Clear Sound Self-adjustable inner headband Revel in transparent sound with clear high tones, deep bass and noise isolation. The industrial strength polymer headband is highly flexible and unbreakable. Its cushioned and self adjusting inner headband comfortably hugs your head. Features: – Music to your ears 40mm speaker driver delivers sound without distortion The 40 mm speaker driver is made of a composite mylar material for a highly sensitive yet powerful element that delivers sound without audible distortion.

Closed type design blocks out ambient noise Sounds around you are perfectly blocked out while the sound from the headphone is kept in a sealed chamber for perfect quality. This makes the headphones great for monitoring during live music or recording sessions. Enjoy best-in-class performance and optimum sound quality Acoustically-tuned design and high-quality drivers ensure best-in-class audio performance. – Made to fit you and your lifestyle Comfort is enhanced for long-term use This headphone is designed around the shape of your ear for extra comfort and more enjoyment during longer periods of listening. – Always ready to go A 1.2m long cable that is ideal for outdoor use The ideal cable length to give you the freedom to put your audio device where you want. Carrying pouch protects your headphone when not in use Look after your headphone and stop the cable getting tangled by storing it in this handy soft pouch. – Designed around you Flexible, rugged headband Outdoor headphones need to be tough to take the beating, wear and tear of life on the go. Yet hard materials are hardly comfortable to wear.

This headband uses an industrial strength polymer which is tough yet flexible enough to provide excellent wearing comfort. You could even twist it without breaking or deforming it. Self-adjusting inner headband Typically headphones worn outdoors are adjustable by sliding an extendable headband into position. This can be cumbersome as it usually has to be done every time you use it. Get your music fix faster and easier with these heapdhones’ flexible, self-adjusting inner headband. It will automatically adjust to your head’s shape and size. Specifications: Sound Acoustic system Open Magnet type Neodymium Voice coil CCAW Diaphragm Mylar dome Frequency response 12 – 24 000 Hz Impedance 32 Ohm Maximum power input 50 mW Sensitivity 105 dB Speaker diameter 40 mm Type Dynamic Connectivity: Cable Connection Singled-sided cable Cable length 1.2 m Connector 3.5 mm stereo Finishing of connector 24k Gold plated Type of cable OFC Packaging dimensions: Depth 8.5 cm Gross weight 0.308 kg Height 23.8 cm Nett weight 0.158 kg Tare weight 0.15 kg Width 19.6 cm

The CX 95 are high quality, noise-isolating ear-canal-headphones with a very balanced sound and the highest possible sound resolution. They feature a short cable, perfect for using with a mobile phone or MP3 player with a remote-control and/or microphone. With the included 1 m extension cable the CX 95 can also be used with a player carried in your pocket. The unique shape of the housing ensures that these ear-canal-headphones are always positioned optimally in the ear.

These noise-isolating stylish audiophile delights have been designed to fit snugly in your ears and block out external sounds. Mission accomplished we’d say. With three sizes of silicone earbud, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got lugholes the size of our future King’s. Out in the real world they do a grand job cutting out ambient noise (although not the voices in your head), and provide some top-class audio to boot. The bass response is effective but tightly controlled, so you don’t get the overabundance of unrealistic, flabby bass. We hate it when that happens.

Technical Details

Great design makes the Sennheiser MX-90-VC Style Stereo Earphones a real inspiration. The innovative holding systems not only look extremely elegant, they’re comfortable to wear, too. High-quality materials and the specially tuned damping system with its detailed sound reproduction complete the picture. Ear adapter set and rubber buds for individually matching different ears 1.2m symmetrical connecting cable Audio connector – 3.5 mm right-angled stereo mini-jack plug in gold Dynamic Transducer Frequency response – 18-22,000 Hz 64-Ohms Impedance Less than 0.1% THD 117 dB SPL (1 kHz, 1 Vrms) Weight – 12 grams

The MX90 VC is another of Sennheiser’s new pairs of earbuds. Sporting their innovative winged design, they hold firmly in your ears and provide audio that is well above the quality of a typical earbud. While we still recommend over the ear models for true high quality listening, the MX90 won’t disappoint the average listener.

As with the MX55 which we looked at recently, the MX90s are designed with a special wing that extends from the tip of the earbud. This wing is covered with a rubber seal, and slips comfortably into one of the top grooves of your ear. Sennheiser’s intent here was to lock the earbuds in place, as a typical earbud design doesn’t sit firmly in your ear. The end result is a pair of headphones that are great for fast paced activities like jogging or cycling.

