[nrc]

i am looking to buy new high-quality earphones. i use my ipod all day everyday in a variety of settings (commuting/walking to work, walking my dog, sitting at my desk, flying, etc.). if i am going to drop serious cash on earphones they must work in all situations.

after hours of research i decided on the Etymotic ER-4P earphones. i was super excited and ready to buy them. however, a few more reviews revealed that these earphones often transfer a lot of noise when walking and/or moving around. general consensus seemed to be that any rubbing of the cord could be heard along with each and every step that was taken. i spend a lot of time walking with my ipod so this is not acceptable.

i was also looking at the Etymotic 6i along with Shure and Ultimate Ears earphones. i am open to any other brands as well. i simply need something that will provide outstanding crisp clear clean sounds with some decent bass. i want some type of ear canal type earphones and would like to avoid anything that goes over the top of the ear. i really don't want to buy an amp. i listen to all types of music (tool, grateful dead, radiohead, disco biscuits, pink floyd, xavier rudd, dylan, STS9...) so there is not one specific type of music that i can focus on. i listen to a lot of live music.

any suggestions would be so greatly appreciated.

 

[1audioz]

You're going to need a shirt-clip (to reduce microphonics.)

Just use the ER-4P with the cord attached to your shirt or something like that.

ALL IEMs have some degree of microphonics....this is something you cannot possibly avoid.

Etymotic ER-6i is said to be quite bass-light. As for ultimate ears; the Super.Fi 5 is quite reasonable as you can wear it both ways; over-the-ear and straight-down.

 

[Menisk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1audioz /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're going to need a shirt-clip (to reduce microphonics.) Just use the ER-4P with the cord attached to your shirt or something like that. ALL IEMs have some degree of microphonics....this is something you cannot possibly avoid. Etymotic ER-6i is said to be quite bass-light. As for ultimate ears; the Super.Fi 5 is quite reasonable as you can wear it both ways; over-the-ear and straight-down.

The ER-4P shirt clip is a god send. I've been able to use them when walking around the workplace without too much of an issue. I just hope you're not a basshead because the Ety's don't have much of a bottom end but I managed to get used to and appreciate the sound pretty quickly.

 

[nrc]

would i be better just going with in-the-ear/earbud style type headphone? these all seem so cheap and low-quality. are there high-quality versions of these available? besides the noise canceling what are the major differences? i might almost prefer hearing cars/people over the sounds of my own movement.

 

[nrc]

menisk - how does the bass of the ER4P's compare to the bass in the generic ipod earbuds? is there enough bass to support the music? i don't need a dance club in my head but i do like to have some bass...

 

[chinesekiwi]

budget?

 

[nrc]

$200...hopefully less, maybe more

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrc /img/forum/go_quote.gif i am looking to buy new high-quality earphones. i use my ipod all day everyday in a variety of settings (commuting/walking to work, walking my dog, sitting at my desk, flying, etc.). if i am going to drop serious cash on earphones they must work in all situations. after hours of research i decided on the Etymotic ER-4P earphones. i was super excited and ready to buy them. however, a few more reviews revealed that these earphones often transfer a lot of noise when walking and/or moving around. general consensus seemed to be that any rubbing of the cord could be heard along with each and every step that was taken. i spend a lot of time walking with my ipod so this is not acceptable. i was also looking at the Etymotic 6i along with Shure and Ultimate Ears earphones. i am open to any other brands as well. i simply need something that will provide outstanding crisp clear clean sounds with some decent bass. i want some type of ear canal type earphones and would like to avoid anything that goes over the top of the ear. i really don't want to buy an amp. i listen to all types of music (tool, grateful dead, radiohead, disco biscuits, pink floyd, xavier rudd, dylan, STS9...) so there is not one specific type of music that i can focus on. i listen to a lot of live music. any suggestions would be so greatly appreciated.

You can get Klipsch Image X10s for $199 on Amazon. Now they can be microphonic, but with a shirt clip and the slider, they are fine. I use them often walking the dog and they are fine. Read up on them here. They have had some issues at the strain relief, but I believe it's fixed and there is a two-year warranty. Excellent SQ, and in my view the most comfortable IEMs, at least in the top 3, and they originally MSRP'd for $349. I have a pair and use them off and on (also have Westone 3s).

The X10s or even the X5s ($166 on Amazon) get my vote. You can read up on them, but the cable noise can be overcome.

 

[Menisk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrc /img/forum/go_quote.gif menisk - how does the bass of the ER4P's compare to the bass in the generic ipod earbuds? is there enough bass to support the music? i don't need a dance club in my head but i do like to have some bass...

I haven't listened to stock earbuds for literally years. I personally think they have enough bass to support the music, but if possible you probably want to go and try a pair somewhere. I mainly love mine for the amazing top end.

 

[IpodHappy]

I use my IEMs for walking almost every day. Microphonics are a real problem. Here are some things I've learned:
1) Use the cords over the ears. If you wear glasses, push the wires under the temples of the glasses as they wrap around your ears. This will keep the wires in place and stop them from banging on the plastic.
2) Use a wire clip or make one.
3) The foam tips are best at isolating bouncing of the IEM in your ear. They also equilibrate the pressure inside your ear canal to the outside pressure a little better to minimize that "in the airplane" feel.
4) The lightest IEMs minimize the noise of the IEM moving up and down in your ear canal. A heavy IEM will move more than a light one.
5) A hard coated cable is worse for microphonics than a soft, very small diameter wire. The first cable I had for my Super.Fi 5 Pro was hard. The cable which came a few years later with my Triple.Fi 10 was far softer, so I purchased a new one for the Super.Fi 5.
6) Wind noise can be a real problem. As with cars, if you get an IEM which is aerodynamically designed, it will make less wind noise.

My current choice for walking--either the Shure SE530 or e500. The body shape and cable relieve minimizes wind noise, the clip that came with the PTH gadget minimize shirt noise, and the foam olives give good isolation from outside noises and jostling of the IEM in the ear canal.

 

[tstarn06]

Budget is less than $200, which leaves out the SE530. To me, the shirt clip and the slider do the trick. And I get absolutely no cable noise from the Westone 3s, which are my preferred walking and moving around phone. But again, they are more than $200. Wow, you sure have a lot of headphones (or is that your current and gone list?). How do you find the time?