Dappered

Affordable Men's Style

Let Us Praise the Headphone Splitter

By | Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Here's why.

.
Paul writes periodic travel and tech articles on Dappered.com.  Follow his travel blog, drivinginertia.com, to read more about his adventures. 

The common stereotype is the fat man in the seat next to yours.  This isn’t a post about him.  This is about the cute girl in the seat next to yours.  It’s about sharing.

See, travel is tough.  Yeah, the airlines may give us a 5” screen to watch last season’s 30 Rock episodes on and a little nozzle of “fresh” air and a reading light and a floatation device and a little glass of “free” ginger ale, but the overall experience is still unpleasant.  The waiting, the expense, the delays, the fees – it sucks.  So we must be prepared for the fight.  We must budget for the $9 airport beer.  We must pack smart and light.  We must bring along a headphone splitter.

The headphone splitter allows you to share, allows you to be generous.  It allows you to give entertainment to the cute girl sitting next to you.  No woman has ever traveled with a headphone splitter … ever.  Guys must bring them.  Then we can offer our downloaded movies, our episodes of Archer, our podcasts.  This just may end up being date #1.

Or it could be date #1,000, as you continue to surprise your significant other on the thoroughness of your travel prep.

Grab whatever one is on sale the next time you order from Amazon.

Comments

  1. Hmm, I always thought the way to do it was to share a pair of earbuds, since that creates a certain degree of intimacy.

  2. coming back from my study abroad in england, the girl next to me offered me her headphone splitter so we could listen to her ipod together. it was the first time i ever saw one of those, too; this shit definitely works.

  5. Good luck trying to hear whatever it is that you’re sharing with the loud noise of the engines blaring in your non-earbud ear.

  6. On a related note, I’d love some recommendations on good headphones/buds. The standard issue ibuds aren’t doing it for me. Also don’t want anything really huge. I’d prefer to avoid Beats.

  7. I have a pair of Fanny Wang headphones that have the splitter in the headphone line. Genius. And they sound AMAZING.

  8. I like the Bose in-ear headphones. Small and light but probably the best quality sound I’ve found from the bud style headphones. Avoid Sennheiser; their earbuds fell apart on me within months.

  13. Only problem I have with that recommendation is that in many (most) cases, the equivalent (and usually even *cheaper*) option of Sennheisers are a much better audio choice vs the Bose option. Of course, to each his/her own, but Bose is usually only better with their marketing tactics. Again, IMO, but there it is.

  14. Don, do you have a specific price range (or limit) in mind? I could possibly offer a few of my personal faves, but the prices can be all over the map. I say *personal* because it really does become a very personal take on sound cramming itself into a particular person’s ear-holes. That’s why I may disagree with HeyHoLetsGo recommendation above, but that certainly doesn’t make me *right*, dig? – Simply opinionated.

  15. BOSE is like the Ralph Lauren of the headphone world. People are so familiar with it and think it’s good or whatever just on the name, but when you really think about it, their quality doesnt usually match their price. its better than some but not the best by any means. Best ‘cheap’ headphones are easily the Audio Technica athM50s. Just yesterday, I was surprised to watch a video of The Doors and Skrillex in the studio wearing these particular headphones. Beats, on the other hand, are like the J.Crew. Yeah, they have some pretty good quality, but you’re just getting duped on paying so much for it. As for earbuds, apparently the new Apple ones coming out should offer a lot for their $30 price tag.

  16. I’m thinking $100 limit for now. I’ve got wardrobe items that are way higher on the list than headphones, so I can’t spend a lot now.

  19. OK, that will get you pretty far, actually. In fact, you can very likely save a lot of that $100, depending on what type you like. Do you want specifically an ear*bud* type, or are you interested at all in IEM (in-ear-monitor)? – the latter being where the device is inserted a little deeper in the ear canal (not just sitting in the opening like a flat earbud, and actually is designed to *seal* the ear tightly, so a much fuller range of sound is enjoyed.

    Also, if you are asking about this related heavily to the post here, which describes using them on a plane, then are you wanting specifically noise-cancelling options? I do *not* have any NC headphones/IEMs/earbuds, but I do have numerous low(er)-priced to mid-priced options at my disposal. I tend to not like IEMs very much either, but they can sound amazing – I just haven’t quite grown accustomed to the feeling of that much of a sealed ear (it does take some getting used to, if you seal it correctly).

    I generally prefer either circumaural (over the ear), fullsize headphones, but they can get pretty sizable, and you mentioned you don’t want that. I also use a couple supra-aural (on the ear) pad type of headphones – they can be smaller, but they also don’t usually isolate as well.

