Help for a noob. What are best sound isolating headphones?

[msdoran]

Hi there. I am a relative newcomer to this arena, and thought I would see if I could get some feedback on the best way to go regarding noise cancelling/sound isolating headphones.

Basically I just want to listen to music on my Ipod while using high noise machinery (lawn mower, snow thrower, machining tools) and protect my hearing at the same time. I also want to use the headphones when I travel to reduce cabin and engine noise.

I skydive and religiously put in earplugs everytime I am about to get into a plane, and I want to be just as zealous when I listen to music.

I have checked out the Shure sound isolating, and according to their "independent study" they are superior, and of course I have been inundated with the propaganda from Bose but I tried their demo and was not really impressed.

Any thoughts? I really appreciate any help I can get.

 

[rb67]

From what I've read, Etymotic ER-4P and ER-4S have the highest isolation of about 40 dB of any IEM when used with foam tips.

This is what I use and I find it extremely enjoyable on the plane. I don't hear anything but the music and vibrations that transfer from seat to body.

I wouldn't go for sound cancelling phones since IEM's are going to have more attenuation and generally are greater quality.

What is your budget and what are your music preferences? This will help us narrow down your choices as most iems isolate in the 20+ dB range.

If you have a large budget, custom IEM's may offer greater isolation, comfort, and sound quality. However you are looking at very high prices. Another consideration is getting custom tips for non-custom IEM's which will tack on $120 to whatever IEM's you buy. I don't know how much isolation customs provide, but I believe they are greater.

 

[lutwey]

x2 to the etys...........i don't have them but they are pretty famous for isolation.
they can provide such good isolation that it's dangerous to use it in public for safety reasons. entry level etys are just around 70 bucks

 

[pinkfloyd4ever]

wait do you actually jump while listening to headphones?

 

[cindyk]

I think all IEMs with quality foamies(comply, earsoft) isolate about the same.

 

[MaloS]

Yes, Etymotics have the best isolation on the market, and a whole lot of it. I did not hear the 40 dB numbers (that is ALOT), but I did see the 27 dB with tri-flanges which were quite believable when using em. It quite literally turns the world down. The only thing thats annoying is eating a good plate of nachos with salsa+meat and hearing every single detail of the crunching from your teeth because the relative volume of everything else is very low >.<

 

[Lord Chaos]

I've used both ER-4S and Shure E500, and to my ears their isolation is pretty much the same.

However.. are you sure you want to be using headphones while operating power equipment like that? I think straight earplugs would be safer, so that you could hear what the machinery is doing.

 

[nfsu]

Quote:

I've used both ER-4S and Shure E500, and to my ears their isolation is pretty much the same.

E500s isolation is quite poor: I've used E3s (which have really good isolation) and I've noticed that E500s isolation comparing to E3cs is nothing special.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nfsu /img/forum/go_quote.gif E500s isolation is quite poor: I've used E3s (which have really good isolation) and I've noticed that E500s isolation comparing to E3cs is nothing special.

Did you us foamies with e500? I personally get crap isolation with foamies regardless of the phone while with any silicon I get lots and lots.

 

[nfsu]

With foamies isolation sucks, I agree. However, I used them also with bi flangles and isolation is still worse than in E3cs. E500s also don't get as deep in ear canal as E3cs do.
Overall E500s isolation is still good, but it just isn't as good as in other Shure models

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nfsu /img/forum/go_quote.gif With foamies isolation sucks, I agree. However, I used them also with bi flangles and isolation is still worse than in E3cs. E500s also don't get as deep in ear canal as E3cs do. Overall E500s isolation is still good, but it just isn't as good as in other Shure models

K, I was just making sure I am not the only one for whom foamies suck =] I have not tried anything but e500 from Shure line so I cannot compare. I have/had in the past/used um2, im716, vibe, er4s. So far I think im716/er4s offer the best isolation of the four while um2 offers the best sound. Its isolation is not all that great though as I can hear myself typing this with em on.

 

[msdoran]

Wow, thanks for the fast responses, and after reading a few other forum posts I realize I should give more info.

Music: I listen to a range, but I don't listen to a lot of bass filled music. Heaviest rap I listen to is Tribe called quest. I like the jam bands, and more melodic rock (Gomez, Pink Floyd, DMB, Coldplay, Flaming Lips, OK Go, 70's stuff like the Doobies, Christopher Cross, Eagles, etc). I don't listen to trance music at all.

Price Range: I usually buy the best I can afford. I will drop $500 on a pair if I know I am going to get great sound isolation and excellent quality of sound in addition to protecting my ears from the ambient noise. Of course if I can find a pair in the $180 - $300 range that are just as good that would be a bonus.

Use: I don't use heavy machinery that often. These earplugs will mostly be for mowing the lawn in summer, snow throwing in winter, and travelling on airplanes ( I have an Ipod integration kit in my car so that takes care of that use).
I don't mind IEM's in fact I actually kind of prefer them to the over the ear headphones.

I will do some research on the Etymotics, and there seems to be a lot of praise for the Shure E4C's. What are your thoughts on that.

By the way, I lurk a lot of message boards on a variety of topics and rarely post. I usually see a lot of flaming when someone asks a simple question. thank you to all the posters who entered my discussion with helpful, insightful comments. I really appreciate it.

 

[rb67]

From the Etymotic website:

"Their external noise exclusion -- 35 dB with 3-flange eartips, 42 dB with foam eartips -- allows you to hear the full dynamic range of recordings without having to play them at unnaturally high and unsafe levels."

Whether they perform like that in real life, is up in the air. I do know that the isolation is very good compared to UE SuperFi 5's and Sony EX71SL's. The isloation is also greater than the ER-20 plugs I have (20 dB attenuation).

 

[bellsprout]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rb67 /img/forum/go_quote.gif From the Etymotic website: "Their external noise exclusion -- 35 dB with 3-flange eartips, 42 dB with foam eartips -- allows you to hear the full dynamic range of recordings without having to play them at unnaturally high and unsafe levels." Whether they perform like that in real life, is up in the air. I do know that the isolation is very good compared to UE SuperFi 5's and Sony EX71SL's. The isloation is also greater than the ER-20 plugs I have (20 dB attenuation).

that's a hugely exagerrated claim. 42 db is twice as loud as 35db and 35db is about the isolation of howard leight max earplugs. and flanges don't isolate 35db.

still good isolation tho. noise isolation is a lot better than noise cancelling for the price and u still get good sound quality. if u don't mind sticking things in ur ears, give er-4p's a go.

 

[shigzeo]

in no particular order: i have heard the same sort of question over and over and is always pardoned by a "im a newb" but everyone falls sucker everytime while saying "use the search function".

well, i fall sucker too as i just want my opinion out. the er4 series isolates far better than any other i think because of the angle. if i use the same tips for e500 or um2 (so think of all the other phones that are built the same and use teh same tips) i can readily hear the bus noise or car noise on the streets near my home. but, with er4s, i felt as if on top of that, my hands were over my hears (using same flange). surely, hands down isolation winner, er4p should be the same, so should the ironic lansing or whatever it is called that is based on the er4 series (and looks better).

cheers