Ear infections with Shure 530 IEM; need portable cans! Recommendations?

[McPaul]

So, I've had the Shure 530's for about two years now, and 3c for a year before that (before they broke). I've had 4 ear infections during that two year period. Other than perhaps when I was a little kid, I never get ear infections. I don't do anything to make me prone, the only thing is these IEM's. They have a good fit, are not too big, and I don't jam them up further than they should go.

So, I'm looking for a set of full sized headphones that offer good isolation, are portable, sound good straight off an iPhone, no amp. What can you recommend?

Shure 840's looked good to me @ $199 or less, but I understand the coiled cord makes them not very portable friendly.

Am I wrong with this understanding? and if not, what other headphones does this site recommend?

Not really pinned down to a particular budget, but availability in Canada is a concern.

Thanks!!

 

[K_19]

It's not so much the coiled cable of the 840's that makes them non-friendly for portable purposes. It's the weight/size of the headphones themselves and the oversized 1/4 jack that makes it cumbersome for such use. And while the two are similar in some ways, I wouldn't get the 840's expecting it to be TOO much like the 530's, either. Anyways, for your particular purpose, I would probably forget about the 840's. I recommend the Sennheiser HD25-1 II"s or the HD228's.

 

[TLY]

To keep from getting ear infections, I use antibacterial wipe on the foams every couple of days. The brand I'm using is called "Wet Ones". They're for your hands and face (not the cleaning surface ones by Lysol) and can be bought at any major retailer for a few bucks.

 

[nickchen]

AT ANC7. Sounds quite good (needs a lot of burn in though) and isolates like hell. I'm quite content with mine and would prefer it overall to HD25, K518 & alike.

If isolation isn't a major issue, look for an Yuin earbud. The better ones are audiophile monsters.

BTW, we also had such an infections case in the german forum lately. The poor man had spend a fantastillion on IEMs and finally decided to get rid of his complete collection, as it was far too painful when the doctor scratched crustifications from his eardrums.

 

[brilsmurfffje]

Did you use the comply foam tips, or the silicon tips? If you're planning to use them in the bus/train etc. Then you definitely need closed headphones, otherwise everybody can enjoy you music

.
How do you store you phones, if you're storing them in a carrying pouch? How does the phones look when you take them out of your ear?
Try to clean your ears and the phones more often. Also clean the carrying pouch.

sorry for the poor English, I'm from the Netherlands..
Hope you can understand it