    Speaking of isolation, you also have to decided on whether you want “open” or “closed” phones. Open will let *some* of the outside/ambient noise in, but can also let some of *your* listening material *out* to the those close by. Closed will obviously do the opposite of that. They are reasons and purposes for both.

    Sorry to muddle this up so much, but there really are TONS of choices and various roads to take when it comes to audio.

  20. I’d actually like something circumaural, but want to be able to throw them in my laptop bag without worrying a lot about space or damage. So maybe buds/in-ears would be better. Isolation or noise-cancelling isn’t a huge deal to me.

  21. OK, but circumaural and buds/IEMs are really mutually exclusive ideas; meaning that buds/in-ears can’t go “over” or “encompass” your ears. Dig? Still, I’ll throw a couple of my favorite *affordable* choices (seeing how we are on an “on-a-budget” website here at Dappered, right?).

    For “buds” – the flat ones that sit right in the outer ear, and face the ear canal – I like my Sennheiser MX460 buds, to which I added some generic earbud foam cushions for more secure seating and improved isolation, for a bud, at least (sorry HeyHoLetsGo – I’ve just never had any quality/longevity issues with the brand – but again, each/own). IIRC, they were about $30 retail, but I got them on sale for $20. I think they have been replaced in the product line, but I’m not exactly sure with what. I’ll try to dig that up, but for now here’s some:
    http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=sennheiser+mx+460&tag=googhydr-20&index=electronics&hvadid=3563094325&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=78774403143877275&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_51cmizaabs_e

    A *splurge* (as Joe often adds at the end of his posts here) for me, on the earbud tip would be the Yuin PK3. They are widely regarded as the *best* earbud out there. I have never tried them, but numerous audiophiles seem to rate them right there. They used to be $50, but I’ve seen them $38-40 recently. I really should just order some myself, for the love of Mike.
    http://www.head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=5

    If you want a *portable*, closed, mix between a pad (on the ear) and a full-size (over the ear), I’d suggest to try the JVC “flats” (nicknamed as such because, well they fold *flat*. They are not the best full-range, for sure, but if you can get a good
    seal with the pads, on your ears, you can get some pretty nice range
    coverage. They are crazy cheap, normally $20, but you can get them for
    $10 when they go on sale (I think I got mine for $10 at Best Buy).
    http://support.jvc.com/consumer/product.jsp?modelId=MODL028447&pathId=135&page=1&archive=true

    An absolute GREAT budget choice for a more *full-size* pair of circumaural phones is the Sennheiser HD 201. They can be had for $20 on sale (FYE has them as such quite often), up to $30 regular, top retail price. I paid $20 for mine, but to me they are worth 5 times that. Honestly, they are just a really nice, full-range, *closed* headphone choice. A real steal!
    http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD201-Lightweight-Over-Ear-Headphones/dp/B0007XJSQC

    Ans a final odd-man-out selection is going to be the Koss KSC-75. These are built, marketed, and sold as a clip on “street-style” open, pad headphone, but with a very simple mod, they are an awesome, light head-banded option, with an incredible soundstage. And they can be had normally for $19 retail, or when on sale from Radio Shack for $9! You’ll need to either *find* (like I did in my drawers of old useless(?) crap) or buy a $1-2 cheapo headset, from which to nick the headband, and snap the Koss’s pads onto, but then voila! 0 a really nice sounding, cheap set of headphones. I use those *ever* single day at my office. So nice, and if they get stolen, well.. $9. I mean, come on. They are not the coolest, prettiest option, but they sound freakin’ amazing. Here’s a link to the mod, on one form (there are several on the web):
    http://www.head-fi.org/t/232714/simple-ksc75-to-headband-mod-easy-as-pie-pics-56k-maybe

    BTW, if you don’t mind the idea of hanging… *clipping* them onto your ears, as they were designed, then you don’t need the mod. But the sound actually improves *with* the mod, as it clamps them a little tighter to your ears, thus providing a fuller range (bass response, especially).
    http://www.koss.com/en/products/headphones/ear-clip-headphones/KSC75__KSC75_Ear_Clip_Headphones

    Oh, and breaking my “one last one” claim, here are two other Koss options, that are very nice sounding (similar amazing drivers on some of the various Koss cheapies), but can turn some folks off due to their ’80s retro look.

