Korean Job Discussion Forums

Kimchi Cowboy · Joined: 17 Sep 2006

Are there any decent headphone shops at Techno-Mart?

harryh · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: south of Seoul

Kimchi Cowboy · Joined: 17 Sep 2006

First off, thanks to all for your opinions and advice.

I took the trek to Yongsan today and was lucky enough to find the Headphone shop without too much difficulty. I was all prepared to try & buy the V-Moda Vibes, BUT:

Not. In. Stock.

So, rather than making it a wasted trip, I took the opportunity to try out a whole bunch of other ear buds; Sennheiser, Shure, Audio Technica, Bose... all kinds of different models by all kinds of different manufacturers. Plus, I tried a few on-ear types for comparison, even though I'm pretty set on buds. Anyway, I came to a rather startling conclusion:

My old Sony MDR - E888s kick ass.

When I tried the first pair of "sound-isolating" buds (you know, the ones with the silicone/rubber gasket that seals the ear canal), I almost immediately remembered that a few years ago I had bought a pair of sound isolating ear buds, and I couldn't stand them, for two main reasons:

1 - Ear sweat. Wearing the silicon buds was just hot and uncomfortable for any extended periods of time.

2 - "Microphoning". You know, when the sound of your headphone cables striking against anything is transmitted through the cable itself directly into your ear. Makes jogging, cycling, wearing clothes with buttons, moving, breathing, etc. really annoying.

(The sound of them was decent enough, but they absolutely drove me nuts, which was why I got rid of them and picked up the Sonys in the first place.)

Anyway, back to the shop: Every other brand I tried, the sound quality was just not up to par with my trusty Triple-8s, even the W170,000+ AT buds, which sounded remarkably like aluminum cans. My 888's just have a great balance throughout the range; warm mids, rich bass, clear highs. Maybe a little *too* warm, but for ear buds... hell, they sounded better then all of the on-ear phones I tried, too. Including a 600,000 pair of (Sennheiser?) studio cans.

*NB* - The Bose buds were the notable exception - great sound, and NO microphoning. If I had an extra 120K burning a hole in my pocket, I'd seriously consider them!

Still, I'm going to try the other shop near Hyewha next weekend and have another shot at the Vibes, but I'm pretty sure I'll be sticking with the Triple 8s.

Temporary · Joined: 13 Jan 2008

I need something for running. I use sennheiser wrap arounds I like em but they fall off to much and their construction is not that great. I hate sticking shit in my ears. What do would you recommand for a runner?

harryh · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: south of Seoul

Temporary · Joined: 13 Jan 2008

Anything under 100k would be preferable.

harryh · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: south of Seoul

rocklee · Joined: 04 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul

I too thought the skullcandy wasn't all that though they did look striking in design. But it could be the demo set they had at the headphoneshop wasn't up to scratch. The manager is a good man, he let me exchange the AT CK7 (which I found terribly lacking in bass) for something else.

I would avoid the AT earphones if you're looking for bass, go for Sony, AKG or Phillips if you are a basshead or pay more if you're looking for clarity and natural sounds for classical and soft acoustics.

OP, If you're looking at buds then I've heard some great things about the Yuin PK1-PK3 :

http://www.reemixx.com/2008/02/29/review-yuin-pk3-earbuds/

Not sure if that is available in Korea though and am not a fan of buds as they seem to fall off my ears too easily.

pandemic902 · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Location: Dorim-dong, Seoul

Hey... I highly recommend the MylarOne X3i's by crossroads. 55k at the headphone shop, they're Korean made but compare in sound quality and clarity to a much more expensive unit. Google some reviews to get an idea.

Morton · Joined: 06 Mar 2007

Can't believe i missed this thread.
I'm suprised nobody has mentioned the Grado sr60 or sr80's. I use these in the house for recording and love them. They can also be used with an mp3 player if you can stand the pain. I usually stick with my AKG k324p earbuds when i listen to my ipod. Better noise cancellation and less leakage than the Grado's. The Grado's are also pretty sore on the ears over any amount of time. If you don't have much money go for an AKG headset. They don't make any bad products.

Bigfeet · Joined: 29 May 2008 Location: Grrrrr.....

I just bought a Zune 80 and have been trying to find headphones to use with them.

The set that came with the Zune is nice but they insert into the ear canal and slip out while exercising.

So I bought a Sony set that's also an ear canal one but has ear hooks thinking the hooks will hold the phones in place. No dice, they stay in longer but still slip out.

So I bought a set of Philips cans that clips onto the ear. They're ostentatious white and steel colored. I will forever hate Apple for starting the trend with white headphones! Well, the clips hurt my ears after about an hour of wearing them so no good.

I've just now ordered a set of SportaPro traditional headset from Amazon. So much for all the new-fangled headphones styles! I'm hoping this one will fit the bill.

Notice that I didn't even go into how any of them sounded. Laughing