Recs for comfortable noise isolating IEMs?
Jan 26, 2011 at 9:30 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 10

shoegazebass

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I am a frequent traveler in search of an upgrade from my audio technica ath-anc7 travel headphones. I like these a fair bit but being on-ear they tend to hurt my ears after a couple of hours and the sound quality is not as great as I'd like. I bought a pair of Ety HF3s, but the default flanges cut the inside of my ear canal and I was unable to get a good enough seal with them. I'm hoping that you fine folks will be able to point me towards either IEMs that sit easier in the ears (Phiaton PS 20s?), tips that can create a decent seal without the deep insertion (Shure Olives?) or any AHC over-ear headphones that aren't terrible sonically. 
 
I primarily listen to 256k MPs and movies - my tastes run to 70s-80s punk, new wave, post-punk and (as my username says) shoegaze. 
 
Thanks for any help you may be able to throw my way!
 
Jan 27, 2011 at 10:54 AM Post #3 of 10
budget (very important:) ) and sound preferences - specifically in terms of if you prefer a slightly bass heavy sound or a primarily treble rich sound.

EDIT: Oops almost forgot, look through the recommendations here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/478568/multi-iem-review-138-iems-compared-meelectronics-cx21-cw31-added-01-26
 
Jan 27, 2011 at 1:20 PM Post #4 of 10
Budget - I'd go up to $300 if I got the right pair of IEMs that were able to act as my sole travel cans.
Sound prefs - I'm no basshead but I like to be able to pick up the bass without much trouble. Probably balanced would be the best way to describe it.
 
Jan 27, 2011 at 2:38 PM Post #5 of 10
I'd suggest Klipsch X10s.  They really hit the mark for comfort and I have found them to be pretty good isolating IEMs on the loudest of planes. 
 
I heard a rumour somewhere that the X10s were going out of production, so I ordered another pair from here: http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-Image-X10-Noise-Isolating-Earphone/dp/B000WAHFBK
 
One word of caution, the housing where the cable goes to the ear piece can crack (as it did on one side of mine), but a tiny piece of black electrical tape applied well, carefully and sparingly,and  I'd defy you to see the repair....and it's lasted for months now with frequent use.  I know, close inspection might show things up....and we all like our stuff as good as new...!
 
Jan 27, 2011 at 7:02 PM Post #6 of 10
The description/marketing for the Klipsch oval tips sound like they might do the trick. Looks like they've disappeared from everywhere besides that Amazon link. I will take a look at them and see what else folks might think in the meantime!
 
Jan 27, 2011 at 8:33 PM Post #7 of 10
Here would be my picks from |joker|'s thread which I linked above:

(2B2) Audéo Phonak PFE 122
(2A3) Audio-Technica ATH-CK10
(2A10) JAYS q-JAYS

These are picked taking into consideration comfort which appears to be quite important for you as well. You should check out their general sound impressions.
 
Jan 28, 2011 at 12:37 AM Post #9 of 10
@kingpintps - thanks for the call-outs. I will take a look at them.
 
@loremipsum - I actually returned the HF3s. The more I read about them, the less they seemed like they would satisfy me sonically. I probably should have tried them with more tips anyway. The good part about this search for me so far has been thinking about how I listen to my music against the variety of terms and descriptions other posters have used. Never really gave it much thought until the past few days, and I both studied auditory perception in school and am a (hobbist) musician. 
 
Jan 30, 2011 at 9:00 AM Post #10 of 10
Okay, so I finally received my CK10 yesterday and can confidently say that they blow the q-JAYS out. I completely agree with most of |joker|'s findings about these on his thread and if you have $300 to spend on an IEM, you cannot go wrong with these. With the current prices you can find them for $250 which makes them well worth the extra $100 over the q-JAYS. Sound, build, comfort - they excel in all three. :)
 

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