They basically do the same thing, yet they work differently

(From left to right: Sennheiser, Apple, Philips, Blackhorns)

Earphones . . .

there are a lot of brands, with varying price ranges, with additional features, yet they basically do the same thing, and that is to produce music coming from our MP3 players. And yet they don't really last that long (on a regular, everyday use basis, they would probably last around a year, or two or more if you are lucky enough)

Well after wrecking out a total of 4 sets of earphones (which includes my favorite Sennheiser headphones and a pair of earphones I borrowed from my dad and wrecking it for some unknown reason a week after), I decided to go out and buy new earphones.

After purchasing two sets (plus my dad's two reserve ones), now I'm practically solved of my MP3 problem of not having decent earphones to use (and probably abuse) with.


Last night, I compared all four sets of them, and they are a pair of Sennheisers, the original iPod earphones, a pair of Philips earphones, and a pair of Blackhorns.

By using Daft Punk songs as a basis of testing each of their sound quality, I came with a conclusion that the best sounding set are the Sennheisers (considering they're like 1/2 the price of the original iPod earphones).

As for design, I like the Philips, since they are smart enough to place additional protection to the cords connecting the earpieces (which is a common problem for me . . . you'll probably know why)

As for convenience, I'd go for the Blackhorns as they are not that expensive (i'd guess they are in the php500 range . . . I don't know how much they are since they are my dad's reserve set) and they have this handy volume control so that you can quickly turn the volume down without bringing out your MP3

And for the sake of being purist and "sponsored", Apple's earphones would do the job. They sound as good as the Sennheisers, but they are terribly overpriced (they sell that in Powermac for 1.9k I think . . . and the only reason I bought one is because I found this warehouse store selling an assortment of new, used, damaged, etc. items. Among them was this iPod radio remote set. The remote's kind of used and slightly damaged but it still works, while the earphones are spanking new, and for 1.5k with the box and the manuals, this was an absolute steal. But seriously I'll never buy Apple accessories unless it is in a extremely low and unbeatable price)

But practically speaking, regardless of price, sound quality, design, etc. etc., these still do the same job, and that is to produce music coming from your MP3 player. I guess it is all up to the person's preference for earphones that plays a big factor here.

If I was asked which I would use everyday, anything would do (but as of now, my dad has my Sennheisers and his set of Philips while I have the Apple earphones and the Blackhorns). As long as they last for at least a year (or better yet two years), that is what matters the most.