iPod dock speaker systems are generally too pricey and here is why

They are designed specifically for the most popular portable music playback device ever:  the iPod, and they have attained quite the following.  If you aren't into high quality audio, then they might be fine for you.  Something even as cheap as an iHome may be perfect for you if you aren't a hardcore audio enthusiast, but for the rest of us most brands just dont fit the bill.  Heres why:  Poor sound quality.  All of these iPod systems seem to be completely devoid of bass.  They are high and tinny sounding, and extremely harsh.  Another factor is price.  While iHomes are relatively cheap more expensive systems like the Zeppelin and the Beat Box are insanely expensive for simply being a speaker dock.  While the Zeppelin is, admittedly pretty good sounding, its price still doesn't constitute they way it performs.  A custom speaker setup in a similar price range can sound significantly better and have far more bass presence.  The only reason I could see people buying a Zeppelin would be its air play features, and at least the fact that it is the best iPod speaker dock I have listened to, but it pales in comparison to a custom system of the same price range.  If iPod speaker docks are your forte, I am perfectly fine with that.  I can see how they would be effective for traveling too due to their compact size.  But to say that they sound better than a custom system only proves your lack of knowledge in premium audio equipment.

Beats by Dre alternatives

Sennheiser HD 448

I was asked on one of my Facebook pages what a good alternative headphone would be to Beats that are in the same price range.  Exactly what model wasn't specified in the question so I will just go with what a good alternative to Studio Beats would be.

One of my first recommended alternatives would be the Ultrasone Pro 750's.  They are currently 226 dollars on Amazon but normally sell for 429 dollars (this is a super sale, so get em' quick)  These are a fantastic pair of headphones that blow Studio Beats out of the water.  However I would not recommend purchasing these at full list price.  My friend recently replaced his Studio Beats with a pair of Ultrasone Pro 900's but these I cannot recommend as a viable alternative as they have recently risen from 350 dollars to 469 dollars (on Amazon, they have a list price of around 600 dollars which I find far to expensive).  Ultrasone is a german headphone company and they have amazing quality control and manufacture some of the most durable headphones I have seen to date.  The Ultrasone Pro 750's have a frequency response of 8- 35000 Hz with 40 mm driver units.  They come with two detachable cords: one straight and one coiled and an extremely nice hard carrying case.  They also have the ability to fold flat, unlike the Studio Beats.

Another far cheaper alternative (and I know these aren't in the same price range, but they honestly sound better then Studio Beats even though they cost 75 percent less)  are the Sennheiser HD 448.  I chose these headphones over more expensive Sennheiser models because they are a closed back design, just like the Studio Beats.  They retail for 129 dollars, and this is a truly phenomenal price.  Although they dont feel as high quality as the Ultrasones (keep in mind the price) they still provide a better experience then Studio Beats in terms of build quality and obviously  sound quality.  The Sennheisers provide a pretty balanced sound, but are a little weak on the bass, so if you are a bass head I recommend the Ultrasones or the Sony XB line (which I will talk about shortly).  The Sennheiser HD 448's have a frequency response of 16-24000Hz with 40 mm neodymium driver units.  They lack a detachable cord, but have a low impedance of 32 Ohms making them perfect for portable audio device use.

My final recommended headphone(s) are the Sony XB (extra bass) line of headphones.  Extremely reasonably priced and one of the best consumer grade headphones for  punchy bass reproduction.  It seems that most people purchase Beats to listen to todays bass heavy music, and the Sony XB line does an even better job at this.  Hip-hop, Rap, Electronic, Pop and Dubstep are areas where these phones shine.  Within this line of headphones I would recommend the Sony MDR-XB500 (40 mm driver, frequency response of 4- 24000 Hz, 40 Ohm impedance, priced at 80 dollars retail) They Sony MDR- XB700 (50 mm driver, frequency response of 3- 28000 Hz, 28 Ohm impedance [citation needed] priced at 130 dollars) and finally the holy grail of all bass head headphones: The Sony MDR-XB1000.  With a frequency response of 2- 30,000 Hz, 70 mm driver units (the biggest ever put in a headphone) and an impedance of 24 Ohms, these things are a bass monster.  They retail for 299 dollars.  No muddy, muffled bass can be found in any of these, and every single one sounds better than the Studio Beats (even the ones I mentioned that are hundreds of dollars cheaper). All of the headphones mentioned above can be easily powered by an iPod or similar device.  I excluded the Sony MDR-XB300 because of its small drivers and extremely low price. So there you go.  If you can recommend any other headphones that are viable alternatives to Beats that I forgot to mention (because I know I didn't get them all) just comment them below.
CLICK HERE for Ultrasone Pro 750 page
CLICK HERE for Sennheiser HD 448 page
CLICK HERE for Sony XB Line headphone page

