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You have an iPod or iPhone, a case, a screen protector, and piles of music. So now what? What’s the next thing to accessorize your iPod with? You could buy a set of speakers, which would be a good investment, but the iPod is likely for you, so why share? Be selfish and splurge on some high end headphones, especially if the standard Apple headphones are driving you nuts. And even if they aren’t, you’d be surprised by what your ears are missing out on.

Once you break the barrier from low end to high end headphones, the differences between sets become more and more slight.  That barrier is hard to really put your finger on, actually.  Depending on your financial situation, high end might mean anything over $50, or maybe over $200. It’s really different for everyone. I think a good compromise is anything over $100. And yes, I realize that’s a lot of money to drop on headphones. But think about it for a second; you spent over $200 on your iPod. It plays your audio for you, but you’re likely losing much of the intended experience in the few inches separating your ears from your iPod. It’s sad how much even a few inches can really affect various things in your life. So why go big on the iPod, and then cheap out on what really matters to your experience, the audio quality?

Before We Begin

So let’s get to it. Each of the following sets of earphones are amazing; there’s really no point in arguing that any one is far superior to any other here. And that’s a good thing, because it’s scary spending this much money on headphones, especially when you suspect that you might be wasting your money on junk. I’ll be sure to point out any significant differences, but the truth of the matter is that most differences are either cosmetic or feature-based.

What you get when you spend this kind of money on headphones is a truer frequency response. If you feed these earphones super high quality audio (which you should be…crank up the bit rate in iTunes already, would ya?), they will output super high quality audio. And sadly, it’s one of those things you just have to take my word for unless you can actually track down a set to try out for yourself. It’s similar to the first time you experienced a video on a DVD next to its VHS “version” (or Blu-ray to DVD). You don’t realize what you’re missing until you see it for yourself. The difference is clear and obvious. You’ll get the feeling as though you’ve been listening to mud with the standard iPod earbuds. Sounds will open up like you’ve removed a set of earplugs from your ears. You’ll smile, it will be awesome, and two weeks later, you’ll be used to it again. But at least you’ll be used to amazing audio, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

All of these earphones come with different tips and some other accessories such as a case. The tips are completely based on your personal preference. The standard ones are usually medium sized and look like two rubber cups stacked on each other. There are often single “cup” versions and foam versions as well. Just pick what you like and find a size that makes a good seal. Sizes usually have three tiers: small, medium and large. These aren’t the type of headphones that you’ll be wearing when you need to hear what’s going on around you, so make sure the seal is tight, yet comfortable. And comfort in important, because in-ear headphones tend to be fatiguing.

Before we get started, I want to talk about something that almost all of these, and other in-ear headphones, suffer from. I call it the Vibration Amplification Effect. Let me explain. As a result of the earphones actually being sealed in your ear, they have a tendency to amplify any vibrations through the cord. So, every time something taps or rubs up against the cord, you’ll hear and feel it. Don’t know what I mean? Put your finger in your ear and hit your hand. This gets super fun after about 15 seconds. So, you have three choices: stop moving, take out the headphones, or buy a set that suffers from this less. So, now you know.

Ok, now on to the earphones themselves and what makes them different from each other. Like I said before, the differences are slight, but apparent, so listen up.

The Combatants

Model:Atrio
Manufacturer: Future Sonics
Frequency Range: 18Hz-20kHz
Price: $199

The Atrios by Future Sonic are professional quality earphones that have what they call TrueTimbre.  This is supposed to deliver audio with natural frequency response, just like all the rest.  Future Sonic claims they will outperform any similar product at any price.  That’s a big claim, and I don’t necessarily believe they’ll outperform anything else, but they will certainly hold their ground against most anything, unless it’s a fashion or design competition.  The Atrios probably won’t be winning any awards for stunning design, but that’s not the point.  You buy these for outstanding audio, and that’s what you get, and sadly not a whole lot else.

You won’t be getting any extra iPhone functionality, and you won’t be getting a stylish design.  I can’t even say that the colors are nice, because I don’t like them very much.  The Atrios are fantastic earphones and they definitely provide superb audio, but they aren’t my favorites of the bunch because they lack style and extra features that would make them special.  And honestly, after listening to some of the following sets, I feel as though TrueTimbre is a bit muddy, not much, but just slightly less clear than the rest.

Appletell Rating: 3 out 5

Model:Vibe Duo
Manufacturer: V-Moda
Frequency Range: 12Hz-22kHz
Price: $101

The Vibe Duos are the cheapest of the bunch, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Actually, they claim to have one of the best frequency responses of the shootout (and I wish I was able to actually confirm this for you).  They are also the only set that has a cloth wrapped cord, which is a huge plus in my opinion.  The cloth cord style tends to be more flexible and doesn’t exhibit the VAE as badly as the others.

The Vibe Duos are among the few higher end earphones that have iPhone features.  They have a mic and clicker for controlling playback and whatnot.  The mic and clicker are both on the right earphone cord.  They’re made out of metal, which is normally awesome, but it’s a bit heavy.  If you move much, it will bounce around and tug at your ear.  It’s not a huge issue, just something to note.  I do wish the clicker was a bit bigger; it’s just a sliver of a button and sometimes it’s hard to press.  Again, not a huge issue; I’m actually just happy there are some sort of controls on here at all, and the cloth cord makes me more than happy.

