Headphones

!>http://www.headphone.com/productphotos/small/0020331310_2560.jpg! After our most recent trip, nearly all of our earbuds have simply died. Usually, the little cable breaks, so what to do if you need a lot of these and they take abuse. “Headphones.com”:http://headphones.com has some of the best reviews I’ve seen. It is how I originally got the Etymotic ER-6i and ER-4p and ER-4s. Sadly, I’ve lost one ER-6i and two have broken, so what are the best headphones now:

h2. “Ten Best Headphones”:http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-application/our-10-best-headphones/

Most of these aren’t practical for travel but the real winner seems to be the “Shure SE310”:http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/in-ear-monitor/shure-se310-black.php. It got 5 out of 5 (The Etymotics ER-4Ps are 4.5 out of 5, so close) and it comes in “white”:http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SE310-Sound-Isolating-Earphones/dp/B000NDLJOU. Amazon has them for $200 and the list is $299. While headphones.com has them for $250.

h2. “Entry Level”:http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-application/ipod/

If you can’t stand paying more for your headphones than your iPod or you’ve got kids who will likely rip and destroy them, then try the “Sennheiser MX300”:http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-budget/under-40/sennheiser-mx-300.php which lists for $10 and Amazon has for “$9”:http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-MX300-In-Ear-Headphones/dp/B00004Z0BM. They don’t say it but I’d expect the white “MX500”:http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-MX500-Lightweight-Headphones-White/dp/B0009U5ZCO/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_b probably works just as well although it is $17 because of the color :_) and because there is a volume control on it. “Macworld”:http://www.macworld.com/product/ipod/230/detail.html also likes the MX 500 and it is nice it comes in a little case too. “iLounge”:http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/ipod/review/sennheiser-mx500-headphones/ also liked the MX 500 giving it an A- saying that while they are uncomfortable for long usage, they sound as good as the Apple ones. BTW, if you don’t mind, you can get blue MX 500 for $10 from “TigerDirect.com”:http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1740385&sku=S302-1066

If you want in the ear, so called in-canal headphones, these are a great step up and much less bulky that on the ear headphones, so a budget set would be then try the “Jays j-JAYS”:http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-manufacturer/jays/jays-j-jays-black.php which are just $50 and do have that snug fit and noise reduction. or the “d-JAYS”:http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-application/ipod/jays-d-jays-white.php which sound better at $100 and got a 4 out of 5 rating.