The right sound

There’s more to a pair of headphones than funky colors or splashy designs or a cord long enough that they don’t fall out of your ears while jogging.

Sure, if you shell out $100 for a set of earbuds, you expect to get high-quality sound out of them — but even among budget-buds, a variety of factors play into your overall music experience.

I tested five pair of earbuds, all under $20 from FYE in the River Ridge mall, and none of them sounded (or felt) alike.

From standard earbuds with a stretchy foam covering to “canalphones” that fit snugly into the ear canal, the second thing you notice about the ‘phones is their fit. The first, of course, is the color.

But though the color might be the factor that makes you pull the trigger (who doesn’t want lime green head accessories, right?), we evaluate a few factors that most certainly impact your listening experience.
First is, of course, the style of the ‘phones.

The canalphone style is becoming more and more popular, and it’s not hard to see why — many come with two sizes of replaceable rubber pieces that help the buds stay in place no matter the size of your ear. Plus, the music gets pumped directly into the ear canal, and with the rubber seal, it’s harder for other sounds to interrupt your serious rocking out.

On the other hand, while standard earbuds don’t have the same size options and aren’t nearly as snug, depending on the type of activity you’re engaged in, the lighter fit can feel more comfortable and less obtrusive. Plus, the larger speakers allow the music to fill more of the ear and provide a somewhat less-intense sound.

After that comes the technical specs. Two listed on most every package of headphones (or available on manufacturers’ websites) are frequency range and sound pressure level.

Without getting too technical, here’s what each of those means for your ears.
Frequency range: The first number denotes low sounds the ‘phones are capable

of transmitting, the second denotes high sounds. A lower first number will provide a more booming bass. A higher second number will theoretically deliver higher treble sounds. But the second number doesn’t matter that much — listen to frequencies anywhere approaching that number and well, deaf people don’t need earbuds do they?

Sound pressure level: Without getting too complicated, this is just the number of decibels produced by one milliwatt of input. Since each of these ‘phones reaches into the 100s of decibels, unless you really want to damage your ears, don’t listen at that level for prolonged periods. For those of you who won’t heed that advice anyway, the higher the SPL rating the higher the possible volume with that amount of input.

Canalphones
Best overall sound/feel: Skullcandy “Smokin Buds” (black)
Price: $19.99
Frequency Range: 18hz - 20Khz
Sound pressure level: Unspecified
Really shine on: Brad Paisley - “I Wish You’d Stay”
The most expensive headphones evaluated, these really are the best option with any song. Volume control built
into the phones allows for quick adjustment without having to toggle through menus on your music player.
The fit’s also very comfortable and tips are interchangeable, like the rest of the canalphones.

Best bass, snug fit: Maxell “Cool Beans” (purple)
Price: $7.99
Frequency range: 16hz - 24Khz
Sound pressure level: 100dB
Really shine on: Skillet - “Believe”
 For some of the least expensive buds on this list, the “Cool Beans” have the best low bass sound, and if you’re
into louder music on a low budget, you can really rock your brain. Not as good overall as the Skullcandy, but the
bass difference was noticeable.

Decent sound with less bass:
    tuneGEAR “Jam’n Budz” (white)
Price: $7.99
Frequency range: 50hz - 20Khz
Impedance: Not specified
Really shine on: Temptations - “My Girl”
These are really the least comfortable of this category, but they fit snugly nonetheless. You won’t forget they’re
 in your ear like you might the others, but they stay put. Sound quality isn’t bad, but the lack of low bass frequency is noticeable. If you’re not into the rumble, they’re a decent budget choice.

Standard earbuds
Great full sound: Sennheiser “Dynamic Audio”
    MX 270 (black)
Price: $14.99
Frequency range: 19hz - 20Khz
Sound pressure level: 118 dB
Really shine on: The Afters - “Ocean Wide”
Okay, so they don’t sit as snugly in the ears as the Maxell or SkullCandy options, but they’re comfortable,
and the larger size really fills the entire ear with music. Bass doesn’t rock your brain, and the acoustic licks just
feel good with these phones.

Comfortable sound, lightweight:
    Sony “Fashion Earbuds” MDR-E10LP (orange)
Price: $7.99
Frequency range: 18hz - 22Khz
Sound pressure level: 104 dB
Really shine on: Dave Barnes - “Christmas Tonight”
The phones are just comfortable - like the soft piano and mellow vocals of the song. Like the Sennheiser buds,
they don’t have interchangeable tips, so depending on the size of your ear, they might fit more or less snugly.