February 19, 2004
The bane of my existence.
I've had an iPod for nearly two years now. The iPod itself, which is a first generation 5 GB model, still works great. It's a bit banged up, and the screen's been scratched to death, but it works fine. The one thing that hasn't fared so well for me are the headphones I've used with it.
In all, I've probably killed about five different pairs of headphones. The reason's not too hard to understand...when not in use, I wrap the headphones around the iPod. Over time (and the abuse anything put in my bag goes through) this wears them out, and this will kill even high-quality earbuds (for the record, I went through three pairs of Apple's buds faster than anything else). I solved this problem by picking up Macally's Retractable Earphones. These things totally rule. They're the only headphones I've managed to keep alive for any significant period of time.
But the earphones are only part of the problem. The bigger issue is the wired remote. As I said, I love my retractable headphones. But see, I'm a tall guy. Which means I can't clip the headphones' base on my belt, because then it won't reach my ears or my iPod. What I usually do is clip the remote to the shoulder strap of my bag, and my headphones plug into that. The retractable cable gives me plenty of room to work with.
Unfortunately, I've killed two of those wired remotes so far. And they're expensive! Again, I have a first generation iPod, so mine didn't actually come with one. I had to buy it. That means I've already shelled out $80 for these damn things, and I keep killing them. Grr.
I can't justify spending another $40 on headphones that won't last a month and a remote I'm just going to kill again. Apparently the wired remote that comes with the third generation models is much more durable, so when I do get a new iPod some day, hopefully that will last.
Until then, I've been forced to clip my headphones to my jacket pocket, where I have to keep my iPod. This is awkward since the headphones can get pulled out of the plug there. But I'll live with it...for now. We'll see how long I can tolerate this.
Posted by jason at February 19, 2004 03:37 PM
| TrackBack
| Read more: Apple
, Geek Culture
, Music
jason, know exactly what you're talking about...
I have a 2nd generation iPod (for only 2 months now) and already managed to kill 2 pairs of headphones... :( suprisingly enough (at least for me), the 1st pair that was the original that came with the iPod didn't wear out the way you described (the 2nd died like that) but died because of some membrane crack (thought they are higher quality.. :( )...
I guess I might try it with those Retractable Earphones you're suggesting...
the thing with the remote really sucks... :( I was luckier there so far (still have the original)... but well... do not have a 3rd generation iPod as well...so who knows how long they last...
Jason,
I'm also in agreement - the headphones are the weakest part of the iPod package. I've got a 20Gb iPod (version 2), and the headphones are, quite frankly, useless. I'd seriously look at using something else - personally, I splashed out $300 on the Bose QuietComfort 2 "acoustic noise-cancelling headset", but that's because I'm a complete audio-geek. The only thing you need to be careful of is buying something like Sennheiser or Grado "full-size" headphones, as the iPod can't drive them to a satisfactory level. Anything fairly small, such as the Sennheiser evolution, any headphones that aren't full-size cover-the-whole-ear type, or anything with "active noise cancellation" (as they include their own headphone amp usually) should be fine.
You can even use the wired remote with them if you desire. Personally, I leave the thing at home as it gets in the way more than being useful, but I'd definitely consider getting rid of the iPod ear-buds for something a little more durable and better-sounding. I was shocked at how decent the iPod sounds through a pair of reasonable 'phones, so why not give it a go?
Another tip I picked up is to take the iPod with you when testing headphones - get the store to let you try them with the iPod, to make sure the volume is acceptable. You really *shouldn't* have to turn the iPod up to full volume to get an audible tune out of the headphones. If you do have to, then you're probably looking at something designed for home stereo use rather than walking about.
Also, I wouldn't recommend considering "open back" headphones as they leak far too much noise, and let far too much background noise though. Closed back headphones are much better at isolating the noise. Of course, for wandering about in the street without getting too many funny looks, smaller, lighter 'phones are a better bet, but they don't sound as good and don't cut out as much background.
It's all down to how much you want to spend, but I'd really recommend ditching the iPod ear-buds ;)
Sorry if all this is a little too much info, or too patronising - I've got no idea what your level of knowledge is, but I figured it might be handy for you to share in my experiences with the iPod :)
Happy hunting, no matter what you decide to go with!
Rolphus
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)