Upgrade your experience, you deserve it

There are many things that are just facts of life, we deal with it and move on. When you purchase a console gaming system, MP3 player or even put a computer system together, the headphones that come with what you have bought suck. I have ran into this a few times this past year and found some audio upgrades that make a huge difference without breaking your bank. The first set of headphones that I purchased were for my IPod. I found that when I travel, my MP3 player gets a whole lot of use. The original set of white headphones that came with the player now reside in a landfill somewhere in the southeast. Sorry, the recycling guy didn't want them either. I tried a few different sets of headphones and decided to stick with the Philips SHE5910.


I found that these have a great sound and use a virtual surround sound technology that works extremely well. This model comes with a carrying case and replacement in ear rubber gaskets. This makes them great for traveling and keeps them clean and organized. I found them for under $20 at many places.

The next set that I found myself needing to buy was for my XBox 360. If you own a 360 and use the Live feature for chat or gaming, then you maybe feel the same way that I do about the headphone / mic combo that they give you. Uncomfortable and useless. The one ear chat and one ear game sound is just distracting to me. I was walking around Best Buy and saw that they have a new product in the XBox section that didn't even have a price yet attached. The Turtle Beach X3 gaming headphones for the 360.

This was one of the coolest products that I had seen in a while but it came at a cost. This wireless set of gaming headphones cost around $85-$100. The main thing that sold me on this set was that I could hear game play in very loud stereo and also hear myself speaking in stereo. The game sound and microphone levels have separate level adjustments. The bass level in these are great and the battery life well exceeds 8 hours of continuous play. I bought four AAA NiMH rechargeable and I was set. The headphones use two AAA and I keep the other two charged and replace them as necessary. Now that I think about it, not very often. I even put the diagram of how they connect to the wireless controller. For serious gamers at an adult price. I don't remember how I played without these truthfully. The wireless signal is line of sight though for the game audio. The voice feature uses the 360 controller signal which is very strong. The IR signal for the audio will reach about 50 feet. I also use these to watch movies and listen to music when others around may not want to hear what I am doing.

The last set of headphones that I received was on a recommendation from Patrick Norton (Tekzilla, Systm, and countless other Revision 3 pod casts). The Grado SR60 headphones.

I have to admit though, I was not impressed by the appearance of these heavy hitters. Truthfully, I thought that the website had shipped me the wrong pair by accident. I took them out of the packaging and put them on to find out that this was the best set of headphones that I had ever purchased. I have tried other sets of headphones out that were maybe better but they were the AKG K701 sorts that run upwards of $180 USD. I found this Grado SR60 set for $69 on Amazon.com with zero tax and free shipping. I definitely recommend these especially for the price. They are comfortable and don't squeeze the head too badly, as long as you don't have a huge melon. One major thing that I like about this model is that you can take them almost completely apart and replace some of the components if they get worn.

This is just a review of some of the items that I have purchased and how they worked out for me. I have been lucky with some of the purchases that I have made lately but unlucky in others. If you are at all like me then you research almost every purchase before you make it. The impulse purchase that got the best of me was the Turtle Beach gaming headphones but I am extremely happy with them. I later found them $18 cheaper online and I feel the burn in my wallet still. Use the Internet to gather information, reviews and prices as always.