[Eric_C]

Just to chime in: when we talk about "in ears" or "IEMs" (in-ear monitors), we mean stuff like:

 
We do not mean this (which would be better called "earbuds"):

 
I say this to suggest that you may have thought people suggesting in-ears were referring to the latter. In-ears actually use soft foam or silicone to stay in place, and are thus quite comfortable for many users. Personally it's why I switched from earbuds--like you, I found them painful to wear.

 

[JK1]

Quote:

i hate to sound stupid or ignorant but what does 
 
 HAM750 is 115 db/mw 32ohms, while the HD228 is 110 db/V 32 ohms, which equals just 95 db/mw
 
mean?

db/mw is a measure of how much sound in decibals the headphone produces with 1 mw( 1/1000 of a watt) of power. The difference between these two is huge. It is 20 db, so the HAM750 will play so much louder with a small amount of power. So the HD228 needs 100x as much power to put out the same sound level as the HAM750.
 

 

[JK1]

You were right about the HD280 pro not being so good for use with a low powered portable.  I forgot that it is only 102 db/V 64 ohms, which is only 90 db/mw, so it is even less efficient than the HD228. While the HD25-1 mk2 is 70 ohms, it is 120db/V which is 108.5 db/mw which is still quite efficient. I guess the HD25-1 mk2 is about the best isolating compact headphone, and for better isolation than that, you need a good IEM. The HD25-1 mk2 is around $185 though, and an IEM that isolates as well might be under $50 or even under $25. I think the Etymotic MC5 for around $50 is supposed to be one of the best isolating affordable  IEMs, although some aren't so enthusiastic about the sound quality.
 
 
 
 

 

[mrfizzed]

so when researching headphones how would i figure out the overall output in db using what you guys have spoene about?  btw i do appreciate all of your help thus far.
 
on another note....eric_c i thank you for your input but I was not speaking of earbuds but het IEM's when I said they were uncomfortable.  usually there were ok initially but began to hurt my ears after say 45-60 minutes.  I am often on a bus for 2,3,4, sometimes 6 hours.
 

 

[mbamg]

Quote:

so when researching headphones how would i figure out the overall output in db using what you guys have spoene about?  btw i do appreciate all of your help thus far.
 
on another note....eric_c i thank you for your input but I was not speaking of earbuds but het IEM's when I said they were uncomfortable.  usually there were ok initially but began to hurt my ears after say 45-60 minutes.  I am often on a bus for 2,3,4, sometimes 6 hours.
 

Perhaps you're not getting a proper fit? Have you tried switching eartips?

 

[mrfizzed]

so i went out and bought the sennheiser hs228 at my local store this morning and i will admit they sound ok but to be honest not nearly as good as the bose (mind you the price was $120 difference..i paid $29 for sennheiser hd 228 (69 retail), $150 for bose oe2..i guess when all is said and done i may just need to either suck it up with the bose and hope they suffice on my bus trips (which i do not get to test for another 2.5 weeks) or eventually shell out $300 for true active voice canceling headphones.  one thing i will say about the bose qc 15 which seems to be the way to go is that they do not work when the battery dies which i find rather annoying.

 

[Codefox]

Something to keep in mind, at least in my experience, is that ANC headsets will not do much against voice.  The sounds of the bus, yes.  They'll vanish but you'll still hear the voices around you rather well.  I had a pair of Sony ANC headphones and when I wore them on a plane I could barely hear the plane itself but the people around me came through crystal clear.  And since the plane sound was imperceptible, I could hear everything they said really well.
 
I think the V-Modas have pretty good isloation.

 

[mrfizzed]

interesting codefox...thanks for input.

 

[JK1]

Quote:

so i went out and bought the sennheiser hs228 at my local store this morning and i will admit they sound ok but to be honest not nearly as good as the bose (mind you the price was $120 difference..i paid $29 for sennheiser hd 228 (69 retail), $150 for bose oe2..i guess when all is said and done i may just need to either suck it up with the bose and hope they suffice on my bus trips (which i do not get to test for another 2.5 weeks) or eventually shell out $300 for true active voice canceling headphones.  one thing i will say about the bose qc 15 which seems to be the way to go is that they do not work when the battery dies which i find rather annoying.

Active noise cancellation messes up the sound, and doesn't even work that well. It is best for constant noise like an airplane engine, but not so good for screaming teenagers.
The HD25-1mk2 seems like a much better choice than expensive noise cancelling headphones. although it is around $185. The $40(Amazon) JVC HAM750 may be good enough for you though as it isolates much better than the HD228 and is also much more efficient.

 

[mrfizzed]

Imnot conetned about teenagers. The athletes themselves are older and usually quite quiet with their own headphones on. I am worried about the noise of the ambient bus engine. 

 

[aleki]

I have a friend that refused to use IEM's for the longest time due to discomfort. He always wore the on-ear clips. Long story short, they broke, and I gave him my Metro.Fi 220's. Not only was he surprised to find how comfortable they were, but he was blown away by the sound..
My mom also has sensetive ears, but she actually didnt mind the fit of the klipsch s2m I bought her. She now uses Ety's and loves the sound and comfort.
Now, if I still am not able to persuade you, you should check out the HD25-1 II. Isolation is excellent, and will drive fine on virtually everything..

 

[bubsdaddy]

Just FYI, the Bose QC15 is very inefficient as far as volume goes. Although they are wonderful at cancelling the low frequency noise of an airplane they require me to turn up the volume on my iphone to around 85-90%. I am not enamored with the sound either. The bass is pretty lightweight. Honestly, I have gone back to IEMs for travel. With a properly fitting tip (Monster Supertips, Sony Hybrid, memory foam type) the comfort is fine and the isolation beats noise cancelling of any kind.

 

[tinyman392]

I'd like to chime in with some comfortable earbuds that coupled with comply foam tips will isolate quite nicely...  Phonak and Westones (from personal experience) are comfortable as ever while still offering great isolation without the need to jack up the volume (just use foam tips; it's a must for maximum isolation on those models).  Shures look mighty comfortable as well.

 

[mrfizzed]

everyone is being so helpful on here....so let me ask this....what IEM would you recommend in the 50-100 range that will do a nice job on noise isolation and still be comfortable?  in the $30-60 range?  I had a bad experience with a pair if song iem's where the rubber piece actually came off in my ear.  maybe that is another reason I am so scared of these.  I had to have a nurse get it out with a very long pair of tweezers.

 

[stevenswall]

For comfort, isolation, and warm bass, you should try the Klipsch Image S2, or if you want to spend more, the Image X10. Both of these are far smaller than most any other IEM mentioned here, and have very comfortable eartips that are oval shaped instead of round: Most ear canals are oval, and there's less pressing on the canal wall with the Klipsch.
 
I really feel that you will like the sound if you liked the Bose ones, since both those and the Klipsch ones have emphasized low tones. Other than that, all I can say is try the S2. It's only $25, and will likely be the most comfortable earphone you've had in your ear. Other than that, it block out plenty of noise, even compared to the Bose QC 15:
 

 
As you can see, the S2 nearly matched the QC 15 for blocking out bass noises, and far exceeds it when it comes to treble. If you're comfortable spending more though, the X10 is even better isolating, sounding, smaller, and thus more comfortable.