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New York, 8:49 PM
Fri Nov 20
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  • posts about #headphones more →

    JH Audio JH 13 Pro: Earphones Actually Worth $1100

    Shure Sound Isolating SE115m+ Headset For The iPhone Has 3 Buttons To Rule Them All

    Elecom's Lego Style Earphones Sound Like a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen

    Giz Explains: Why You Can't Get Decent Earphones for Less Than $100

    Sony Ericsson MH907 "Motion Activated" Headphones

    MyPhones Protect the Virgin Ears—But Not Innocence—of Our Youth

    Dr. Dre Beats Solo Headphones Bring The Same Big Sound In a Smaller, Cheaper Package

    Now Available

    Sequels to the First Decent Headphones I Ever Owned: Sennheiser PX-100 II and PX-200

    GR8 Sees Grado Moving From Outside to Inside the Ear

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of nutbastard nutbastard
    10/27/09

    In reply to JH Audio JH 13 Pro: Earphones Actually Worth $1100
    "Steve says they're worth $1100, not just because they're hand-built and designed Jerry Harvey, who founded Ultimate Ears, but because you'll get 10 years of use out of them"

    in my experience, all headphones of $25+ quality all end up dying from severed cords, not from bad drivers or build quality issues. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    nutbastard was starred nutbastard was unstarred
    Image of sxs3200 sxs3200
    10/27/09

    @nutbastard: The cords on these are replaceable, good thing because yes, you'll be replacing them regularly. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    sxs3200 was starred sxs3200 was unstarred
    Image of nutbastard nutbastard
    10/27/09

    @sxs3200:

    they SAY that, but i'm having trouble finding any info on such a replacement. from the image, everything appears to be hard soldered. i'd be interested to know what replacing the cable on these things actually entails. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    nutbastard was starred nutbastard was unstarred
    Image of sxs3200 sxs3200
    10/27/09

    @nutbastard: I've got a pair of Ultimate ears customs right now and have gone through 3 cables in 2 years. The JHAudio IEM's use the same plug/cable, they ARE user replaceable and it's quite simple to do yourself :). Just grab the monitor in one hand, grab the plastic plug on the cable on the other, pull straight out firmly/gently. They install the same way. Takes under a minute to swap cables on them. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    sxs3200 was starred sxs3200 was unstarred
    Image of nutbastard nutbastard
    10/27/09

    @sxs3200:

    thanks, good to know. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    nutbastard was starred nutbastard was unstarred
    Image of Lizard_King Lizard_King
    10/27/09

    @nutbastard: The custom earbuds I got from [www.bigearinc.com] have an aramid (kevlar) strand weaved into the headphone cord. They demonstrated the headphone cord supporting a 70lb weight at the motorcycle show where I got fitted. No problems yet, and I'm hard on earphones. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    Lizard_King was starred Lizard_King was unstarred
    Image of njdevil njdevil
    10/27/09

    In reply to JH Audio JH 13 Pro: Earphones Actually Worth $1100
    People who think you need to spend huge amounts of money to enjoy music have missed the point of music.

    Would you appreciate the Mona Lisa more if you examined it under a microscope?

    Remember the Shawshank Redemption, when Andy played that music through the PA system? If the PA system cost $80,000, would it have moved the prisoners any more? #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    njdevil was starred njdevil was unstarred
    Image of ab3 ab3
    10/27/09

    @njdevil: it depends on what music you''re listening to, listening to britney spears on$1100 probably would do nothing to make her music more enjoyable but for some music there are some slight nuisances that can only be heard and appreciated with high fidelity headphones, whether $1100 headphones are really needed is another question but spending a little bit more on music does show someones appreciation for it. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    günter macbeetle, codename: chrystlubitshi promoted this comment ab3 was starred ab3 was unstarred
    Image of günter macbeetle, codename: chrystlubitshi günter macbeetle, codename: chrystlubitshi
    10/27/09

