and I have remained happy with it over the last 9 or so months.

On the upside, I have loved all the features about this player, with the ability to play mp3's, audio CD's, AND have the radio function to be the most prominent features. The svelte styling of the player has impressed many people, along with the slim size of it. I also have defiantly put it through its paces by taking it camping/hiking along with my everyday use. The layout of the remote control, although somewhat tough to learn at first, provides instant access to all of the important functions. Also impressive is the inclusion of many minor features such as the inclusion of an audio-out port to connect the player to a sound system (I have also used it to connect a second set of headphones to share music with a friend). Another is the ability to select the next track to be played with out interrupting the current song; this ability is still available during random mode. The fact that the player uses firmware has allowed updates to include new modes and features, and even a snake-style game!

On to the bashing section of my review:
One of the faults previously touched on by other reviewers is the time that this system takes to power up. When I want music, I want it NOW, not 30 seconds from now.
Recently, the remote control's center button stopped responding. By taking apart the control (and probably voiding its warranty) I determined that the cause of the problem was that the pin attached to the backside of the button to depress the capacitor had inadvertently snapped. Although annoying, the problem was easily solved with the use of some gel-like super glue.
The player turns off when it is connected to, or detached from, the AC adaptor, which means that I have to go through the long boot process again.
My final grudge (although not too much the companies fault) is that only non-protected WMA's can be played (something I only found out after I had encoded most of my music library with the protection on)

All in all, if you want a mp3 player that also plays your CDs, the iRiver series is as good as they come. But if you don't plan to use its ability to play standard CD's too often, you may be better off with a hard drive player.

Heres the skinny. The Cdplayer is skinny, the LCD controller can play game(s), excellent radio frequency and sound compared to other CD/radio players,-10/+10 track skip to shorten time to switch ahead.

Basically its a very state of the art CD/MP3 player. To the people that complains about short battery life, did you know that the battery included are only about 1/3 charged? I used it all, charged it overnight, and it lasted the promising hours it said it will. As for damaged headphone included or any other broken part are impossible. The SlimX come in a BOX, unlike other CD players which usually come in some hard-plastic covering. You probably bought it used if you have damaged parts.

The SlimX delivers what it promise's. Great sound, great radio, great battery life, and great protection with antiskip. And for the people that say there players cannot work on the first try, or skips alot, try turning on the ROOT fucntion, if you dont know what that is or dont know how, then you probably dont even own this product.

These headphones are a great buy for a few bucks! Perfect for the office, or on the run. While the ear pieces are a bit bulkier than more streamlined headphones, I personally don't mind them. I don't care for 'ear bud' type of headphones and too little padding is uncomfortable, so the bulkier, more heavily padded Koss Stereophones are great for me. Despite their larger size, they are lightweight and extremely comfortable.

Cord length is a major plus, especially if you're plugged into your computer. Not once have I rolled away from my desk and had my headphones ripped off my ears with these. 4 feet of cord is ample and the volume control built into the cord is a nice feature.

I found the sound quality to be very good with no noticeable distortion.

4 stars instead of 5, as the Koss Stereophones are "collapsible", though they are not very "compact". Also, they're fairly stiff when trying to collapse and a bit awkward that it feels as if the inexpensive plastic may break - so far so good though.

You could spend quite a bit more money for a much better pair of headphones, but if price is a concern, or if the highest quality product isn't an issue and you're looking for a standard pair of everyday headphones, you can't go wrong with these...

I'm not an audiophile, but this pair of headphones deliver clear, crisp trebles and mids and strong, well-defined bass. The volume control is very convenient, especially when I do not have convenient access to the volume control say in the school computer labs. The head band is a tad too tight though (though it grips nicely), and after one year of use, the plastic around the band broke. Nevertheless I will still buy another from Koss again. They make great sound!

