[penbat]

I have no problem walking around the streets with my E5s and tri-flanges. But i am concerned that i would not be able to do this with UE-5Cs.

I got this email from Mindy Harvey:

"Both the UE-5c and the UE-10 pro are going to offer 26db of isolation, which would be the equivalent of walking down the street with your fingers in your ears. We do offer the UE-Hybrid which offers a more moderate isolation of around 18db and is an excellent earpiece for personal use."

Looking at the Ultimate Ears web site it actually says 10dB to 12dB of isolation for UE-Hybrid: http://www.ultimateears.com/UE_Hybrid.htm

Whether or not the UE-Hybrid is as suitable for Ipods as the UE-5C is one obvious issue but also the UE-Hybrid cost $800 against $550 for the UE-5Cs so i am tempted to just buy the UE-5C and only listen to them indoors and keep my E5s for use outdoors on the street. At least the UE-5C will be a lot less likely to get damaged.

 

[Big D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by penbat I have no problem walking around the streets with my E5s and tri-flanges. But i am concerned that i would not be able to do this with UE-5Cs. I got this email from Mindy Harvey: "Both the UE-5c and the UE-10 pro are going to offer 26db of isolation, which would be the equivalent of walking down the street with your fingers in your ears. We do offer the UE-Hybrid which offers a more moderate isolation of around 18db and is an excellent earpiece for personal use." Looking at the Ultimate Ears web site it actually says 10dB to 12dB of isolation for UE-Hybrid: http://www.ultimateears.com/UE_Hybrid.htm Whether or not the UE-Hybrid is as suitable for Ipods as the UE-5C is one obvious issue but also the UE-Hybrid cost $800 against $550 for the UE-5Cs so i am tempted to just buy the UE-5C and only listen to them indoors and keep my E5s for use outdoors on the street. At least the UE-5C will be a lot less likely to get damaged.

My personal feeling is that the isolation is a real plus. Remember the decibel scale is logarythmic so the difference between 10-12dB and 26dB is quite significant. Also that the isolation can't be gotten back at a later date if they don't isolate enough.

As Lindrone has said before that it is important to be careful if using these outside. Your vision becomes a far more important sense!!

I think that your suggestion of keeping the E5 to use outdoors and the UE-5c for safe situations is a good one. It may be that once the UE-5c come you can test them in the street and you may find them okay for that use. Then you can sell your E5 if they are no longer needed.

Ultimate Ears really stand behind their products and go to great lengths to reassure you about their sturdiness. If they fell apart or cracked easily they wouldn't have the pro customer base that they do.

 

[wolfen68]

IMO, with the music playing, no canalphone is truly safe for use in "high traffic" areas. For that matter, you can't here much with regular cans playing either. The user has to make some common sense judgements regarding what's risky and what isn't. This is totally dependant on what you're doing and where you are.

 

[penbat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big D Ultimate Ears really stand behind their products and go to great lengths to reassure you about their sturdiness. If they fell apart or cracked easily they wouldn't have the pro customer base that they do.

I just have my E5/Ipod & SD stuffed in a jacket pocket and they seem resiliant enough and it is very convenient. UE recommend always keeping the UEs in the supplied case when not in use. Are you suggesting that it is a bit unnecessary and i could probably just get away with stuffing them in my Jacket pocket with Ipod & SD ? One good thing about the E5s are they are very sturdy.

 

[Big D]

I hadn't meant they would be safe in a jacket pocket (though they probably would be!!) My understanding is that it is crushing them that may cause damage to the canal portion. When I get mine I'll see how if they are likely to fit in a Shure case (I have the one for my E2c) and if so I'll get an E5 case as it has no spool reel.

I had meant that in normal use they are resiliant and should be fine.

 

[penbat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big D I hadn't meant they would be safe in a jacket pocket (though they probably would be!!) My understanding is that it is crushing them that may cause damage to the canal portion. When I get mine I'll see how if they are likely to fit in a Shure case (I have the one for my E2c) and if so I'll get an E5 case as it has no spool reel. I had meant that in normal use they are resiliant and should be fine.

