Prescott's Design Blog

This isn’t related to design and branding per se, but being 2009, I don’t think anyone will mind me documenting my adventure in the search for the perfect headphones.

My life is a search for great headphones. Like women with their handbags, I own many pairs for many occasions, but there seems to be something imperfect about them all. Like a handbag, I am willing to pay a bit of money for a quality product, especially if I use it everyday, but I am weary of rip-offs and cheaply made crap.

My current forray into headphone shopping came about after my previous commuting headphones (not to be confused with my office headphones or running headphones) stopped working! These were a pair from Sharper Image which I had previously raved about … until they broke. And those were actually a replacement for the previous pair, which also broke! So maybe that’s why Sharper Image is outta business. So I’m on the hunt for high-quality, heavy-duty, durable, adaptable, stylish, great-sounding, insulating, comfortable headphones. Think I can find it?

In the past, I might have hopped in the car in headed out to The Wiz or something. But these days, retails electronics chains are hurting. Their selection is grim — even the Apple store, which makes so much of it’s salt on portable audio, only carries a handful of models. Somehow, I haven’t been able to get wind of a specialty music or audio store in New York that will allow me to test each pair of headphones for comfort. So I’m forced to do something rather drastic: order a number of pairs online, choose the best one, and send back the losers.

I’ll chronicle this affair as best I can. But I’m going to subject each pair to a number of tests so I can compare apples to apples in making my decision. Here’s how it will work: (in no particular order of importance)

Comfort: overall wearability and feel, especially for an hour+ timeframe. The real test of comfort is whether or not I can use sunglasses and/or hats while wearing these headphones.

Sound Quality: not being an audiophile, I can’t get too technical, but I have to listen to music and audio without wanting to hurt someone. For example, my cheap Radio Shack (running) earbuds are tinny and sound terrible at high volume — they whistle violently any time someone pronounces a strong S sound. Bass is important, as I listen to a lot of jazz. Volume isn’t such a big deal since I listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks.

Insulation/Noise Cancellation: Does the ambient noise interfere with my listening? Can I block out the world?

Style: yes, design is important. If at all possible, I want to avoid looking like I’m wearing a piece of mining equipment, or the electronics equivalent of a ruffled shirt. Electronics should be understated and elegant and should really blend in. No one wants to be “that guy with the massive headphones” even though that’s exactly what I am.

The Dredg Test: this is my simulation for how well the headphones block out other noise and music. Dredg is a hard rock/metal band which I happen to like. So I will play some of their rather noisy music at a generous volume through my stereo, and on my iPod, using headphones, I’ll listen to something subtle and rich, like Madeleine Peyroux.

The Subway Test: this is the big one — how well does do the headphones block out the incredible din of the New York City subway. Since I don’t travel by plane too often, this is the real test of headphones with active noise cancellation. Obviously, I want a quiet ride while I’m on the car, but the loudest moments for a commuter are just as the train pulls into the platform at full speed.

Does it have: a carrying case? (hard/soft/none) a detachable cord? noise cancellation? volume adjustment? the ability to fold up (fold in/lay flat)

Overall Build Quality: have you ever driven a really crappy car (probably an American car) and you just know in less than a minute that everything is poorly and cheaply made? Do the joints feel secure, or does the whole feel fragile? Is it mostly plastic, or is metal used in appropriate areas? How much strain does do the headphones take when coming on or off?

Price/Value: naturally, this factors into things. I’m willing to pay for quality, but a high price tag for a cheap product is an instant fail.

With this, I should be able to determine which pair is right for me. I asked for recommendations on Facebook and Twitter, and read reviews for a number of products on Amazon. In the end, I decided on five pairs:

Plane Quiet Platinum
AKG K271 MkII
Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint
Behringer High-Performance Studio Headphones HPS3000
Behrhinger High-Definition DJ Headphones HPX2000

So, off we go. This should be interesting and of course I’ll document all I can and provide a recommendation when it’s all over and settled. This should also be an interesting case study in customer service and the process of returning things from Amazon (through 3rd party vendors).