[KenW]

Just returned from Turks and Caicos and both legs of the trip to and from the British island were hellish and a total nightmare! I can handle my luggage taking a flight 10 hours later. I can also handle the mother changing her baby in the seat in front of me but the screaming kids both in front of and in back of me ON EVERY FREAKING LEG OF THE FLIGHT pushed me over the top! I'd have given my right arm for either some plugs or better yet some good isolating canal phones. BTW, did I mention that American Airlines has some of the LOUDEST darned engines in the industry!? Several times I wondered if a window was open

or perhaps I'd been given a seat on the wing!

After working the search(thank goodness thats back!!

), I've gotten the impression that the Ety's have the best performance in terms of isolation. True? Opinions? Suggestions?

Finally, just how much isolation am I looking at with these phones? Frankly, I'm willing to sacrifice quality(

blasphemy I know but you'd have to have been on the plane with me to understand the level of torment I endured) for the highest level of isolation. Know the UE lineup is likely the best but I can't do that much for canal phones right now.

Appreciate any help as I absolutely refuse to go through that again!

BTW, avoid American at all costs. Uuuggghhhh!!!

 

[AuroraProject]

I just returned from a trip to England and had a chance to use my new Ety's on the flights. Bottom line for me: Sound quality is excellent, isolation is not as good as I had hoped. Using the white 3 flange tips I could still hear the drone of the engines over the music, unless I listened at some ludicrous volume level. I eventually settled for some E.A.R. 33db foam earplugs to try and get some sleep.

As a side note, my flight was with Air Canada with a layover in Calgary going, and a layover in Vancouver returning. I will never go cheap like I did this time, this was quite possibly the worst trip to the UK I've taken. From now on it's San Fran to Heathrow straight through on British or Virgin!

 

[varunku]

I use Ety 4p with the foam tips on airlines, i find the foam tips better than 3-flange eartips for isolation.

 

[rsaavedra]

Something that has now happened to me twice at the office, listening to my Shure E3c's using the dark gray rubber sleeves. Listening at normal to low volume levels. Some times I check the phone to my left, no messages, continue working on the computer while listening to music with the Shures, few minutes later check the phone again and there's the red light blinking! A message went to my voice mail, and that happened while I was right there, meaning, I couldn't hear at all the phone ringing just 2 feet away from me. If there's no music playing I can hear the phone for sure, muffled but is detectable, workplace is very silent most of the time. Now playing music at normal to low volumes through the E3c's means phone ringing, and pretty much everything else, e.g. other phones ringing, nearby conversations etc., go basically mute for me. Very good isolation. Ah and I like the sound of course

 

[KenW]

Sounds promising! Have you had an opportunity to compare the 4p's and the E3c's in terms of isolation? I suppose the 'sound quality' is subjective but the isolation should be easy to pin down. For that matter, has anyone on the board had the opportunity to compare these two from an isolation standpoint? How's the comfort?

Anyone?

edit: btw, do the Shure's have the problem with microphonics that the Ety's do?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsaavedra Something that has now happened to me twice at the office, listening to my Shure E3c's using the dark gray rubber sleeves. Listening at normal to low volume levels. Some times I check the phone to my left, no messages, continue working on the computer while listening to music with the Shures, few minutes later check the phone again and there's the red light blinking! A message went to my voice mail, and that happened while I was right there, meaning, I couldn't hear at all the phone ringing just 2 feet away from me. If there's no music playing I can hear the phone for sure, muffled but is detectable, workplace is very silent most of the time. Now playing music at normal to low volumes through the E3c's means phone ringing, and pretty much everything else, e.g. other phones ringing, nearby conversations etc., go basically mute for me. Very good isolation. Ah and I like the sound of course

 

[kyrie]

Shures (well, at least the E3) don't really have any microphonics at all, especially if you wear the cord "behind the ear" style, which is easier to manage anyway.

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyrie Shures (well, at least the E3) don't really have any microphonics at all, especially if you wear the cord "behind the ear" style, which is easier to manage anyway.

I wear them that way, with cord behind my ears, and totally agree, no microphonics at all.

Haven't compared with the Ety's side by side though. I did hear a pair of Ety's briefly (Wmcmanus's) in the December South FL meet. That was out of a portable, but too briefly, probably just 20 seconds. It sounded thin in the bass to me, but no idea right now what that portable was, or what recording it was. Wayne was giving away three flange sleeves to any who wanted to try the Ety's, I still have those sleeves.

 

[momerath]

Before I found head-fi, I had some Bose QC1s that I had a couple chances to use on planes, and used on the bus almost every day. I was very excited about the level of isolation, and though I knew the bass was a little boomy, they sounded better than any phones I'd had up to that point.
Now I have ER-4Ps and I think the step up in quality AND isolation, is greater between the $300 QC1s and the Ety's than the step up between the few <$100 closed sony and kosses I've had in the past.
I haven't yet had a chance to fly with the Ety's, so the gain in isolation is in bus and work environments. I'm getting fairly good at reading lips

And this is without the S cable, which I have and will be putting to use as soon as my Headsave Vibe and Ack! dAck! arrive

Edit: I have no trouble wrapping the Ety's cords over my ears. I just adjust the shirt clip so that I have just enough give that they dont pull if I turn my head, but not so much that they can flop around, and I get virtually zero microphonics. Thats another thing I like about them better than the QC1s; the Bose microphonics were so bad I sometimes took them off while walking because of it.

 

[rextrade]

I haven't compared the etys to the e3s, but I do know that the 4ps isolate better than the e5s--I noticed recently that with the etys at a resonable to low volume, I can't hear the announcer on the NYC subway at all, but with the Shures I can, With the music turned up a little louder, they'll be about the same. Not very scientific, I know.

 

[Terminus]

Yeah, I know, old thread, but...

The ER-4p's bring the noise floor low enough on the plane that even at very low music volumes all engine noise, conversation, babies, etc vanish. The stewardess has to poke me on the shoulder.
With no music I can distinquish the sounds of engine and conversation but have to concentrate to follow a conversation with the person next to me.