The Koss KTX-Pro, which is the same exact pair of headphones which goes under the name Pro-35 at RadioShack, are better than anything else on the market in their price range, in terms of sound quality. The only thing I've ever griped about, was that after extended use at high volume levels, my ears DID start to hurt just a little, and required a break. I think it somehow had to do with the shape and density of the metal adjustable outer band. Perhaps it was just a bit gripping, but still worth enduring, none the less. But that problem has now been solved. I simply bended them into shape, until they started to fit more comfortably. It's kind of like a new deck of playing cards - at first, they're a little TOO crisp and new, until after you've spent enough time "breaking them in," so they'll feel smoother when you shuffle. Or, if you know anything about string instruments, such as the guitar or violin, then you know the same thing also applies to every fresh new pair of strings.

And with the warranty I purchased with these headphones, I can break them and go right down the street to RadioShack, and replace them with a fresh new pair, as often as I want for free, until nearly 2006! And I love the fact that while my portable MD is snuggly in my inside coat pocket, with my coat zipped up, I can still run the cord down the front outside of the coat, then up into my pocket (thanks to the cord being long enough for this procedure), thus giving me easy access to the in-line volume slider. Even the volume slider itself is noteworthy, in the way the max volume level is at the bottom, while volume-down is at the top position of the slider. At first, one might think this is upside-down, but somehow it just feels convenient and natural after a while.

These headphones are a great buy for a few bucks! Perfect for the office, or on the run. While the ear pieces are a bit bulkier than more streamlined headphones, I personally don't mind them. I don't care for 'ear bud' type of headphones and too little padding is uncomfortable, so the bulkier, more heavily padded Koss Stereophones are great for me. Despite their larger size, they are lightweight and extremely comfortable.

Cord length is a major plus, especially if you're plugged into your computer. Not once have I rolled away from my desk and had my headphones ripped off my ears with these. 4 feet of cord is ample and the volume control built into the cord is a nice feature.

I found the sound quality to be very good with no noticeable distortion.

4 stars instead of 5, as the Koss Stereophones are "collapsible", though they are not very "compact". Also, they're fairly stiff when trying to collapse and a bit awkward that it feels as if the inexpensive plastic may break - so far so good though.

You could spend quite a bit more money for a much better pair of headphones, but if price is a concern, or if the highest quality product isn't an issue and you're looking for a standard pair of everyday headphones, you can't go wrong with these...

I'm not an audiophile, but this pair of headphones deliver clear, crisp trebles and mids and strong, well-defined bass. The volume control is very convenient, especially when I do not have convenient access to the volume control say in the school computer labs. The head band is a tad too tight though (though it grips nicely), and after one year of use, the plastic around the band broke. Nevertheless I will still buy another from Koss again. They make great sound!

The Koss KTX-Pro, which is the same exact pair of headphones which goes under the name Pro-35 at RadioShack, are better than anything else on the market in their price range, in terms of sound quality. The only thing I've ever griped about, was that after extended use at high volume levels, my ears DID start to hurt just a little, and required a break. I think it somehow had to do with the shape and density of the metal adjustable outer band. Perhaps it was just a bit gripping, but still worth enduring, none the less. But that problem has now been solved. I simply bended them into shape, until they started to fit more comfortably. It's kind of like a new deck of playing cards - at first, they're a little TOO crisp and new, until after you've spent enough time "breaking them in," so they'll feel smoother when you shuffle. Or, if you know anything about string instruments, such as the guitar or violin, then you know the same thing also applies to every fresh new pair of strings.

And with the warranty I purchased with these headphones, I can break them and go right down the street to RadioShack, and replace them with a fresh new pair, as often as I want for free, until nearly 2006! And I love the fact that while my portable MD is snuggly in my inside coat pocket, with my coat zipped up, I can still run the cord down the front outside of the coat, then up into my pocket (thanks to the cord being long enough for this procedure), thus giving me easy access to the in-line volume slider. Even the volume slider itself is noteworthy, in the way the max volume level is at the bottom, while volume-down is at the top position of the slider. At first, one might think this is upside-down, but somehow it just feels convenient and natural after a while.