    @ab3: i had to read what you said three times because i read 'nuances' the first two... but no, you are correct.. there are slight nuisances that can only be heard on very high quality audio equipment as well... though they tend to make one upset about having said equipment and liking "those types" of music.... #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    günter macbeetle, codename: chrystlubitshi was starred günter macbeetle, codename: chrystlubitshi was unstarred
    Image of ab3 ab3
    10/28/09

    @günter macbeetle, codename: chrystlubitshi: whoops I was kinda in a rush and i just spell checked with firefox and I must not have been paying attention... haha #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    ab3 was starred ab3 was unstarred
    Image of jbl429 jbl429
    10/27/09

    In reply to JH Audio JH 13 Pro: Earphones Actually Worth $1100
    great. spend $1100, then plug it into your iPod/iPhone which has compressed audio anyway, and you're wasting $1070. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    lostarchitect promoted this comment jbl429 was starred jbl429 was unstarred
    Image of lostarchitect lostarchitect
    10/27/09

    @jbl429: Speak for yourself. Some of us use lossless codecs. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    lostarchitect was starred lostarchitect was unstarred
    Image of QuarterToTomorrow QuarterToTomorrow
    10/27/09

    @jbl429: Or into my RockBox-hacked 1G nano, which has FLAC support. :D #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    nutbastard promoted this comment QuarterToTomorrow was starred QuarterToTomorrow was unstarred
    Image of sxs3200 sxs3200
    10/27/09

    @jbl429: I ordered my JH13's last week and are waiting for them. So I can use them on my iPod with Apple Lossless (And RaySamuels Shadow amp). Does that mean I didn't waste $1070 on them?

    That said, listening to an ipod using the stock earbuds is a waste of the price of an ipod :) #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    sxs3200 was starred sxs3200 was unstarred
    Image of nutbastard nutbastard
    10/27/09

    @QuarterToTomorrow:

    FLAC on a 1g nano? so that's what, 4GB tops? and "Audio sources encoded to FLAC are typically reduced to 50–60% of their original size." so about 350mb per CD, so you can fit, what, 12 albums on there?

    you're at the FAR end of the spectrum, miles away from those who whine about the touch having 'only' 64gb. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    nutbastard was starred nutbastard was unstarred
    Image of Evan, How Dare you Sir! Evan, How Dare you Sir!
    10/27/09

    @lostarchitect: Sure, but you're losing some sound quality in the device itself. The iPod Touch isn't really renown for passing on picture perfect sound. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    lostarchitect promoted this comment Evan, How Dare you Sir! was starred Evan, How Dare you Sir! was unstarred
    Image of lostarchitect lostarchitect
    10/27/09

    @Evan, How Dare you Sir!: True, it would be interesting to do an experiment to determine when that limitation begins. But then, I'm sure it's different over different devices. Mine is an Ipod Classic 160GB. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    lostarchitect was starred lostarchitect was unstarred
    Image of Dave Clarke Dave Clarke
    10/27/09

    @lostarchitect: Yes, lossless with the crappy op-amp apple uses ... #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    ripfire promoted this comment Dave Clarke was starred Dave Clarke was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    10/27/09

    @Dave Clarke: Not just op-amp; you might want to look into the DAC also. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of QuarterToTomorrow QuarterToTomorrow
    10/27/09

    @nutbastard: Yeah... it's 2GB. But that's not the point, dammit! Besides, I only have 6 or so CDs I care about enough to rip to FLAC.

    P.s. it used to be 4GB, but after a recovery mode/full restore it became 2GB. Go figure.

    P.p.s. It's not my main PMP, that's a 16GB iTouch. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    QuarterToTomorrow was starred QuarterToTomorrow was unstarred
    Image of farcedude farcedude
    10/27/09

    In reply to JH Audio JH 13 Pro: Earphones Actually Worth $1100
    For $1100, I'd expect something like a wireless implant, so you never have to worry about ear buds. But that's me. #jhaudiojh13pro
     Reply
    farcedude was starred farcedude was unstarred
    Image of theseraph theseraph
    10/22/09

