avriette
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2007
- Posts
- 4
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I've been using the Etymotics ER4S for quite a while now, and as I mentioned elsewhere my wife is interested in getting the newish Shure 535's. But I've run into a problem at the office. More and more people are showing up and asking me questions, without realizing I can't hear a thing they're saying. I reach up, plug the cans out, and then ask them to repeat. I guess the *big black cables and red and blue nubs sticking out of my ears* are a little too subtle.
So, I'm wondering, what is a better setup? I have Sennheiser 650's at home, which I love, but they have this overwhelming presence at the office. People, strangely, assume that I cannot hear them because I have cans the size of a Fiat Punto on my head, even though they're open. Is it perhaps possible to take underwhelming cans and make them sound better with a capable amp? (e.g., cutting out the static or noise, making quiets more quiet, and handling complex music such as bass/vocal/hihat stuff) That opens the range up quite a bit in terms of what sticks out as "I'm not listening" at the office. Is there some reasonable compromise between in-ear cans and open external cans? I'd really like something that isn't quite so obnoxiously hifi gear including being able to hear what I might not elsewise want to hear.
The other problem I've been having with the in-ear units is that after a few months (I guess six?) of using them, I start to get intractable ear-itchiness which goes away if I stop using them for a while.
The thought occurs to me to just get some speakers, rather than headphones, but the problem with that is I can't turn them up when I want to hear it a little louder (or I can, but it's inadvisable), and other people (I work in an office where most of the employees are twice my age) can't distinguish between Massive Attack and Utah Saints. I'd rather they didn't think I was into that "ecstasy and electronic music crap"... or whatever it is they think of it (there's a lot of nose-turn-upping).
Thoughts?
So, I'm wondering, what is a better setup? I have Sennheiser 650's at home, which I love, but they have this overwhelming presence at the office. People, strangely, assume that I cannot hear them because I have cans the size of a Fiat Punto on my head, even though they're open. Is it perhaps possible to take underwhelming cans and make them sound better with a capable amp? (e.g., cutting out the static or noise, making quiets more quiet, and handling complex music such as bass/vocal/hihat stuff) That opens the range up quite a bit in terms of what sticks out as "I'm not listening" at the office. Is there some reasonable compromise between in-ear cans and open external cans? I'd really like something that isn't quite so obnoxiously hifi gear including being able to hear what I might not elsewise want to hear.
The other problem I've been having with the in-ear units is that after a few months (I guess six?) of using them, I start to get intractable ear-itchiness which goes away if I stop using them for a while.
The thought occurs to me to just get some speakers, rather than headphones, but the problem with that is I can't turn them up when I want to hear it a little louder (or I can, but it's inadvisable), and other people (I work in an office where most of the employees are twice my age) can't distinguish between Massive Attack and Utah Saints. I'd rather they didn't think I was into that "ecstasy and electronic music crap"... or whatever it is they think of it (there's a lot of nose-turn-upping).
Thoughts?