Saving a loved one from Bose

[eegreg]

A family member told me said he wanted some Bose noise-cancelling headphones as a present. I wanted to get him some good phones, so I am looking for some IEM's. My emphasis would be on comfort, and isolation that is atleast as good as Bose cancelers. Just in case he does not find the IEM's comfortable, I want them to be of good enough sound quality that I can keep them. So far, head-fi has only dropped my wallet by $35 (SportaPro's and KSC75), and I am looking to keep this purchase under $100

 

[wakeride74]

If you are really pushing comfort you may want to consider something like the HD280 from Senn. It's hard to sell a convert before they've converted on the IEM thing but If you think you can do it call Headroom and check their price on the Shure E3C.

 

[w33bo]

keep in mind some people cannot deal with IEM, comfort wise, the e3c's sound good and are on the lower end, they can be had for around 100 bucks, but over ear phones might be a better choice (closed give good isolation)

 

[dave-the-rave]

I second the Senn HD-280. I turned a guy at work onto them and he thinks they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. I use 'em for commuting by train— they're not active noise cancellers, but their isolation is excellent. I've used them on airliners and they sound great.

 

[eegreg]

I think the idea is that he will use these on an airplane and other noisy environments. He has not tried IEM's before, but I think he is willing to give them a shot if they provide better isolation/sound quality for the money. If he doesn't like them I will look at getting some sealed headphones and keep the IEM's myself. I don't think I will have a problem with comfort since I wear cheap ear plugs for hours at a time. I guess my emphasis on comfort would be as in the most comfortable IEM.

 

[eegreg]

How much isolation do the Senn HD 280's provide? Do they have as much isolation and sound quality as a similiar-priced IEM? Thanks for all the help on my first post.

 

[unkoman]

HD280 provides really good isolation for a closed can, but I don't think it can match an IEM. I used to own the phone and used in airplanes and it provided decent isolation, but it is uncomparable to the isolation provided by my e4 w/ foam tips.

 

[eegreg]

Thanks guys, it seems like comfort is a lot of personal preference, so I just went and purchased the ER-6i, we will see how it works out.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eegreg Thanks guys, it seems like comfort is a lot of personal preference, so I just went and purchased the ER-6i, we will see how it works out.

good choice. the nice thing with IEMs is that there are a lot of different tips you can try to adjust the comfort level. try different ones until your friend gets the right comfort.

and i was going to advise against the hd280...they're quite big and don't isolate as well as an IEM. plus, they require an amp to really get the most out of it...moreover, they're not the most fun cans to listen to. accurate, but not fun, IMO.

 

[Daniel L]

I read somewhere that the 280s isolate somewhere along the lines of 32dB. That's enough to go shooting in..

 

[seeberg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel L I read somewhere that the 280s isolate somewhere along the lines of 32dB. That's enough to go shooting in..

I'm not sure if they do, but when I tried them in June, they were pretty nice. of course, I'm an ER6i owner already, so I'm pretty sure they do too. Rubber or foam, it doesn't matter to me

+

=sweet,
Abe

 

[1967cutlass]

they are close enough to IEM's in isolation.