The design is reasonably comfortable, although it takes a little getting used to. After an hour we barely noticed the wings were there. The buds themselves are comfortable as well, with interchangeable pads of different sizes and textures, allowing you to achieve the best fit for you. As usual, Sennheiser do not disappoint with regards to sound quality either. While we still feel an over the ear model like the Koss or Sennheiser’s own is a better choice if the quality of the audio is your top priority, the size, convenience and price of earbuds often make them an attractive option.
Technical Details

• Includes earphones, volume control, and carrying case
• Convenient accessories such as volume controls and stylish carrying cases
• Specially tuned damping system ensures detailed sound reproduction
• High-quality materials accentuate the unique design
• Innovative holding design (Twist-to-fit system) ensures best possible fit

Weighing in at a hefty US$30, these are by far the cheapest active noise cancelling phones on the market, with or without a pedigree. They are of the canalphone types first popularized by the Sony MDR-EX70s and EX71s. Philips ups this by adding in an active noise cancelling circuitry unit. As you can see in the picture above, the microphones are on the side port of the drivers. The small breakout box does the NC magic and pipes the sound back to the drivers. The drivers use the “universal” gaskets used by Sony, Panasonic, Ultimate Ears, etc. Generally, the better gaskets from Ultimate Ears served me well with the Sony phones (EX90s), though with this particular set, they were more of a hinderance. The standard medium works well enough.

Ergonomics is rather interesting. It is of the Y-cord variety, though a rather new take on it: The breakout has single cord for the 3.5mm plug and single cord for each of the drivers. You can do cord management with a slider type thingy on the driver side of things. However, the cord to the 3.5mm jack is a bit short, and the cords to the driver too long. Other than that, the ergonomics on this is no better or no worse than other NC type buds. Thanks to the sliding mechanism (which is a piece of rubber, more or less), you can minimize microphonics a bit.

Now for the nitty gritty, the sound quality. You can do a lot worse for $30, and they include the venerable EX71s. The overall sound is balanced, though the NC adds background white noise, which is par for the course. The treble is a bit out of control (brighter than average, and very unrefined), while the bass is nice and tight, given the right seal. The vocals/mids don’t get too lost here, just being congenial with the bass and the trebles. Soundstaging could be much better. It’s too 2D-ish and is a bit claustrophobic at times, a little too intimate at others. It is still heaps better than the EX90s EX71s (Someone please slap me when I say something this stupid), probably slighlty worse than the Panasonic HJE50s, which are about the same price as these.

The SHN2500 advertises “70% less external noise.”  However, during the little amount of time I could bear to wear them, they didn’t reduce external noise at all.  The noise-canceling unit just smoked out room noise with a combination of its own white noise and a low hum in the range of 123 Hz.  Consequently, all your favorite albums now sound fuzzy.  There’s nothing like listening to Abbey Road with some nice white noise to fill in those awful gaps.

The other thing the noise replacement feature does is raise the volume.  Make sure you have your device’s volume set down low before engaging the noise replacement.

If nothing else about the SHN2500 had turned me off, it feels as though someone just punched me in the ears.  To be fair, I’m often told I have oddly-shaped ear canals, and in-ears never really rest comfortably in them.  However, I don’t recall throbbing pain after using other in-ears.  I’d like to think I’m old enough to follow directions, so I have no explanation other than poor design for these painful things.

Tightness is not a problem with these phones because of the vinyl-wrapped metal headband. This is great because it’s impossible to overextend them–you just bend them back into shape with no trouble.  The Sheckler Signature model of these phones is the least expensive by at least 20 dollars when I bought it (maybe his sponsorship contract ended?). The red color had gotten lots of compliments and the skater’s signature isn’t out of place at all.

New from Panasonic Japan comes the retro style RP-HTX7 with leather style headbands and high quality piano painted large, closed headphones. Not to be confused with conventional looking headphones, these are stylish lookers. Large aperture 40mm drive unit for clear sound reproduction and powerful bass. Cord length of 1.2 meters suitable for remote and non-remote portable players. Unlike the basic American version, the Japanese RP-HTX7 also comes in original Japanese color combinations (ie. light blue, beige headband) with a 2 meter extension cordng and additional accessories.

Specifications

• Type: Encapsulated, Dynamic
• Driver Unit: 40mm
• Magnet: Neodymium
• Impedance: 40 ohms
• Sensitivity: 99 dB/mW
• Power Handling Capacity: 1000mW
• Frequency Response: 7 – 22,000Hz
• 1.2m cord with gold-plated stereo straight mini-plug

Accessories
2 meter Extension Cord, Stereo Standard Plug, Carrying Pouch