I have two MK5s already but one has just started making a hissing sound (probably a bad cable).
Is Etymotic with triple flanges still the undisputed king of passive noise isolation or are there other options that have come on the market since I last checked?
I have two MK5s already but one has just started making a hissing sound (probably a bad cable).
Is Etymotic with triple flanges still the undisputed king of passive noise isolation or are there other options that have come on the market since I last checked?
Etymotics look like they would be good for isolation with the multi flange tips, but I've always felt discomfort with double/triple flange tips, so never gave Etymotic IEMs a try before.
I get about 30 dB passive isolation with the Audiosense T800. Best passive isolating IEM I have come across after owning or auditioning around 40 IEMs so far. That is has great technical abilities for a midfi set is also a plus point.
I use it for transit and also for stage monitoring. It really protects my hearing as I'm placed next to a full set of acoustic drums and subwoofer amp in the band. YMMV.
Cool! Hadn't come across that brand before. I see they sell on Aliexpress for about $300.
How do you measure the dB reduction / NRR out of interest? I know Etymotic claims they do 35 - 42, but 30 would be enough for my needs.
(There's supposed to be a construction project beginning down the road from me in about 10 days so time is of the essence and I can't afford to be too picky right now!)
Etymotics look like they would be good for isolation with the multi flange tips, but I've always felt discomfort with double/triple flange tips, so never gave Etymotic IEMs a try before.
I get about 30 dB passive isolation with the Audiosense T800. Best passive isolating IEM I have come across after owning or auditioning around 40 IEMs so far. That is has great technical abilities for a midfi set is also a plus point.
I use it for transit and also for stage monitoring. It really protects my hearing as I'm placed next to a full set of acoustic drums and subwoofer amp in the band. YMMV.
Cool! Hadn't come across that brand before. I see they sell on Aliexpress for about $300.
How do you measure the dB reduction / NRR out of interest? I know Etymotic claims they do 35 - 42, but 30 would be enough for my needs.
(There's supposed to be a construction project beginning down the road from me in about 10 days so time is of the essence and I can't afford to be too picky right now!)
The Audiosense T800 is officially rated at 30 dB according to their spec sheet, and I concur it is thereabouts, I can't hear anyone whispering next to me when I have it on (no music playing). With music playing, the person needs to raise their voice about 0.5 - 1 m away to get thru the isolation. It's midfi pricing, so I would recommend u audition a set before u make a purchase though. It has excellent details, clarity, imaging and instrument separation, U shaped sound. Though it is a bit bright on the treble, so not the best option for treble sensitive folks, but there are ways to tame it such as knowles filters, eartip or cable change. Other than aliexpress, it's sold on amazon too if I'm not wrong.
KZ ZS3E or KZ ZS4 are cheaper sets, each around 9 - 10 bucks, and they provide superb isolation according to some of my audiophile friends. Though don't expect much in sound quality for these 2 for the price!
Do u have custom IEMs? Those will probably give the best passive isolation in IEMs. Or even adding foam tips (instead of silicone ones) do give better isolation to me in general.
I think the etymotics still rule (I use both tri-flange and Comply 100Tx foamies), they claim 35-42 db isolation, but lately I use more the Klipsch X12i with the same Comply foamies and get about the same isolation - I use them mainly on airplanes.
Remember, that etymotic has a trade-in program - send in your faulty mk5 for a real hefty discount on any new product (IIRC you can get the ER3 for $120 or so with this program)
I don't know if they are the king or not but my ER4XRs have unbelievable isolation. As far as comfort goes, I have no problems but it must be ear-shape related.
For a non-custom fitted IEM pair, ETY with triple flanges are probably close to the very top. There are also some other brands that use triple flanges, but foams can provide pretty descent isolations too.
I forgot to mention both Shure and Westone have triple flanges (OEM for Shure and 3rd party for Westone) that provides nearly similar isolations. I do use my older Ety with triple flanges, but use foamies with other IEMs.
FIY, If you're unsure about how you will get along with the comfort of the ETYs, do yourself a favour and order some of their noise reduction earplugs. This is obviously much cheaper than a pair of IEMs and will give you the opportunity to see if the fit will work for you.
I really thought that the ETYs would be a no go for me, but after getting them and using them exclusively for a few days they became really comfy.
Use Comply P series tips. Comfort and isolation wise they are perfect. P series are more expensive than other Comply tips but they are a better choice.
The Etymotic IEMs definitely have the best passive isolation. Even when compared to my custom ear-tips I use for other IEMs, the Etymotic still has the best passive noise isolation.
I was hoping for some hypothesis on why this might be so. Is it because the ETY body is so much narrower than other IEMs, maybe? Less noise transmitted thru the IEM body...?
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