[richard]

I've read many posts about the blissful silence many say they enjoy wearing IEM's. While I get a lot of attenuation of outside sound with IEM's (I've had the Shure e2c and the Altec Lansing im716), I've always been able to hear outside sound to some degree, especially when the music volume is low.

I noticed this quote from an Etymotic press release about the im716 "Turning down the volume control eliminates the need to remove the earphone to hear a flight attendant or fellow passenger on an air flight.Even the 35 dB noise exclusion (15 dB better than “ANR” earmuffs) of these earphones takes the flight attendant’s voice level from 85 dB down to 50 dB—readily audible to anyone with normal or near normal hearing"

This is more in line with my experience than the "blissful silence" notion. Perhaps it's because I don't usually turn music up very loud.

Are people listening at high volume levels? Am I listening at abnormally low levels? Do I misunderstand other posts?

 

[LaBreaHead]

Well, this is a public forum, and people can say just about what they want. One way to look at it would be to consider "blissful silence" to be a very enthusiastic way of saying "blissful comparative silence." Compared to the roar of noise on a bus, subway, airplane, etc., listening to music on IEMs can create a relative cone of silence -- the key word being relative.

 

[K2Grey]

This is my experience, too. When music is not playing, outside noises can still be heard and speech is comprehensible, but it is considerably softer. When music is playing, outside noise disappears unless there is some kind of sudden, loud noise. In quiet parts it is somewhat like when music is not playing, but your music is still distinct and hearable (whereas with earbuds, your music would be drowned out by outside sound).

 

[ayn]

If you use the foamies, the isolation is pretty damn good in my experience. The flanges tips provide very poor isolation IMO, but this depends on your ears, my gf finds the foamies painful to use and the flanges provide good isolation, probably because her ear canals are slightly narrower.

 

[JJ15k]

Same experience as the poster here. The isolation is excellent, but of course nowhere near blissful silence.

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaBreaHead Well, this is a public forum, and people can say just about what they want. One way to look at it would be to consider "blissful silence" to be a very enthusiastic way of saying "blissful comparative silence." Compared to the roar of noise on a bus, subway, airplane, etc., listening to music on IEMs can create a relative cone of silence -- the key word being relative.

Just like that. Relatively silent, but very blissful. Just today I used not my HD-25 and not my ER-4S, but my PX200, and I had forgotton how incredibly loud the bus & subway & the people there can be.

 

[JeffS]

The isolation really is dependant on a combination of your ears (canal shape), type of tip (foam or flange), and depth of insertion.

I use bi-flange tips a lot because they are convenient and easy to get a seal with. They are just modified Ety tri-flanges. The sound quality is almost as good, the ease of insertion, and getting a seal is far better, but the isolation drops considerably. The foam tips that came with my er-6i offer better sound
in my experience, but are more of a hassle, so I don't use them as much. However when I want better isolation, the foamies come out. Tri-flanges in my experience isolate better for me than the foamies, but only when new. That's where the ear canal shape comes into play. Nobody is exactly the same, so obviouslly, YMMV.

If you are using a shallow insertion tip, bi-flange, or Shure soft-flex, you won't have as much isolation, but it also might be more comfortable. It does take some experimentation to find what works best for each person.

Foamies + 6i = I won't hear the train coming while standing on the platform
bi-flange + 6i = muffled conversation
Both of the above are assuming my player is not on, paused, or in a VERY quiet passage.

If isolation is your main thing, consider custom tips. It should also be a lot more comfortable, and easier to get a propper seal. And before thinking they are too expensive, think about what normal tip replacement will be over the course of a year.

good luck
-Jeff

 

[dura]

Isolation on IEMs is good enough to relax and enjoy the music in situations where cans and earbuds let through distracting noises.
That's not blissfull or total silence (but, IMO, good enough and safer).

 

[sidewinder]

I do have blissfull silence, even with triflanges, using ER4. I don't hear the train hitting the brakes while it arrives at the station, I don't hear trucks drivin' by, etc. Nothing but music

Traffic noise is about 80-90 dB, so when using whatever tip you get a 30 to 40 dB drop, which leaves about 40-50 dB, even without music playing.