Music to Your Ears

Over-the-Ear Headphones

AKG K26P

$40

The K26P set has several hinges for folding into a small space. This industrial look has a downside, however: During adjustments hair tended to get tangled in the clasps, and the headphones pinched the scalp. Though the closed style of the set's earpieces produced good sound isolation, they generated lackluster, muffled sound, with overly strong bass that drowned out the midtones.

Bose QuietComfort 2

$300

Bose's battery-powered QuietComfort 2 headphones set employs an active noise-cancelling system to reduce low-frequency noises such as those made by engines and PC fans. When switched on, the system did a very creditable job of eliminating stray sounds, reducing background noise to much more comfortable levels. But it didn't block high-frequency noise well.

The set won't work even as normal headphones without battery power. To be fair, the batteries lasted over 30 hours in our tests, and you get a low-charge warning (a flashing LED) when you have only a few hours of battery life remaining. Be sure to pack extra batteries on a long trip, because the ability to block noise is the only really commendable thing about these headphones. They produced flat and muddy bass tones and clipped high tones. This poor sound quality may be a result of the noise cancellation, but as you can't listen to music without the feature turned on, there's no way to tell. And at $300, this set isn't cheap (although it does come with a nice carrying case and an airline headphone adapter).

Bose TriPort

$150

Although our testers had mixed opinions about most of the headphones, they all liked the Bose TriPort. And it's easy to see why: The speakers fitted comfortably over everyone's ears and they sounded great, with sharp, clear trebles. Bass notes were smooth and rounded, with the feel of a large, open room. The headphones were a little on the quiet side--at the same volume setting, less sound came out of these speakers than on some other models. But they can handle plenty of volume if you like it loud, as well, and they block a lot of background noise without clamping down too tightly around your ears.

A couple of minor annoyances: The ear cushions occasionally made a crinkling noise when they moved (especially on testers who wear glasses), and there was a lot of leakage (the person sitting next to you might not share your taste in music). The TriPort is also a bit large: It can't fold up, and it doesn't come with a carrying case. Nevertheless, this is a solid pair of headphones for anyone who doesn't mind the extra bulk.

Koss KSC75

$15

The KSC75 set takes a different approach to over-the-ear design: Two clips hold the headphones in place behind the ears. This can be a definite plus for people who have hairstyles that aren't headband friendly or who don't care for headbands. Also, the KSC75 stays in place reasonably well once properly seated.

At just $15--the least expensive over-the-ear model we tested--the KSC75 set sounded surprisingly good, with decent bass response and reasonable (though slightly muted) treble. Leakage is this model's weakest point: The KSC75 doesn't block out ambient sound, and anyone near you can hear your music almost as clearly as you can. These headphones are not meant for everybody. Thrash metal enthusiasts, for example, should opt instead for a large pair of enclosed headphones--especially if you sit next to other people on the bus.

Koss KTX Pro1

$20

Several testers found the KTX Pro1 set the most comfortable of the small over-the-ear headphones, thanks to a unique sling on the headband that keeps it from pinching the scalp. The speakers stayed firmly in place without too much pressure--suitable for long road trips or flights.

But the headphones' open style keeps them from blocking ambient noise, and they leak a lot. We clearly heard the music from a couple of feet away even when it played at a low volume setting.

Like the Koss KSC75 headphones, the KTX Pro1 sounded good, with rounded, full bass. We heard some slight distortions to high-pitched sounds, though (such as high-hat cymbals), and high voices sounded a bit hissy and rough. You get no carrying case, but the headphones do come with a built-in volume control and a quarter-inch plug adapter.

Sennheiser PXC250

$130

The PXC250 headset uses Sennheiser's NoiseGard active noise-cancelling technology, which does a good job of blocking repetitive low- and midfrequency noise but is less effective with high-pitched noise. Though you can choose to listen without the noise-cancellation feature, it amplifies the audio substantially. We also noticed a slight (but annoying) hiss in the background when the noise cancelling was active. Unlike the Bose noise-reduction set, this model still works (albeit without noise cancellation) if you remove the two AAA batteries, or if they die.

And the PXC250 generates pretty respectable results, producing clear, well-balanced audio. The bass sounded a little weak, but turning on the noise-reduction feature boosted the output somewhat and added warmth and extra volume to the sound.

The noise-reduction circuits are located in a cigar-shaped box on the cable, which adds bulk and the potential for tangles. But the headphones fold up for convenient storage, and Sennheiser includes a nice case as well as quarter-inch and airline adapters. A similar set of headphones, the PX200, uses the same speakers but lacks the noise-reduction capability; it costs merely $40.