Satisfactory set of circumaural (encloses the ear) headphones with very effective noise-cancellation circuitry. Typical Bose quality and a lot of nice features, including an audio cord that can be detached and replaced. Battery life is pretty good, especially with rechargeable NiMH batteries. Performance is excellent. A lot of people consider these to be extremely comfortable to wear for extended periods. I agree that they are pretty comfortable for circumaurals, but not as comfortable as the Sennheiser HD212's and not nearly as comfortable as most open-air headphones. Plus, they're pretty big...too big, in my book, to just tuck in a laptop case. If you're taking another type of carry-on bag on a plane, then these make good sense. Price-wise, these are near the top, at almost $300. (I got mine for free by using incentive points I had accumulated.) In one sense, these are a luxury item. You probably wouldn't buy and use them if other people never saw you had them. But they do work and they seem durable.

As far as the quality of sound and using them for primary listening at home...no way. Folks, if you are looking for a great headphone to use at home and then take with you on the plane, don't spend the money on these. Buy a set of Grados or Sennheisers. If you start out listening to these and think the sound is "just super", you're either deluded or trying to justify the money you spent on them. After listening to these for a few hours and then switching to a decent home stereo headphone, you'll feel like someone has pulled cotton out of your ears. The Bose cans will seem to be muffled and unbalanced. If you're already using these at home and think they're perfect...fine. I'm glad you're happy. (A set of Grado SR325i's, with infinitely better sound quality, cost less than a pair of these.)

A supraural (sits on top of the ears) design with an external circuit box/control/battery case. These are a bit more comfortable than the Bose QC2's, since your ears don't sweat as much, but they are also less effective both in cancelling noise and in reproducing low bass. Because the electronics are external, the headset itself is also significantly lighter than the Bose QC2's. The controls can remain in your lap where you can access them quickly, but this is a mixed bag when you are moving around or trying to get in or out of a plane seat. Battery life is about average.

These supraural open-air headphones look like something you'd see in a ham shack in the 1950's, but they are sweet, sweet, sweet! Every magazine and reviewer gives these a "Best Buy" rating, and you can see why. They are extremely comfortable to wear and provide great sound, including very substantial bass, for very little input. These work extremely well with most battery-powered headphone amps. They do not fold or store easily and the mounting rods for the earpieces extend above the headband, but the cables are pretty strong and would stand up well to use with portable players.

Most headphone users agree that the Grados are great for rock music, with deep bass and an exciting mid-range, but many listeners don't think they have the definition necessary for classical music or jazz. I would tend to agree. The Sony MDR-SA300s are a tremendous contrast to the Grados, having a lot better definition in both the mid-range and high-end. When Gerry Rafferty goes into the CD player, the Sonys go on the shelf and the Grados come off. When a classical CD goes in, the process is reversed. But if you enjoy listening to popular music in general, you definitely want to go with the Grados, as they will do the best overall job for you.

This is one of the SR60's big brothers, differing only in some minor visual aspects but greatly improved in performance. One of the first things you'll notice is that the foam cushions on the SR125 have holes cut in the centers. According to Grado Labs, this is done intentionally to match the performance of this model and these doughnut-shaped foam cushions aren't intended to be used on the SR60. Well, Grado makes great headphones, so I guess I'll take their word for it. I'm not an engineer. The SR125's have better bass and a more open sound than do the SR60's. According to Grado, the SR80's and SR125's are both designed to do a better job of damping than the SR60's, which helps to tighten bass. I've only listened to the SR80's in the store, so I can't say for sure that they are significantly inferior to the SR125's. I think that the SR80's sound better than the SR60's, but I'll have to draw the line there. Given the opportunity to select any of the Grado headphones as a "Best Buy", I'd probably choose the SR60's.

As far as the suitability of the Grados for classical music and jazz, check out my comments above in the review of the SR60s.

This is another of the SR60's big brothers, though it's far superior in performance. The SR325i is the top-of-the-line in Grado's Prestige Series of headphones. These use a doughnut-shaped foam pad, like the SR80's, and the earpieces are made of a special anti-resonant metal alloy (along with some of the usual plastic). They share the same "retro" look of all the Grado headphones. Cost is actually quite reasonable, considering their great performance. Some people find the earpieces to be uncomfortable and end up changing the doughnut-shaped foam pads for the SR60-style flat foam pads. No matter which you use, these cans provide no isolation from external noise and will sound quite loud to anyone sitting in the same room with you.

Average $40 nose-cancelling headphones. These are supraural headphones with a separate circuitry/controls/battery enclosure. They are not open-air and are intended to seal against your outer ear, but the pads on the earpieces don't mold to your ear very well, so they might as well be open-air. This has a negative impact on bass performance, too. Since the earpieces pivot in only one direction, you have to play with the position of the headband to get them to seal to your ears at all. The headphones fold into a fairly small package, about the same size as the Koss Porta-Pro's, but with the separate controls/case attached to the cord. As with all headphones that have separate control enclosures, there are good and bad points about having them dangle from your cable.

