Headphones? Whither the buds?

Actually we've only had a few iPods, they've held up pretty well and save for a couple left on planes, boats and trains we've only upgraded a couple of times. In contrast I've lost count of the number of times I've had to buy new earbuds. From Apple through to real cheap ones in the local hardware store I have answered the kids repeated cries that they've lost their earbuds and yes they can "borrow" mine. Now that both offspring have flown the nest the need to buy new bits of cable and tinny speakers has been reduced.

Last year, at the olympics, I was struck with the clever ambush marketing campaign that put lots of sets of big headphones into the hands of top athletes and from there onto our screens. Since then I've noticed many more people, even fashion conscious teenagers, walking around minus white Apple earbuds and plus medium or large sized ear cans. Even in Sainsburys on Sunday I was struck by the wide range of over-ear headphones on display, far more than the small alternatives. I remembered quite a few bills for around £5 when in scrooge mode I replaced yet another lost set, this weeks stock in a supermarket seemed to hover around the £40 mark.

So I have tried a pair. I've amused myself popping from buds to cans and they do make a difference. Even the cheap pair I've been playing with do sound a lot better and, for me, are much more relaxing. So much so that I'm looking enviously at the rather higher priced units I remember from the olympic poolside shots.