gnomatron Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I fancy getting a pair of nice noise-isolating in-ear 'phones for use with my new mp3 player. Might be handy at work, too, though really that's just an excuse to spend more money on them :( Anyways, I want to spend somewhere in the region of 50-100 quid, and the only ones I can find so far are the shure ones. Does anyone have any recommendations? Also - I know I could spend much less on proper headphones for the same resulting sound, but I feel a right pillock walking down the road wearind my hd-25s. They do keep my ears nice and warm, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Wheeler Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Have a look at www.sensorcom.com as you can get decent SOny earphones, with custom moulds that are fitted to your ears. You do need to go and spend £25 on getting ear impressions made by an Audiologist, but the difference is well worth it. I had mine made over 5 years ago and although I have changed the bud drivers every so often the moulds are still going strong... Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamjones Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I have a set of FutureSonics IEM's that I use with my iPod, sound is awesome with a good weighty low end, although you do have to keep buying them little yellow foam things unless you get custom moulds done, think they are sold in the UK by Sennheiser. Etymotic Research also make some nice ones, although ive not had a chance to listen to any of their products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnomatron Posted June 17, 2005 Author Share Posted June 17, 2005 cheers folks.... interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hang.the.dj Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 from what portable music audiophiles say generally Shure Ec2 are what people buy "on a budget" - £55 - £65 - http://shop.ipodworld.co.uk/iPodWorldSite/...cookie%5Ftest=1 They make a model called Ec3 which I have tried out and can say theyre absolutely fantastic, but with a price tag to match Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 I've not heard terribly good things about the Shure ones. If I were buying some I'd go for the Etymotic ER-6s (or the ER-4s, which are more expensive). You can also plug the ER-6s into their musicians' earplugs, which is a nice idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hang.the.dj Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 there seems to be little point in high fidelity headphones in an ipod anyway? Unless the firmware has started supporting FLAC or something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 The newer iPods support ALAC, which is Apple's take on FLAC. Anyway, it's not really to do with hi-fi, it's to do with isolation. If you're somewhere with 85dB ambient noise and you want to actually hear the music, you need to crank it up dangerously loud. If you've got isolating earphones you can hear it at a comfortable (and more to the point, safe) volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnomatron Posted June 19, 2005 Author Share Posted June 19, 2005 I have an iriver, not an ipod - not totally convinced by the sound quality, but it supports oggs and various other formats, and seeing as it's firmware-upgradeable it'll happily support more in the future. I've heard bad things about the shures before, bah. I may just give up and use my hd-25s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Si Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 The guitar amp and keybourd centre (http://www.gak.co.uk) have recently been selling some turbosound earphones for £20, but I doubt they have isolating capabilities. However if you turn it up really loud, it will mask the osund from anything else! :) but maybe that will damage your hearing - so not recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnomatron Posted June 19, 2005 Author Share Posted June 19, 2005 being a noiseboy I have quite enough hearing damage to last me, unfortunately :) That permanent wee bit of tinnitus is depressing enough as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamjones Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 I boght some of the Turbosound 'phones when they first came out, one word to describe their sound - rubbish. £20 for a set of earphones that sound worse than the ones that come with the iPod is a bit of a joke, espeically as their only redeeming feature - the generic ear moulds they come with - can be imported from the states for about £12 last time I looked. So going on retail pricing thats about £10 left for the earphones themselves. However the little ear buds that they come with however, will fit over most other decent sets and do offer good isolation, I have found that with my Futuresonics using large yellow foam things with the generics from the Turbosound 'phones the sound is very rounded and they are quite comfortable to wear over long periods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corporatenoiseboy Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 Shure E2c are about £60 ( www.mercury-av.com/sales seem to be cheapest in UK ). I've tried quite a few different in ear monitors including Sony, Sennheiser and the more expensive Shure E3c. To my ears the E2c's are the best by a mile as they are the only IEM I have heard that have a truly natural midrange. There is none of the upper mid sibilance that ruins the sound from most earphones and small headphones. Bass and treble response is not the most extended but smooth and natural and is there. For trained ears they are a top choice - and are they're good value too. My only critism is that they are a bit larger than some IEM's and are too big for use with custom moulds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnomatron Posted July 1, 2005 Author Share Posted July 1, 2005 actually, they're cheaper on ebay - even shipping from the states with 16quid+ postage it works out cheaper. hmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnomatron Posted July 16, 2005 Author Share Posted July 16, 2005 ah, my e2cs just arrived today. Damn sweet - excellent noise isolation, just like wearing earplugs, basically because that's what they are, and generally a good crisp sound. Very nice bass response from such small beasties, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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