21. In Conclusion

We owe it to you earphone users to end our review with a warning against the danger of hearing damage caused by listening at high volume levels. The US has regulations on noise exposure in the workplace, but not on audio-player output. Theoretically, in France, there is a regulatory limitation of 100 dB(A) on the maximum output of an audio player; other EU countries also have regulations, and a European-level regulation seems to be in the works (the last draft available dates from October 20, 2005).

Unfortunately, installing really effective protection on an audio player is very difficult. When the user changes from the original earphones to a model with much higher efficiency, the result can be volume levels that are much higher than what the device was designed to deliver. And of course, amplification of the volume is always possible - there are earphone amplifiers on the market that plug in between the player and the phones.

We should point out that the maximum recommended exposure to noise - or music, if that's what you prefer - is one hour per day at 94 dB(A) and only 15 min (per day!) at 100 dB(A). Damage to hearing can quickly become irreversible, so if being able to hear normally is important to you, lower the volume! And that goes double if you like intraaural phones. They're often very treacherous on this score, especially because as our testing shows, they often have strong resonances in the high frequencies. And that's the most dangerous area.

That said, after our marathon of testing and listening, a few models clearly stand out. Our two favorites, taking all types of models together, are the Sennheiser PXC250 and the Koss PortaPro. While very different technically - one is a closed-back model with noise reducer, the other a standard semi-open model - they're both capable of top performance, though one or the other may be better suited to your tastes and the way you listen.

Other models, naturally, are capable of very good performance. If you're looking for a model that's both very affordable and very small, you have a choice between an intraaural like Koss's The Plug and an earbud model like the Sennheiser MX500. Here again, they're very different, and in practical terms it's a matter of taste and circumstances. We should make it clear, though, that this type of earphone can't come close to our two stars for pure listening.