Headphone Shopping

At my new job, they allow me to wear headphones.  I normally wouldn't wear headphones that can limit the amount I can listen to externally just for "paranoia" reasons and I hate not being able to hear what may come from behind me.  Although, I have learned from prior lessons in the past from previous jobs that talking to EVERYONE at work for the sake of being nice, may not ALWAYS be the best move because you may end up being involved in a "controversial" conversation that may bring you into the office for further "investigation" about who said what.  PETTY, I know but hey, office politics can be that bad depending on the call center environment.

My new job is so far so good but, i'd rather put on my headphones and enjoy my time focusing on work and keep my job during this recession.


I just got back from shopping for headphones at best buy.

I personally like the options Best-Buy provides as far as letting a consumer truly listen to the quality prior to making a purchase.  I got to try out all of the latest headphones available at the moment (excluding the Rocnation Aviators).

One thing that I was impressed with originally was the DiddyBeats.




My initial impression was "there is no way in hell in ear headphones can be anything comparable to the over the head phones."

Considering all of this hype in regards to Beats by Dr. Dre and seeing musical artists, athletes and their mommas rockin' beats headphones I wanted to listen to why the price tag is so high.

My background has always been "you pay for what you get," especially when it comes to the quality of an audio product.  That is not necessarily the case with the headphones today.  Don't get me wrong, Beats by Dr. Dre are VERY GOOD HEADPHONES.  I will not say "them things are wack" ANYDAY.  Those things are mad dope although the question really comes down to "WHICH beats headphones are you using?"

I tried out the DiddyBeats right next to the Beats Solo headphones and I have a few things to mention while comparing the two.

The price comparison is very similar as far as what you are paying although the noise cancellation of the DiddyBeats was so good, it made ALL THAT DIFFERENCE when comparing them to the Beats Solo headphones.

The in ear headphones go way into your ear (COMFORTABLY) and cancel out the noise so you truly get to hear everything in the music.

Also the in ear headphones do not rely on a battery to keep the musing running so THAT ALONE had me very impressed that they can provide such high quality sound.

In ear headphones should never cost over 100 dollars in my opinion though.  These things are pretty nice but...SORRY, that is just too much.  Those Chinese knock-offs on eBay REALLY know what people are willing to spend on them things.  LOL.  But I will say, I was VERY close to buying the DiddyBeats.

The Beats Solo headphones are pretty dope.



Although considering that the beats solos go ON THE HEAR instead of OVER the ear, it makes them uncomfortable to wear.

The other draw-back was that the headphones seem so flimsy.  I understand you want to give the glossy plastic look and the look should match what is the back of most ipod touches although considering people are forking out 150 bucks MINIMUM for these headphones.  Do not make them lacking in durability so that they have to come back and buy another pair because they accidentally sat on them one day.  I think they probably thought to themselves "if they're not spending 300 bucks to their audio investment, they are gonna get the shitty durability design."  I guess it sticks to what I stated earlier "you get what you pay for." but in this case, is this what you should get for 150 dollars?

I tried out the Bose over the ear headphones.






And to be honest, these things sound just as clear as the Beats Solo headphones and in my opinion have minor differences in sound when it comes to the quality that you are getting.

I actually thought that the Bose headphones provided more clarity OVERALL of sound.  Can't really explain the reason why and I'm not the SUPER NERDY TECHNICAL dude to do all of the research into why they sound clearer but weirdly, THEY DO.  Personally I think these are a better purchase if you had to choose between the beats solos and the bose headphones.

Although personally I think Beats just stand out so much in a brand name and with Dr. Dre tied to the brand, it's hard to just go with a brand that has been around a while compared to the "NEW HOT SHIT IN TOWN!".  lol.  Marketing does fuck with your head in that manner and I will be honest, even though the clarity was better with the Bose headphones, bass sounded louder on the beats which is why I would go with the beats on top of the fact that the Beats headphones look nicer.

Flat out if I had the money, I would go with the Beats Studio headphones HANDS DOWN!



 These things provide the Bass I would expect, the mids and highs I truly miss and they really do change the way you listen to music after you hear them once.  After putting them down, I wanted to go back and listen to music on them ONCE AGAIN.

But with that price tag, I can't afford them shits.  They're dope in sound, style, and features but...THAT'S JUST TOO MUCH.

Just when I was considering leaving empty handed because I noticed I don't have money to spend on what I TRULY want I came accross these being available to listen to...



 The Skullcandy Skullcrushers.  I remember coming across these on ebay last year and thought to myself they might sound pretty good.  The demo booth had a button to turn off the sub-woofer button and turn it back on and WHOAH, did I notice the sound difference. The sound clarity wasn't up there in comparison to any of the beats headphones but MAN, did these headphones POUND.  I personally listen to alot of hip hop and Trance music and when it comes to bass...I LOOOOOOOOOVE BASS.

I make hip hop beats and mix trance music and have done studio engineer work for a few local artists in chicago so I UNDERSTAND the reason for quality.  Although, I want to have fun when listening to music and when all this technical stuff comes into play about who has the best frequency, who has the best drivers that reproduce music in the way it was intended...when I hear the skullcrushers I just think "How much are these going for since EVERYONE ELSE wants to screw me over on my budget"

When I noticed the 70 dollar price tag I was VERY SHOCKED.  I went around and listened to all of the headphones again. I did not listen to all of them only once, I went around twice to make sure I wasn't just going on the price difference alone.  The Skullcrushers REALLY impressed me with the bass they provide.

I BOUGHT THE SKULLCRUSHERS!!!

If I wanted to listen to music in the CRYSTAL CLEAR fashion I would go with the 300 dollar Bose, or the 300 dollar Beats headphones.

I wouldn't even bother with the Beats solos to be honest.  The sound quality is DEFINITELY noticeable so get something that is worth saying you spent over a hundred dollars for and can last you a couple of years.

The DiddyBeats sound great but I have a feeling there might be a cheaper alternative to those.  I haven't done my research but I just have a gut feeling there is a great alternative available than to pay 150 for in ear headphones.  Best-Buy didn't have any for me to try out so I just have to go with my instinct on that one.

If you want something that makes listening to music fun, and in a cheaper manner get the skull-crushers.

TO BE HONEST...I'm going to return my skullcrushers to best buy because I noticed they were WAY CHEAPER on amazon with free shipping.

Check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/Skullcandy-SCS-SCBP3-5-Skullcrushers-Subwoofer-Headphones/dp/B000OYFOVM/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1282362533&sr=1-1

I recommend the skullcrushers to anyone wanting to upgrade their headphones although be warned...the sub-woofers require battery power.  1 AA battery is needed but when considering the competition at higher prices...the battery is required to almost all of the other options.

Let me know what you think...