Wicked Audio Headphones – Buds vs. Cans

I’m a DJ, so I’m used to wearing headphones for five hours at a time. When I work, I always use high-end full size over-the-ear headphones, which are just not meant for casual listening to an mp3 player or otherwise, and especially not to be handed over to a kid in the backseat.  When I go running I normally use the standard iPod earbuds which physically start hurting my ears after about a half hour and are unimpressive at best.  I don’t know how so many people tolerate these things when there are big upgrades to be had at low prices, as in the case of both of the Wicked Audio headphones I tested, the Tour headphones and the Empire Lucky earbuds.

The Tour headphones are your standard headphones with mid-size earcups.  Normally this style of headphone bugs me to no end, but the Tours were amazingly comfortable, easily adjustable and super light.  It took me about an hour of podcast listening and garage cleaning to even notice I was wearing them.  They fold up many different ways for storage and are great for children for watching a movie or playing video games, especially at around $15.  For that price you wouldn’t expect much from the sound, but the Tours deliver in that department as well, with shockingly deep bass, good midrange and decent highs.

I’ve tried tons of different earbud style headphones, from ones that have little foam covers that always fall off, to hard plastic ones that feel like spikes in your ears, to the iPod surplus freebies, and I’ve never tried a set that I’ve enjoyed having in for more than a half hour.  Enter the Wicked Empire earbuds.  I tested the Lucky design with 8 balls on the end, but they also come in Maiden, Bones and Knight styles as well.  These are a bit more expensive at around $30, but are well worth it.  Still pretty cheap in the realm of quality earbuds, the Luckys don’t just sit on the outside of your ear canal, they slide in and fit snugly with super comfortable earpieces that are swappable with 2 included additional sizes to fit your ear.  You’ll get some good noise cancellation from them and again, very nice sound quality across the entrie EQ spectrum, especially for the price.  These are my new permanent computer headphones that I’ll be using at the desktop and while running with the mp3 player.

While this comparison wasn’t exactly apples to apples in the price range department, if you’re not looking for a more disposable set of headphones, I recommend spending the extra money and picking up the Empire earbuds.