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Is Ety ER6 good for a noisy office workplace?

post #1 of 12
4/21/02 at 12:24am
Thread Starter 
Hi,

I work in a noisy open office with lots of noise sources like people talking, phone ringing, people printing documents, computer fans, etc, etc.

So I was thinking about buying a ER6 to reduce noise AND listen to music. Is this a good option? Or I will still hear a lot of noise?

I read that these headphones are great for flights, but I would like to get some comments about other´s peoples experiences at offices.

Thanks!
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post #2 of 12
4/21/02 at 12:41am
Yes! They are wonderful for a noisy office. They will give you total quiet unless your office is extremely noisy (you might want to consider the ER-4P/S in that case, which offer slightly more isolation). They will reduce your stress level by a lot, and are 100% worth it for that reason alone.

In case you're wondering, active noise reducing cans like the Bose QuietComfort are effective on planes, but not really effective in offices (they don't reduce talking at all). Other closed cans offer some isolation but do not come close to the level of isolation offered by the Etymotics. Also, with other closed cans, you pay a steep penalty in sound quality.

The only problem you might have with the Etymotic ER-6 in an office is that you won't be able to hear the phone ring. You can solve this by going to Radio Shack and spending $8 on a light that flashes every time your phone rings.
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post #3 of 12
4/21/02 at 12:44am
They would work great.... also consider the HD280 Pro's if you *need* something full size, though this should have much worse sound quality than the ER6.

Warning: Info is hearsay.
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post #4 of 12
4/21/02 at 1:32am
I'm a computer science student, and spend a lot of time programming in the school labs (which can get pretty noisy),
and use the er-6 on an almost daily basis. With music playing they offer (practically) total isolation. Once you learn to get a proper seal they sound great too.
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post #5 of 12
4/21/02 at 2:14am

Yep! Same here!

Without music, I can still hear (with my ER-4S) stuff like my keyboard clicking and conversations are reduced to low mublings. Once you have music, even at a low leve, all ambient noise is gone.

Every evening, when the cleaning crew files in, they invariably set off the security alarm (by holding doors open too long). With, the Etys on, you can hardly hear the high pitched alarm. On occasion, fire alarm tests threaten to destroy my hearing (we have the very high pitched ones). They just barely come through the Ety's, just enough to know that the alarm is screetching.
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post #6 of 12
4/21/02 at 8:19am

How well do they work with MiniDisc?

I know that the output of the ER-6 is a bit less than that of the ER-4P - does anyone use the ER-6's with MD? As you know, most MiniDisc headphone amps are rated at 5 mW. Is that sufficient?
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post #7 of 12
4/21/02 at 11:51am

suit magnets

I've found headphones at the office function as people magnets. You put them on, and a suit appears wanting to ask you something.

I've found it easier to revert to my grados than use the ER=4s at work. Less of a hassle to take on and off.

M
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post #8 of 12
4/21/02 at 12:40pm
Quote:
does anyone use the ER-6's with MD? As you know, most MiniDisc headphone amps are rated at 5 mW. Is that sufficient?
I use them with a 5mW discman, and though they sound even better with an amp, the discman does a good job of driving them.

Quote:
I've found headphones at the office function as people magnets. You put them on, and a suit appears wanting to ask you something.
I agree. For your purposes I think this would be the only real negative for the ety's. You have to pull out the ety's to talk to people, and its a minor pain having to reinsert them (especially when you first get them, and getting a good seal takes a little work).

If people are going to need to talk to you frequently, you may be better off with a good set of closed cans...
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post #9 of 12
4/21/02 at 12:53pm
Grado at work was a big no-no for me. Because of ambient noise, I was forced to crank-up the volume to hear the music clearly. This was both annoying to my cubicle neighboors and potentially dangerous for my hearing in the long term. The closed V6 worked a lot better for me. And I do think it's important to have something you can put on/remove quickly so people can still come see you and not feel like they are disturbing you. From what I read here, the Senn 280 might be a good choice for an office situation.
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post #10 of 12
4/21/02 at 2:31pm
I agree that the Senn 280s sound good and provide decent, but no where near Etys, level of isolution.

If anyone is considering going the closed phone route with the 280s, you might want put them on and look at yourself in the mirror first as they look absolutley ridiculous on me - kinda like a water ski boat tow bar on your head. I would get way too many interrupting comments about the look of these phones at the office.

I've used the MX-400 earbuds and Sony Eggos with some success in an office environment. When someone steps in for a quick question, I just hit pause and can hear them with the phones on. My Etymotics would be too much work to take on and off all day. If I could go hours at a time without interruption though, I most definitely would use the Etys.

Cheers.
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post #11 of 12
4/21/02 at 3:16pm
Quote:
Originally posted by hokiefritz

I've used the MX-400 earbuds and Sony Eggos with some success in an office environment. When someone steps in for a quick question, I just hit pause and can hear them with the phones on. My Etymotics would be too much work to take on and off all day. If I could go hours at a time without interruption though, I most definitely would use the Etys.
I can imagine that. That's why I'm not considering Etys for use at work. I'd have to take them off often when someone walks up to my desk to say something.
I have noticed that the MX500 provide some decent isolation and still allow you to hear people if you hit Pause. But my office is usually kinda quiet...
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post #12 of 12
4/22/02 at 1:32pm
Thread Starter 
Hello Guys,


Thanks for you comments. I am going to buy the ER6 in a few weeks.
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