    The SportaPro:
    http://www.amazon.com/Koss-155475-SportaPro-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B00001P505/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1347559615&sr=1-3&keywords=koss+portapro
    I have those too, which I often use on outdoor walks, as the head band works well (foldable) with a hat, when needed. I got mine from RadioShack for about $20.

    The PortaPro:
    http://www.amazon.com/Koss-PortaPro-Headphones-with-Case/dp/B00001P4ZH/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1347559615&sr=1-1&keywords=koss+portapro
    The more ’80s looking one of the two. Many folks swear by this one too, audiophiles included; many whose headphone collections would make your jaw drop. I went with the SportaPro instead here, because the headband can be *up* or can be folded *back* behind your neck. Useful!

    Sorry for babbling on so much (I may have broken a Dappered comments section rule or two with so much blather), but I tend to do that sometimes. Hope You get a chance to try a few of those options, and maybe one of them will work for you too. Maybe not. Best of luck!

  23. One correction (maybe more as I reread my comments – LOL) regarding the Yuin PK3. They are NOT the best earbud out there (or regarded as that by many audiophiles) – that probably goes to another in their line – but they *are* often regarded (and yes, by those audiophiles I keep referring to) as the best *affordable* (less than $50 or thereabouts) “earbud” on the scene. I still want them, for that exact reason. So I guess the *splurge* factor could be ramped up by choosing one of Yuin’s pricier models (the OK1 goes for $250 – yikes!), but honestly the reviews I’ve read, and the praise I’ve seen for the affordable option (the PK3), would still lead me to nabbing them whenever I find an extra $40 laying around.

  24. Agree in that the Sennheiser audio quality was very good, especially for the price. Also, they stayed in my ears better than most buds. Product quality was a different story. Wires became easily frayed in a short amount of time and separated from the buds themselves. Because I primarily use the earbuds to work out, maybe this was the reason even though I haven’t had similar issues with other brands, but they just didn’t hold up as well as I’d have liked. @f3d4e2fe0147e681f48825ce3dbf7be6:disqus clearly knows more about this area than me, so just my $0.02.

  25. I only know what I know from my experience. Your experience is worth just the same or more, as again this can be a very personal subject. Everyone hears things differently, wears things differently, and values things differently. Still, I appreciate your kinds words, HeyHo. I have spent some pretty solid time auditioning numerous makes and models, so I know what *I* like, and thus my wordy *dissertation* (doh!). I’m sorry to hear you had issues with your Senns – that truly does suck. Enjoy your Bose, man. They’re just not a brand that I recommend to folks. Like I said, to each their own. No harm, no foul.

    Oh, and please keep in mind I tried to keep my suggestions in the *budget* range. There are some real BEASTS out there, that blow the ones I mentioned away. But so do their price tags. Dig?

  27. One more (slightly pricier – but you did say you were open to up-to-$100) option:

    Sennheiser PX 100-II.
    http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-100-II-Ear-Miniheadphone-Black/dp/B002VPDOH8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1347569736&sr=1-1&keywords=sennheiser+px100

    I have yet to try this new “II” version, but I have owned the previous model (the PX 100). They were very good sounding, very portable (collapsible for storage in your laptop bag), slightly open-backed – but not bad, around $50, and they too are often touted on audiophile websites and forums as being a viable choice for an affordable portable headphone option.

    However, I personally had an issue with the pads on the headband (top of head) digging in too much and making a viable impression on my balding… OK, *bald* head. That was the only reason I decided to go another direction. Since you don’t mind spending a little more dough, you may want to check these out. They’re still “affordable” IMO, but the ones I mentioned earlier are more *budget* priced.

  31. Speaking as someone who actually has a pair of Bose headphones, I think they’re worth every penny.

  37. The main thing: the frequency response is not flat. As a professional musician frequently involved in recording studio situations, I have NEVER seen a pair of Bose headphones as studio gear. Not once. Nor the Beats (particularly not flat… those boost the bass like a subwoofer in the trunk, rattling all the way down the block). Bose “sounds good,” and it’s better than Beats, but I wouldn’t use it for anything more than recreational use. With a pair of AudioTechnicas, you at least get something functional in multiple settings. Just my two cents.

  38. No problem, Don. I hope something there works for you. You may wish to go a whole different direction, or maybe you’ll try Bose and love them. I just wanted to offer my take on the subject. Good luck!

  40. Go with Sennheiser in-ear headphones. They usually retail for $100-150, but can be had on Amazon for a third of the price. I have a pair of CX500s (I think, I don’t have them on me) and they sound amazing and cost 40 bucks.