Clip on headphones

Sir Headless VII

Ever since highschool I have had the same pair of headphones. These. I keep them in my pocket and take them pretty much everywhere. Every two or three years they break (fair enough I think for a $20~$30 pair of headphone that i keep in the same pocket as my keys). Recently the current pair have stopped outputting sound in the second ear-piece so it is time for new ones. I figure I should do at least some due diligence so here I am, do you H/A know of anything that will work better for me.

Things I like about these clip on headphones
1) they fit in my pocket. This is essential, to me there is no point of an mp3 player that fits in my pocket if i have to carry around a football helmet to listen to it.
2) they are comfortable. They don't press on my glasses like a traditional over ear headphone would and they aren't uncomfortably shoved in my ear like an earbud.
3) they are not earbuds. This is the same point as 2 but it bears repeating that I have never found earbuds comfortable
4) They sound better than an earbud. I know there are more expensive earbuds that use some sort of wizardry to sound better but in general the basic laws of physics say that the larger speaker will be better.

I am extremely flexible on price (over $500 or under $15 would be pushing it but I don't mind spending money on these).

OnTheLastCastle

Spending a lot of money on them might not be the best if you're going to keep putting them in the same pocket as your keys. People in the last headphone thread were really loving Audio Technica, they probably make something to suit your needs.

I'd recommend some with noise canceling because if you are listening to it out in public, i.e. noisy, you'd have the natural reaction to turn the volume up which can damage your eardrums pretty easily over time.

Sir Headless VII

I would love noise cancelling but it is basically impossible with clip on headphones, it is one of the disadvantages (although sony will tell you its a bonus since you will be aware of your surroundings and wont get hit by a bus while you are out enjoying your active lifestyle that these are marketed towards).

Ursangus

Something that might not hurt to look into are non-traditional headphones. I had a pair of what you might call earbuds that didn't actually go into the canal. They actually transmitted sound through the bones found where your jawbone connects to the rest of your skull. It actually vibrates your canal at low frequencies to produce the sound. There are a few drawbacks to this, however. Higher notes in songs tend to be blurred, and the really deep basses can rattle things around, potentially causing more problems than high decibel headphones.

billwill

OnTheLastCastle wrote: »

Spending a lot of money on them might not be the best if you're going to keep putting them in the same pocket as your keys. People in the last headphone thread were really loving Audio Technica, they probably make something to suit your needs.

I'd recommend some with noise canceling because if you are listening to it out in public, i.e. noisy, you'd have the natural reaction to turn the volume up which can damage your eardrums pretty easily over time.

Ah, how very right you are about Audio Technica

A solid titanium pair for 50 bucks:

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-EM7-GM-Adjustable-Headphones/dp/B0009GWXAK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1297059260&sr=8-1

A better pair made out of wood for 129 bucks:

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-EW9-Lightweight-Clip-Headphones/dp/B000CMTV3I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1297059260&sr=8-2

mrmr

Thought I'd chime in. I have a pair of those Audio Technicas (I actually wanted them because of their resemblance to the ones that the main character in Persona 3 wears ^_^). They are really cool and don't chafe your ears like earbuds do after an hour (at least for me). And while the sound is great compared to buds, it doesn't cancel noise as well. Not only can you hear stuff besides the music in a crowded place, but they also don't keep music in either. Being OCD about being considerate to others I always check if my headphones are too loud, these tend to come out louder than others may like.