[Noya]

I know that there is no such thing as safe headphones but are there ones out there that are not as harming to your ears ??(other than obviously listening at low volume)
right now I have ear buds that I luv! but are horrible for my ears!
I need headphones that are compact so I can take on the go but that will stay on my ears

Any suggestions???

Thanks!

 

[feh1325]

an iem

look into ultimate ears, shure, westone, and etymotic

 

[kwitel]

you need these:
Amazon.com: Creative EP-630 In-Ear Headphones: Electronics
A great, cheap intro into the IEM world.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

EP630's are decent.

 

[Brando]

I could have sworn I read somewhere that the opposite is true. That iems are worse somehow because they create a seal or something. If i'm wrong then sorry about that I'm new here. Another option that I happened to come across are these Ultrasone phones that claim to be better for your ears because of some kind of special bass control feature or somesuch that doesn't hit your ears as hard, yet somehow has tons of bass according to what I've seen people post. Sorry their not compact at all.
Amazon.com: ULTRASONE PROline 750 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones: Electronics

 

[neilvg]

IEMS are far more dangerous. They bypass the outer ear and go directly to the inner ear. The volume at which you would listen to a high quality low distortion IEM is usually far greater since it seems to be so clear and clean. However, on an SPL basis, they can be way too loud. This is especially true is used outdoors where achieving a volume where the outside world is drowned out is desired and easily accomplished.

Neil

 

[tpc41]

but if you have a good seal, they can be used at very low volumes because there is no outside noise to try to overpower

 

[shomie911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilvg /img/forum/go_quote.gif IEMS are far more dangerous. They bypass the outer ear and go directly to the inner ear. The volume at which you would listen to a high quality low distortion IEM is usually far greater since it seems to be so clear and clean. However, on an SPL basis, they can be way too loud. This is especially true is used outdoors where achieving a volume where the outside world is drowned out is desired and easily accomplished. Neil

I disagree, I own a pair of IEMs and because of the crystal clear sound presentation I have no need to turn the volume up.

I listen to music much lower on my IEMs than either my speaker system or my main headphone rig.

 

[neilvg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shomie911 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I disagree, I own a pair of IEMs and because of the crystal clear sound presentation I have no need to turn the volume up. I listen to music much lower on my IEMs than either my speaker system or my main headphone rig.

Great! However - do you know how loud you are listening? It can be deceptive.

I myself use IEMS a lot - but the only ones I have found I can even stand are the Etymotic ER4P/4S. All the others, UE's, Sure's etc... sound like crap to me. Absolute crap. Could be the shape (physical) of my ears.

Neil

 

[shomie911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilvg /img/forum/go_quote.gif Great! However - do you know how loud you are listening? It can be deceptive. Neil

I have my little Minibox-E amplifer with the 75 ohm resistor on and I put the volume on 1 to 1.5 with my Shure E4cs. It still retains all the details in the music despite being whisper quite. When I take out the IEMs the sounds around me (people talking in a restaurant, cars going by, lawnmower, etc.) are extremely loud because my ears get used to the quiet sound.

My main headphone system which I have running at a little less than 80 decibels is much, much louder.

EDIT:

Just in case you didn't know, the Minibox-E's volume knob goes from 0, 1, 2, 3..., 10.

So 1 to 1.5 is barely turning the amp on. Maybe I have sensitive ears but that's all I need to enjoy music out of my IEMs.

With my stereo and headphone rig I turn it up a lot louder for the "being there" effect, I guess. It stays in safe levels though.

 

[Beefy]

Why on earth are there two copies of this thread?

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/saf...phones-333191/

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brando /img/forum/go_quote.gif I could have sworn I read somewhere that the opposite is true. That iems are worse somehow because they create a seal or something.

A common misconception, but ultimately wrong. Whether the sound is generated really close to the eardrum like an IEM, or outside/around the ear like a traditional headphone is entirely redundant - it is all about how much sound pressure actually hits the eardrum.

IEMs can be bad, because they are so sensitive, and are capable of very high volumes if you are careless. But they generally aren't bad...... the high isolation they provide allows you to listen at much lower volumes than you would with most other headphones. Read this study carefully: http://www.hearingconservation.org/d...FligorIves.pdf

 

[neilvg]

Nice link. Maybe I just get carried away.. since I use it for running - as the endorphins kick in... so does the volume.

Neil

PS - but I'm a drummer so I got bigger demons to "attenuate".

Neil

 

[Beefy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilvg /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nice link. Maybe I just get carried away.. since I use it for running - as the endorphins kick in... so does the volume.

I didn't even see your post on the first pass through the thread

Obviously everyone is different on how they listen..... but I would definitely argue that if you were using full size cans while running, you would be listening more loudly in order to be able to actually hear the music.

Quote:

PS - but I'm a drummer so I got bigger demons to "attenuate".

Yeah, IEM usage is the least of your worries!

 

[WittyzTH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beefy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why on earth are there two copies of this thread? http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/saf...phones-333191/

If I were the OP, I would start the new thread also since it was hijacked by personal insulting and completely out of topic.

 

[Beefy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WittyzTH /img/forum/go_quote.gif If I were the OP, I would start the new thread also since it was hijacked by personal insulting and completely out of topic.

Check the time stamps

Both threads were started within minutes of each other, and both managed to survive.