Introduction
The Headphones
The Machines
The Music
The Criteria
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Introduction

        In 1999 my beloved Aiwa HP-A350 portable headphones finally conked out.
It was not a pretty sight. The unit fell apart in a rather dignified way during
a listening session with Spiritualized's lovely Ladies and Gentlemen We Are
Floating In Space LP, concluding nearly a decade of faithful service. I still
believe them to be the best headphones I ever had the benefit of using. Given
the situation, I embarked on a five-month odyssey to replace them, and,
stumbling a bit, gathered a rather large cadre of five replacements. While none
of them replaced the memory of the Aiwas, I was impressed by the diversity of
output noted on the various devices. Since a series of complaint sessions on a
music message board spurned me, I was driven to find out why performance is so
tangential on headsets of this type--and conducted my own subjective exams. Here
are the results.

THE HEADPHONES
        All devices tested are rack-type, over-the-scalp design, and all but one
are of the "open-air" type that permits outside noises from being interpreted and
accepted as interference. The phones listed here are also all designed for digital
applications and for home listening, save for the Labtec C22s, which are a
headphone/microphone hybrid designed exclusively for computer use. FInally, they
are all consumer-level, save for the JVC model which is an entry-level "sensory-
deprivation" ("monitor") type phone. They are featured in alphabetical order
(by manufacturer, than by model).

THE MACHINES
        The devices were tested utilizing several different music output
machines, each with very specific applications. For portable use, a Panasonic
RQ-160A Portable Cassette System was used, as well as a Sony SRF-39 Walkman. At
home, the primary machine used was the superb Panasonic RX-DS11, as well as the
Sony CFS-201. In addition, a top-of-the-line Sony CDP-670 was used as a
tiebreaker. On the computer front, a generic Creative Labs 16-bit Soundblaster
was used in addition to a Gravis Ultrasound and a Tandy PSSJ 3VG. Finally,
on a few occasions, a low-grade GE 3-5025A was used along with an even lower-
grade El Degas (EDG 33 RD?) electric guitar to test treble and bass response.

THE MUSIC
        Throughout testing, both cassette and CD versions of the afforementioned
Spiritualized LP were utilized for uniformity. In addition, other pieces of music
were thrown in for good measure, most frequently Spacemen 3's Dreamweapon CD
(Sympathy For The Record Industry 1993) and cassette. A home-made voice cassette
was used in addition to digitally encoded voice as a tiebreaker.

THE CRITERIA
        The headphones listed here are reviewed and sorted under the following
schema, each marked out of 10:
        -Sound (a broad-based, subjective observation, sometimes based on price)
        -Feel (comfort level of listening)
        -Design & look (overall durability, general appearance included)
        -Features (driver unit size, characteristics, etc., but not bells and
        whistles like volume control)
        -Uses (split between portable, home, and computer use)
        -Price (all prices C$)
        -Overall value

Alright, let's begin our testing!