Best sub $100 IEM's with the least isolation

[mushu]

I love my MD-33's, but want to take a step up. I've been looking at the ety er-6(i)'s, e2's and the super.fi 3's, possibly even the westone um1's. Which of these earphones sound best while being the most comfortable and blocking out the least outside noise (weird I know, but I stil want to hear small amounts of noise for whatever reason)?

Also, is the bass really that much better on the er6i's comapared to the regular er6, because white buds really annoy me

 

[nikongod]

for least isolation, get earbuds.

i like the sony mdr-e888's, sennheiser makes a set or 2, as does audio-technica.

they isolate about as well as grados, maybe a little better.

 

[Spiritboxer]

A large factor with isolation may be which sleeve/tip you use rather than which IEM it's on. On another note, Ety's supposedly have the *best* isolation so you may want to eliminate them as a choice.

 

[Stangs55]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spiritboxer A large factor with isolation may be which sleeve/tip you use rather than which IEM it's on. On another note, Ety's supposedly have the *best* isolation so you may want to eliminate them as a choice.

True, I would DEFINATLY avoid the Ety's if you don't desire isolation.

 

[mushu]

Ok thanks. I'm tempted towards the shure's now (could get a good used pair of e3's I suppose), but do they isolate noise significantly more than the EX51/MD33 type of earphones?

 

[elephantman]

why do u want iems if u dont want isolation?

 

[mushu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elephantman why do u want iems if u dont want isolation?

Haha, good question. I like the isolation to a certain extent, but I still want to be aware of what's actually happening around me

. They also give better SQ and are more comfortable compared to regular earphones, and are more practial than full sized cans (for portable use anyway)

 

[Mr Iriver]

Isolation depends on the tip you use. Either etys or shures will give you similar isolation if you use the same tips. The best tips I can think off that isolate enough, yet not overly so are the shure soft flex tips. They work on both the ER6i/ER4, and of course in every shure IEM (the E2c ones are only compatible with the E2c). Out of the ER4, ER6i, and E3 my favorite is the E3. If you want to use an ety phone however you can still purchase the tips from shure, and they'll work, except on the ER6 (The black IEM). Whenever you want crazy amounts of isolation then you can switch to the ety black foamies also compatible with the etys (of course), and the shure E3 and up.

 

[Chri5peed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mushu Ok thanks. I'm tempted towards the shure's now (could get a good used pair of e3's I suppose), but do they isolate noise significantly more than the EX51/MD33 type of earphones?

Dunno if I'd want used headphones, especially IEMs.

They might be scrupulously clean but its like buying used socks!

 

[Spiritboxer]

This is a bit off topic but if you want good sound with minimal isolation you might want to look into the Koss Porta Pro/ KSC75 or the Sennheiser PX 100. Head phones seem to have better bang for the buck than any IEM I've had so far though that may change next week.