These circumaural headphones do a very nice job when you need to seal out ambient noise. The sound quality is way above average, though they tend to have a bit more bass than most classical music lovers would like. The plastic band is amazingly comfortable and I'm able to wear them for continuous periods of two or three hours. They are fairly efficient and can be run directly from a portable media player, but a headphone amp really kicks them up a notch. I use them a lot with my laptop when I want to watch a DVD with some privacy. One nice feature is that the cord is detachable for easy replacement. Oddly, the cord is about three times as long as it needs to be.

It's difficult to convey to someone how comfortable or uncomfortable a certain pair of headphones is. We all have differently-shaped heads and some people are more willing to accept slight discomfort for the sake of sound isolation. The HD-212 does not have much adjustment other than the height of the cups on your head. The cups are slightly smaller than many ears and may pinch you a bit because of this. You need to try these out to see if they fit your own fat head.

Sennheiser-lovers seem to fixate on the classic HD600s and HD650s, but, at half the price, I think I'll take the HD595s. Though these don't have the clarity of the Sony MDR-SA3000s, they compensate by having a much fuller sound and more pronounced bass. They also aren't as comfortable as the lightweight SA3000s, though more comfortable than the much-cheaper HD212s. With relatively high efficiency, they do pretty well with portable media players. The headset cord is user-replaceable. Overall, the sound balance reminds me a lot of the Grados. They do very well with heavy rock.

In one area, there is absolutely no debate...these headphones are not nearly as comfortable as the Sony MDR-SA3000s. The SA3000s feel like they're suspended from the ceiling and happen to be resting lightly on your ears. The HD-595s feel like traditional headphones, clamping your head (slightly) due to the construction of the headband.

The PX100 and the PX200 (below) are closely-related models, sharing the same general size, construction, and even the cute hardshell carrying case. They are both supraural designs, but the PX100 is open-air and the PX200 is sound-sealing. The sound of the PX100 harkens back to earlier Sennheiser open-air headphones, with nice clear highs and surprising bass. They are very lightweight and comfortable, with great efficiency. The cute hardshell carrying case looks like a case for glasses, but is very useful in protecting the headphones from any sort of damage. It is a bit tricky to get the headphones in the case the first time you try it. Keep at it and it will become second nature to you. When in their case, these are some of the most compact headphones available.

These are comparable to the Koss Porta-Pros, with slightly less volume. On the other hand, they get some extra points because of their compact size and the nifty carrying case.

This sound-sealing brother to the PX100 (above) is not quite as successful. The only major difference between these and the PX100's is in the earpieces. Unfortunately, the PX200 earpieces are so small that it is difficult to get a good seal against the ear. If you don't get a good seal, the bass is weak and you don't get any significant sound isolation. I find that I have to move the headband pretty far forward on my head to get the right angle to seal my ears. They would never stay in position if I were walking or involved in some athletic endeavor. But when you get an effective seal, the sound is very good indeed. The hardshell carrying case and the small size of the headphones makes them a good choice for use on a plane, as long as you can get them positioned correctly.

I have some other wireless headphones, but these are the only ones that are actually worthwhile using. I got them so I could listen to TV while moving around the house or mowing outside. They do a surprisingly good job at broadcasting through walls and I can get almost to the edge of my property before they begin to drop out. These headphones operate on radio frequency (RF) and not the less-expensive infrared (IR) technology. Unlike the cheaper Sennheiser wireless models, these units are self-tuning and you can manually select one of three channels if you experience interference. The units charge whenever you place them on their stand. I've never really run the batteries down all the way, so I don't know how long a charge lasts. The sound quality is good...for wireless headphones. Face it, these headphones are receiving sound through a little FM radio setup and that (plus the limited power of the battery pack) is a limitation. These are fine to use with many stereo sources, but don't expect miracles.

You would think that, with a name like "SkullCandy", these earphones would kick ass. They don't. Like Koss Sparkplugs and many other intraural (in-the-ear) earphones, these disappointed me. Even with Etymotic-type ear seals, these just don't perform that well. Poor bass, muddy sound, distortion at relatively low volumes. Plus, these don't want to stay in your ears. Cute case, but mediocre earphones.

Surprisingly good earphones at a cheap price. These usually cost less than $10 and are really pretty good for their price. You have to get used to them just sort of hanging in your ears. They don't really seal out any ambient noise, but they are very comfortable. One of the neatest things about them is that they come with a little circular case that let's you wind the cord up inside, like a fishing reel. I carry a pair in my laptop case "just in case." These are part of Sony's "Fontopia" line of earphones...I have no idea what significance "Fontopia" has.

I guess these are portable headphones in the sense that you can pick them up and move them, but I don't think I would take them on a plane. There's no "fold" to them. The Sony MDR-SA3000s are the middle-brother to the MDR-SA1000 on the low-end and the MDR-SA5000 on the high-end. Based on my listening experience with all three (in the store), I think that the SA3000s are much more similar to the SA5000s than the SA1000s, though they are not simply the same as the SA5000s with cloth in place of leather and carbon composite in place of metal. (In fact, the SA5000s and the SA3000s share the same instruction manual, which describes their construction, while the SA1000 manual is completely different.)

