All the music anytime, anyplace - what more could you want?  Today music is accessible everywhere, on your phones, your iPods/MP3 players, your PCs, Laptops, Tablets and on the net. Its a very happy situation for most people but the point to note is that more people are listening to music through headphones, than home audio systems. With smart phones, tablets and iPads, which incidentally have replaced iPods and MP3 players as must have gadgets, a good pair of headphones can provide a quite intimate audio experience. Naturally there are those who are not satisfied with the sound quality of headphones that come packaged with the devices which are not quite hi-fi, because good sound quality can transform the listening experience.

So if you want it, there’s lots of serious stuff out there, all you need is the moolah. When you are mobile what you need is a high quality pair of headphones rather that the ones that come with your device. Several manufacturers offer headphones with audiophile quality sound including, J H Audio, Sennheiser, Stax, Ultimate Ears, Ultrasone, Etymotic Research, Grado, Koss, AKG, Beyerdynamic, Audio Technica, Shure, Denon , Sony, Monster, Skull Candy, Klipsch, I could go on if this list is not long enough. Since mobile devices became the preferred choice for music listening, at least on the go, there has been a spurt in headphone offerings from new entrants as well as traditional headphone specialists like Sennheiser, Stax, Koss and others.

Broadly there are three types of headphones or cans as they are called in audiophile parlance – circumaural, which completely covers the ears; supra aural, which sits on the ears; and in-ear, which is placed in the ear. Circumaural gives maximum isolation from ambient sound, supraaural allows some external sounds to be heard and in the ear allows different levels of isolation depending on the type of ear piece. Which type to choose will depend on practical considerations such as where and how you will be using it.

Head phone prices vary from a few hundred rupees to over a couple of lakh, but you don’t need to spend a lakhs to get good sound quality, it can be had at very reasonable prices too. One of the most awarded, reasonably priced headphones are the highly acclaimed Grado SR60i (Rs 5000 approx.) which gives exceptional sound quality at a reasonable price. So also its slightly costlier siblings the SR80i and the superb SR125i further up the price ladder and the newly introduced inexpensive iGrado. Another brand that’s synonymous with headphones is Sennheiser, which has a wide range of models to suit every budget, including the acclaimed PX 100 II (Rs 2500 approx.), HD485, HD 212 pro  and others. Giving the Grados and Sennheisers a good run for their money is Audio Technica, with their widely acclaimed ATH AD700 which many consider  to better than even the SR 60i. Audio Technica also has a wide range of models including the less expensive AD300, AD500, the more expensive AD900 and the M50. Finally the legendary Koss Portapro, introduced by Koss in 1984 and still in production, it is a favourite of critics and consumers alike  and has been for almost three decades.  But don’t jump to the conclusion that they are perfect, they are budget headphones and have their limitations, but dated looks apart they offer some of the best sound for very reasonable money. Koss also has another exceptional phone in the KSC75 which is considered to be amongst the best low priced phones on the market .

The phones mentioned above mostly fall in approximately the Rs 1000 – 10000 price range and give a pretty good insight into the music irrespective of musical tastes. But if you want top class sound, you would need to look at some of the high end headphones, though they can set you back by quite a packet. Two of the most popular audiophile headphones are the Sennheiser HD 650 (US $ 650) often proclaimed as the best available and the AKG K702 (US $ 480) both of which offer sound quality that would satisfy most audiophiles, though the AKG has a significant price advantage. Again the two are not without competition and there are many other contenders including the Beyerdynamic DT880 (US $ 360), Denon AH  D7000 and D5000(US $ 999 and 700), the Grado RS1 (US $ 695), the Audio Technica ATH W5000 (US $ 1200), to name a few.  And, if cost is not a consideration there are the flagship models which offer the ultimate in sound reproduction, but whether spending that kind of money on a pair of cans is justified is another matter. The ultimate headphones according to many are the Sennheiser HD 800 priced at US $ 1400 but it could be the Grado PS 1000 priced at US $ 1695 if you ask others, or the Ultrasone Edition 8 (US $ 1500) or the Beyerdynamic Tesla 1 ( US $ 1495)

More popular than full sized headphones are the in-ear type, thanks to the mobile generation and the iPod. A wide range of in-ear or earphones or earbuds as they are popularly called, are available in the market and by and large they are cheaper than the traditional headphones. Earphones are available from a few hundred rupees on wards but for good sound quality you need to spend a bit more. Among the best reasonably priced earphones are the Maximo iMetal iM590 (US $ 50), Etymotic ER 6i and MC 5 (US $ 100 and 80), Sennheiser CX 300 II (US $ 70), Sony MDR EX56LP (US $ 40), the Skullcandy Titan (US $ 40), Denon AH C360 (US $ 50), Klipsch Image S4 and S2 ( US $ 80 and 60) and Monster Lil Jamz (US $ 100) to name a few . All of the above offer very good sound quality but the final choice would  depend on individual tastes and budget. To get even better sound quality you move up the price ladder and some of the higher end models match or even better full sized headphones. Among the best high end models are the Shure SE 535 (US $ 550) and the cheaper SE 525 (US $ 350), the Monster Turbine Copper Pro (US $ 400), the Etymotic ER4P and ER4S (both about US $ 300), Klipsch X10i (US $ 400), Sony MDR 7550 (US $ 350), Grado GR10 (US $ 400) Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10 (US $ 400) and custom In-ear Reference Monitors (US $ 1000) and JH Audio JH13 Pro (US $ 1100).

 What we have checked out so far are all dynamic  headphones but there is another type namely, electrostatic headphones, which are capable of superior sound quality compared to the dynamic type due electrostatic  phones capability to keep distortion at a very low level. They are rather expensive, need a dedicated amplifier and are made by only a very few companies. The only company that has specialized in electrostatic headphones is Stax of Japan and their famous headphones, which they call earspeakers, are legendary. Stax was founded in 1938 and introduced their first electrostatic earspeakers the SR 1,  in 1960. Currently they have a number of models including their flagship SR 009 (US $ 5250), SR 007 Mk II (US $ 2650) and the less expensive SR 507 (US $ 1100). There are enthusiasts who say that nothing can touch electrostatics where sound quality is concerned. Lastly mention must also be made of two headphones companies that use planar-magnetic drivers which again are claimed to provide superior sound, one is the Audeze LCD 2 (US $ 945) and the HiFiMan HE-6 (US $ 1200) both are said to deliver true high end sound quality. To conclude I will leave you with, purely for shock value, the Holy Grail of headphones, the Sennheiser Orpheus HE 90/HEV 90 electrostatic headphone amplifier combination, which Sennheiser developed maybe as a we can do better than Stax statement. Priced at a whopping US $ 14,000 and that’s not a typo error, it is a statement product which only a few well heeled audio enthusiasts  would have acquired. Happy listening.

~ Stanley Paul