All the way back in 2007 I started writing about various headphones that I had been trying out (Shure vs. Bose vs. Sony). Somewhere around 2010 I did the same for headphones and other technology (GPS, Heartrate Monitor) I’ve been using for running, most recently this post.
The latest updates: My Shure E500’s were traded in when the cable broke on one of them, a common occurrence which they have resolved by now having screw 
mount cables that are easily replaced. I was able to exchange my 500’s for 530’s, basically an upgrade (but still one model earlier than the replaceable cable). The same thing happened with the Bose QC 2’s that the rest of the family uses, a break at the swivel above the ear, another common problem that was resolved with the QC15 design. So the good news with going higher end is that if they break you can replace them at a discount.
On the running front all the gear has changed – I unloaded the Sennheisers and was using some old school Sony’s until Glance gave us all a set of Bose SIE2i sport earphones. At $150 I never would have bought them for myself, my track record is to ruin sports headphones in about a year or so. The surprise is that they are worth every penny and sound incredible. With the soft rubber loops that retain the ear bud you get great sound but still can hear what’s going on around you. The iPhone and Runkeeper has crushed all competitors on the GPS front, with the ability to serve up music, record data as a heartrate monitor and track your route via GPS it’s the runner’s holy trinity on one device.
And, all this was kicked off by Whit asking about headphones that can take a beating and aren’t overpriced, you may want to check those out too.
2 replies on “New Supreme Headphones”
Thanks John! It’s always trying to balance quality vs price, and I’m getting to the point where cheap (think 5Below) is just not worth it, and even the $50 studio cans just have a short shelf life. Appreciate the guidance- and the possible Father’s Day gift ideas for Matt as well!
I do shift work so use earplugs all the time. My favourite pair were moulded from a kit, they are much more comfortable than foam earplugs and last for ages. It’s much cheaper than having your ears molded by an audiologist; I’d definitely recommend them to anybody who uses them regularly.