Stuffing them in a jacket pocket sounds a bit borderline. There might be a bit of friction between the SD/Ipod & UE but no major crushing. But over time it may not be a good idea with UEs which i think are a little less robust than E5s.

 

[random person]

hi Penbat!

I know I responded to your question about relative isolation on pedigree's thread but I thought I'd add to this one. The UE5c, while isolating, is not quite as isolating as foamies are -- I have no experience with triflanges but I would suspect the isolation is comparable between the two, (E5 and UE5c)not all that different. As for durability well I've already dropped my UE5c twice without any problems. They are very durable! The "crushing" fear I think is more an issue for the soft option on the other UE phones as the canal is then slightly softer and more prone to crushing than the hard material. I wouldn't want to throw them in my pocket without any protection but keeping them in either the supplied "leatherette" pouch or a small tin or hard eyeglass case makes for a decent and safe portable solution. Also -- that's just my opinion. They are very durable and you could probably carry them in a pocket just fine -- I just prefer protecting them a bit more than that, but you don't need the big heavy metal case to do that in casual, walk-around situations. (In fact, I use the provided "leatherette" case which while soft seems protective enough for casual use.) The big case, on the other hand, is durable enough to pack in your luggage -- and it's beautiful!

As for the hybrid well I think the sound would be significantly compromised -- jamie I believe from headroom listened to all of these (UE10pro, UE5c, and the hybrid) and the only one he didn't like was the hybrid. I think with that much less isolation you will lose some of the fabulous bass that you get with the UE5c, plus you'll spend more for the privilege! I'd stick with the UE5c if I were you.

When are you placing your order?

 

[penbat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by random person When are you placing your order?

Thanks. UE-5C order goes in as soon as i get my impressions done on Monday.

 

[random person]

penbat -- that is excellent! Can't wait to hear what you think of them!!!

 

[Big D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by penbat Stuffing them in a jacket pocket sounds a bit borderline. There might be a bit of friction between the SD/Ipod & UE but no major crushing. But over time it may not be a good idea with UEs which i think are a little less robust than E5s.

I wonder if a modified camera film case would work - you know one of the old 35mm cases. Cut a 5mm slit in the side of the cylinder that goes all the way down to the base. Then slide the wire down the slit with the phone inside the cylinder. Do this with both and put the cap on the top. Potentially portable solution. Don't know if they would fit inside.

Maybe I should wait for them to be with me on Monday before making more wild suggestions!!

 

[Big D]

Bizarre double post!!

 

[ReDVsion]

I have a question: where on earth are you people walking to be so concerned about too much isolation?

Damn city folk...

 

[PedigreeE]

it would be hard to crush them, i doubt you could even if you put them in you hand and tried, you probably need your foot to crush them They are quite strong.

 

[lindrone]

UE-Hybrid probably offers the most mass in the bass out of all the UE's.. the reason it's called "Hybrid", is that it combines a dynamic driver for driving the low range with a balanced armature driver for the high-end. Of course, I think in the end, the quality of the bass is probably not as good, although it probably carries more impact. Balanced armature bass driver can produce finer details than dynamic driver at that size.

As far as the hard acrylic versus soft acrylic... if you applied enough force to actually deform the soft acrylic and damage what's inside, the same force would case the hard acrylic to just crack in half. It's a ridiculous argument for suggesting that hard acrylic is a better material.

Hard acrylic is cheaper to produce, that is it, period.. there's no other reason for them to not offer soft acrylic for UE5c except to meet a marketable price for the earphones. If they're properly fitted, they're still more comfortable than any universal fit IEM's.

 

[random person]

I don't think UE (or me) meant to imply that the hard acrylic is a better material -- obviously not as it is cheaper! -- but it is comfortable and UE did say it is somewhat more durable. I think the issue is that the canal, being the smallest part of the 'phone, is most vulnerable to crushing, regardless of material used. Either way I think it would be hard to damage these. As for the bass discussion, my point was that the better the isolation, the better the bass experience-- all other things being equal.