BTW, I noticed we have the T61p and HD-280 pro in common. Lol crappy soundcard. Oh, took me about a 1000hrs to really get those puppies singing. 'Tis like watching them grow.

^----heh, my HD280's "really started singing" about 50,000 hrs ago, they get used almost 24/7 amongst me and my 2 dj roomies

I dont really like the UM-1s - lets just say I dont have *tiny* ear canals

Those UE super.fi 5 pros (clear) look pretty cool ... but I could get the SE530s for $50 more. I read a few scary reviews about the cord cracking etc... I was almost about to hit the Buy button. Do you know any seller on Amazon on ebay who is a Shure authorized dealer and sells the SE530 for ~$250 ?

Damn Im so confused right now ...

yeah you really want somethng with isolation, any shure would do well or ety or klipsch custom.

the IE7 is good but crap isolation so forget it, same with the denon.

etys isolate well but erm are not the most comfy things ever, so for me of those id get the se310's. good isolation, very comfortable and you should like how they sound too (especially if you like mids)

Sarjo_distributions offers the non PTH for 265 on amazon (non "Featured Merchant" doesn't mean not an authorized dealer the 2yr warranty is legit). PTH is the little mute+****ty mic device thats $50 seperate $285/w and completely useless. Consensus is 08+ models don't have the cable issue and most peoples cracked within the warranty period. Unhappy shure owners out there feel free to add you're 1/50 of a dollar.

trust mark, he has more than adequate respect for SE530 and clearly owns multiple levels of their products.

UE 5 pro is $190 at earphonesolutions but the cables WILL break and only the $45 Westone cable will not break again promptly so yeah, for $50 diff, I'd never ever go back. And with the SE310 at around $170 it gets more and more difficult to plug the UE 5 pro. cant tell you which of those se310 amazon listings is your best bet though

the Klipsch Custom 3's isolated very well and were comfortable to use because of the memory wire. microphonics are a problem when moving about, but in a flight chair they would probably work quite well.

the other alternative is to find a pair of etymotics, but make sure you get one with low impedance. they are now almost legendary for their isolation. you can also find quite a few sleeve varieties for them. the yellow foam/sponge ones work really well for isolation to my ears. check the FS forums and you might find one for cheaper.

For under $100 I would check out the NE-7M, they sound great, have good bass and cost about $55-60 shipped. It will save your wallet and give you a nice sound headphone. To help ensure they are give you good isolation on the plane pick up a set of Comply T400 tips or if you prefer normal tips picks up a set of Shure E2C tips (Foam or their rubber ones).

I fly very often both domestic and international and went through the same decision process recently. The IE8s were the best that I found by a LARGE margin.

1. Get a dynamic IEM. BAs are a waste of money on planes because their bass just doesn't cut the mustard over the din of the jets. SE530s and PFEs are crap on airplanes if you listen to anything with bass but are great for spoken word recordings. Sennheiser IE series, Klipsch X10 or Custom 3, Turbines, Atrios, etc. are where you want to be looking.

2. Don't listen to others' "opinions" about isolation. It is 100% dependant on the individual and the various tips that are available. I almost didn't get IE8s because of reports of mediocre isolation. Not true. I custom-modded the stock double flange tips with a Comply T-400 between each flange and the isolation is better than anything from Etymotic or Shure (out of the box). Do yourself a favor and spend a few bucks on various tips so that you can find the best match for your ears and your IEMs. Also, don't be afraid to do some mods yourself.

3. I'd also recommend getting IEMs that can be worn up or down. The SE530 can't but the IE8s, Atrios, X10s and a few others can. I find that wearing them down on airplanes is more comfortable when sleeping. Others might feel otherwise but it would be foolish not to give yourself the option.

Try the Atrio's, I think Amazon has them for about $175. The bass is reputedly sick on these. They definitely have a characteristically warm signature that many people like.

"1. Get a dynamic IEM. BAs are a waste of money on planes because their bass just doesn't cut the mustard over the din of the jets. SE530s and PFEs are crap on airplanes if you listen to anything with bass but are great for spoken word recordings. Sennheiser IE series, Klipsch X10 or Custom 3, Turbines, Atrios, etc. are where you want to be looking."

I don't agree. I took my 530's on the plane with me to Paris and all of the bass was still there. In fact, I felt the bass response helped to drown the sound of the engines. I will agree that a dynamic IEM might be the way to go though.

If you want to just buy one IEM, one keeper, then I'd go with one of the Senn's (IE7/8) or the Shure 530's. It really is a better idea to go for broke and get the best so you don't have to spend even more money to upgrade later on. If the situation is really impossible, however, why not see if you can buy a kickass IEM from a distributor to whom you can return them afterwards? Best Buy has this policy, as does B&H in NY. That way, you can try them out and have a set of IEMs to take with you on the plane!

Best of luck.

For small ear canals, I would recommend the klipsch x10 and the Q-Jays. They are incredibly tiny IEMs.

Thanks for all the valuable inputs, guys.

Narrowed down my choices to:-

SE530
Klipsch X10
Monster Turbines

Quote:



Exactly my thoughts. I dont want to buy anymore IEMs for at least 2 years.

The only things that keep me from buying any of the above 3 are:-

SE530 - Apparently these are to be worn over the ears. Im not used to IEMs anyways, so this might be a hassle especially while sleeping in the airplane, as kobayashi mentioned.

Klipsch X10 - Can't think of anything wrong with this one

Monster Turbines - I have smaller than average ears, so not sure about the fit. Also, I've heard the cable isn't top-class.

And as for the Atrio M5/M8 - Apart from a few reviews which say these have lots of overpowering bass, I dont have a clue about these ....

IEs - IE8s are out of my budget, and IE7s need like 200 hours of burn-in time. I dont have 200hrs; I'll probably be on the flight sooner than expected. Anything with a burn in of around 24 hrs is top priority.

I need something the sound like my Denon AH-D5000s (yummy) with amazing comfort (16 hr airplane ride aaagh). Dont want to be fatigued by a mini DT770/80 And again, I probably will use these for working out.

This is probably not the first time you've heard this, but I think Im gonna go broke if I linger around head-fi longer

Seems like you've got a pretty good idea of the pro's and con's here. One more word of advice though, comfort & fit reviews are probably the most misguiding things for iem's. Everybody has different ears not just in ear canal size but EVERY way, like a thumbprint everyones got different ears(save identical twins, they could use eachothers UE11's). This means iem size (obviously the SE530 bulkiness is a setback for you ATPIT), over/under fit, earpiece are all personal preferences you've yet to discover you have. I will say almost all audiophile iem users end up doing over ear with any iem for what that's worth. so keep in mind, the turbines and x10's come with a limited selection of tips, no foamies, only one style...

If you end up going with the Turbines, you're probably gonna want to pick up some different tips. I found the ones they came with to be quite uncomfortable and not the best for isolation. Supposedly the Comply foam tips will do the trick, but I don't own them so take that for what it's worth. The headphones themselves are great though.