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The Free iPod + iPhone Book 4<br />
ALL THINGS<br />
The Key Factors in Picking Headphones<br />
With over a dozen different headphone<br />
designs, the choice of what works for your ears<br />
is up to you. The recent trend is towards smaller<br />
earbuds and in-canal earphones.<br />
Sound: Listen for distortion, the ratios and<br />
ranges of treble, midrange, and bass, and the<br />
staging or sense of “being there.”<br />
Comfort: Make sure the eartips and foams,<br />
weight, and the cable design feel right.<br />
Looks: A purely subjective factor, but today’s<br />
earphones offer color and shape choices; you’ll<br />
need to decide whether in-canal designs and<br />
wires will work for your ears and needs.<br />
<strong>iLounge</strong> Editors’ Picks: Our Favorites<br />
Price: $100-$150 is the sweet spot for music<br />
lovers; $250-300 for hard-core listeners. Expect<br />
so-so quality or performance for under $50.<br />
Durability: Pick a reputable manufacturer and a<br />
store with a good return policy, just in case.<br />
Additional Notes: Finding earphones that fit<br />
is critical to getting them to sound right, but<br />
it’s hard to find places to try on earphones. Do<br />
research to find local stores with a few top picks,<br />
but don’t trust every review you read - lots are<br />
fake, and some are from lunatics. Also, note that<br />
bass boosting, not accuracy, is more common,<br />
and spending more doesn’t guarantee quality.<br />
Charles Starrett<br />
All of our editors prefer<br />
canalphones over other<br />
options. Charles’ top pick is the<br />
iPhone-ready Etymotic hf2<br />
($179), two pages below.<br />
Bob Levens<br />
Bob wears a pair of Shure<br />
SE530 ($500) with custom<br />
earmolds ($160) and a Ray<br />
Samuels Audio Tomahawk<br />
portable amplifier ($295).<br />
Jesse Hollington<br />
Having upgraded from Shure’s<br />
E2c, Jesse now uses Shure<br />
SE210s ($180), canalphones<br />
that he uses with Shure’s MPA-<br />
3c ($40) to work with iPhone.<br />
Dennis Lloyd<br />
Though a fan of Ultimate Ears’<br />
$900 UE-10 Pros, Dennis<br />
mostly wears V-Moda’s Vibe<br />
Duo ($100) because of the<br />
bass and iPhone compatibility.<br />
Christina Horwitz<br />
Christina’s favorite JAYS brand<br />
q-JAYS ($230) are super-tiny<br />
double-driver earphones that<br />
can fit any ear canals. She also<br />
loves Shure’s SE530 ($500).<br />
Jerrod Hofferth<br />
The rare <strong>iLounge</strong> editor to use<br />
earcups, Jerrod splits his time<br />
between Sennheiser’s PX200<br />
($80, shown) and Shure’s incanal<br />
E2C (discontinued).<br />
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