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true or false: IEM's are the only phones that TRULY ISOLATE

post #1 of 14
3/15/06 at 11:42pm
Thread Starter 
in my search for the perfect closed phones i keep coming up on the problem that it seems that there are really no closed phones other than iem's that can really isolate me from the world around me.

now.....granted closed phones won't isolate as WELL as an iem, BUT are there closed phones that you feel truly isolate you well enough? are they so tight on your head as to be uncomfortable?

of course it depends on your usage.

walking around a town > noisy town > train > bus > subway > NYC = bad idea > airplane > concorde > construction project > launch of the space shuttle

but...............for your needs, do you have non-iem's that you feel truly isolates you from the world around, or do they simply block out a bit, and keep others from hearing your music?
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post #2 of 14
3/15/06 at 11:54pm
false. bose quietcomfort II.

or you could try a decent company's noise cancelling phones.
http://akg.com/products/powerslave,m...uage,ENUS.html
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post #3 of 14
3/16/06 at 12:06am
Bose also has a set of high end noise cancellation 'phones

I was going to get a pair, but financial troubles kicked in and I had to cancel my order
http://www.bose.com/controller?event...set_index&ck=0
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post #4 of 14
3/16/06 at 12:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by YngwieJMalmsteen
false. bose quietcomfort II.
Are you joking? Well I for one can say that the best isolation I have ever heard was from a Shure E4. But then again I have never used high end cans with active noise canceling.
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post #5 of 14
3/16/06 at 12:10am
The Bose QuietComfort 2 isolates okay. I've used a pair on the airplane, and while it's more tolerable, it's not like you forget that you're on an airplane unless you really turn up the music. My Shure e2 didn't truly isolate me while on an airplane either. I think that any head/earphones can truly isolate as long as you crank them up, but I think that IEMs are more suited. the QC2 deals the best with certain kinds of noise, mostly the lower frequencies. Your results depend on your usage.
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post #6 of 14
3/16/06 at 12:31am
This is an interesting topic. It would seem that there should be more super isolating closed headphones since there are certainly earmuffs for construction work, etcetera that rival earplugs as far as isolation go. I would guess it has something to do with acoustics and/or weight issues.
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post #7 of 14
3/16/06 at 12:49am
Try taking a walk on a city street with your "closed" headphones and see if they isolate well enough. The only phones that seem to isolate enough to block out traffic enough are IEM's with foam tips, and even then the volume has to be turned up louder than usual.
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post #8 of 14
3/16/06 at 12:51am
I've tried noise-cancellers. They're okay against constant, low-level rumbling. But only IEMs can block out noise at all frequencies, including speech and traffic noise.
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post #9 of 14
3/16/06 at 12:53am
My Philips SBC-HP460 (which I got in the mail today) isolates just as well as semi-IEM's I have. I was highly surprised by this. Not to mention that it beats the PX100's in sound.

I expect the same results from the FC7's.
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post #10 of 14
3/16/06 at 1:10am
the bose qc's use active "antisound" to make the outside world disapear. it works about as well as a set of iems...

and all of the "use" of the drivers in an iem is making music, how much is making music (as opposed to stoping noise) on the boses>?
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post #11 of 14
3/16/06 at 1:17am
Sorry - I can't hear you - I've got IEMs in
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post #12 of 14
3/16/06 at 2:01am
Foamed ety's are rated at 32 dB of noise isolation (NRR). That's competitive by earplug standards. Active isolation is really neat, but I don't really think it's at the same level as earplugs/earmuffs just yet.

-Angler

EDIT: As an aside, earplugs tend to win out at attenuating low frequencies and earmuffs tend to outperform at high frequencies. I wonder if anyone has tried an ety/earmuff combination...
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post #13 of 14
3/16/06 at 2:46am
Active noise cancellation works best on a constant sound--such as airplane engine rumbling--because they have to figure out the pattern of the sound and play back the opposite waveform (I think). A transient sound can't be processed fast enough to cancel it out. So that's where regular earplugs would work best.

I thought that the AKG K271S isolated pretty well, especially in the mid-low frequencies. My Ultrasone HFI-650's isolate the mid-highs better - I can't hear my keyboard while I have them on. I hear that the HD-280 Pro is even better. I'll have to try it someday.

EDIT: 'Course, I've never tried IEMs. But I voted 'false' anyway.
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post #14 of 14
3/16/06 at 3:43am
^^^ True.

I've tried the QCII and it seems to cancel out only constant rumbles. I seriously doubt it will cancel out sporadic traffic noises. However I have to admit that might actually be a good thing NYC if you don't want to get run over, because with the Etys on you have to look twice in both directions to cross the street.
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