    In reply to Shure Sound Isolating SE115m+ Headset For The iPhone Has 3 Buttons To Rule Them All
    headphones are getting so expensive i'm looking to invest in singing to myself. #shurese115m
     Reply
    CustomFirmware promoted this comment theseraph was starred theseraph was unstarred
    Image of UnderLoK UnderLoK
    10/22/09

    In reply to Shure Sound Isolating SE115m+ Headset For The iPhone Has 3 Buttons To Rule Them All
    You lost me at $120, good thing it was at the end of the article. #shurese115m
     Reply
    UnderLoK was starred UnderLoK was unstarred
    Image of lpranal lpranal
    10/22/09

    @UnderLoK: yep, these are exactly what I'm looking for. I'd be all about them for maybe 30-50 dollars #shurese115m
     Reply
    dingus promoted this comment lpranal was starred lpranal was unstarred
    Image of dingus dingus
    10/22/09

    @lpranal: Look on eBay for the new dual driver Apple IEMs. They can often be had refurbed for ~$35.

    The headphone gurus at head-fi.com forums tend to like them even at retail price, and they're usually the first to level hate at the the stock buds. #shurese115m
     Reply
    dingus was starred dingus was unstarred
    Image of lpranal lpranal
    10/22/09

    @dingus: holy crap, found new ones for $28. I liked them a lot when they first came out, but they seemed overpriced.
     Reply
    Edited by lpranal at 10/22/09 4:20 PM lpranal was starred lpranal was unstarred
    Image of dingus dingus
    10/22/09

    @lpranal: Watch out for the scams & fakes. Search the head-fi.com forums to see who's a known good seller. I got mine from "7dime" and despite the carrying case getting crushed by USPS they're perfect. #shurese115m
     Reply
    dingus was starred dingus was unstarred
    Image of Poison_Shroom Poison_Shroom
    10/22/09

    @UnderLoK:

    Good headphones are worth it, unfortunately it's one of the things were you have to try it or you'll never know

    Three years ago I bought a $100 dollar pair of IEMs from Shure, earlier this year I got Denon AH-D2000 for $300. I don't regret it at all #shurese115m
     Reply
    UnderLoK promoted this comment Poison_Shroom was starred Poison_Shroom was unstarred
    Image of UnderLoK UnderLoK
    10/23/09

    @Poison_Shroom: I use speakers so I can't really justify it. Sure I could use them at work, but $150+ to listen to music out of one ear at work just isn't worth it to me. #shurese115m
     Reply
    UnderLoK was starred UnderLoK was unstarred
    Image of combatfetus combatfetus
    10/09/09

    In reply to Elecom's Lego Style Earphones Sound Like a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen
    I understand that this doesn't literally apply, so bear with my word choice, but why isn't one female? (Like a plug) If I got them, I would want to keep them together to prevent tangling of the wires, thus connecting the lego blocks.
    That's why I like my Zune headphones.
     Reply
    Lizard_King promoted this comment combatfetus was starred combatfetus was unstarred
    Image of Lizard_King Lizard_King
    10/09/09

    @combatfetus: Just use a flat 2x6 for storage and build a cord-winder on the top.
     Reply
    Lizard_King was starred Lizard_King was unstarred
    Image of Alfisted Alfisted
    10/09/09

    In reply to Elecom's Lego Style Earphones Sound Like a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen
    If you crank 'em, do they create a mindstorm?
     Reply
    Alfisted was starred Alfisted was unstarred
    Image of plasticmouse plasticmouse
    10/09/09

    In reply to Elecom's Lego Style Earphones Sound Like a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen
    I would buy some of those in a heartbeat. Oh look - I just did :)
     Reply
    Danny Allen approved this comment plasticmouse was starred plasticmouse was unstarred
    Image of Danny Allen Danny Allen
    10/09/09

    @plasticmouse: Nice one! Send me a quick review when you get 'em!
     Reply
    Danny Allen was starred Danny Allen was unstarred
    Image of plasticmouse plasticmouse
    10/09/09

    @Danny Allen: You got it :)
     Reply
    CustomFirmware approved this comment plasticmouse was starred plasticmouse was unstarred
    Image of G-Ram G-Ram
    10/09/09

    In reply to Elecom's Lego Style Earphones Sound Like a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen
    There's no way they can get sued! It's a 2x3 brick, not a 2x4... see? Not the same thing at all!

