[hell]

hey guys, nice forum you got here. i have little time but im shopping around for some decent earbuds to use with my ipod. all the music i have is mp3 encoded at above 192 and in most cases 320, so i shouldnt have as many problems with mp3 artifacts. the apple ibuds SUCK, though. my criteria for these earbuds:

1: they must be durable, as they will have to survive active duty training and deployment
2: they must not hurt my ears when i lay my head down...the ibuds really make me ears ache if i do this
3: they must sound BRILLIANT

you guys know far more about this than i do...what should i buy? money isnt going to be such a big deal.

 

[mash440]

Yuin Pk2's have been getting a lot of fanfare recently. Bog standard earbuds which sound like amazing full size headphones. Or so I've heard.

You'd have to order them so if you are off in a week you'd need to decide pretty quick.

About your ears aching, which way lying down? On your side? What part hurts? What sort of headphone doesn't hurt?

Also have a quick gander at the Sennheiser CX300. They are in-ear headphones which means you might not be able to hear those around you, but are also regarded as good value headphones here.

Also if you want COMPLETE isolation there proper IEMs and there are tonnes of different models available. These might hurt less if you lie on your back. Shure do a series and Etymotic do a model 'designed' specifically for iPods called the Er6i.

What's your budget btw? sorry about your wallet.

 

[kg21]

depends how much you are willing to spend and also if you can/want to use IEMS. Iems isolate the best and can be very comfortable but say if you need to hear whats going on outside they won't work. Also depends how you lay down and which tips you use. If you can't/don't want to use IEMS the Yuins are very well regarded around here like mash440 said. Imo the best portal headphone period is the etymotic ER-4 (this is without going the custom fitting route) and the er-4p version sounds great straight out of an ipod. The etymotic sound signature is very clear/detailed, if you prefer a more punchy sound/more bass you could get the Shure SE530 or Ultimate Ear triple fi. Etys are around 160-200 new, the shures and Ultimate ears are closer to 300. For me when compared to the ipod earbuds all 3 will definitely sound brilliant.

 

[Xenafor]

I'd hold off on the Yuins for now, as I ordered them from head-direct 6 days ago and haven't gotten a "shipped" email yet, and haven't received them so far. If they come today, I should know in ten minutes, I'll tell you. No doubt good headphones from what I've heard, but for your time-frame it might be less realistic, unless they offer faster shipping for extra fee.

Michael

 

[luckypictures]

Well, if you had time, custom IEM's would be the solution.

There are a few different companies out there, where are you located? You might be able to get them to rush a set, what with your deployment in a week. I don't know, I've never dealt with any of them before. Livewires is located in Castro Valley, CA. Sensaphonics is in Chicago, IL. Radio Partner is in NYC Midtown.

If money is no object, and you can get a company to get a set to you in a week, custom IEM's are the way to go.

 

[luckypictures]

Or, you could make your own, which I'm sure is not recommended or endorsed, and isn't going to be anywhere near as good as custom IEM's.

LINK HERE

Also, try your dentist or audiologist. They might be able to make custom plugs for you, which should run about $120 or so, and if you're a bit handy, it's not hard to fit a set of earbuds/IEM's to them.

 

[OverlordXenu]

lucky, that is incredibly dumb, remove it. You should always have your audiologist or ENT do molds. And always with that silicon/silicone stuff.

As for the OP, how much can you spend? Do you need to hear noises around you? Do you need to isolate/block the noises around you?

 

[vcoheda]

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-500...2567901&sr=8-3

40 bucks. much better than stock. could have them in a few days or less.

 

[LaBreaHead]

I would consider an inexpensive pair of canal phones to have as a backup, in addition to a higher-grade pair of canal phones or in-ear monitors (to avoid an "all your audio eggs in one basket" scenario, considering the circumstances in which you might find yourself).

Similar to the Sennheiser CX300s, but at half the cost (around $30 online), would be the Creative EP630s, a pretty good-sounding canal phone for the price. They seem durable -- no problems with mine (which I use as a backup pair) in the last year and a half (although conditions have been pretty sedate, in my case -- your circumstances will no doubt be different, what with training and deployment ... hence the suggestion for a back-up). A step-up from iBuds, plus they have the added advantages of staying put better and more comfortably in the ear than regular buds and blocking out some outside noise (not true isolators, though).

