Not All Headphones Are Created Equal

Good quality sound is VERY important to me, whether I’m listening to music or watching a movie – it can make or break an experience for me, which perhaps could be seen as a rather ridiculous thing to the average ear.

Am I saying that I have an above average ear? Perhaps. All I know is that my ears are particularly sensitive to various levels of sound, and I can quickly tell you if there is a particular frequency missing.

For example… Mid-range sound. That’s a frequency of 300-5000 Hz – where most significant audible sounds reside. For instance, if you have stereo sound, you’ll have two mid-range speakers that transmit those sound waves. Most of the time this is all you need to have a good sound experience, but if your ears are as picky as mine are, it’s not going to be good enough.

When I am looking to purchase new earbuds or headphones, I look for something that has a good balance of high, low and mid-range. That’s harder than it seems, because there are SO MANY choices out there! If you like to shop online like I do, then it’s even harder because you can’t try out the device before it’s shipped to your house.

Last April, I purchased a pair of ear buds, iLuv brand. They were $10.95 at the time on Amazon, and now they’re being offered for $5.95 – free shipping if you’re a member of Prime. (if you use Amazon quite a bit, then Prime is totally the way to go)

I read a ton of reviews about all sorts of brands… I was looking for something that not only had a good balance of sound frequencies, but also that would fit into my ears without falling out. Yes, I have small ear canal openings, and that makes it very difficult to find something that stays in my ears. I’ve even resorted to taping my iPhone ear buds in place before when my old nice pair that actually stayed in wore out.

Well-loved iLuv Earbuds

I took a gamble, based solely on the reviews that I read from various Google searches – I didn’t actually try them out in person to see if I liked them. That gamble really paid off! They had enough treble to balance out that mid-range and there is an “ultra-bass boost” included so you get awesome bass as well. The rubber tips expand in your ear canal opening and do cancel out quite a bit of noise too, so that helps the audio quality quite a bit!

I got lucky – because they were so cheap, I circumvented my rule about trying out audio equipment before I actually purchase it. This time it worked!

Fast-forward to last night – a package arrived, an “early Christmas present” for me and my husband, from my husband. I didn’t know what it was… I was excited as he opened up the package…. inside were Sennheisers!

They weren’t at the top of their line – an affordable $75.00, so I knew that they would not have blow-my-socks-off sound, but I still expected a level of quality that is synonymous with the name.

Sennheiser HD428

On the headphones go – good quality – heck, better than most! I love the fact that it has a closed back, and around the ear cushioned pads that help block out the sounds around you and let you enjoy the sounds coming out of the speakers.

I was disappointed that mid-range sound seems to be the star. Where is the BASS?! A little of the higher frequencies are there, but even then it’s not enough. Are they a good pair of headphones? Yes. Are they worth $75.00? I think not. You could spend half that amount on a pair of similar looking headphones from a no-name brand and probably get the same quality.

As for me, I’ll stick with my iLuv earbuds. However, I’m wise enough to know that there are nicer earbuds and headphones with even better sounds with these; if there is anything I have learned is that not all products made by any specific company are going to be a good fit for me.

In this case, they are out-performing this level of Sennheiser’s earphones. I’ve more than gotten my $10.95 out of them, and they are still going strong!