Stuff Geeks Want

A few weeks back, in a post about Creative’s EP-630 Earphones (around $28 shipped) I plugged the similarly-styled Razer ProTone m100 earphones, which I actually own and use regularly.

I believe the two earphones are basically identical, but with Razer discontinuing the ProTones some time ago, stock can be difficult to come across.

Buy.com is currently offering the white Razer ProTone m100 earphones for $17.99 shipped. (They’re normally about $35, so no telling how long this price will last!)

I won’t bore you with details or numbers, instead you should know these are extremely comfortable earphones that represent a noticeable upgrade from Apple’s iPod earphones (or any earphones that comes with a music player). Also included is a small pouch for the earphones that can also fit an iPod shuffle or nano, an airline adapter, and three different sized earphone cups.

All in all, a solid value for about the price of a large speciality pizza.

Panasonic’s RP-HTX7 Retro Headphones are flat-out cool, combining classic styling with solid performance and a reasonable price tag.

The design may not be for everyone, but if it works for you, the headphones are available in seven different colors so that you have to think that much longer before pulling the trigger.

These over-the-ear headphones have large foam earpads that provide a snug and comfortable fit. Specs include 40mm large-diameter drive units, 99dB/mW sensitivity, 7Hz-22KHz frequency response, neodymium magnets, and gold-plated plug adapter. The headphones tip the scales at a reasonable 5.4 oz.

Retail price is $59.95, but you can find them for less online (prices include shipping): black for $37.99, white for $39.64, green for $39.72, cream for $47.98, blue for $47.98, red for $56.97, pink for $59.98.

There’s also a new Ryan Scheckler Limited Edition RP-HTX7-RS version, which is basically the red set with a print of the skateboarder’s autograph on one of the cups. Why you’d paid $10 more for that privilege is beyond us…

Denon is best known for its high-performance A/V receivers, but the company also puts out a solid line of headphones.

The AH-C751 earphones represent the pinnacle of Denon’s in-ear headphones. Among the features:

• aluminum housing (nice)
• 11mm diaphragms
• OFC cabling
• 16 ohm input impedance
• 104dB/mW sensitivity
• 3 ear pad sizes
• carrying case, extension cable included

The AH-C751 earphones have received solid critical praise and sell for $199 from most retailers, including Amazon.

But the folks at Provantage (a very reputable reseller) are dishing out stock for much less: just $118.78 for the silver model, and $119.84 for the black version, making the AH-C751 earphones one of the best values in this segment.

As in: “Worry less about your earphones falling out.”

Headphones and athletics usually don’t mix well. For practical reasons, you don’t want to spend much money since you know they’ll be exposed to less than calm conditions.

At the same time, you don’t want them to sound like crap and you certainly don’t want them falling out of your ears.

Sennheiser’s MX 75 Sport Headphones fit the bill perfectly: excellent audio and build quality from the legendary German manufacturer, first-rate fit, and an affordable price.

Unlike other sport earphones, the MX 75′s feature a unique design that forgoes the traditional ear-clips or over/around-the-head designs. They stay in place with a combination of friction and clever design, regardless of the shape of your ears.

Like other models in Sennheiser’s Sport line, they’re also virtually impervious to sweat. I know nothing irritates me more than a drop of sweat working its way into an earphone and muffling out the bass for the remainder of the work-out. In fact, I can even forgive Sennheiser’s unusual color selection for the Sport line since they flat-out rock.

And the best part?

The MX 75 Sport headphones retail for $50 but can be found at Amazon for just $29.99 with free shipping.

(If you like the Twist-to-Fit idea and don’t need the Sport features or gnarly green color, go for the Street model for just $19.99.)

Sometimes a cheap pair of earphones is all you want, like when you’re at the gym or if you want to tuck a pair away in your desk at the office.

Fortunately, qualty can also be affordable, like in the case of Creative’s EP-630 earphones.

These earphones are among the most comfortable we’ve ever tried, thanks to the soft silcione earbuds that slide in smoothly and sit gently in your ear. They also provide a decent amount of passive noise blocking, not so much that you can’t hear someone calling your name, but enough that your cube neighbor’s paper shuffling will no longer be heard.

Bass is surprisngly solid for such an inexpensive pairs of earphones and the highs are well balanced.

A little bird also told me once that Creative’s EP-630 earphones ($40 MSRP) are identical to Sennheiser’s CX 300 ($70 MSRP), and may in fact be manufactured by the legendary German earphone maker (or vice versa, who knows).

Even better? NewEgg sells the EP-630 earphones for $21.99 + $5.99 shipping, but for the next few days you can take $5 off that with promo code EMCAFCACE.

While Bose’s QuietComfort Noise-Canceling Headsets are a ubiquitous sight around airports these days, Shure has opted to refine the “quiet cocoon” movement with their SE line of earphones. Their must-have flagship earphones, the SE530 & SE530PTH, keeps Bose at bay by abandoning the clunkiness intrinsic to headset design.

Triple TruAcoustic Micro-Speakers manage your private “soundstage” with dedicated tweeters and dual woofers. The Push-To-Hear feature allows you to shatter your privacy by mic-ing your surrounding environment without removing your earphones.

Custom fit is en-Shured (sorry, had to) with four size variations of their sound isolating sleeves. A carrying case, modular cables (9″ & 3′ lengths connect to the 18″ attached to the earphones), level attenuator and adapters also help manage the pain of parting with half-a-grand for svelte silence.

Gold-plated input jacks, metallic-bronze finish and 2-year limited warranty round out the SE530 package.

While sleeping with the earphones in can still trouble some individuals’ slumber, they do allow for more convenient head positioning when crammed in coach compared to the QuietComforts.

The SE530 is available for $449.99 from Amazon, while the SE530PTH (with the Push-To-Hear accessory included) will set you back $499.99.

If that’s too much money, you can pick up the SE530 from less savory retailers for a reduced price, like this auction at uBid that’s currently offering 10 new pairs for $300 a piece. Or you can settle for a less robust offering from Shure, from the budget SE110 ($99), SE210 ($139), SE310 ($196), and SE420 ($298).

iPhone owners: don’t forget to pick up the Shure Music Phone Adapter ($39), which will let your earphones fit into the iPhone’s skinny headphone port and includes a built-in mic.

Now that more people have iPods than Hayden Panettiere has fans on the Internet (she’s really not that cute, guys), the next best way to advertise to others that you know more about good music than they do is a solid pair of headphones.

The difficulty with that is that most $500 pairs don’t look much better on the surface than a $5 pair.

But not the new Klipsch Image headphones. True to their name, the Image sports some pretty sharp looks, assuming you have a thing for modern, unconventional design—which if you’re a geek you probably do.

It’s not just about looks with the Image; at least, at $349 a pair, I hope it’s not. Fortunately, the Klipsch name ensures that these are quality wares, unless you’re one of those super geek audiophiles who scoffs at anything that doesn’t cost ten-times more than what most people would consider sufficiently expensive.

Along with “true-to-life sound immersion” Klipsch delivers five different ear gel sizes to ensure an extra comfortable fit.

But let’s be honest. You’re not buying these because they’re the world’s smallest in-ear headphones, sound great, or fit fantastic, you’re buying these because they look cool. And the person next to you will respect that much more for it, too.

Bonus – At the time of this posting, Amazon is offering a free 4GB iPod nano if you buy it at the same time as the Klipsch Image earphones. The discount is instant, and saves you a cool $139.66.