R EV I EWS & RA N K I N GS
Innovative In-Ear Headphones for All Budgets ear headphones simply amaze thanks to a three-driver design (most Shure models have only two drivers) that pumps out exquisite sound over a full range of frequencies. An innovative feature is the E500PTH’s bundled Push-toHear module. At the flick of a switch, it silences the music from your player, while a microphone pipes the sound of the outside world into your ears. The module, which runs on a AAA battery, is bulkier than I’d like, but it’s invaluable for anyone who has stood in line for coffee deciding between removing one’s earphones or yelling “What?” a lot while ordering a latte. GOOD SOUND, PRICE
SHURE’S EARPHONES, THOUGH expensive, sound exquisite.
buds were also impressive. Priced twice as much as some MP3 players, the soundisolating, $499 E500PTH in-
sennheiser’s $40 MX 55 VC Street earbuds offer their own innovation with a “Twist-toFit” extension: Place the earbud in your ear, twist it forward, and its little stabilizer wedges the speaker into place. The headphones also come with a number of interchange-
able plastic sleeves that help you attain a perfect fit. They work well—the pieces stayed comfortably in place in my ears even while I was running. My favorite addition is the adapter that places a small rubber flange around the speaker, providing the tiniest bit of sound isolation. As earbuds go, the MX 55 units sound quite nice. The bass response won’t blow you away, but the headphones produce clear, detailed sound that’s a definite upgrade over a standard set of earbuds. Creative’s $99 Zen Aurvana set isolates sound, but the light, minimalist design has significant drawbacks. Bumps and brushes against the Aurvana’s thin headphone cable are very audible, and uneven sound quality caused me to have considerable trouble finding an appropriate volume on MP3 players. At low volumes the bass seemed
SENNHEISER’S WELLPRICED SET (top) plays better than Creative’s offering.
weak and mushy, and when turned up high, the Aurvana units sounded harsh, bright, and fatiguing. When I did find the perfect level, however, the audio was pleasing. —Eric Dahl
E500PTH Sound Isolating Earphones Shure PCW Rating 87 Very Good Pristine sound quality and the innovative Push-to-Hear feature come at a steep price. List: $499 find.pcworld.com/54250
ASK OUR EXPERTS
Are Third-Party Batteries Safe?
MX 55 VC Street Sennheiser PCW Rating 85 Very Good
I HAVE FOUND several sources on the Net sell-
third-party batteries may appear to meet the
Relatively inexpensive earbuds
ing notebook battery replacements. How do
correct size and electrical specifications, the
sound good, fit great.
these third-party firms sell vendor-branded
quality and construction can’t be guaranteed.
List: $40
batteries, and is it safe to buy from them?
A third-party battery could void your note-
find.pcworld.com/54248
William Sympson, FPO, AE (Area Europe)
book’s warranty—and, if faulty, might even
Associate Editor Danny Allen
retailer is truly authorized to sell branded
Zen Aurvana In-Ear Headphones
responds: The notebook manu-
parts, and cross-check its listed part codes
Creative
facturers we spoke with un-
against those on the vendor’s Web site.
PCW Rating 79 Good
damage it. Start out by determining if a
surprisingly recommended
Creative’s first attempt at in-ear
that you buy batteries either
Need information or advice about a buying
headphones offers light weight
directly from them or through authorized
decision? Drop us a line at askourexperts@
and passable audio quality.
resellers. The common reasoning is that while
pcworld.com.
List: $99 find.pcworld.com/54246
80
W W W. P C W O R L D . C O M
SEPTEMBER 2006
PHOTOGRAPHS: MARC SIMON
H E A D P H O N E S
even the best MP3 player is useless without a decent pair of headphones. Three new earphone models from Creative, Sennheiser, and Shure aim to improve your on-theroad listening—whatever your budget. Shure’s E500PTH set was by far my favorite of the group; the Sennheiser ear-