Sony EX71 and Sennheiser HD497

[BKD]

I have an ipod mini and listen to mostly rock/hip hop. I am no audiophile, but the ear buds that came with my mini are crap. I listen to music about five hours a day at work. I need to be able to hear my phone ring a little, but I do not want everyone around me to hear my music. I want something that sounds good, not too much bass or treble, not too little bass or treble. I just want something that is well balanced and sounds good. Are these good choices?

I am planning on buying both of the above mentioned and trying them out. I will most likely return one, unless of course I really like them both. I do not want to spend too much because I just dropped 5 g's on my true love, a 50" HD DLP TV (which is spectacular by the way, maybe I am a videophile?). I am aware that most people prefer the Shure E3's, but I just don't want to spend $160 on headphones.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[aeromusek]

The Sony EX71 are supposed to be very heavy on the bass, probably not the balanced you're looking for. Also someone I talked to mentioned that they bleed a bit (let other people hear the music).
Supposedly the Apple in-ear buds are nicely balanced, but some people have had problems with them slipping out.
Both the ER-6 and the Shure E2 are higher-level earphones that don't cost a fortune, so maybe check those out.

NOTE: I HAVE NOT tried any of the items listed here, I just point them out from my own research into what I should buy for myself (decided on the Shure E3 BTW), so hopefully someone who has will be along later :)

[BKD]

Thanks for the info. Hopefully some other people will post.

[VicAjax]

hi... i'm mostly a lurker, don't post much... but i have tried both of these, so here's my opinion, FWIW.

they're both completely different, not just in the type of cans they are, but in their sound. so different, they're almost incomparable.

with the ex71, you'll get isolation, portability and a bass-heavy, muddy sound. they're an improvement over the ipod buds (hell, tin cans are an improvement), and a lot of people here seem to like them, but they really didn't do it for me. detail is totally absent.

the 497 are large, open and not nearly as portable. the cord is long and they don't fold up. a lot of people love the sound, which is detailed but laid-back. that is, it doesn't feel active or engaging to me. they're very smooth and pleasant to listen to... pretty balanced. good sound for the money, but not my choice, especially for portability.

there are many other options out there which compete favorably against both of these cans....

so the questions are... what are your priorities for a headphone, how will you use them and what kind of music will you listen to?

[747]

Sennheiser made the best headphones of the world, the Orpheus, so i think that taking the 497 wouldn't be a mistake.

[kauffee]

BKD, if you're listening at work, I would highly recommend the Grado SR-60 or SR-80. I think both of those would be better choices than the HD497.

[BKD]

Thanks for the input. I just picked the Ex71's. Wow!!! What a difference from the stock buds. I have a renewed love for my ipod mini. I was starting to think that my computer just ripped crappy mp3s, it was the stock earbuds all along. I could not be more pleased with the new buds.

[TekMonkey]

If you still want to try out some headphones as well, I would suggest the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's. I just got them from HeadRoom for only $99 (retails for $199). I researched before I bought them and the reviews I read were really positive of these phones, and since I've been using them I've been extremely happy with them. They are extremely comfortable and have an awesome sound for the price (not that they sound cheap!)