As for higher-grade in-ear earphones, I really like the excellently isolating Etymotics ER6i's, but if you're in a dusty location, the tiny filters might clog up faster. If you don't have tiny ears, consider the Future Sonics Atrio M5s (around $139.99 online, from Road Dog online via eBay ... list price $199). They're not the best-looking things out there, but they'll be in your ears, and they produce a really nice, bass-rich sound that's not bloated or overwhelmed by bass. The bass is there for when it's needed ... and highs aren't ignored, either. They provide excellent bass, and the drums, especially, come through well. They actually make my iPod Nano 2nd generation sound richer and fuller. The overall effect is very pleasing and nonfatiguing ... closer to actual headphones than most in-ears, at an excellent price considering the sound quality.

One or maybe even two five-packs of Shure black foamie ear tips should last you a year, even allowing for environment -- the (washable) foamies sound very good, are comfortable, isolate well, and last noticeabley longer than other foamies (some of which are also excellent, like Complys). Plus, the M5s come with diabolical-looking flanges that should provide sturdy backup for any foamies you use. Something to consider -- check out the long Atrio M5 thread.

The M5s would not be so great for lying on your side. The Creative canal phones, for example, would be better for that, as would the Westone UM2 (well known for its low-profile comfort and light, braided cords -- a higher-end earphone listing at $299), Ety ER6i's, and maybe some others.

There are many excellent earphones to choose from. I hope you enjoy listening to whatever you end up choosing.


__________________________
Phones (in order of purchase):
Sony MDR71, Sony MDR51, Etymotic ER6, Panasonic RP-HJ50, Shure E3C, Koss PortaPro 2, Creative EP630, Etymotic ER6i, Sennheiser PX-100, Sennheiser HD555, Future Sonics Atrio M5

 

[cmirza]

Shure E4C (or SCL4 as it's now known), nice balanced sound, very rugged cable and they sit very flush in your ear so you can lay down on them.

These are what Shure sells for their Personal Monitor Systems, so they're made very rugged. I think the only way you could really break them is by stepping on the earpieces. You can find them for ~$180 (avoid eBay and other shady outlets, many chinese knockoffs have been floating around lately), so even if money isn't a big deal, these are fairly affordable. If you need them really soon, Guitar Center carries them so you can get them ASAP.

http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Produc...o_SCL4_content

I'd avoid CX300s, Yuins, and definately Etymotic. While all are great (or in the CX300s case, good) earphones, they're are not rugged and will stick out of your ears enough to cause discomfort if you laydown on them.

 

[4ki]

Can't you get PK2s from headroom instead? Sure the shipping costs are higher, but at least you won't have to wait forever for head-direct to process the stuff.

 

[dima1109]

d-Jays lay flat against your ear, you can't feel them at all when you put your ear against a pillow. Sound is respectable, too.

 

[chef8489]

where are you shipping of to?

 

[luckypictures]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OverlordXenu /img/forum/go_quote.gif lucky, that is incredibly dumb, remove it. You should always have your audiologist or ENT do molds. And always with that silicon/silicone stuff. As for the OP, how much can you spend? Do you need to hear noises around you? Do you need to isolate/block the noises around you?

That's why I said its not recommended or endorsed.

And I've done it myself. They work great. They don't fit as well was custom IEMs, but they're better than stock IEMs. And actually, I'm using those to create a mold to cast my own silicon pieces.

Sure, it's not 100% safe, but why not leave that up to the individual. Did you ever look at an old Popular Mechanics? Home rocket building, radiation detection, finding uranium, build your own crucible for melting toxic metals. Take your pick. I just stumbled upon an entire series of brochures for mining uranium in your spare time. People today are too coddled. Like George Carlin said, "...in my neighborhood, no one ever got polio. No one, *ever*. You know why? Cause we swam in the East River. We swam in raw sewage! It strengthened our immune systems, the polio never had a prayer..."

 

[luckypictures]

Also, HELL, what did you end up getting? You should shipping out about now. Good luck.