I found myself using these more often than all the others for a number of reasons.  First off, they aren’t fatiguing, they are easy to put in (and they stay), they have a good seal, they sound a lot better than the iPod earbuds (but not as good as the rest of these) and best of all, because of the cloth cord, they don’t exhibit the VAE much.  Oh, did I mention they are also the cheapest.  The sound quality difference between these and the rest of the bunch is noticeable, but so is the price difference.  I, for one, do not think the difference in audio quality is justification enough for the higher price of other headphones.  You can decide for yourself, but this set of earphones is an excellent compromise between features, functionality and price.

Appletell Rating: 4 out of 5

Model:SE310
Manufacturer: Shure
Frequency Range: 22Hz-19kHz
Price: $299

The Shure SE310s sound amazing, but they should for the price.  The sound they produce is very clear and amongst the best of the roundup.  They are supposed to have enhanced bass, though I didn’t notice it as much as I was expecting to.  I did notice that I could “feel” the music more than the other earphones, but it’s not ridiculous or over the top.  This is actually a very good thing.  There’s nothing worse than overdone bass.

Shure wants you to know that the SE310s have a modular cable design allowing for endless customization of the cord.  I’m struggling to think of more than a few different configurations, but I suppose it’s a good thing.  Basically, the earphones have a plug right where the cord splits.  The idea is that you add another cord to the other side of this, making it as long as you like.  You could instead use an iPhone controller cable to add a mic and clicker if you desired.

I had a difficult time finding a good fit with the included tips.  Perhaps my ears a just a bit off, but I really couldn’t find a size or style that had both a good seal and was not at least mildly uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time.  Your experience may vary, but I don’t think it’s all that difficult to make tips that feel good in your ear and work well.  Most of the other sets accomplished this with relative ease.  Sadly, I fear that these earphones cost the most not because they produce the best audio, but because they have the best name.  Just something to consider.

Appletell Rating: 4 out of 5

Model: IE6
Manufacturer: Sennheiser
Frequency Range: 10Hz-18kHz
Price: $249

No, not the terrible, horrible, god-awful and painful Internet browser.  Sennheisser’s IE6s are an awesome set of earphones.  They don’t suffer badly at all from the VAE as a result of their relatively flexible cable.  They insert into the ears very easily, and have a comfortable fit.  They are a bit loose, but I don’t worry about them falling out that much.  You could wear these, like the Vibe Duos, for hours without feeling fatigued.  The audio is top notch and is towards the higher end of this roundup’s level of quality.  The Shure’s brag about their expanded bass, but honestly, these have a much better bass response, and it’s probably a result of that expanded frequency range.

The styling is pretty decent, surely better than the Atrios.  $249 is a lot to spend for earphones, but I think if you want high end earphones, these are the ones you want.  They don’t have the extra iPhone features that I (being an avid iPhone user) crave, but the audio quality might just outweigh that for me.  And besides, you could always buy one of those iPhone clicker cable extensions to remedy the fact that you can’t answer calls or skip songs with this set.  If money is no object to you, then this is where you should throw some of that cash.

Appletell Rating: 5 out of 5

Model:SuperFi 5vi
Manufacturer: Ultimate Ears
Frequency Range: 15Hz-15kHz
Price: $189

Notice the expanded lower end.  Along with that expanded bass comes the worst case of the VAE in the shootout.  These are marketed as being good for exercise, though I wonder who would run with a pair of earphones that cost over $100.  I also wonder why they think anyone could put up with the constant thumping you’ll hear as a result of any movement at all through these guys.  You can reduce the thumping by routing the cord over the top of your ear, and possibly down your back, but it’s still present.  Routing the cord over your ear will help reduce the VAE with any earphones, but it also messes up the positioning of any iPhone compatible mic or clicker that may be present on your earphones.  This set has a mic, and it works great if you don’t do the loopy thing.  The clicker is placed a little oddly.  It’s down where the cord splits into two earphones.  It works, it’s just not what you might be used to with an iPhone.

The SuperFi 5vis have the best seal of the bunch.  It’s super easy to insert these into your ears, and they are comfortable for a long period of time, which is bound to happen when you start listening to some music that now feels fresh because of how much more you can actually distinguish now.  Oddly enough, even with the expanded lower end, these earphones sound a bit bright to me compared to the others.  I’m not completely certain if that means the others are muddy and these are more clear, or if these are treble happy.

Appletell Rating: 4 out of 5

The Winner

Again, I just want to reiterate what you get when you spend more on higher end earphones.  Sure, you can hear audio with standard iPod earbuds, but you can hear notes, textures, individual cymbals, and everything else with any of the previously mentioned headphones.  You’ll have new fun listening to old favorites because you’ll be hearing background parts you didn’t even realize were there.  It’s amazing what you’ll discover, you have to believe me on this one.

Now who wins in the battle?  I’m not sure that there’s any way to scientifically rate these based purely on audio reproduction, but I can give you my best opinions.  To me, it’s a pretty close call between the SE310s, the IE6s and the SuperFi 5vis as to which sounds clearest and best.  The difference is in favor of the Seinheisser’s.  They have the clearest audio coupled with the best feeling bass.  They also have a great and comfortable seal in your ears.  All around, they are amazing.  But at the same time, you’d be making a pretty great decision if you purchase a pair of Vibe Duos as well.  The Vibe Duos win in terms of style and features with full support for iPhone.  So, if money is no object, throw a big old pile at some Sennheisers.  If you’re trying to splurge but remain reasonable at the same time, you’ll be very happy with a set of Vibe Duos.

Really you can’t go horribly wrong with any of these (unless you have a credit card problem), but I’d recommend you look into either the Vibe Duos for the reasonable iPhone user, or the IE6s for the big spender.