[ponzio]

They have a Sennheiser display at Harvey Electronics on 45th b/w 5th and 6th Ave, the last time I checked it was in the middle of the showroom and didn't make for great listening, but maybe they moved it. I wouldn't recommend buying anything from them (too pricey and they go for the hard sell), but it is a good place to hear all the Senns in one place.

They used to sell Grado's. I'm not sure if they still do, but at one point one could go there and audition around 15 headphones from both companies. Another bonus was that you could buy stereo equipment from a 50 year old cross-dresser.

 

[citroeniste]

Quote:

Originally posted by jjjonah Rather not spend $300 on Bose headphones (let alone ANY headphones for commuting), yet I keep coming back to them. Has anyone found a truly better solution to block out noise while not disturbing others around you?

I think you're going about this issue all wrong. Headphones for use on mass transit should be three things: 1) as unobtrusive as possible; 2) cheap, in case of breakage or theft; and 3) good-sounding. In that order. Other 'features', such as noise-blocking are actually a liability, because they impair one's ability to be aware of one's surroundings.

I regularly ride public transport (courtesy of the Wiener Linien, not NYC's transport authority) and find the Koss KSC-35's absolutely perfect for the job. So, it's '35s on the road for me, and HD-580's at home.

NP: Sarah McLachlan, "Path of Thorns" (Mirrorball)

 

[MirandaX]

I'm not usually this blunt, but no way is noise-blocking a liability.

Average sound levels on a subway are about 100db (reference: http://sarah.hackerdojo.com/decibels.php). Without isolation or noise-blocking, you will have to turn the volume up on your headphones to 130db just to get 30db of dynamic range (enough to listen to). This is enough to cause hearing damage in less than five minutes of listening (by even the most liberal government safety standards).

Please consider isolating headphones; you'll thank yourself in ten years. Tinnititus/hearing damage is truly an awful experience.

 

[redshifter]

i agree with mirandax.

for commuting the criteria are in this order:

1) isolation
2) portability
3) sound quality

i've been commuting for 10 years and have used all kinds of open & closed cans and i can tell you with 100% certainty the er-6 is the way to go. period. my experience has also told me that open phones on the bus/train/plane are just a stupid choice. if you disagree with me now, come tell me if you still disagree in ten years and i'll write "i told you so" down on a piece of paper for you.

 

[gloco]

I agree with redshifter and MirandaX wholeheartedly. What about us folks who find sticking things like earbuds in our ears a bit painful? Can the ety's be compared to cheap earbuds when it comes to people finding them uncomfortable? I am interested in buying a pair of ety's for my MD walkman when i'm on a train, but will they:

A) slip out, ear buds never stay in my ears
B) just hurt, OUCH!

I understand that it takes time to get a good seal, but does your ear ever feel sore after using ety's for an extended period of time? TIA

 

[Onix]

Quote:

Originally posted by ponzio Another bonus was that you could buy stereo equipment from a 50 year old cross-dresser.

Hell, maybe he sold me my SR-60's before he got into his pink dress.

 

[pedxing]

Quote:

Originally posted by gloco I agree with redshifter and MirandaX wholeheartedly. What about us folks who find sticking things like earbuds in our ears a bit painful? Can the ety's be compared to cheap earbuds when it comes to people finding them uncomfortable? I am interested in buying a pair of ety's for my MD walkman when i'm on a train, but will they: A) slip out, ear buds never stay in my ears B) just hurt, OUCH! I understand that it takes time to get a good seal, but does your ear ever feel sore after using ety's for an extended period of time? TIA

Anything poking into your ears is going to feel unnatural. The ER-6's main housing is shrink-wrapped with a soft plastic with no sharp corners. The ear tips provide much cushioning for the short metal tubes that enter the ear canal. The ear tips also provide a deeper seal without causing severe discomfort to the ear canals because they are flexible and soft.

I can use the Ety's now for like three hours before I get discomfort. If you really want to see if you can withstand the discomfort, try buying the ER-20 ear plugs and try wearing those for like two weeks. They go deeper in the ear and they are thinner than the ER-6, but its a good start.