    [/vanilla ice]
     Reply
    G-Ram was starred G-Ram was unstarred
    Image of Dacker Dacker
    10/09/09

    @G-Ram: Lego does make 2x3 bricks.
     Reply
    Kaiser-Machead promoted this comment Dacker was starred Dacker was unstarred
    Image of Kaiser-Machead Kaiser-Machead
    10/09/09

    @Dacker: It's all forgiven for sullying Vanilla Ice's name.
     Reply
    Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred
    Image of Purple Dave Purple Dave
    10/09/09

    @Dacker:
    Yeah, but since the general brick patent expired, their main claim against clones is trademark infringement on the basis that the 2x4 brick has been used on and off in LEGO logos for the entire history of their plastics division. The 2x3 brick enjoys no such trademark association, and therefore that simple distinction may be all that's needed to defuse any lawsuits before they happen. If they don't have an active patent, and they haven't ever even attempted to trademark that brick shape, it's a big difficult to come up with grounds for a lawsuit.
     Reply
    Purple Dave approved this comment Purple Dave was starred Purple Dave was unstarred
    Image of Dacker Dacker
    10/09/09

    @Purple Dave:
    Ah, now I understand the discussion of 2x4 bricks. Thanks for the explanation...!
     Reply
    Dacker was starred Dacker was unstarred
    Image of Purple Dave Purple Dave
    10/09/09

    @Dacker:
    Well, you have to realize that when they leased the original Automatic Binding Brick design from some guy in the UK, the _only_ part design was a 2x4 brick. It wasn't quite what we envision today, since the inside was completely hollow, and it was made from cellulose acetate instead of ABS plastic, but the outer shape is pretty much unchanged to this day. Well, the logos on the studs have been updated once or twice, and there was that period of time where some bricks had slots in the sides and/or ends (I actually have one of those), but any original Automatic Binding Brick should be able to connect to any modern LEGO brick and vice versa.
     Reply
    Purple Dave approved this comment Purple Dave was starred Purple Dave was unstarred
    Image of Kaiser-Machead Kaiser-Machead
    10/09/09

    In reply to Elecom's Lego Style Earphones Sound Like a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen
    Cute, but utter fail if they can't interlock with standard LEGO bricks.
     Reply
    Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred
    Image of Marc Mohon Marc Mohon
    10/09/09

    @Kaiser-Machead: Lego doesn't have a trademark on their brick design anymore anyways, so, there would be no reason for the company to not make it interlockable. Although, i cant imagine what you could do with them by adding more bricks....
     Reply
    Kaiser-Machead promoted this comment Marc Mohon was starred Marc Mohon was unstarred
    Image of Kaiser-Machead Kaiser-Machead
    10/09/09

    @Marc Mohon: I dunno. The spacing of the dimples seems off, that or the dimples themselves are smaller than the standard. I wouldn't suggest adding other big bricks, but 1x1 pieces, like tile bits, would make for nice custom color schemes.
     Reply
    Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred
    Image of Purple Dave Purple Dave
    10/09/09

    @Kaiser-Machead:
    You mean the studs? They do look a bit undersized. The gap between them should be about 2/3 the width of each stud, where in this image it appears to be closer to a 1:1 ratio.
     Reply
    Purple Dave approved this comment Purple Dave was starred Purple Dave was unstarred
    Image of MasonLabeo MasonLabeo
    10/04/09

    In reply to Giz Explains: Why You Can't Get Decent Earphones for Less Than $100
    I've owned 30 different earphone models, from the stock Apple buds to $500 Shures, Etymotic, Ultimate Ears, Klipsch, Sony, etc. I even started my own earbud company.

    The best earbuds I've ever heard are the Ultimate Ears UE-10. Loud, clear, eye-blinking impact and $500.

