Upgrading your PsP's sound system

[Gadfly2317]

I'm talking about headphones. Yet ANOTHER benefit of a kick-ass handheld is you can get the full-on audio-visual experience while your wife or significant other or roomate etc is asleep. I suspect a few of you are night-owls and insomniacs.

I just couldn't take the earbuds anymore, and my old pair of headphones had shorted out, so I went shopping. What I really wanted were the $300 Bose noise reduction headphones, but that seems kinda frivolous. I settled for the Sony "noise cancelling" headphones MDR-NC6. I don't think they actually have "real" noise cancelling circuitry like the Bose and the Sennheiser PXC250, but the battery pack does give a nice volume boost, so if you find your PsP too quiet, this model of sony headphone is about 7 on comfort, 8 on sound, 5 on noise reduction and 10 on price ($50.) I played on a bus, and turning on the "noise reduction" feature on the headphones did seem to mute some of the lower noise from the bus engine.

That's the main problem with the PsP's sound. . . it is great, but too quiet sometimes even at max volume. I don't mind that these Sony headphones don't actually "cancel" noise, but that the battery pack (unobtrusive and unoticeable) gives a significant volume boost.

The DS sounded more impressive than I realized through better headphones, too.

Anyone else got a sound rig they'd recommend for portable gaming?

[theWacoKid]

I'm ordering some Shure E2c earbuds. They're not noise cancelling but rather they're sound isolating, which is supposed to work just as well if not better. When they show up, I'll let you know how they are.

[Gadfly2317]

I'm ordering some Shure E2c earbuds. They're not noise cancelling but rather they're sound isolating, which is supposed to work just as well if not better. When they show up, I'll let you know how they are.

Yeah, let me know. I'd like to get some better ear buds too, for walking outdoors w/mp3 player. Those Sony headphones I bought sound incredible and w/the battery power they boost the sound signal, but since they are external and don't cover the ear, and are foam padded, if you are facing a headwind the wind whips through the foam and creates a helluva racket.

[Aylmer]

I know what you mean by how nice it would be to have some more amplification of the audio. I have a nice pair of Sony earbuds I paid about $50 for and take them around with my MD player/recorder. That device is a Sony also, and you can optionally turn off the noise limiting thing in the preferences with it. It *may* be possible to do the same with the PSP via a hack, but I do not know.

I do know that Sony has done research into permanent audio damage via headphones, and they are worried about lawsuits, since they pretty much invented the hi-fidelity hi-volume mini-headphone thing.

Mostly I've been playing my PSP at home, and I borrow my wife's pro level Sony headphones she uses with her Fender guitar and amp. It is cool in that you can remove the 1/4" plug leaving a mini-plug that works with the PSP. The quality is awesome, but the volume is still too low.

You can get third party inline battery powered mini-amps for your headphones, and I'll probably spring for one of those.

The Sony ATRAC compression blows MP3 completely away, and I would not be surprised if they make available software that will convert CDs to that format.

One nearly unknown thing about the PS2 is that it has a Toslink jack in the back. This is a laser fiber optic link, and I've used it to record audio cds directly from my PS2 to my MD device. It rocks. It blows away using a PC for audio transferring.

Now that I think of it, the PS2 has a USB port as well. And the PSP has a USB connection also. Hmmmmm...

[Gadfly2317]

As always, Aylmer, you are fountain of information. Thanks also for your post in the thread about the possibility of custom soundtracks on PsP. You are a real asset to this site.

[theWacoKid]

Well, the shures arrived today and I'm not sure if I'm going to keep them or not. These are high maintenance earbuds. Very tricky to get seated right. If you don't get a good seal, you'll hear a lot of external noise and you won't get much of any base.

After considerable effort and experimentation I went with the large foam caps. You have to roll them in your finger and then insert into the ear canal and hold. When inserted properly, you get very good sound isolation from the external world, but, you get that underwater kind of feeling to your hearing.

Sound quality is very clear and detailed and the bass response was better than I expected. On mercury, those little jack hammers put out some nice bass, and I could hear my glob of mercury swooshing around. I can't compare these to other earbud phones, since these are my first pair.

They seem quite durable, the cord is much thicker than the standard heaphones, along the lines of the thickness of the remote cable. They come with a 30 day money back guarantee if you buy off their website and carry a two year warranty.

Very good sound quality, good sound isolation, but problematic to insert and they give me that stuffed head feeling. I'll keep them for a week and see how I feel about them.

[Gadfly2317]

Were you going for earbuds because of portability?

One of the drawbacks to some of the over-the-ear sets is they have long cords, and take up quite a bit of space for toating around (not bad, the set I got fold down into their carrying bag, and don't take up too much space in my backpack.

If you end up parting with the Shure's, I'd recommend a full set of over-the-ear headphones. From what I've read about Shure's earbuds (the one's you got, and hte more expensive set) is that despite having the best sound of any earbud on the market, they still don't give you a truly rich bass.

I'm not sure how important bass is going to be in PsP games. . . but anyway, just some thoughts.

[theWacoKid]

Portability, but also sound isolation. I can listen at lower volume levels. If I'm at the mall, its tough to listen to tunes with all the commotion. The bass respsonse is dependent on how well seated the earbuds are and how close the earbud is to the ear canal. The bass is very clear and not muddy. As it is, I don't have much in the way of bass heavy music. I'd say these outperform my sennheiser over the ear headphones. Crank them up a bit and they perform very well.

From what I've read, these type of units take a while to break in. The soundstaging is very good, its like having a band in my head. I'll give them their due and then decide, but I think I'll probably keep them.

[theWacoKid]

Well, tried out the shures on a couple of dvd movies off my dvd player. When they say to turn the volume way down, they aren't kidding. I would've blown out my eardrums on the setting I typically use with my seinheisers. And yes, they blow them away, very impressive soundstaging and exceptional clarity. I think one of the reasons people claim the bass is lacking is because its so well defined. It doesn't get boomy at all, you just get some impressive punch.

I'm tempted now to try the next step up and see how those sound. For audiophiles, the shures are worth an audition. For casual headphone use, I'm not so sure. I'm better at putting them in, but it's still a hassle. The problem is, when people talk to you when they're in, you have to pop them back out. LIking them much better at the end of the day than I was at the beginning.