I’ve heard some complaints about the standard iPod headphones, but really, I don’t think they’re that bad.

My theory is that my ears are just the right shape, or something. Here’s how Apple describes the iPod headphones:

The earbud-style headphones rely on Neodymium transducers, a rare earth magnet that significantly enhances frequency response and overall sound quality […]

I should point out that I own a Rio 600; anyone who complains about the iPod headphones as “dreadful” really doesn’t have perspective, as provided by the pair of earhook-equipped earbuds included with that unit. I also own a pretty nice set of headphones. My Sony MDR-V900 studio monitor headphones use the same material for their transducers, and of course they’re an over-the-ear design, rather than earbuds. Differences in price and design notwithstanding, the iPod headphones hold up reasonably well.

Of course, some think that the V900 headphones aren’t really faithful to the original material. These folks often recommend Grado or Sennheiser, but honestly, I don’t care for either of them, in general. The only point I’d like to make here is that recording, mixing, and producing music is a highly subjective thing, as everyone perceives a “correct” sound at least a little bit differently. It follows that listening to music is just as subjective.

One thing I’ve heard maligned several times is the bass response of the iPod headphones. This is where I wonder if the size or shape of the listener’s ears varies enough to make this particular design perform poorly in some cases. Or, perhaps it’s just a matter of inserting them correctly. Either way, I find it rather easy to get a decent listening experience from them. The low frequencies are audible and balanced.

I realize that I’m not going into great detail. My aim is not to do a full review of the headphones. Rather, I simply wish to offer my subjective opinion that the current generation of iPod headphones is well more than adequate, and is likely to be so for most people.