 

[citroeniste]

Two things:

One: We're operating from entirely different premises. You seem to want to block out all outside noise and lose yourself in the music whilst travelling on the subway. I don't. I think doing so is DANGEROUS (one minute I'm exulting in the 4th horn part of the 1st movement of Shostakovich 5, the next moment I have a knife in my side and am being told to turn over my Hermes wallet and all of the contents thereof). I think of music on the subway as kind of a soundtrack to my life, floating above the noise but not excessively so. My KSC-35's probably can't do 130dB, and I'd never ask them to.

Two: I wonder what subway the below site measured. I took my trustly Rat Shack analogue SLM with me today to measure SPL of Viennese public transport in the course of my travels. I had to take two different U-Bahn (subway) lines, one bus, and one Strassenbahn (tram) line. The loudest, the O-Strassenbahn, was well under 100dB. More like 87dB average. (The "O" is one of the old-style trams. I would expect the newer ones, just as the 67er and the J, to be quieter. The U1 and U3 subway lines were closer to 80dB average. Perhaps Vienna's public transport is much more efficient than NYC's, but I doubt it.

Believe me, I take care of my hearing. When I lived in the States I even wore earplugs to mow my lawn! But I find personal security more important that ultimately musical fidelity. And if I act thusly in a sleepy little town like Vienna, people in NYC should take loads more caution....

Peace,

Jay

Quote:

Originally posted by MirandaX I'm not usually this blunt, but no way is noise-blocking a liability. Average sound levels on a subway are about 100db (reference: http://sarah.hackerdojo.com/decibels.php). Without isolation or noise-blocking, you will have to turn the volume up on your headphones to 130db just to get 30db of dynamic range (enough to listen to). This is enough to cause hearing damage in less than five minutes of listening (by even the most liberal government safety standards). Please consider isolating headphones; you'll thank yourself in ten years. Tinnititus/hearing damage is truly an awful experience.

 

[zowie]

I, for one, make it a habit to never carry Hermes while exulting in the 4th horn part of the 1st movement of Shostakovich 5.

 

[delenda est Sony]

Huh? A 130 dB from headphones? Driven by a portable CD player? And 100 dB subways? I think the 100 dB figure is quoted as if you were standing right next to the train as it arrived in the enclosed station. Once you are on the train, there is a considerable drop in noise as even the crappiest NYC train has at least some acoustic isolation and the newer ons are actually quite silent. You definitely will not have to overpower 100 dB of noise once you're on the train. And Citroeneste, the NYC subways aren't _that_ dangerous!!

Your scenario sounds like a Deathwish movie!

And if someone does try to mug you, just wrap your headphones around his ears and blast him with a 170 dB burst of sound which should turn his brain to jelly...

 

[redshifter]

Quote:

The loudest, the O-Strassenbahn, was well under 100dB. More like 87dB average.

okay, so any volume on your headphones under the 87 db average and the music is drowned out by the ambient train noise. this means to hear your music at "quiet conversation level" (which is what i shoot for), you need another 40 db on top. that's 127 db for those of you following along. (an average walkman can get (depending on the headphone) over 100 db.) that is louder than an average rock concert, and even at 115 db 15 minutes a day is the maximum exposure before you start damaging your ears.

i ride all kinds of buses in seattle all the time in all neighborhoods at all times of day and night and i have never once been mugged while wearing headphones. even if you COULD hear them coming for you, a knife in your side is a knife in your side regardless of your headphone type.

you can listen however you want. if you want ambient noise mixed with your music, that's fine by me. just don't think you're safe from hearing damage by using open headphones on your commute, because you're not.

 

[jjjonah]

Thanks for responses to this thread.

just yesterday picked up a pair of senn 202's at virgin megastore for $43.
(thnx for the review, delenda est Sony and reports from others)

haven't had long enough to give a detailed description yet, but I am immediately pleased about the sound I'm getting for $43 without an amp. (i tried the $139 ety's, and i prefer the senn's so far for the commute) to give you a rough idea, the 202 don't seem as good as the 535's (which may need amp, don't know) but they are CLOSED cans which are key to me because of my nyc subway commute. again, not a audiophile set probably, but they are driven *without* amp and sound nice.

bass sounded a little muddy, but what could you expect for this little $? also, they are by no means small, but they fit over my ears completely

only saw 1 pair left at the 14th st VMS location. i can't find them on the web either. what's the deal?

good luck JJJ

 

[delenda est Sony]

hey guys---

sounds as if the price went up over the course of a week! I got my 202s at Virgin/Union Square 8 days ago for $30. What's up with the price increase, Virgin??