    In general I've found that "you get what you pay for" and until recently I would have said that you need to spend at least $300 to get great sound from earphones/buds.

    But In my search for the ultimate value in earphones I ran across a surprise. JVC (yeah, I know, JVC? ) has developed a new approach to earphones. They've designed a dynamic driver so small that it fits down inside the ear canal in the tip of the earphone nearer the eardrum. The difference is amazing. For $27 at Amazon http://amzn.com/B001E2SHI0 I can get sound far closer to the quality of $500 earphones than I would have thought possible. Very clear, tight, remarkable low end. Light comfortable, easy to put in (unlike the UEs/Shures). Easily the best value in earphones today.

    Now I have a pair of these JVC's in my car, my briefcase and my bedside table and usually in my pocket if they're not in my ears. And I buy them for my friends and family.
     Reply
    ytkliu approved this comment MasonLabeo was starred MasonLabeo was unstarred
    Image of ytkliu ytkliu
    10/04/09

    @MasonLabeo: Thanks for the info! I'll check them out :).
     Reply
    ytkliu was starred ytkliu was unstarred
    Image of dps27a dps27a
    10/04/09

    In reply to Giz Explains: Why You Can't Get Decent Earphones for Less Than $100
    I bought some £70 shure's last year and they are brilliant. I don't need it to sound any better. As a music producer I've tried many headphones out and own a large pair when producing in my studio.

    The one thing that annoys me about in-ear headphones is when you walk with them, or actually even slightly knock the headphone cord, you get a great bassy amplification running up into your ear. I have to hold the cord next to my chest as I walk around!

    Anyone know what I mean?
     Reply
    skierpage promoted this comment dps27a was starred dps27a was unstarred
    Image of skierpage skierpage
    10/04/09

    @dps27a:
    I don't need it to sound any better. As a music producer...

    Thanks for explaining why nearly all recorded music in the past decade sounds so crappy. Keep those earbuds jammed in deep so you won't hear music lovers coming to your house with torches and clubs.
     Reply
    skierpage was starred skierpage was unstarred
    Image of OmarMojojojo OmarMojojojo
    10/04/09

    In reply to Giz Explains: Why You Can't Get Decent Earphones for Less Than $100
    Ever notice how oldies sound best on an AM radio?
     Reply
    skierpage promoted this comment OmarMojojojo was starred OmarMojojojo was unstarred
    Image of skierpage skierpage
    10/04/09

    @OmarMojojojo: No, they don't. Oldies sound fun and punchy on AM radio, but my old 45s sound much better on my $20,000 high-end stereo. If they sound worse on your music system, it's because it has an inaccurate tonal balance, fattening an upper bass that isn't there in old records, or a piercing treble, etc. Try turning off the tone controls and other EQ on your amp and repositioning your speakers, but it sounds like you need a better stereo.
     Reply
    skierpage was starred skierpage was unstarred
    Image of pete1061 pete1061
    10/03/09

    In reply to Giz Explains: Why You Can't Get Decent Earphones for Less Than $100
    And pretty much everyone but the expert audiophile will never notice the difference.

    If you pay more than $50 for earbuds, let alone $500, you just got scammed.

    Stock iPod earbuds are just fine.
     Reply
    Lizard_King promoted this comment pete1061 was starred pete1061 was unstarred
    Image of Lizard_King Lizard_King
    10/03/09

    @pete1061: I don't have a problem with people being satisfied with their purchase of cheap earbuds. Honestly, I can't tell the sonic difference between $20 and $80 earbuds, it's often the fit and design.

    However, I take exception to statements that equate expensive to foolish. This isn't the monoprice/monster audio debate. There is a definite difference in audio quality from Shure's offerings, as well as others. Mine were a custom fit and cost well above the $100 marker the author is stating at minimum. Were they worth the money? Yes, every penny.

    If you are happy with your $20 earbuds, then good. It's doesn't mean they are going to make someone else as happy, or that someone's enjoyment of a more expensive earbud isn't just in their head (pun intended).
     Reply
    Lizard_King was starred Lizard_King was unstarred
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