For my updated (and still in the works) comprehensive list of Beats by Dre alternatives, click the link below to my newer blog post:
CLICK HERE for comprehensive list of Beats by Dre alternatives

Sony XB-1000 Extra Bass Headphones Newly Released

Bassheads:  It would seem that Sonys got you covered. Officially the biggest consumer headphone on the market as of this writing in terms of driver size, the Sony MDR XB-1000 Extra Bass headphones have 70 mm dome type driver units (to put this in perspective the Sennheiser HD 800's have a 56 mm driver unit) a frequency response of 2- 30,000 Hz (I cant even believe headphones could get down that low) 24 Ohm impedance and a sensitivity of 106 dB/mW. They can easily be driven from an iPod/ iPhone/ MP3 player without an amp (surprisingly). Sonys list price is $299.99 U.S dollars. Now the million dollar question, despite all the hype do they actually sound good?  Can they actually reproduce music that doesn't sound like you've tied a subwoofer with rubber bands onto your head? That remains to be seen but the initial reviews I have read look promising. If your a bass head then these look like the cans for you, they are currently only sold in stores in Asia, but you can get them off Amazon and shipped to your front door even if you live in other countries.  The box will be in Japanese writing as will the instruction manual but the text on the sides of the cans are in English (at least thats what I saw in an unboxing video on YouTube) and who needs an instruction manual to listen to headphones? And dont those king size ear cushions look so comfortable?

I will be sure to write a future blog post covering the features and overall sound and build quality of the XB 1000's once I get a chance to take a listen.  Look for a link below to my blog post once it is completed, but for now here is a link of a simple review and a few pictures of the king sized extra bass headphones.

CLICK HERE for a simple review link and picture of the Sony XB-1000's

First Listen: Sony MDR-7506's

Currently, one of my favorite headphones is my Sony MDR-7506's. They don't look pretty, but I have never really cared about looks anyway in regard to my headphones, and besides they look good in their own old semi retro way.  Sony focuses on the durability, sound quality, and overall professional grade quality of these headphones rather than flashy visuals.  I really like these headphones due to the fact that they are an industry standard in recording studios, are some of the most durable headphones known to man, and mainly because they are DIRT CHEAP for the quality of sound you are receiving from these guys.  Most people are amazed that they only cost 130 dollars (80 to 90 on Amazon which is where I got mine) and still have such an accurate reproduction of sound.  Some don't like the fact that there seems to be a predominant upper frequency spike with these, but they are studio monitors, they are a little harsh for regular listening unless you equalize them (which is what I do with mine when I listen from my Sony amplifier and my iPhone when connected to a FiiO E7 portable DAC and headphone amplifier). They can easily double as your Studio Headphones and then your Hi-Fi home listening headphones.

