[mr.pi]

hello headphone friends,

after a while of reading in this forum i found out that the cx300, ep630 or the fx33 would be a good replacement for my bad earbuds given with my gigabeat. but which one should i choose?

i would like a good, but not complete isolation from my natural enviroment. the iem's should do a good job when i go by bike inside the city. that means i'd like to minimize the noise of wind (airflow) and traffic. (not turned off completely)

maybe there are other recommendation but my pricelimit is about 40€/$

thanks for your reply

the pi

 

[chroot]

Just a word of advice from one cyclist to another (I ride > 100 miles a week): don't wear any kind of earbud, especially not a fully-isolating one, in city traffic. You will get killed. Honestly, your hearing is your most valuable sense while negotiating traffic on a bike.

- Warren

 

[Dragon Rider]

I second that advice

 

[deej]

If you do plan on wearing earbuds I would suggest only wearing one earbud in the ear that isn't facing traffic. Otherwise don't wear them at all until you are riding on the highway.

 

[Mark_420]

i might suggest the ksc75 or px100 if you want to be able to hear stuff around you

 

[jinp6301]

the gigabeat has great SQ for a dap. The ksc75s are the best bet!

 

[blehmann]

I have the cx300, which is quite similar to the ep630, and I would say that it isolates too much to be safe in traffic. The ksc75s would be good and I expect the folks who lurk around this place will suggest the yuin pk2s, sony e888s, athcm7s, and maybe even the senn mx500s. I am sure I forgot at least one of the usual suspects.

 

[mr.pi]

yeah you are all right with your concerns about hearing the traffic.

but when there is no traffic (e.g. outside the city) the noise of the wind (airflow) is really annoying to me. what can i do with this problem. btw. i own a ksc 35 too but this earphone is more open than the given earbuds whit my gigabeat f40 - that means even more outside noise.

the pi

 

[pathologique]

Why not V-moda vibes ?

 

[OHPC]

Value for money? CX300. I would not recommend using any IEM when on a bike, but the real stuff (not the fake ones on ebay) is an excellent phone. I have both the Senn CX300 and the Vibes and to my ears the Senn have better sound, they are more balanced. To tell the truth, I was expecting to love the Vibes, but...
I like them, they are good, but for the price I was expecting them to be much better than the CX300. IMHO they are not, and cost two times the price of the Senn... And the Senn are more "fun" and "balanced" to me. Go figure...

 

[ronmtorres]

i have both the ep 630 and the koss. both sound good for their price imho. however, since you are biking, i would recommend the ksc 75. but be sure not to turn your music volume up so load; you might damage your hearing

 

[mr.pi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronmtorres /img/forum/go_quote.gif however, since you are biking, i would recommend the ksc 75. but be sure not to turn your music volume up so load; you might damage your hearing

correct - and that's why i would prefer an iem which isolates a little bit and not an open headphone like the koss.

 

[Cooter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.pi /img/forum/go_quote.gif but when there is no traffic (e.g. outside the city) the noise of the wind (airflow) is really annoying to me. what can i do with this problem.

I do a lot of biking, too, so I understand your problem. Personally I would never ride with an IEM, even an 'open' one, as I feel it would still offer too much isolation. I've come to the realization that I'm not going to get hi-fidelity music while I'm riding. Now I'm looking into attaching one of the small battery-powered speaker systems to my bike somehow. Haven't decided which one to go with yet but I've got it narrowed to a couple.

Have you tried riding with your KSC35's? I've got the KSC75's and thought I'd try them, just to see how they worked. The fact that they're very open is why I think they might work for me. However, if I have to turn them up too much to overcome the wind noise generated by wearing them, then they're not worth wearing. I've also worn over-the-ear sportclip type phones but I'm not completely happy with that style. Earbuds just don't fit my ears very well.

To block wind noise, with or without music, check out slipstreamz. They direct airflow around your ears, reducing noise. I personally haven't used them but I've read several positive reviews. They're inexpensive and you can use your old earbuds (or some nicer new ones) rather than having to buy a whole new system. Might be worth a shot for you.

If you really want IEM-type phones, I'd go with the Marshmallows. They're cheaper than the Creatives or Senns and they sound pretty good. I really like mine with the Kramer-mod and foamies. I'd stick with the stock tips and not insert them very deep for less isolation while biking, though.

Ride safe.

 

[NtD Gr3nade]

Hearing is a must for biking, unlike skiing, so you should get Koss KSC75s, they wont isolate as much, and it is alot safer than using IEM's.