I am sometimes appalled...ok, I am often appalled, at a lot of the aspects of computing that the average user takes for granted. One of those is the value of decent audio. While I am often concerned about the value-added aspect of computing and computer-based entertainment that some people may be missing out on, I am also not an absolute fanatic (despite what my writings and ravings may lead one to believe). I do not feel that computer-based audio is absolute crap unless you are fitted out with a $300 pair of headphones or 7.1 surround sound speakers.

I am underway for the second round of at-sea tests of my current project. Last time out, I blew off headphones, and regretted it. With all of the ambient noise in this environment, my MacBook speakers were just not cutting it. Having my headphones with me this time gave me pause to think about where I am with audio and what some people might be missing out on.

We know I travel a lot, and we know that the quality of my mobile gear is important to that frequency of travel keeping me from feeling like my quality of life is overly impacted. As much as the quality of the mobile entertainment experience is important, the capacity to have choices in my mobile outfitting from trip to trip is also important.

I currently maintain three sets of headphones, primarily for travel, but also for early AM gaming and movie sessions on the weekend without having to worry about waking up the neighbors. Additionally, sometimes the sound level on certain media formats is so low that I cannot hear it well when played on a laptop, so headphones become a useful tool even when I am at home. Appropriately, these headphones choices are tailored from high-end to low-end.

My current traveling companions are my Sony MDR-V700s. I cannot rightly remember how long I have had these headphones, but it has been for some time. At least since 2003. I have yet to find a reason to look for something to supercede them. Right now, I am sitting in my fold-up chair listening to Evanescence's The Only One from The Open Door album, and the audio quality is good. I will admit that I will not qualify it as excellent because I do not know audio parameters enough to claim that their sound quality is excellent. I will simply say that they are more than good enough for me. I think that for the average user, stepping up to a decent quality set of headphones will make a marked difference that will be enough to convince them of the value in going with something better than the headphones that came bundled in with their MP3 player. By the same token, those users do not need to invest in a set of Bose or Sensaura headphones.

My secondary set of headphones is a set that does not sound as good as the MDR-V700's when watching a DVD on one of my computers sitting in front of one of the 19" widescreen monitors in the computer room. However, on an airplane ride, they are invaluable. They are a set of Memorex Noise-Canceling Headphones. I was originally not convinced of the value-added in noise canceling technology (much like it took me years to see the value-added in bottled water). Because of that reason I was unwilling to invest be coup dollars in my first set of headphones of that stripe. This set came from a shelf in a local Wal-Mart. However, within the first trip, I was convinced. I was also convinced again that it was not necessary for the average user to go spend a ton of cash on noise canceling phones. While I am certain that other, more expensive 'phones will sound better, I am gaining a reasonable amount of value from this cheap set. It does not take a lot of money to gain the capability to screen out the screaming babies on the plane, the guy who won't shut up about how awesome his job is, or how savvy or smart he is, or the person who finds it necessary to find interest in my job, where I live, where my family is from...you get the picture. Screening out the whine of the engines is helpful, but screening out the noise of my fellow airline passengers is sheer bliss.

My third-string headphone slot is currently being filled by a walk-on, namely, the set that came bundled with my iPhone. I have heard talk from iPod fan boys that the set of ear buds that come packaged with iPods are better than the industry standard 'buds that come bundled with other MP3 Players. I do not know if this is true or not. I had a pair of in-ear ear buds from JVC that I had been using, until my ignorance in caring for that ****of headphone (the rubber inserts need to be periodically washed and dried with a towel), led to the coverings shredding slightly. The next time around, I want to spend a little more money on slightly higher quality in-ear phones. In the meantime, it is nice to carry a pair of headphones that are compatible with my laptop, iPod, and iPhone (the connector for the iPhone is a different form-factor than the industry-standard 1.8mm plug). These headphones are not great, but they are immensely portable.

So there you have it. Each of these sets provides a slightly different capability to my enjoyment of mobile entertainment. The Sony's offer the best sound quality, but are the bulkiest and the least pack able since they do not collapse into as small a footprint as the others. The Memorex's are not as bulky and offer noise-cancellation, but do not have the overall sound quality of the Sony's. The Apple ear buds do not have the sound quality of either the Sony's or the Memorex's, but are much more portable. In each case, all of the headphones offer better sound quality than a $5 set of phones form Wal-Mart. In each case, they increase the enjoyment factor of iTunes audio, encoded video, and retail DVDs when I am on travel. They also add to my Saturday or Sunday morning enjoyment of games and movies on the PC when I am at home. In no case did I spend an arm and a leg for these small improvements in that enjoyment. A minimal amount of research and a small amount of cash can take your enjoyment of the audio capability of even the cheapest laptop sound processor from the mundane to something that makes other people in the airport wonder what you are smiling to yourself about with your headphones on and your face buried in your laptop.