[mglak51jk]

I've got some marshmallows with shure foams, and am finding pretty good isolation w/ them-especially at my super-loud gym-But I've been reading such good things about the Denon AH-C551's that I'm tempted to upgrade-
Will I be able to get as good isolation w/ the Denon's as the Marshmallows?
If that is the case-what other tips work with them beside the Sony's?

 

[woopididi]

the denon canalphones use dynamic drivers, which demands for airing, thus they use a partially open back so isolation is not so good. it would definitely be a big step down from the marshmallows in isolation, but in sound quality it would be a major step up.

 

[RoadHazard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by woopididi /img/forum/go_quote.gif the denon canalphones use dynamic drivers, which demands for airing, thus they use a partially open back so isolation is not so good. it would definitely be a big step down from the marshmallows in isolation, but in sound quality it would be a major step up.

Now, it's really not that bad. I have the C551s, and while the isolation isn't on the same level as a pair of real IEMs, it's definitely not bad either. If you just get a good seal (which is very important in any case, for SQ), the isolation should be good enough unless you're frequently in extremely loud environments. When no music is playing I can hear most of what's going on around me (but muffled, of course), but when music is playing I can really only hear really loud and bassy noise (bus/tram engine noise, doors opening and closing, etc) leaking in. Most speech and stuff like that is nicely blocked out. And I'm not listening at very high volume levels either, only about 12-14 out of 30 (on my Sony NWZ-A818).

The Marshmallows may very well have better isolation, but unless you demand complete isolation from all noise the C551s should do nicely.
(And the sound is awesome.)