meatman
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2002
- Posts
- 15
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This past week I started an RTW (round the world) ticket that went (DFW-LGW-CDG-LHR-)JNB-HKG-NRT-HKG-SFO-DFW. For those of you that don't fly a lot that means I purchased a separate ticket Dallas-London Gatwick-Paris De Gaulle-London Heathrow-Johannesbourg, and then used the RTW ticket Jo'burg-Hong Kong-Tokyo Narita-Hong Kong-San Fran-Dallas. The outbound to JNB was done in one shot and the entire trip was 8 days, thus I had a LOT of time to play with different headphones. On this trip I took my iPod, a D-E900, and my trusty region-hacked Sony DVP-FX1 DVD player, along with the stock iPod headphones, the Sony NC-10 noise cancelling in-ear phones and the Etymotic ER-4P. I also had a chance to compare the Sony NC-5 which Cathay Pacific provides. (CX actually provides a different model but it's functionally identical to the NC-5 with a proprietary connector so they can't be used elsewhere.) I used the the phones both straight and with a Total Airhead. Source material was everything from BT and Paul Oakenfeld to the French version of Notre Dame de Paris, Patricia Kaas and the Yellowjackets, as well as Magnolia, the Matrix and a lot of other movies while I was at it
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I quickly relegated the iPod headphones to the bottom of the backpack as they were worthless in flight. I had to turn them up uncomfortably high to be able to hear decently while in flight and the sound quality, while not bad for stock, wasn't worth putting up with the high levels. I also quickly ditched the NC-5s. The level of isolation provided was minimal and the noise cancelling effect, while evident was greatly diminished by this lack of isolation. Thus, I spent most of my time between the Etys and the NC-10s.
Based on a tip I found here, I purchased the Comply eartips which give me the most comfortable fit I've found so far. I really need to get custom earmolds but the Complys fit well enough that I was able to live with the Etys for extended listening. As a Bose QuietComfort owner, I will say here and now that nothing, and I mean NOTHING is as good as the Ety's for in-flight usage. They quash noise like nothing else. That being said, they are NOT the end-all be-all for in flight usage. For those in coach, where there's not a lot of in-flight service it won't be an issue but I was in F for this trip and as such had flight attendants checking on me quite often. It was a royal pain (and even painful) to have to remove the Etys to converse, and even with the sound all the way down it was impossible to hear with them in. In this respect, the Sony NC-10 was better as it's easier to remove and reinsert. I got a decent seal with the NC-10s but I didn't find them a great deal more comfortable than the ER-4Ps due to the ridge that protrudes from the side of the phone. Basically what I found is that after 12 hours of usage, ANY phone will irritate you. However, the Etys, if left alone, become fairly irritation-free whereas the Sonys get more uncomfortable the longer one uses them. Also, the Sony 'phones are very much inferior to the Etys both with regards to noise reduction and sound quality. I found that the NC-10s only put out deep bass with the N/C circuitry turned off, and either way bass was boomy, lumpy and overexaggerated.
For those that can't deal with an in ear phone, I will recommend the Bose. They do a good job of isolation and provide a marked reduction of in-flight noise. The circuitry they use is more effective than the Sony units and they are very VERY comfortable for hours on end usage. The sound quality is very much in the Bose vein but once your ears have adjusted they are not grossly offensive. They're actually easier to sleep in than the Etys. That being said, I didn't bring them on this trip and probably won't ever use them again. The Etys are much more convenient and are far easier to pack, they also provide much more isolation.
I quickly relegated the iPod headphones to the bottom of the backpack as they were worthless in flight. I had to turn them up uncomfortably high to be able to hear decently while in flight and the sound quality, while not bad for stock, wasn't worth putting up with the high levels. I also quickly ditched the NC-5s. The level of isolation provided was minimal and the noise cancelling effect, while evident was greatly diminished by this lack of isolation. Thus, I spent most of my time between the Etys and the NC-10s.
Based on a tip I found here, I purchased the Comply eartips which give me the most comfortable fit I've found so far. I really need to get custom earmolds but the Complys fit well enough that I was able to live with the Etys for extended listening. As a Bose QuietComfort owner, I will say here and now that nothing, and I mean NOTHING is as good as the Ety's for in-flight usage. They quash noise like nothing else. That being said, they are NOT the end-all be-all for in flight usage. For those in coach, where there's not a lot of in-flight service it won't be an issue but I was in F for this trip and as such had flight attendants checking on me quite often. It was a royal pain (and even painful) to have to remove the Etys to converse, and even with the sound all the way down it was impossible to hear with them in. In this respect, the Sony NC-10 was better as it's easier to remove and reinsert. I got a decent seal with the NC-10s but I didn't find them a great deal more comfortable than the ER-4Ps due to the ridge that protrudes from the side of the phone. Basically what I found is that after 12 hours of usage, ANY phone will irritate you. However, the Etys, if left alone, become fairly irritation-free whereas the Sonys get more uncomfortable the longer one uses them. Also, the Sony 'phones are very much inferior to the Etys both with regards to noise reduction and sound quality. I found that the NC-10s only put out deep bass with the N/C circuitry turned off, and either way bass was boomy, lumpy and overexaggerated.
For those that can't deal with an in ear phone, I will recommend the Bose. They do a good job of isolation and provide a marked reduction of in-flight noise. The circuitry they use is more effective than the Sony units and they are very VERY comfortable for hours on end usage. The sound quality is very much in the Bose vein but once your ears have adjusted they are not grossly offensive. They're actually easier to sleep in than the Etys. That being said, I didn't bring them on this trip and probably won't ever use them again. The Etys are much more convenient and are far easier to pack, they also provide much more isolation.
