[ballersonly]

I've been trying to make the switch from my Bose QC15 to quality earphones as I am growing tired of the space they take up and they are a bit uncomfortable for long flights. 
 
I recently tried Shure / Etymotic, but in the long-run I was disappointed with the bass response. After listening to them for a while I am much more willing to sacrifice some clarity for decent bass. I also looked into the UE SuperFi 5's, but saw that they only have 26 dB noise isolation.
 
Does anyone have any specific recommendations for a pair of earphones that have great sound isolation and good bass response? I've been hard-pressed to find a combination of both. I listen to a wide variety of music, but I've noticed that in the Shure/Etymotic the clarity made the bass a bit too crisp and also the bass felt weak in general (as many have complained about). I'd like a good balance as I do listen to classical and acoustic as well.
 
Thanks in advance. 

 

[Ypoknons]

Isolation depends heavily on the tips. Comply, foam tips and double flange should do okay. There's a ton of new, bass heavy IEMs out there right now. Alternatively, you could get a budget custom IEM. 

 

[niftymatt]

26 dB is more than you think. I've had Shure SE530s and Triple Fi 10s, and they are both very solid with isolation. SE530s have more bass, but I like the Triple Fi 10s more because of their exceptional balance.

 

[ethan961]

If you want a lot of isolation, use triple flange tips. Some IEMs with a thinner sound tube, like Etys, can use the Etymotic triple flanges. Those are your best bet for isolation. If you're fine with the fit of those, then you should look for an IEM with that same size sound tube and can use those same tips. Ety tips are the gold standard for IEM isolation.

 

[Ypoknons]

It depends on isolation at what frequencies as well. IEMs do pretty well everywhere, passive sealed headphones do great at mids and highs but poorly with lows like an airplane engine, ANCs do okay with lows like the plane engine but so-so with the vocals and highs IIRC. 

 

[ballersonly]

Any specific recommendations? I did like the Shure foam tips. I had a hard time getting the Ety tips in. 
 
Would you recommend that I go with the Triple Fi 5's with different tips?
 
Thanks for the help so far!

 

[IpodHappy]

I've had great experiences with my Westone W3s on planes.  I use the long Comply tips.  The isolation is tremendous, as good as the Shure SE530s with the Shure foams and better than the Monster Turbine Pro Golds with comply tips.  I tried them side by side on a MD80 sitting close to the rear engines.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I've had great experiences with my Westone W3s on planes.  I use the long Comply tips.  The isolation is tremendous, as good as the Shure SE530s with the Shure foams and better than the Monster Turbine Pro Golds with comply tips.  I tried them side by side on a MD80 sitting close to the rear engines.

The white hybrid Supertips are better than Comply for isolation on the Monsters.

 

[ZARIM]

SM3, MTP Copper,  Klipsch Custom 3, Panasonic HJE900 and Sony EX700.........

 

[rawrster]

I think you are fine with isolation with the majority of iem's in the market really. Etymotic has great isolation and you can't really beat that in universals. Other than that the rest of them (not including those open dynamics such as IE8) have good isolation. They can increase/decrease depending on tips used. If you can handle triple flanges I would really just pick an earphone that sounds like you would enjoy. Triple flanges are available for both the smaller nozzle (Shure, Westone, etc) as well as the larger ones (Monster, UE, etc). I have a set of MEElectronics M9 which has average at best isolation with stock tips but now that I am using monster triple flanges their isolation increases to very good isolation.
 
Quote:

Does anyone have any specific recommendations for a pair of earphones that have great sound isolation and good bass response? I've been hard-pressed to find a combination of both. I listen to a wide variety of music, but I've noticed that in the Shure/Etymotic the clarity made the bass a bit too crisp and also the bass felt weak in general (as many have complained about). I'd like a good balance as I do listen to classical and acoustic as well.

 
What that being said I would look at the Monster Turbine Pro lineup. The Golds and the Coppers are both good and provide excellent isolation especially with triple flanges and the foam hypertips are also very good. The Golds can be had for a bit under $200 and the Coppers around $250. IMO the Coppers are a bit more balanced but the Golds are not too far behind.
 
I'm assuming that is within your budget since you did not state it or I missed it.
 

 

[jussssss]

actually i kind of tested that this weekend, using um3x and customs. customs won of course   while the 3x isolation i think is superb, you just cant get the custom isolation out of a universal.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

actually i kind of tested that this weekend, using um3x and customs. customs won of course   while the 3x isolation i think is superb, you just cant get the custom isolation out of a universal.

This is not accurate.  Some universals can isolate better or as good as customs.  Its not uncommon for customs and universals to hover at around 25dNR.  You have hollow acrylic, solid arylic and solid silicone customs.  Each handle isolation differently.  Doubt many if any customs could equal a properly tipped and fitted ER4 in isolation.  Then you have custom tipped universals to add to the mix.

 

[DobsOnly]

Right now the Klipsch Custom 3's can be had on Amazon for $99.00. 

 
IMHO a great deal on a set of phones with a warm sound signature and good bass response.  The weak point is the cable on these.  Fit can be a little tricky until you get use to them but once you get it figured out they are very comfortable and do a decent job of isolating.  Although no where near my Ety's.
 
Not sure how it will work out but I just order a UM cable and am going to send my Custom 3's off for molding.  Hoping this solves the shortcomings I listed and makes for a good custom IEM for flying.
 
Good Luck!

 

[ballersonly]

Thanks for all the responses so far. 

On a recent flight I tried using simple earplugs rated at 32 dBs of isolation and used my QC15's with just the noise-cancelling on (no music) and still detected engine noise. Obviously, I didn't expect too much, but I guess I'm a bit worried about the potential for isolation. Sometimes I only use the headphones so it's not loud when I read for example. Can anyone speak to this?

Also, can anyone talk about the bass with some of these recommendations. I listen to a variety of music and enjoy clarity in acoustic music, but LOVE bass.  - For reference, I think the QC15's are a bit too weak for bass.
 
As for my budget, I'd like to keep it under $200 if possible. I'll be honest, my fear of the higher-end = some of my music is encoded in some lower VBR and I fear I won't be able to listen anymore because I'll notice all the imperfections!

 

[Anaxilus]

No Headphone or earphone will isolate the low engine noise being conducted through your jawbone.  Called bone conduction.