These headphones deliver some serious quality. The bass and treble are great, with exceptional sound. They work well from heavy metal to Stravinsky. They are well designed and are so light you barely know that you're wearing them. The hinges are durable, and the blue pegs are for winding the cord around. They are very convenient and portable, they fold right up into themselves. I definatly recommend these to anyone that wants an awesome pair of headphones, but doesn't want to shell out major mula.

These foldable Philips headphones don't just look really cool, they sound great and are comfortable too. These are the best headphones available in their price class... The sound is superb, with nice low bass tones and clean treble. The headphones don't block all outside noise by themselves, but can be turned up more than loud enough to eleminate any outside distraction. They are also really really comfortable, which may be one of its strongest features. Sometimes it doesn't feel like you're even wearing anything, and you'll forget they're on your head. They even fold up, and are built with metal hinges for extra durability. The only possible down-side is the short cord, it is only approximately 4 feet. So if you need a longer cord for whatever reason than these may not be right for you. But besides that- these are really nicely designed, excellent sounding, affordable headphones - being offered at an even lower price by Amazon. I was very pleased with these, and would recommend them to anyone looking for headphones.

These headphones are the best ones out there. I've bought $120, $70, $15 headphones in the past.. and the Philips HP550 Foldable Full-Size Headphones are definitely the best for your money!

I work on the computer for hours at a time, and these headphones are awesome to use for listening to MP3's.. but they are also great for plugging into your stereo or CD player. The sound is amazing regardless!

These headphones are also great for travel.. if you want to bring them on the plane, or to work-out or in the car. They just fold up into a small shape. Headphones are also incredibly durable.. I've had mine for over a year, and even after the dog chewed on the headset a little, they are still at optimum performance. An excellent product at a great price!

These fit pretty well in my ears and are comfortable even after wearing them for 45 minutes.

The cord is a bit long, but you can always tie or wrap it up. I have some portable headphones that have only a 36" cord and that's too short, so having this one a bit long is better in my opinion.

They do a pretty good job of isolated the ambient or outside noise when you have them on and they do make you slightly more aware of your own body sounds like breathing, but it's not that big a deal to me at all. I like the fact that I don't hear car traffic or the sounds of others in the gym or treadmill sounds.

The sound quality is pretty good. It has good bass as well as treble. The sound is better than any other portable headphones I have. They don't have the quality of studio like headphones costing $100+, but I don't want to wear studio like headphones when I go out jogging or to the gym. These are quite light and have a very low profile which is nice for when I go out jogging or to the gym.

I recently bought both these and the Shure e3c in-hear headphones (which cost about six times as much). The Sonys are for the gym (where they will surely take a beating and eventually need to be replaced) while the more expensive Shures will be used for my daily commute on public transportation (a generally less violent activity).

I really enjoy both headphones, but they are sonically worlds apart. The Sony headphones are a bit easier to insert and sit more comfortably in the ear than the Shures, whose cables have to be looped up and over each ear, newscaster-style. When it comes to ease of use and physical comfort, the Sonys are simply better. Sonically, it is hard to say one set of earphones is objectively better than the other. The Sonys feature a very prominent bottom end while the Shures have tighter bass response and much more mid-range clarity. I would say the Sonys have been engineered to sound "hot" (lots of bass and treble) while the Shures were designed to sound more neutral. In places where a sense of energy is more important than nuance (e.g., at the gym or out jogging) I'd recommend the Sony earphones. For longer periods of more introspective, careful listening, the Shures can't be beat.

These earphones do what they're supposed to do: mostly isolate outside noises and deliver good quality sound at a low cost. The base is very good for ear bud/phone style speakers which explains the popularity of the Sony EX51 & EX71s.

That said, I'm not that pleased with their fit. I've spent the better part of a week fiddling back & forth between the different cushions and finally decided that for my ears I have to use the small size. The catch is that the smalls don't fit *that* well but the next size up is too large to get a good insertion.

