Comfortable and durable on-ear headphones–Ask the Editors

Aug.05.2009 Articles & Reviews

(Credit: Ultrasone)

Q: I have been digging through the CNET Web site for a perfect set of on-ear or
over-the-ear headphones for listening to music on the subway–but I just
can’t find a pair that fits all my needs. I’m not an audiophile, but I do
need the headphones to be comfortable for extending listening, durable (head
band that won’t snap easily), and portable (not too bulky). Since I am using
them on the subway, it’d be great if they offer some kind of noise
cancellation (passive or active, whichever). And I’m a student, so I’m
working with a budget of around $100. — Anonymous, via e-mail

A: By nature of the fact that on-ear headphones are also semi-open, they are highly unlikely to offer anything in the way of passive sound isolation, though the thickness and material of the earpad may contribute very slightly in this area. Unfortunately, I have not come across any on-ear models with active noise-cancellation in the price range you are looking at. The closest would be the Sennheiser PXC-300s, which can be found for around $125 online. (The Bose QuietComfort 3s would also be a great option, if they didn’t blow the budget out of the water.)

Now, if you remove the noise-canceling feature, you get a couple of excellent options that fall at, or below, $100. The first is the Koss PortaPro, which has kind of a funky, retro look, but is very reasonably priced and offers good sound quality. (Plus, Koss headphones come with a lifetime warranty, so if the headband does break from normal wear and tear, the company will replace it.) If you’re after something newer with a more low-key style, the Ultrasone Zino is a fantastic choice that also offers impressive sound quality and a flexible headband.

Technorati Tags: 300s, Active Noise Cancellation, Audiophile, Bose Quietcomfort, Cnet Web, E Mail, Ear Models, Editors, Flexible Headband, Koss Headphones, Koss Portapro, Lifetime Warranty, Listening To Music, Retro Look, Sennheiser, Sound Isolation, Sound Quality, Subway, Wear And Tear, Zino

• How Does Forex Ambush 2.0 Perform In Changing Economy? As the global economy continues to change, we wonder how these currency exchange fluctuations are having any effect on the way Forex Ambush 2.0 performs. That is why we thought that it would be useful to keep on looking for what other people are saying about Forex Ambush 2.0 and......
• My Favorite Blog Articles of the Week Every Thursday I'm hoping to highlight some of my favorite articles from the past week. Thursday is a great day for this because I work my standard job and then tutor for 4 hours, which leaves me exhausted and little time for writing any kind of decent post. Also, I......
• Speaking of headphones and earbuds I really love the Bose® in-ear headphones. They are very comfortable, do not fall out, come in three sizes, and sound great. And the Bose® QuietComfort® 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones were lovely as were the Bose® QuietComfort® 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones (but I refrained from getting them as......
• Review: Nokia N900 [/caption] Product summary The good: The Nokia N900 offers a powerful mobile Web browser, plenty of storage, a 5-megapixel camera, and an ultrasharp display. It's also fast, multitasks well, and has excellent call quality. Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth, and GPS are all onboard. The bad: The user interface isn't very intuitive.......
• Home Security - Don't Make Yourself a Target In 2004, the Justice Bureau released the statistics that nearly one in six homes were burgled, that 75% of all crime was related to property and that in 90% of the burglaries the burglar gained access into the home. Every 3 seconds a property crime occurs, and every 15 seconds......