One major point I would like to make is in regards to the analytical nature of these headphones.  Yes they are designed for use by professionals and cameramen in and out of the studio, thus they are extremely revealing.  Revealing doesn't always equal a particularly pleasant listening experience however.  Fortunately there is a simple resolution to this problem that allows someone looking for a good pair of durable hi-fi cans to tone down the harshness of these headphones.  Equalization! Every single audio device has one these days, and if you have a smart phone or iPod Touch, there are many third partly equalization apps out there.  I love the analytical nature of these cans because they respond exceptionally well to equalization.  This allows me to tailor the sound to exacting specifications.  Additionally on the topic or portable audio devices, I do recommend the use of an amplifier with these headphones.  Keep in mind that these were initially designed (way back in the 90's) for use with professional grade audio equipment.  However a 64Ohm impedance isn't to much electrical resistance for your basic iPhone to sufficiently power, but they do tend sound much better when amplified.  These headphones prove another major point I want to make:  Frequency response isn't everything.  They have a frequency response of 10-20,000Hz and still (gasp) sound amazing.  Strangely their slightly older brother (the Sony MDR-V6) have a frequency response of 5-30,000Hz (some say there is a sound difference between the V6 and 7506's and some say there isn't, its quite the hot button topic, next blog post perhaps)  Both models have been out for several years (since the 80's and 90's) and 20 year old working pairs can still be found today.  The Sony MDR-7506's and the MDR-V6's are tried and true, durable, widely used, professional work horses of the professional audio community.  Through proper equalization and amplification, they can serve a dual role, professional studio work, and every day high fidelity cans.  Highly recommended!

Here I will detail the specs of each:
Sony MDR-7506 technical specifications:
- 40mm Driver Unit
-Neodymium magnets
-Frequency response 10-20,000Hz
-Sensitivity 106 Db
-Closed back design
-Gold Plated connector
Sony MDR-V6 technical specifications:
-40mm Driver Unit
-Neodymium magnets
-Frequency response 5-30,000Hz
-Sensitivity 106 Db
-Closed back design
-Nickel connector
Pretty similar stats huh?
Apparently the V6 is also wired differently.
For more information on these headphones, here is the Wikipedia site on them which I have found surprisingly accurate:
 CLICK HERE for Wikipedia site on Sony MDR-7506, and Sony MDR-V6 Headphones

First listen: Ultrasone Pro 900's

Another great pair of headphones I tried on recently was the Ultrasone Pro 900's.  They are closed a closed back headphone design.  The Pro's 900's have a frequency response of 6-42,000Hz, a 40Ohm impedance (can be driven by iPods or other similar portable devices but I would recommend an amp for improved sound quality and louder volume levels) and 40mm titanium plated drivers.  They come with two extra velour pads to add to the ones already on the phone's.  In the box two cables are supplied (one coiled and one straight) and the coiled cord ends in a 1/4 adapter for professional and studio applications.  An instruction manual and a test audio CD are also supplied.  Additionally, the Pro 900's come with an extremely nice hard carrying case, that houses the two cables, the spare velour pads as well as the headphones themselves.

My opinion of the Ultrasone Pro 900's is mixed.  While they have great overall sound quality, extreme comfort, well controlled bass and exceptional build quality, but they do seem slightly overpriced by about $50 to $75 dollars.  There is a curve to the frequency response: they are relatively bass heavy but the bass is controlled, clean and nicely implemented.  They have an ever so slightly recessed mid range but it is nearly imperceptible.  The higher range on these headphones produced a little too much sibilance for my tastes and the high's a relatively sparkly.  The combination of pronounced bass as well as pronounced high's is what most likely contributes to the sensation of slight mid range recession with the Pro 900's. A balanced model of the Pro 900's with a more evenly distributed frequency response is sold by Ultrasone but costs significantly more money to purchase (which is pretty ridiculous considering the balanced and unbalanced models are virtually the same product).  The Pro 900's retail for $549.99 on the Ultrasone website (which is extremely overpriced) but these cans can be found for around $300 to $350 dollars on Amazon (which is actually relatively reasonable).  In this way, I would not recommend the Pro 900's at full retail price but would recommend them if they can be found for around the $300 dollar mark.  On the Ultrasone website they keep preaching this supposed amazing technology called S-Logic.  They describe S-Logic as being a way to create a more 3-Dimensional and natural sound experience, similar to a high end surround sound system.  To be honest, this S-Logic technology was not apparent in the Ultrasone Pro 900's at all.  They didn't sound any more three dimensional than my Sony MDR-7506's.  However, all things considered when you factor in the phenomenal build quality and pretty incredible sound quality, these aren't a bad buy if they can be found at a reasonable price.  These are an amazing alternative to the Beats Pro line.

 CLICK HERE for the link to the Ultrasone Headphone website