in-ear headphones

I love the noise-blocking isolation a good set of in-ear headphones provides, but the trick lies in getting the best possible seal. Sure, most headphones come with a selection of three or more silicone, foam, or Comply eartips. I recommend trying on as many tips as you can, and see which set provides the best possible fit. Once you have achieved that, you'll have the maximum isolation from environmental noise, optimum bass response, and the right tip will likely provide the most secure fit, making the earpieces less likely to accidentally fall out. The problem I'm talking about … Read more

Sound-quality advances in headphone design show no sign of slowing down, and even old names like Philips and Sony are getting serious about making great-sounding headphones. Sadly, those brands aren't attempting to make anything that could be compared with the world's best, like the JH-3A headphone/amplifier system, from JH Audio.

That company's founder and designer, Jerry Harvey, started building in-ear monitors for rock bands in 1995. He counts Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Aerosmith, Foreigner, and Linkin Park as customers. Harvey is currently with the Van Halen tour--the band uses his 'phones onstage--and Harvey uses their feedback to improve his designs.

The JH-3A is an amplifier/in-ear headphone system, with analog and digital inputs with up to 24-bit resolution and 96kHz sampling rates. I've used portable headphone amplifiers before, and they can sound great with all types of headphones, but the JH-3A takes in-ear headphone performance to another level.… Read more

I have to admit I never really bought into noise-canceling headphones.

The name was a turnoff, they don't really cancel or eliminate noise, they reduce noise--and that's great--but so do most in-ear headphones. Better yet, those headphones don't need batteries and don't run the music signals through the noise-canceling electronics. My favorite isolating headphones sound better than noise-canceling headphones, but I haven't tested a noise-canceling headphone for a long time.

So I borrowed a pair of Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones ($299) from CNET editor David Carnoy. I headed down into the New … Read more

I'm hoping the whole celebrity-branded headphone shtick will soon run its course, but I have to admit Monster's new Earth Wind & Fire Gratitude in-ear headphones are pretty spectacular.

Earth, Wind & Fire was one of the most popular funk bands of the 1970s, so naturally they were primed to attach their name to a headphone. That's fine, but I have to judge a headphone on its build and sound quality, and the Gratitude is a very decent headphone indeed. The heavy gold accents on the earpieces were a little gaudy for my taste, but that's … Read more

Velodyne makes subwoofers, great ones in fact, and the brand is now following a string of speaker manufacturers venturing into the headphone market: Klipsch, Polk, PSB speakers. Velodyne has just introduced a sharp looking in-ear headphone. It's called the vPulse, and I think they have a winner on their hands.

You'd expect that when a subwoofer company makes an in-ear headphone, the device would make a lot of bass, and the vPulse delivers on that score. The big bass drum that opens "Cindy, I'll Marry You Someday," from Robert Plant's "Band of Joy&… Read more

Thinksound's awesome little ts02 in-ear headphones($100) knocked me out in March, so I was eager to hear the company's new model, the ms01.

It doesn't look a whole lot different than the ts02, but that's not a bad thing. Both models are smaller and more comfortable than most in-ears, and both block a good amount of external noise. Almost as much as a noise-canceling headphone, and unlike NC models, the ms01 doesn't run on batteries.

The ms01 in-ear monitor ($100) features an 8 mm high-definition driver, PVC-free cables, and hand-crafted, sustainable, wood ear-pieces. The … Read more

I've heard a lot of really bad-sounding audio products over the years, but most of them were so awful they suffered a natural and well-deserved "death." Take for example the $499 Gateway KAS-103 home theater in a box system that debuted in 2003. I had the "pleasure" of reviewing this attractive system, but it sounded so bad I was duty bound to try another sample, which was equally dreadful. There was absolutely no blend between the sound of the subwoofer and the tiny satellite speakers, the high levels of background static were impossible to ignore, … Read more

First things first: I think most in-ear headphone designs are pretty uninspired-looking things. Sure, ear-canal headphones are so tiny there's not a lot to work with, but I have to say Bowers & Wilkins' new C5 is a stunning piece of industrial design. The tungsten and aluminum headphone is the prettiest in-ear design I've seen to date.

The headphones' proprietary Secure Loop cable is a unique design element and can be adjusted to fit in the inner ridge of your ear to help secure the tip in place. My ear canals are bigger than average, so I don'… Read more

First it was iPod docks. Then computer speakers and over-the-ear headphones. Now Bowers & Wilkins, a brand once known for expensive high-end speakers, is further expanding into the mainstream with a set of $179.95 C5 in-ear headphones.

Along with touting the C5's "pristine, natural audio," B&W is highlighting the earphones' signature design trait, the Secure Loop, "an ingenious innovation where a cushioned loop fixes quickly and comfortably in the inner ridge of the user's ear." The company adds that the Loop is "infinitely adjustable, so it works perfectly with anyone's ears.

The C5 comes with a Made For iPhone-compatible cable, which allows you to make calls, and a quilted pouch. For more specs, you can go to the C5's product detail page.

The C5 earphones will be available in August for $179.95 (U.S. & Canada). We'll let you know what we think of them as soon as we get our hands on a set. We're particularly interested in trying out that Secure Loop. … Read more