[richard]

Seems the main choices for listening on an airplane are

1) Ety 4 - rather expensive

2) Ety 6 - opinions divided. A number of people find them uncomfortable.

3) Shure e2 - some prefer to Ety 6, some don't. A number of people find them uncomfortable.

4) Senn PX-250 - mixed reviews, better for cutting rumble than speach, may be sensitive to placement on ears. may be hard to drive.

5) Sony ex70 - very unpopular

6) Koss plug - also unpopular

Am I missing anything?

I don't fly that often, and am thinking of getting the Shure's, as they are the least expensive of the models that seem good. I certainly don't fly enough to justify the Ety 4.

btw, my source would be an ipod. Should be enough to drive everything, with the possible exception of the px-250.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[PeterG]

I find the Ety 6 work great for airline travel, no real comfort issues.

 

[SteeleBlayde]

If you're looking for isolation, go for a canalphone. If thats not a priority, check out the Koss KSC-35 and the Sennheiser MX500. Both are great for portability and they sound good too.

 

[MERTON]

senn hd 280 pro.

 

[richard]

Quote:

Originally posted by SteeleBlayde If you're looking for isolation, go for a canalphone.

I'm looking for a very high degree of isolation. A canalphone could well be the best. If so, the question is which canalphone.

 

[john_jcb]

Well I have 1 & 6 on your list. I use the Ety's for travel and at home or work when I want to be alone. The Koss plug I use at the gym. The Etys are everything you have read if you can wear them comfortably. Some people never adjust to them. I modified the Koss plugs with foam ear plugs to get a little more isolation. If you get them go to Headwize for easy to follow instructions. They are a little bass heavy for my taste but tolerable. I wear them to drown out the talkers at the gym. My advice would be to get the cheapest thing you can find and see how they work for you. You invest little and if you like them the upgrade path is clear.

I would not recommend the KSC-35's for travel. They leak sound disturbing those next to you and provide very little isolation.

 

[BoardC3]

I find the er4's to be incredibly uncomfortable if that adds to it

 

[Nights_85]

yes the e2's are damn uncomfrtable, BUT isolation is perfact!
Sitting right up the back of the bus ontop of the engine and I could barely hear it. does a great job of sealing u from the world.. downside is the comfort

 

[bangraman]

I can't make your choice for you, but the PXC250 is fine with the iPod. I use the combination quite a bit. The EX70 sounds like sandpaper in comparison to most of the others mentioned, and while I was using them for flying it was more a case of bearing with them than enjoying. Because the PXC250 is so comfy and the cancellation gives you a strange open feeling (and removes an incredible amount of engine noise), it's less fatiguing than in the ear phones. But unfortunately the screaming baby in the aisle next to you will come through pretty clear.

 

[acs236]

There is going to be a potential comfort issue with any canal phone, be it Etymotic, Shure, or whatever. The good news is that, if I'm not mistaken, a significant majority of people get used to canal phones just fine. I never thought I'd be able to use the Ety 4, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest anymore. In fact, I find my Alessandro Grado MS-1s to be far less comfortable.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally posted by acs236 In fact, I find my Alessandro Grado MS-1s to be far less comfortable.

Do they have the bowls? In that case the comfort is not particularly a headphone thing. It's a Grado thing.

 

[skagen]

Quote:

Originally posted by PeterG I find the Ety 6 work great for airline travel, no real comfort issues.

I would echo this opinion myself. The Ety Er-6 is great for airplane use - seals sound out completely and is very comfortable with the foam tips. With the foam tips I've done almost an entire transatlantic flight in slient bliss But the clear plastic tips are the opposite - its complete torture for me anything over 15 mins with the clear plastic tips.

The Koss plug is definitely comfortable as well but it doesn't seal of the sound as much - which does matter a lot on the plane. But its cheap - $20.

Of course you need an airplane adapter for all of them...

 

[richard]

John: I guess the Koss Plug is cheap enough not to worry about, but "tolerable" is not quite standard I'm looking for. Please give a bit more detail on your impression of the sound with the earplug mod.

bangraman: comfy is definitely an advantage. I'm concerned about not blocking out screaming children and other annoying chatter. Are they better at blocking out sound than the Bose that some airlines offer in business class? Also, I've heard the px200 is very sensitive to placement on the ears. Any comments?

General: which canalphones are more or less likely to be comfortable? I guess buying from somewhere with a good return policy is the way to go. Damn uncomfortable is not what I'm looking for.

 

[skagen]

The plug is a $20 canal phone - its not audiophile sound - its noticeablely murkier than say the Senn MX-400 earbud. But $20 is pretty much dirt cheap for a canal phone and its certainly gonna be 10X better than whatever the airline gives you.

BTW if you are talking about plugging into the airplane sound system - it aint hi-fi at all. In that situation, I could hear the limitations of the audio quality in the Ety's, so I don't really know if the Plug would be really a compromise at all.

But the Etys (with foam that is) block out more external sound and are more comfortable. I'm pretty happy with mine and I wouldn't go up or down in price - its a good value. And if you're just gonna turn on a walkman on the place its definitely the ETY's.

 

[XtremeD]

What are airplane headphones btw? Light small ones or what?

Dunno about you guys but I'd wear my DT770. I'd look like a lennie yea but I'd be the one with the biggest smile - bopping my head away to some serious bass.