[riddley]

Can anyone suggest the best non-canal headphones to replace my beloved Etys? I've had to give up canal-phones because my ear canals are overly sensitive to irritation. I've now got HD650s to use as my main phones, and I love them, but I need some portable phones to use on the bus.

So I'm looking for closed phones with the best combination of sound, isolation and portability, in that order of importance. Amped is OK. I'm looking to spend up to $200 on the phones.

I know there have probably been dozens of posts on this, but what with the search function not working...

 

[joelk]

Have you considered custom ear moulds? Mine are from Sensaphonic, and despite sensitive ears can be worn for hours. As a bonus, filters don't clog as readily, and sound quality benefits.

 

[luukas]

HD25-1's could be the ticket

The stock cable is quite microphonic, although I don't think it's a problem in this case.

 

[riddley]

Joelk, I've thought about custom molds, but I'm in Australia and it seems that it's very expensive to get them made over here - especially when I'm not even sure if I'll be able to use them.

Luukas - is the HD25 portable?

 

[joelk]

Hmm. You just need a good audiologist who can take deep ear impressions which can then be sent to a good lab here. I like Sensaphonic because the material that they use doesn't harden or shrink with age.

The whole impression process takes around 10 minutes and is painless. If you love the Etys, it's worth doing a bit more research.

 

[luukas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by riddley Luukas - is the HD25 portable?

I'd say so, yes. Supra-aural, smaller than Grados, one-sided cord and lightweight. The earcups doen't sviwel, but since they're quite small the headphones can be worn around the neck. Don't need an amp either.

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser...nsf/root/02976

But since you like the Ety's, custom ear molds might be a pretty good solution. Nothing beats good canal/earphones for portability after all.

 

[riddley]

I have eczema on the inside of my ears which is irritated very easily. Even using soft foam ear plugs is not good. Do you think that a custom ear mold would be less irritating than that? How far into the ear does it go?

 

[joelk]

My ears tend to be dry. The Sensaphonic mould is of a soft silicon, doesn't even need wetting for insertion. For my ears, it doesn't need to go very deep but creates a superb seal. They just sort of pop in and are always properly positioned. (This all sounds a bit kinky!

) I think that this would solve your problem for a reasonable cost. After all, they weigh almost nothing.

Frankly, I don't think that there's any substitution for a good canal phone.