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Best headphones for iPods

Whether new or old, your iPod will only sound as good as their headphones let it. We've picked four essential upgrades to consider, depending on your budget. If you want to hear your music as it should sound, you should put aside at least £30 for headphones.

Probably the most popular earphone used with MP3 players are Sennheiser's CX 300s. They can be snagged for around £30, offer vastly improved sound quality and bass over the iPod earbuds, and block out heaps of noise.

Sennheiser's CX 500s are one of our favourite pairs to recommend to anyone as a first upgrade. They're a great choice for joggers or gymaholics, as the in-line remote offers quick access to volume controls. They're extremely lightweight and comfortable, and offer sound quality twice as impressive as the CX 300s.

Denon's C751s clock in at around £150 and look like bullets. Nevertheless, they offer beautiful sound, with exceptionally clear and powerful bass. They block out tonnes of sound, too, and our in-house dance music connoisseur says they're the best earphones he's ever listened to electronic music through.

CNET UK music editor Nate Lanxon's personal headphone of choice for outdoors, Shure's SE530s are arguably the best earphones in the world; they're also among the most expensive. With three separate drivers in each ear, they produce a massive wall of sound, each with loads of detail, amazing mids and skull-crushing bass.

Editors:

3.5 stars out of 5

Users:

3.4 stars out of 5

Sennheiser CX 300

If you're looking for an affordable, decent-sounding pair of earbuds, start with the Sennheiser CX 300. Sennheiser's first in-ear design sounds like a winner to us Read more

£30

Reviewed on 28 September 2006

Editors:

4.0 stars out of 5

Users:

3.9 stars out of 5

Sennheiser CX 500 sound-isolating earphones

An excellent pair of sound-isolating earphones and one of the best choices to upgrade to from the cheap bundled models that come with most MP3 players. Although not perfect, they offer good overall sound and powerful bass Read more

£45

Reviewed on 6 February 2008

Editors:

4.0 stars out of 5

Users:

4.5 stars out of 5

Denon AH-C751 sound-isolating earphones

An outstanding set of earphones with ridiculously good bass, mids and treble. At this price point, there are few contenders. Don't consider them a choice for your workouts, but for seriously impressive sound quality without being full-sized headphones, the AH-C751s are practically unrivalled Read more

£150

Reviewed on 20 March 2008

Editors:

4.5 stars out of 5

Users:

3.75 stars out of 5

Shure SE530 noise-isolating Earphones

The SE530s are quite simply the best noise-isolating headphones you can buy, and they cost less than their predecessors -- the Shure E500PTH. They're still pretty expensive but audiophiles will appreciate how truly worth the dosh they are Read more

£277

Reviewed on 9 May 2007

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