[ldj325]

I've got a friend who is thrilled about his Bose noise cancelling HP which he especially uses when on airlines. He travels for his work. As a good Head-fier I confidently recommended that he could get much better sound quality as well as sound isolation out of IEMs. Then I realized that the pressure changes might make IEMs very uncomfortable, so I back-tracked on my recomendation.

So for those of you who travel by air frequently, are pressure changes an issue with IEMs?

And/or what would you recommend for a frequent air traveler who wants to listen to his iPod unamped and cut out some of the background engine noise?

 

[warpdriver]

I just travelled to Asia with lots of stopovers, and I didn't find the air pressure changes bothersome more than usual.

I had my ER4S, and they were awesome, I slept great even with an annoying baby nearby. I don't use my Ety's much anymore but for air travelling, they are a gift from the heavens.

For an iPod, I'd say your absolute best bet is some ER6i's, with the standard foam tips. They are low profile meaning they don't stick out too much and so you can more easily rest the side of your head against something without the earphones interfering. For extra isolation, the triflanges are good, but they are a bit less comfortable. I can't recommend these highly enough. I misplaced my ER6i's and I feel pretty sad because I could have used them for my last trip

 

[ecclesand]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ldj325 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've got a friend who is thrilled about his Bose noise cancelling HP which he especially uses when on airlines. He travels for his work. As a good Head-fier I confidently recommended that he could get much better sound quality as well as sound isolation out of IEMs. Then I realized that the pressure changes might make IEMs very uncomfortable, so I back-tracked on my recomendation. So for those of you who travel by air frequently, are pressure changes an issue with IEMs? And/or what would you recommend for a frequent air traveler who wants to listen to his iPod unamped and cut out some of the background engine noise?

I travel a bit and use canalbuds out of my Ipod Mini...the Senn CX300 and/or the VModa BassFreqs. Blocks out much of the noise and the person next to me can't hear what I'm listening to. I can't recall any problems with pressure changes...unless you count the one time that my eardrums exploded on the way back from a trip to Detroit.

Just kidding....

 

[choariwap]

I've traveled extensively with superfi5pros and custom IEM T2.

pressure changes are fine as long as you know how to depressurize your ears (the swallowing or blowing your nose while pinched trick).

the superfis didnt isolate as much though and you could still hear a low hum. with the customs, i could see an annoying kid's mouth move but couldnt hear a thing, it just doesnt get better than that!

 

[jinp6301]

well the fact of the matter is that the bose noise canceling does a great job of getting rid of low freq sounds, such as airplane hum. IEMs work better across the spectrum but not was well as noise canceling headphones for deep sounds.

 

[ldj325]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecclesand /img/forum/go_quote.gif I travel a bit and use canalbuds out of my Ipod Mini...the Senn CX300 and/or the VModa BassFreqs. Blocks out much of the noise and the person next to me can't hear what I'm listening to. I can't recall any problems with pressure changes...unless you count the one time that my eardrums exploded on the way back from a trip to Detroit. Just kidding....

Yeah, that was the one I was worried about!

 

[ldj325]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinp6301 /img/forum/go_quote.gif well the fact of the matter is that the bose noise canceling does a great job of getting rid of low freq sounds, such as airplane hum. IEMs work better across the spectrum but not was well as noise canceling headphones for deep sounds.

So maybe there is a place in the world for Bose!

 

[breseler]

Bose may get rid of the lows but its the screaming kids and chattering masses I want to get rid off - IEMs do this far better than any active NC phone. Block out ALL the sound.

Pressure changes should not be an issue cos you're not allowed to wear any phones during take off and climb to altitude or approach to landing for safety reasons.

 

[jinp6301]

the best sound reducing comes from using both IEMs and noise cancelling headphones at once

 

[Davesrose]

Well if your friend is a Bose head, then let him be. I actually like noise cancelling headphones for airplane travel. I'm not much of a bud or IEM person, so I just can't stand having them in my ears. Noise cancelling is good for airplane travel because it only cuts out engine noise. You don't have to pop off your headphones to hear someone trying to speak to you, or if the captain decides to make an anouncement. Although, they also don't block out screaming kids

I have a pair of Sennheiser PXC250s I use myself. Bose are supposed to be better at some things: are they worth twice as much money? Well for a Bose fan, I'm sure they are.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davesrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif Although, they also don't block out screaming kids

The kid that was on my 14 hour flight was especially annoying. She was binary. Either she would be laughing giggling with utmost happiness, or making an annoying (seemingly forced to get what she wanted) crying noise. She hardly slept too during that flight.

Fortunately my ER4S absolutely muted all her noises. The $200 I spent on those ER4S was worth their price for that flight alone.

 

[digihead]

If I were to travel a LOT then I'd probably try a pair of noise cancelling headphones. Ear pressure on flights is always an issue for me so I have to be extra cautious of when I insert and remove my custom IEMs, as well as ensuring to release pressure on the IEM while wearing them. Sometimes I get the feeling it would be nice not to have to fiddle with them as much. The grass is always greener though. I recently took a flight to Las Vegas with my UE5cs. Incredible sound and incredible isolation. To the point where we were descending, I took them out and realized just how loud and annoying the two fifteen year olds were sititng behind us. I asked the person next to me if they had been acting like that the whole flight, his answer...yes. Fortunatley for me, I was completely unaware of it due to the isolation of the UE5c.

 

[Febs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by breseler /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pressure changes should not be an issue cos you're not allowed to wear any phones during take off and climb to altitude or approach to landing for safety reasons.

This is not true. There is no prohibition whatsoever on wearing phones during take off and approach. There is a prohibition on operating portable electronic devices--not the same thing. I routinely unplug my E4s from my iPod (or BitHead, as the case may be) but leave them in my ears during take off and landing approach so that I continue to get the benefit of the isolation.

 

[LaBreaHead]

To echo earlier statements, I wouldn't travel on a plane without my ER6i's (or another isolating IEM). It's really nice to mute jet roar *and* passenger chatter/crying babies. And I, too, listen to my Etys mostly during air travel, and they make the experience much less stressful.

For my Ety's (and for my purposes -- your mileage may vary), I've found that using the Ety foams or (especially) short Comply foams makes for a very minimalist, comfortable fit without the air pressure/vacuum/shifting seal issues that the bi-flanges sometimes have (maybe it's their diabolical appearance, but I don't care for the tri-flanges).

In the airplane cabin, I suppose full-size noise-cancelling headphones might be nice (despite their inability to filter out human voices) ... but then you have one more thing to carry around -- getting to the airport, through security, etc.

Something as small as Ety ER6i's with Comply foams are an excellent way to get isolation when on the go in noisy environments.

 

[breseler]

Febs,
Depends on your airline. Every time I have flown the cabin crew have insisted that all headphones, your own and the airline supplied ones, are removed.
Maybe I draw the short straw and get jobsworths on every flight but I assure you it is done for safety reasons - a)so you can hear any instructions and b) so if you have to evacuate the aircraft in a hurry you're not tethered to your seat by your cable....