[Fried Fish]

I was looking some Canal Phones (Under $125) that are going to be pretty comfortable. Any Suggestions?

I am currently using the B&O A8 and hate them.

Thanks.

 

[LaBreaHead]

First post! Sorry it had to be a negative one ...

For basic comfort, the silicone comfort ear tips on conventional (no ear clip) canal phones can be very straightforward and comfortable. For noise-cancelling in-ear monitors, foam ear tips can be very comfortable and more noise isolating than the silicones.

One suggestion: look into the Etymotics ER6i's for about $80 - $89 online. When used with foamies (extra expense, but worth it for many on Head-Fi ... the black Shure foamies last much longer than the other brands out there currently), they are very light, small and comfortable. No clip and not even a wire worn over the ear (unless you want to). There are others to choose from, of course. I hope you get some good suggestions.

 

[monolith]

Westone UM1s. I can't imagine any IEM being more comfortable than these. They totally disappear. I believe there's a pair for sale at about $80 in the FS forum right now. Pounce!

For what it's worth, I tried the Etymotic ER6 (which is the same size and shape as the ER6i), and couldn't stand to wear it more than a few minutes with either the biflange tips or the foams.

Between the two, I use a pair of Shure E2Cs. They were reasonably comfortable, but for a few extra bucks the UM1s best them substantially in all ways (including/especially comfort).

 

[solvexyz]

I have not personally tried UM1, but I have owned UM2 and think it the fit is very similar to UM1, and to me, it is extremely comfortable.

 

[monolith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by solvexyz /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have not personally tried UM1, but I have owned UM2 and think it the fit is very similar to UM1, and to me, it is extremely comfortable.

Yeah, it's the same idea. If anything, the UM1 might be a little more comfortable because it's a little smaller. Those Comply tips are works of art.

 

[LaBreaHead]

Yeah -- the Comply foamies are excellent (they're what "sold" the ER6i's for me after I put them on instead of flanges). They are the most comfortable, but they don't last nearly as long as the black Shure foamies, though.

Just thought the OP should know that Comply use isn't restricted to the Westones ...

 

[monolith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaBreaHead /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah -- the Comply foamies are excellent (they're what "sold" the ER6i's for me after I put them on instead of flanges). They are the most comfortable, but they don't last nearly as long as the black Shure foamies, though. Just thought the OP should know that Comply use isn't restricted to the Westones ...

Comply tips fit on ER6is? Really? I remember the ER6 I had having a really wide tube thing (the part over which the tips fit), while the Westones have a very thin one (a la the new Shure line).

 

[Antony6555]

I would highly recommend the altec lansing iM176k, which can be had for $105 from amazon. They will probably sound significantly better than um1, e2c, or er-6. In terms of comfort, sleeves make the biggest difference and I think you can use the Shure and Westone sleeves with them. This should make their comfort about equal to the e2c, um1 etc. and they should sound leagues better. Otherwise, I recommend er-6 over um1 and e2c because they have much better clarity.

 

[LaBreaHead]

The ER6 and ER6i have different diameter "nozzles," for some reason ...