Nice Cans

Two pairs of headphones worth saving up for

July 27, 2006—While not everyone has the fiscal wherewithal to blow several hundred bucks on a pair of headphones, these are good times for those who do. Shure's new top-shelf E500s pack three tiny speakers (one tweeter and two woofers) into each earbud for rich, layered lows, mediums, and highs, all of which can instantly be silenced by an innovative "push-to-hear" module that lets you stop the music and tune in to what’s around you (in other words, no more unscrewing flanges out of your cochlea each time a flight attendant wheels over the scotch). Even pricier (and way bigger) are the new GS-1000s from Grado Labs, left, which come complete with a luxurious leather headband, the company’s signature wooden speaker housings, and five-inch monster ear cans. The look is more Dazed and Confused than Blade Runner, but they give your ears what feels like a whole room to sit in—a giant "sound-stage" in stereo-speak. Just leave the air guitar to the professionals.
Shure E500PTH, $499, at www.jr.com, Grado Labs GS-1000, $995, www.headphone.com.