# Headphones for on the slopes



## Dechaine (Apr 5, 2011)

Looking at some headphones to get for Christmas for snowboarding what do you all recommend? I usually just put them around my neck because I wear a helmet most of the time. I've used my Turtlebeach headphones last year and those worked pretty good, just the cord was crazy long :laugh: 

So yeah what have you people have and used before and what do you recommend?

My price range is under 60 dollars. I live in Canada so my selection is somewhat limited. I was looking at WESC headphones that I can get at HMV.


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## andreas (Mar 20, 2011)

skullcandy lowriders or icon 2's should do the trick.


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

Kicker HP201 or Aerial7 Metro are both awesome choices @ $30. I don't recommend Skullcandy because their drivers just don't sound balanced or clear but they aren't bad, either. Nixon headphones are quite fragile.


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## AWinter (Nov 29, 2011)

*UClear HBC-120 Helmet Communicator*

I’m kind of a gear junkie, but the product I’m loving most lately is the UClear HBC120. Out of everything I’ve tried, I think they have the best combo of a sound system and Bluetooth headset out there. I know it's a bit out of your budget, but I thought I would share because it's a pretty stellar product. The device uses Bluetooth to connect to your phone and you can listen to music, talk on the phone and communicate to anyone else who has a UClear 120 using the intercom function. It’s pretty rad. I recently started working with a company who works with them and had a chance to try it out this weekend and it was pretty awesome. Check it out at Home | UCLEAR STORE. I’d love to hear what you guys think!


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## The_Squid (Dec 15, 2008)

Get these Klipsch S4's, I recommend them to everyone. 

Klipsch Image S4 - headphones - In-ear ear-bud, Binaural - White


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## Tech420 (Jul 1, 2011)

Skullcandys on thryll right now for half price.


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## Tarzanman (Dec 20, 2008)

The type of headphones you are using to listen to your 128 Kbit mp3's on your media players with who-knows-what-kind of audio dsp's is probably largely a moot point....especially those of you who wear earbuds


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## judoant (Jan 18, 2010)

The_Squid said:


> Get these Klipsch S4's, I recommend them to everyone.
> 
> Klipsch Image S4 - headphones - In-ear ear-bud, Binaural - White




+1. I love the S4's but they tire my ear when I wear a helmet all day.


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

Tarzanman said:


> The type of headphones you are using to listen to your 128 Kbit mp3's on your media players with who-knows-what-kind of audio dsp's is probably largely a moot point....especially those of you who wear earbuds


Mp3's can sound good. Headphones make or break that. I have shure earbuds that are studio and stage monitors.

I wouldn't recommend ear buds that block outside sound for riding. Get some smaller over-ear phones so you can hear what is going on as well as your tunes


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## moondoggy (Nov 28, 2011)

grafta said:


> I wouldn't recommend ear buds that block outside sound for riding. Get some smaller over-ear phones so you can hear what is going on as well as your tunes


+1. probably why i got a helmet with audio built in so i can hear my tunes and everything else around me.


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

moondoggy said:


> +1. probably why i got a helmet with audio built in so i can hear my tunes and everything else around me.


That's a good idea too.

Some earbuds, the ones with the rubber sleeves that stick right into the ear canal sound good, but block out all outside sound. Good on the bus or train but crap for crossing the road and getting run over by a truck :laugh:

The other type, ie ipod/iphone earbuds without the sleeve sound absolutely shit but you can hear as well.

Over-ear or helmet phones are probably the go


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

Tarzanman said:


> The type of headphones you are using to listen to your 128 Kbit mp3's on your media players with who-knows-what-kind of audio dsp's is probably largely a moot point....especially those of you who wear earbuds


Most media nowadays is double 128kbps in resolution and the resolution is independent of the reproduction accuracy of the drivers. Some tend to biased to certain bandwidths within the audible spectrum I.E. Skullcandy are way too scooped of mid range frequencies unless you are blasting only electronica/hip-hop, which to be fair, I also do, just not all the time. You need both qualities (media resolution and driver quality) to recreate good sound and one being poor doesn't affect the other one from making the sound even poorer.

There are actually quite a bit of variance in quality among the 40mm on-ear driver choices in the $30-50 market. Plus there's a myriad of other features to consider that can make your experience on the mountain enjoyable or miserable, chief among them, durability.


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

Audio quality is only as good as the weakest link


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

True to a degree, but audio has multiple facets to it that all need attention. A poor resolution or low sample rate media sounds bad on high quality hardware but sounds even worse on poor hardware.

And most mobile sound processors and media formats are good enough that the difference in hardware will be easily audible.


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

moondoggy said:


> +1. probably why i got a helmet with audio built in so i can hear my tunes and everything else around me.


I blast mine so loud I still can't hear anything around me :laugh:


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

CheeseForSteeze said:


> True to a degree, but audio has multiple facets to it that all need attention. A poor resolution or low sample rate media sounds bad on high quality hardware but sounds even worse on poor hardware.
> 
> And most mobile sound processors and media formats are good enough that the difference in hardware will be easily audible.


We are talking about mp3 player/ipod and headphones... all consumer goods... being listened to by comsumers (not pros)... in a less than perfect listening environment.

Who wants to smash up a pair of $500 AKG's while boarding :dunno:

Most of the stuff around that's not super cheap shite will do the job... and yeh i agree, use 320kbps if you can


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

I don't think you necessarily have to spend $500 for better sound quality. There are some options even between the $30-50 that sound better. I loved the Icon 2 design because it's durable, light and has an inline mic/stop button but the sound quality was just buzzy, scoopy and annoying like a swarm of gnats in your ears. I had much better results with the Nixon Whip, Kicker HP201 and Aerial7 Metro and I'd recommend them over the Icon 2.

There was a noticeable enough difference for me to recommend them, even when flying down the mountain. Plus the HP201's particularly have proved very durable.


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