All in all I'm satisfied of their value but would recommend seeing if you can find a friend with either these or the EX71s to see what you think of having them in your ears before purchasing. After using these for a week I can see them being used on the bus/plane, but for everyday listening I'm going to keep on using the Apple iPod earphones or just use a much better sounding set of actual headphones for about the same money.

These fit pretty well in my ears and are comfortable even after wearing them for 45 minutes.

The cord is a bit long, but you can always tie or wrap it up. I have some portable headphones that have only a 36" cord and that's too short, so having this one a bit long is better in my opinion.

They do a pretty good job of isolated the ambient or outside noise when you have them on and they do make you slightly more aware of your own body sounds like breathing, but it's not that big a deal to me at all. I like the fact that I don't hear car traffic or the sounds of others in the gym or treadmill sounds.

The sound quality is pretty good. It has good bass as well as treble. The sound is better than any other portable headphones I have. They don't have the quality of studio like headphones costing $100+, but I don't want to wear studio like headphones when I go out jogging or to the gym. These are quite light and have a very low profile which is nice for when I go out jogging or to the gym.

I recently bought both these and the Shure e3c in-hear headphones (which cost about six times as much). The Sonys are for the gym (where they will surely take a beating and eventually need to be replaced) while the more expensive Shures will be used for my daily commute on public transportation (a generally less violent activity).

I really enjoy both headphones, but they are sonically worlds apart. The Sony headphones are a bit easier to insert and sit more comfortably in the ear than the Shures, whose cables have to be looped up and over each ear, newscaster-style. When it comes to ease of use and physical comfort, the Sonys are simply better. Sonically, it is hard to say one set of earphones is objectively better than the other. The Sonys feature a very prominent bottom end while the Shures have tighter bass response and much more mid-range clarity. I would say the Sonys have been engineered to sound "hot" (lots of bass and treble) while the Shures were designed to sound more neutral. In places where a sense of energy is more important than nuance (e.g., at the gym or out jogging) I'd recommend the Sony earphones. For longer periods of more introspective, careful listening, the Shures can't be beat.

These earphones do what they're supposed to do: mostly isolate outside noises and deliver good quality sound at a low cost. The base is very good for ear bud/phone style speakers which explains the popularity of the Sony EX51 & EX71s.

That said, I'm not that pleased with their fit. I've spent the better part of a week fiddling back & forth between the different cushions and finally decided that for my ears I have to use the small size. The catch is that the smalls don't fit *that* well but the next size up is too large to get a good insertion.

All in all I'm satisfied of their value but would recommend seeing if you can find a friend with either these or the EX71s to see what you think of having them in your ears before purchasing. After using these for a week I can see them being used on the bus/plane, but for everyday listening I'm going to keep on using the Apple iPod earphones or just use a much better sounding set of actual headphones for about the same money.

These fit pretty well in my ears and are comfortable even after wearing them for 45 minutes.

The cord is a bit long, but you can always tie or wrap it up. I have some portable headphones that have only a 36" cord and that's too short, so having this one a bit long is better in my opinion.

They do a pretty good job of isolated the ambient or outside noise when you have them on and they do make you slightly more aware of your own body sounds like breathing, but it's not that big a deal to me at all. I like the fact that I don't hear car traffic or the sounds of others in the gym or treadmill sounds.

The sound quality is pretty good. It has good bass as well as treble. The sound is better than any other portable headphones I have. They don't have the quality of studio like headphones costing $100+, but I don't want to wear studio like headphones when I go out jogging or to the gym. These are quite light and have a very low profile which is nice for when I go out jogging or to the gym.

I recently bought both these and the Shure e3c in-hear headphones (which cost about six times as much). The Sonys are for the gym (where they will surely take a beating and eventually need to be replaced) while the more expensive Shures will be used for my daily commute on public transportation (a generally less violent activity).

