[Audio-Me]

Not everyone's going to like Ety sound or anything else.

So far the following as been suggested:

Sennheiser HD280Pro
Sennheiser MX500
Sony MDR-7506

BTW, any pair of eadburds will sound "better" than they normally do with a better seal. Sennheiser should make some canalphones to drive these prices down and give some competition. I'm sorry, I just cannot understand the the extremely high price for earbuds that come with such a big hassle factor.

Personally, I use Sennheiser MX500 for the subways when ever I go down to Boston.

 

[jjjonah]

Thanks for the *constructive* advice. Much appreciated, and will follow your posted suggestions. Don't get me wrong here -- I *want* to avoid the bose! And the F train is one tough customer...

We are getting somewhere -- if the ety's are "gimmicky" then the bose are too. OK, point taken. Yet its not like all these headphones are sitting around at some shop waiting for us to just try them; Making mail-order purchases and then returning things is a hassle.

But about the seal, here's the thing, I knew from this forum that I'd have to get a good seal. Since I tried the ety's er6 for quite a few days I really *think* I did get a good seal; Moistened the buds, squeegeed them in there, and voila! ... sound around me DID drown out kinda nicely. And to test the seal, I could slightly tug on the buds and feel the pressure-pull change on the inside of the ears. There seemed a definite difference between a "seal" and a "non-seal" Still, I could be wrong ... but I think I did get a good seal ... and then ...

As has been said, the listening sensation is unlike any i've experienced. Novel -- like the music is emanating from inside your head.

No complaints about the bass, and percussion sounded great. Could hear brushes on cymbals!! That was nice. But here's what disappointed me about the sound for $130+ (and forgive the description, I don't know the terminology most of you know):

Even at maximum volume it seems like you have cardboard paper towel cylinders taped to each ear inside a large concrete room that had nicely detailed speakers sitting on either end. The transducers displayed a crispness in percussion and bass effects that were effective and comfortable (again, when properly sealed in the ear canal).

But, the midrange was pushed *far* back, like half of every band you are listening to is behind a heavy velvet curtain and the other half in front of it. Essentially, the highs and lows were not unimpressive, so electronic music like say, Underworld or Chemical Bros. was nice, but the midrange didn't do much for me, so a rock band like Throwing Muses sounded *very* compromised.

Cheers again from a newbie.

 

[ponzio]

It is crazy to think about how many Head-Fi'ers we have on the F train every day - I've seen people with Ety's on the F, and Grado's too - maybe I need a 'Team Sennheiser' pin for my jacket so I can identify myself, or better yet a 'Team Head-Fi' pin.

jjjonah - Did you have an issue with the comfort of the Ety's or just their sound?

 

[pedxing]

Hmmm.. Chemical brothers do sound weird with the ER-6, but then again, I wouldn't be surprise their stuff is mixed for more normal speakers and headphones that emphasize bass and treble. That is why many people on this forum own multiple headphones - some for fun listening and others for analytical listening.

 

[jcorkery]

Quote:

Originally posted by Audio&Me I'm sorry, I just cannot understand the the extremely high price for earbuds that come with such a big hassle factor.

It's true, the initial "hassle factor" is high, but once you learn how to use the Etymotics properly, they're worth more than the price and hassle combined. I was all ready to send my ER4s back after my first week with them, but I'm SO glad I didn't. Using them 3-4 times a week, it took me a good 4-6 weeks to learn how to get a consistently good fit. Now the hassle factor is nonexistent. I aim them up and forward into my ear canals so that the red and blue stems are touching my earlobes, I insert them no deeper than necessary to block out the ambient noise, and I use kwkarth's suggestion of putting a tiny bit of Debrox on the tips.

The ER4s are truly a joy to listen to!

 

[redshifter]

i can't comment on the bose as i have never tried them, but for my daily commuter bus trip from seattle to redmond and back (2-3 hours), i got the er-6 and have never looked back. please see my post responding to "er-6 seal" thread in this forum for some advice on insertion. i too thought the er-6 lacked personality when i first got them, but i think that was a combination of poor insertion and not being used to such a flat response. as far as i'm concerned the er-6 is the only way to go for commuting. of course your tastes may be different and so your mileage may vary.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by ponzio It is crazy to think about how many Head-Fi'ers we have on the F train every day - I've seen people with Ety's on the F, and Grado's too - maybe I need a 'Team Sennheiser' pin for my jacket so I can identify myself, or better yet a 'Team Head-Fi' pin. jjjonah - Did you have an issue with the comfort of the Ety's or just their sound?

If you see a white kid wearing glasses with the Sony 7506's wrapped around his big ol head, thats me

I have seen Grado's on the Path Train, no ety's yet. I do see a lot of Coby's which makes me want to cry, i feel like screaming "you dumb person, do you know what you are doing to your health?!" LOL

 

[Audio-Me]

Cobys! ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhh hahahahaahahahahaah, lofl. Thanks for the laugh gloco,

.

The only time I use earbuds is when physical movement is constant. People have complained about the microphonic effect of the Etys cables, is it a big issue? If it was loud and unavoidable, that alone would chase me away from them.

 

[ponzio]

Coby's - they all say 'Digital' on them, so they must be good.

I may have to pick up a pair of jWin headphones, they must be really really great since so many people wear them.

 

[gloco]

Sure ponzio, sure.....

 

[zowie]

I too ride the F train each day. I thinks its kinda bizarre so many other people on this board also do. I rarely see anyone wearing anything more exotic than a Koss, but I don't look for it, either.

I had given up listening to music on the trip - I had to blast it to less-safe levels to hear over the noise, and found myself lowering and raising the volume for each stop. Not enjoyable.
Recently I bought some Ety 4S's. Doesn't block out all the noise, as some had said it would, but it does reduce it down to, say, that of a well-maintained Metroliner - totally acceptable. No thefts or mishaps yet.

 

[gloco]

Cool, sounds like the ety's perform well. As for blasting the tunes on the train, i've definitely refrained from doing that. If it gets too noisy i just stop the MD and wait till we hit a quieter "bump." Damn that F train, it's noisy and always late too

 

[jcorkery]

Quote:

Originally posted by zowie No thefts or mishaps yet.

The cool thing about the Etymotics is that they don't look like they're even worth stealing!!

 

[FilmAddict]

I was in radioshack today looking at earbud pads and I noticed they're now selling silicon pads that supposedly fit most buds. Had anyone tried them with the mx500's? Might they increase isolation a bit? I was thinking of putting a pair on and then covering the whole thing with foam to see what it does to the sound. I'll probably wait though as my ears are still getting used to them.

On another note: I considered sr-60's, but don't you think it's rude to wear such an open air can on the subway? I get annoyed when I can hear other people's earbuds (not to mention a bit scared... how freaking loud do they have them if I can hear them on the F train from 5-8 feet away?).

-Jon

BTW, how many of you fellow F riders are on the LES?

 

[jjjonah]

gloco, the fit of the ER6 was fine, comfortable, even. had issue with the sound, see my last post for description.

anyway, i got some great ideas here and look to maybe check over at B&H to see what kind of stuff they have. I remember them having SENN's last time i was there, but didn't have time to play. any other good stores in NYC?