Over The Ear Headphones: Thoughts On ?

[BOBRR]

Hello,

Will have a GRE 500 in a few days, and, per my wife, I better be using some kind of earphones with it, or else.

So, have the following questions, please:

Certainly haven't considered everything available, but I believe what would suit me best is the "over the ear" type. This is the kind with the clip that goes over the ear to hold it in place. Not the earbud version, but the ones with the small speaker that goes against, but not really into the ear canal.

Have looked at epinions, etc., and I guess there are zillions of brands and models available.
The problem is, all the reviews seem to have folks that really love a certain one, find them comfortable, and usually a pretty equal number that hate that model, etc.

Comfort is the most important criteria for me, as the audio from most any scanner is not the greatest, irrespective of what is used, in my opinion. Still, one with "decent" sound quality would be nice, of course.

Any recommendations ?

The Philips ones seem pretty well rated; thoughts on these ?

Also, I only want to wear a single one; what should I do ?
Just clip the other one off ?

Do I need any special kind of adapter to only use it in one ear, or... ?

Appreciate any thoughts on all of this.

Much thanks,
Bob

 

[mikeydcg2003]

Nope. All you will need is the 1/8th MM standard Headphone jack like in an ipod or portable radio. Some headphones come with a converter for the bigger stereo's but you should not have to use this. Any headphones will work. I use my apple iPod headphones on my 396 while i am at work so as not to bug other people. As far as the one ear thing goes.. It's a mono speaker signal but it is duplicated into both sides so it kinda sounds stereo.

 

[sjcscanner]

well, this is just me but: i cant stand the over the ear headphones. i love the earbuds. the over ears fall off alot and arent close enough to my ear for good sound quality. thats just my 2 Cents...

 

[BOBRR]

From OP: To sjcscanner

Hi,

Thanks; guess maybe I should try them also.

Brand and Model recommendation ?

Regards, and thanks,
Bob

 

[mkewman]

are we talking clip on headphones or the wrap around headphones... either way, both models pinch my ears, and i find them uncomfortable.

 

[stevecubfan]

I use the over the ear folding headphones from the dollar store. yeah their cheap but they do the job and I no longer incur the wrath from my wife.

 

[n2mdk]

Well if you want something that are comfortable and will do double duty as music headphones get a pair of Sennheiser PX 100, they aren't all that cheap but have excellent sound for a $40 pair of cans.
They also fold up to carry, they come with a plastic case that takes up way to much room but is good to protect them in a drawer.

 

[MaxMan1986]

The Philips ones seem pretty well rated; thoughts on these ?

Indeed, I have a pair of Philips headphones that is about 5 years old and it still works very well. Also, from what I remember, it was half the price of comparable products from other brands.

 

[K9GTJ]

I use my Bose [FONT=verdana, arial, sans-serif]QuietComfort® 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphones or the earbuds which came free with my iPod.
[/FONT]

 

[wogggieee]

Radioshack make or made a communications headphones which are fairly lightweight and should work well for your purpose. If you're looking to double with music i use a pair of Sony headphones. They enclose they ear and block out ambient noise well and also have a noise cancelling feature, but i don't think that part works real well and isn't really needed in a home environment. They're block out the TV well pretty well when my wife is watching it while I'm in the same room. They're quite comfortable to wear for long periods and work well with my 396t as well. They're Sony model MDR-NC50.

 

[kb2vxa]

Here's some old farty info you just might think is over the wall BUT it was the very best for my purpose AND the price was right. They didn't use those big flat rubber headphones with the chamois cushions in WW2 bombers for nothing. Those Western Electric transducers were made specifically for voice and CW comms and since they wore them for hours on end they HAD to be comfortable and muffle noise while still allowing the wearer to hear outside sounds. Once in a while I see them at hamfests and mil surplus sales although there are more modern and just as good ones available too and at great prices. Do I have to tell you there are more mil surplus dealers on the web than you can shake the proverbial stick (or mouse) at?

"Eeewww, those things are UG-LEEEE!"
Yeah, so do you want good or just look good? You're listening to a radio bub, not entering a beauty pageant!

This old buzzard says often the old stuff is the best stuff and the military always has the right stuff even when it's older than your daddy.

 

[bezking]

I love my Sony's, I sometimes have them on for hours on end with no problems.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...51&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=11035219

 

[DickH]

Over The Ear Headphones:

How about over the head earphones?

 

[bna92]

If you don't mind clip-ons, the Koss KSC-75 sound great on music, and are only $20 at most. They are, however, open, so sound will leak in and out. If you want a little more isolation, you could look at closed headphones, of which there are many, and almost all would sound fine on a scanner. For closed headphones, I've enjoyed the Sennheiser PXC 200 and the Sony 7506, although they are both a bit expensive.

 

[w0fg]

I've been using the Telex Twinset since my days as Navy spook when I had to wear a headset 8 hours a day. I've still got my now 40-year old original pair, as well as an extra pair I picked up at a hamfest somewhere along the line. I wear glasses and I can't stand conventional earphones pressing my ear against my glasses frames. The Twinset solves that problem better than anything else I've ever seen.

http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?Product_ID=1401&DID=19

 

[kb2vxa]

I still like the "B-29 Superfortress Specials", doesn't bother me over glasses ear pieces either.

"Besides, you need them to keep your ears warm at 20,000 feet over Hiroshima."
Colonel Paul Tibbetts

 

[wwhitby]

I've tried and used a variety of headphones and earbuds over the years.

Right now, I use a set of Sandisk earbuds that my wife got with her Sansa mp3 player. My wife never used them, so I used them because they were laying around the computer desk. They have got to be the best earbuds i've ever used. Plenty of audio, and very comfortable. Unlike most of the earbuds i've tried, they actually stay in my ears.

I like them so much that I use them for my mp3 player as well as my scanner!

Warren

 

[TechnoDave]

Warren, I have used the type of headphone you r referring to, and i found them most uncomfortable.

 

[scanjunkie]

Will have a GRE 500 in a few days, and, per my wife, I better be using some kind of earphones with it, or else.

As soon as she hears sirens she'll be saying, "What's going on?" Where is it? Let me hear too!"
That's when you just sit still and pretend not to hear her because you have your headphones on...unfortunately, scanners don't come with a "Wife Mute or Lock Out" feature!!:twisted:

 

[FPOWLD]

I too have used the "ear bud" style over the years. They were not bulky and I could hear the TV at the same time. Only one ear and if something enteresting was being received I could concentrat on the scanner "radio traffic". Cheap and don't take up a lot of room. Get one and try it. I think you will like it over a pair of "Head Phones" Maybe get two so if one breaks you have a spare. They comes in different length wires so get one that fits your needs so you can move around and not pull it out of your ear. Oh and I could hear the wife too. I lost my wife 6 years ago so now I don't need the "ear plugs". Of course I would love to have her alive but that wasn't meant to be.