I really enjoy both headphones, but they are sonically worlds apart. The Sony headphones are a bit easier to insert and sit more comfortably in the ear than the Shures, whose cables have to be looped up and over each ear, newscaster-style. When it comes to ease of use and physical comfort, the Sonys are simply better. Sonically, it is hard to say one set of earphones is objectively better than the other. The Sonys feature a very prominent bottom end while the Shures have tighter bass response and much more mid-range clarity. I would say the Sonys have been engineered to sound "hot" (lots of bass and treble) while the Shures were designed to sound more neutral. In places where a sense of energy is more important than nuance (e.g., at the gym or out jogging) I'd recommend the Sony earphones. For longer periods of more introspective, careful listening, the Shures can't be beat.

These earphones do what they're supposed to do: mostly isolate outside noises and deliver good quality sound at a low cost. The base is very good for ear bud/phone style speakers which explains the popularity of the Sony EX51 & EX71s.

That said, I'm not that pleased with their fit. I've spent the better part of a week fiddling back & forth between the different cushions and finally decided that for my ears I have to use the small size. The catch is that the smalls don't fit *that* well but the next size up is too large to get a good insertion.

All in all I'm satisfied of their value but would recommend seeing if you can find a friend with either these or the EX71s to see what you think of having them in your ears before purchasing. After using these for a week I can see them being used on the bus/plane, but for everyday listening I'm going to keep on using the Apple iPod earphones or just use a much better sounding set of actual headphones for about the same money.

These fit pretty well in my ears and are comfortable even after wearing them for 45 minutes.

The cord is a bit long, but you can always tie or wrap it up. I have some portable headphones that have only a 36" cord and that's too short, so having this one a bit long is better in my opinion.

They do a pretty good job of isolated the ambient or outside noise when you have them on and they do make you slightly more aware of your own body sounds like breathing, but it's not that big a deal to me at all. I like the fact that I don't hear car traffic or the sounds of others in the gym or treadmill sounds.

The sound quality is pretty good. It has good bass as well as treble. The sound is better than any other portable headphones I have. They don't have the quality of studio like headphones costing $100+, but I don't want to wear studio like headphones when I go out jogging or to the gym. These are quite light and have a very low profile which is nice for when I go out jogging or to the gym.

I recently bought both these and the Shure e3c in-hear headphones (which cost about six times as much). The Sonys are for the gym (where they will surely take a beating and eventually need to be replaced) while the more expensive Shures will be used for my daily commute on public transportation (a generally less violent activity).

I really enjoy both headphones, but they are sonically worlds apart. The Sony headphones are a bit easier to insert and sit more comfortably in the ear than the Shures, whose cables have to be looped up and over each ear, newscaster-style. When it comes to ease of use and physical comfort, the Sonys are simply better. Sonically, it is hard to say one set of earphones is objectively better than the other. The Sonys feature a very prominent bottom end while the Shures have tighter bass response and much more mid-range clarity. I would say the Sonys have been engineered to sound "hot" (lots of bass and treble) while the Shures were designed to sound more neutral. In places where a sense of energy is more important than nuance (e.g., at the gym or out jogging) I'd recommend the Sony earphones. For longer periods of more introspective, careful listening, the Shures can't be beat.

These earphones do what they're supposed to do: mostly isolate outside noises and deliver good quality sound at a low cost. The base is very good for ear bud/phone style speakers which explains the popularity of the Sony EX51 & EX71s.

That said, I'm not that pleased with their fit. I've spent the better part of a week fiddling back & forth between the different cushions and finally decided that for my ears I have to use the small size. The catch is that the smalls don't fit *that* well but the next size up is too large to get a good insertion.

All in all I'm satisfied of their value but would recommend seeing if you can find a friend with either these or the EX71s to see what you think of having them in your ears before purchasing. After using these for a week I can see them being used on the bus/plane, but for everyday listening I'm going to keep on using the Apple iPod earphones or just use a much better sounding set of actual headphones for about the same money.

