[sml1226]

Just tried it today with my new M6s and honestly, it's not anything really good or bad. Sure it sounds better, but your focus is away from the music so it's not really all that beneficial so why not just hook the player up to the car stereo and deal with lower quality audio.

 

[b0ck3n]

To be rid of ambient noise and save your hearing.

 
Quote:

Just tried it today with my new M6s and honestly, it's not anything really good or bad. Sure it sounds better, but your focus is away from the music so it's not really all that beneficial so why not just hook the player up to the car stereo and deal with lower quality audio.

 

 

[sml1226]

To be rid of ambient noise and save your hearing.

 


 

Only works if you are alone though. Otherwise you're just anti-social. And do you crank your phones volume? If not why do you need to crank your car speakers? Speakers won't hurt your hearing if you don't blast them obnoxiously loud, but you can easily do the same thing with phones.

 

[vYu223]

 
Quote:

Quote:

To be rid of ambient noise and save your hearing.

 


 

Only works if you are alone though. Otherwise you're just anti-social. And do you crank your phones volume? If not why do you need to crank your car speakers? Speakers won't hurt your hearing if you don't blast them obnoxiously loud, but you can easily do the same thing with phones.

If you're not alone, you can still keep your IEMs in, keep the music off and talk with any passenger(s). The road noise will force the passengers to raise their voices loud enough to penetrate the IEMs. Conversation will not be a problem. If he/she/they fall asleep, turn the music on. Only turn the music loud enough to a comfortable volume. Road noise will make it impossible to turn the music loud enough to drown it out without reaching SPL levels that cause noise induced hearing loss.
 
Also, SPL that reaches your ears when you "crank your phones volume" < SPL that reaches your ears when you "crank your car speakers". This is because the passive isolation IEMs provide reduces (BUT NOT ELIMINATES) the amount of road noise reaching your ears. This allows you to set the music to a lower volume. Using IEMs will save your hearing.

 

[b0ck3n]

Quote:

 

If you're not alone, you can still keep your IEMs in, keep the music off and talk with any passenger(s). The road noise will force the passengers to raise their voices loud enough to penetrate the IEMs. Conversation will not be a problem. If he/she/they fall asleep, turn the music on. Only turn the music loud enough to a comfortable volume. Road noise will make it impossible to turn the music loud enough to drown it out without reaching SPL levels that cause noise induced hearing loss.
 
Also, SPL that reaches your ears when you "crank your phones volume" < SPL that reaches your ears when you "crank your car speakers". This is because the passive isolation IEMs provide reduces (BUT NOT ELIMINATES) the amount of road noise reaching your ears. This allows you to set the music to a lower volume. Using IEMs will save your hearing.

What he said.
 
 

 

[Demonic_Pope]

For those who use an iPhone 4 you could try the Awareness app. I just bought it, not for driving, but for listening in my office. 
 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/awareness-the-headphone-app/id389245456?mt=8

 

[R300]

I've experimented driving with my iems in, and actually found myself consciously checking my side windows and mirrors more frequently.
 
NB I drive a bank vault on wheels (Merc) which is pretty well sound isolated. _Possibly_ for motorway (high speed) driving, having iems with the sound at MINIMUM gives better awareness than turning the sound system up to be heard above road noise. Of course the very best thing would be no iems and no music, but then you have the danger of getting tired on long journeys (especially with comfy fat-ass merc leather seats lolling you to sleep).
 
However, driving around town with iems in was SCARY. I did it for one minute, and never again!

 

[Solrighal]

I drive a van day in day out and constantly see people driving whilst wearing earphones. In my opinion it's madness but then I tend to have little respect for most drivers to be honest. I find it safer to trust nobody. On a sidenote, my van stereo (Kenwood) doesn't allow me to direct dial a phone number whilst in motion but it does allow me (if I were ever to lose the required brain cells) to text on the move! Go figure.

 

[R300]

A van driver having little respect for most drivers, I can't believe it!

 
(just kidding - I drive a van for work too)

 
Quote:

I drive a van day in day out and constantly see people driving whilst wearing earphones. In my opinion it's madness but then I tend to have little respect for most drivers to be honest. I find it safer to trust nobody. On a sidenote, my van stereo (Kenwood) doesn't allow me to direct dial a phone number whilst in motion but it does allow me (if I were ever to lose the required brain cells) to text on the move! Go figure.

 

 

[Solrighal]

Lol, no offence taken. My dad always told me to treat everyone else on the road like they're an idiot. So far, so good...

 

[shane55]

Quote:

Lol, no offence taken. My dad always told me to treat everyone else on the road like they're an idiot. So far, so good...

Yessir ! That's the only way to drive.
And where I live... nearly everyone else out there IS an idiot.

 

 

[Solrighal]

I appreciate the advice but I'd really like to drive down the "Left Coast" before I shuffle off. Sadly it doesn't look likely but you never know.

 

[sml1226]

 

If you're not alone, you can still keep your IEMs in, keep the music off and talk with any passenger(s). The road noise will force the passengers to raise their voices loud enough to penetrate the IEMs. Conversation will not be a problem. If he/she/they fall asleep, turn the music on. Only turn the music loud enough to a comfortable volume. Road noise will make it impossible to turn the music loud enough to drown it out without reaching SPL levels that cause noise induced hearing loss.
 
Also, SPL that reaches your ears when you "crank your phones volume" < SPL that reaches your ears when you "crank your car speakers". This is because the passive isolation IEMs provide reduces (BUT NOT ELIMINATES) the amount of road noise reaching your ears. This allows you to set the music to a lower volume. Using IEMs will save your hearing.

My only problem there is that really depends on how well isolated your car is to begin with. And I rarely have my speakers anywhere near harmful levels and easily drown out road noise. Not completely, but that's a part of driving if you ask me. Music in your car serves as a distraction more than a source of entertainment and enjoyment. You aren't supposed to, and can't really devote complete focus to the music, so why do you need to have it loud enough to ignore the road around you in the first place.

 

[Train]

Why would you need complete focus to find enjoyment in the music?

 

[sml1226]

Why would you need complete focus to find enjoyment in the music?

Ok complete wasn't really the proper choice, but what I was meaning here is that honestly there is no point in higher SQ here when you won't notice most of the benefits of it. Enjoyment will be there as long as you like the song, but my point is why go out of the way to have better SQ when you can get the basic enjoyment of the music through the speakers? The song will be there regardless of whether there is road noise or not, so why not enjoy it with or without it?