The SA3000s have comfortable cloth-covered earpieces that don't really seal around your ears. The cloth is there more for comfort, I think. In fact, you can seal the earpieces against your head by pressing on them and the sound doesn't really change much at all. One noticeable characteristic of these headphones is that they are as loud to the outside world as they are to you. (I'm not kidding about this...you can turn the earpiece backwards and put it up to your ear and it sounds basically the same.) The mesh headband support is the part that actually rests on your head, and it is very comfortable. The very long, single-sided cord (hurrah!) is cloth-covered and seems quite durable. It connects at the left earpiece. The plug is a 1/8" gold-plated stereo plug, but it comes with a 1/4" gold-plated screw-on adapter. The appearance of the SA3000s is much more muted than the SA5000s, due to the replacement of metal with plastics and composites. In fact, both the SA5000s and the SA1000s look outright garish compared to the SA3000s.

These headphones are a good choice, if you have the need for them. These are true DJ headphones, which suggests they have certain features, but doesn't necessarily mean that they sound that great. They are fairly neutral in sound, so a lot of listeners might find them "dull" or "muted" compared to other headphones. They are heavy and fit pretty tightly on your head...you won't want to wear these for more than an hour or so at a stretch. They are not terribly efficient and a headphone amplifier is a good idea. While they fold up, they don't fold very small. You'll end up with them in a pouch (provided) about the size of a grapefruit. Also, the coiled cord irritates me. BUT...these are the headphones I reach for if I need to clean up some WAV files or dub some music. They are faithful to the music and do a great job of sealing out ambient noises. They also have some cute little tricks, like having color coded right and left earpieces and allowing you to turn each earpiece so you can hold it to your ear to listen to a single channel.

This is a version of Ultimate Ears sold by Radio Shack. The only difference I can see between these and the regular super.fi 3 earphones is that these come with an airline adapter and they are a muted red instead of white or black. I have to confess that there are several features that make these preferable to the super.fi 5-EBs (see below). First, these use a much thicker cable that is transparent to the conductors. (The down-side of this is that the cable tends to hold curls more easily and needs to be straightened.) The earpieces themselves are smaller, since they only use a single driver, but are nicely retained in your ear by the flexible wire encased in the cable at the earpiece. The case that comes with them (which, by the way, is the same red color as the earphones) does not have the irritating insert that the case for the 5-EBs has, so the earphones fit into it very nicely. On the sound side, these do not have the punch that the 5-EBs have, but they are more than adequate. These are probably my new favorite to use on planes.

Almost perfection! I was not a big fan of intraural earphones until I got these. Not only are these very efficient, rarely needing external amplification, but the sound levels and bass they provide are outstanding. They seal your ear canal easily and comfortably, relying on a semi-rigid wire encased in the cable at the earpiece. This passes behind your ear with the cable. The cable to each earphone is of equal length (as they should be) and the cable hangs naturally. The 5-EBs use two separate drivers in each earphone, with a larger bass driver than that in the regular models. This makes these significantly larger than the super-fi 5s, but you hardly notice the difference in size. (After all, you're usually not looking at your ears while you're listening.) They are very efficient and operate well with most standard MP3 players, though they benefit from external amplification when using "mini-players". The 5-EBs come with additional soft rubber tips of several sizes, two carrying cases, and a cleaning tool.

One of the minor irritating things about these is that they don't really fit in the nice aluminum case provided for them. Being bigger than the standard 5s, they just won't sit in the case correctly due to a hard plastic insert. I always carry mine in the soft case. One other nice feature is that the cables are replaceable. There is a small two-pin connector that allows you to detach the cables from the earpieces. One of mine came unplugged accidentally and it was easily replaced, but I'd recommend not playing with this connection or unplugging them on a regular basis. In my experience, connections like these tend to loosen after time if manipulated.

A surprising combination of great sound and crappy construction, the HFI-700DVDs are truly a mixed bag. If you're looking for a comfortable sealed headphone for critical listening, look no further. But be aware that you can't travel with these. In fact, you can barely pick them up without the trim panels popping off, exposing circuitry inside the headband. This is especially frustrating in light of their price. The Sennheiser HD-212s and HD-280 Pros don't sound nearly as good and they are much less comfortable, but at least they are durable and the cord is user-replaceable.

The low end is strong, but well-defined. The highs are quite transparent, though not on the same scale as the Sony MDR-SA3000s. The mid-range is where these really shine. Guitars sound very natural, as do voices and strings. The phones are quite light and don't clamp on your head like the Sennheisers, but the sound isolation is as good or better. The cushions are a leatherette material, so they are not as soft as many, but they clean up well and conform to your head easily.

The imaging and sound field of these headphones is superior to many other phones, primarily because of the placement and positioning of the drivers in the housings. Ultrasone calls this placement "S-Logic," though the mechanism is purely mechanical placement and not any sort of electronic processing.

In spite of my complaints about the construction, these remain my favorite sealed headphones. I just have to be sure not to twist them or place pressure on the plastic parts. The HFI-700DVDs have been replaced by the HFI-750s and then, in 2007, the HFI-780s. The design of these more recent models is better and they seem to be more durable, but I don't really hear much difference in the sound.