Real clean highs, and good clean lows. Deep deep bass doesn't penetrate that loudly with these phones, they still are better than everything else in their price and size range.

Most suited for portable digital music devices. Some of the other "studio" headphones suck up all your portable player's amperage, this one needs less juice to give you louder sound.

I use them with a mp3/fm player, and have found that the mdr's long cord makes for great FM reception, (even when most of its length is folded up somwehere).

These headphones have a weak spot on the headband where two peices of plastic meet. I broke it on one side, duck-taped it fixed, and then broke it on the other side as well, (just for stuffing it in to a jacket pocket). So don't test the plastic. It can't take pressure.

Before you get these ones, look at the Sony MDR-501LP headphones listed in 'similar products'. They look like great sounding headphones...

Looking for something to replace my pair of Panasonic RPHT355 headphones that had recently succumbed to wire fraying after several years of faithful service, and being unable to procure another pair of the same model cans, I decided to do a little early Christmas shoppin'. I eventually settled on a pair of Sony MDR-V300s. They looked reasonably fashionable (not that I care), and sported ear cups large enough to keep me comfortable through several hours of CD listening and/or DVD viewing in my "veg-out" room.

While it might not have the range my old set did (approx. 10 foot long cord versus the Panasonic model's 15 feet), and it's not quite as adjustable nor as comfortable to wear, I've yet to hear as high a degree of sound clarity and separation from other models in the same price range. Needless to say, the audio quality these bad-boys put out is perfect for listening to your fave CDs, DVDs (I couldn't believe how amazing the Dolby surround on my movie platters sounded through these!), and/or digital cable channels. All in all I found these more than worth the shekels I forked over for 'em.

On the downside, you can also hear the background hiss in your older cassette and VHS tapes a lot better with these. And it remains to be seen whether or not they possess good durability...

'Late

These headphones are great for the price! It has a good punchy sound, with great bass! but unlike other reviews say, i think these headphone's base isn't overpowering, just strong. Also the screw on adapter for the plug-in is nice, but the ridges for the screw can get in the way of some uses. It's bothersome when it's used along with my slimx 550 cd/mp3 player.

The sound isn't bad for the price-- fairly clear and good bass, but nothing spectacular. I agree with other reviewers that these don't fit well: I wear a size 7.5 hat (large), but the Philips 170 headphones felt huge and didn't cover my ears entirely. Maybe if they would fit better, they'd sound better. Also, the individual left-right volume controls are silly and if you mess with them, you'll have trouble adjusting them back to normal.

On the plus side, these seem pretty sturdy compared to other headphones that I've bought... and the sound is pretty good for the price (good enough to make me want to wear them even if they don't fit quite right).

I have had these for about a year. I liked the sound and volume control and they are comfortable; however, the plastic connector between the head band and the earphone just broke (where it swivels a little bit). You can not really wear the headphones after that so I am looking for a replacement set now. I'll probably buy the same kind again since they are pretty cheap.

After my old headphones stopped working in one ear, I decided to buy a pair of closed-ear headphones. I just happened to run into these at the local Rite-Aid.(no, seriously, Rite-Aid). Although I can't compare them to other closed-ear headphones because these are the first that I have tried, if I compare them to other headphones around $20, there is absolutely no competition, these are so much better that they make the traditional "foamy" headphones look silly. The first thing that you will notice is the amount of clarity and dynamics in your music that you have probably never noticed before. Also, these can produce nice "thumping" bass with the right input, and the acoustics and vocals sound very sharp compared to others in this price range. All I have to say is that if you have $20 and have never tried closed-ear headphones before, buy these(unless you need to use them for jogging or whatever). After listening to these for a few hours, I can't even imagining having to listen to my laptop speakers again, and never mind those stupid earbuds, which are nothing but fuzzy sounding even at a medium volume. These are very comfortable, and the sound is like no other for $20.