[heboil]

I am sure some of these questions will have been answered under multiple searches, but finding them together is another story. Here goes.

I am potentially interested in ordering a pair of these to use with my iPod. I currently use the Sennheiser PX100...which I am quite fond of. Problem is, my wife is pregnant and super aware of everything right now. When I come to bed and listen to music, she can hear it and it often wakes her. That leaves me in a situation where I want to get a decent/good sounding match for my iPod. After reading numerous posts, I have been led to this line of questions.

How comfortable will it be while falling asleep on a pillow? I have read about E2c Ultra-Soft Flex Sleeves. Generally speaking, will that give me a comfortable fit for lying down? The cord is wrapped behind your head...so would that make this difficult? Will the seal of the canal phone keep the music quiet for my wife?

For the purposes of falling asleep, keeping the leakage to a minimum and being comfortable, is this my best bet? I definitely don't want to spend more than the E2C, but I would be more than happy to spend less...ie is there something else I should consider? Generally speaking, I consider myself an audiophile with financial conscience. I rip all my music at 320 AAC, but at the end of the day I still know it falls short of my vinyl or hi-rez audio. I am just trying to squeeze as much as I can out of this portable MP3 (AAC) player. Anyway, if someone can suggest another canal phone to try for these purposes, that would be great. As a matter of interest, I have recently purchased these. Cheap, but are very comfortable. I just wanted to see how the closed earbud felt and sounded. In general, I am impressed. I am hoping for something that feels as good, but sounds closer to the Sennheisers that I am using. I usually won't purchase anything unless I have the possibility of a "no strings" return. I am a major A/B'er. Unfortunately, this falls out of the realm as the products I will most likely get are not available locally. Therefore, I need some input from you.

Thanks.

 

[DigDub]

the e2c has pretty stiff cables and the buds are quite big, but they will be flushed with your ears, so no problem when lying on your side. the canalphones that i can fall asleep with are the sony ex51/71, the sharp md33 and the etymotic er6 (not the er6i). they have thin cables and feels comfortable for long periods of time.

 

[skitlets]

Well, I personally can't sleep on my side with the e2 in. Laying on my side leads to pressure from the bud because of its large size. I suggest you look elsewhere for a canalphone to sleep with.

 

[apnk]

I say get some md33's. They are smaller than the e2c and IMO i think they sound better.

 

[heboil]

I hadn't given too much thought to the Sharps. Now that I have done a little reading one them, I just have a couple of questions.

The length with the adapter seems a bit long, but not as if it is a deal breaker. The cord behind the head also seems annoying, but something I could live with. Does the adapter hang and pull on your ears when they are in and yo u are moving around with them?

Would this adapter make them a good length if connected to a hip-worn iPod? The length is 3-4" or would you still need to length of the supplied adapter cable?

In a way, I am pretty tired of searching for answers to all these questions...that is why I am just asking them out now. I just want a good sounding, isolated phone that will work well when I am listening to music in bed and sometimes working out in the gym (treadmill, weightlifting etc).

Thanks.

 

[apnk]

I dunno abouth the adapter, but if you use the included extension cord it will only be about 5 inches longer than the E2c cord.

 

[git20]

I have only used the E2c, but from my experience I believe that they would work for every purpose you mentioned. I use the ultra soft sleeve, which allows them to be inserted slightly further than the other options. They have a very smooth, easy to listen to sound quality. A big plus for them is they sound very good at low volumes. The highs are rolled off, however, I offset this with the eq and personally think that most headphones have an unnatural amount of highs anyway. YMMV

 

[wackos]

I couldn't sleep with e2c's. They were just too big. The ex71sl's are great for sleeping though. Couldn't even tell they were there... It's definitely a big SQ drop, but they sure are comfy.

 

[aseltzer144]

I would have to describe myself as an audiophile with a financial conscience as well. That's how I ended up with the E2c. To me, they represent the entry point of finer portable listening.

Truthfully, I've had them for less than a week but they stand apart from even the well regarded Grado SR-80s that I also have. Their most outstanding attribute is their resolution. I am hearing details that before where barely audible before. I am rediscovering my digital audio collection.

They are one of the bulkier canalphones and that may be a factor for you to consider. I can get them in my ears in seconds now, flush with my outer ear. I don't have a need to sleep with them in, so that's not a factor I thought about.

However, as one with audiophile expectations, I remain very pleased with these. Bass notes can individually be heard, not like the murky undefined bass on cheaper phones with a "bass boost". The highs are recessed a bit, perhaps due a lack of burn in at this time, but again, not objectionably so. The midrange is very forward. Nevertheless, the most astounding aspect of these phones, and I suspect this may be true of all of the higher end canalphones, is their resolution. You can clearly hear every nuance of a complex composition with as good a soundstage as headphones can deliver. If you do order these online, just make sure there's a return policy in case they don't work for you.

Finally, bear in mind that the resolutions is so good, you may start hearing the flaws inherent in compressed audio files. However, if yhou're ripping at 320 kpbs, you'll minimize this issue a bit.

The E2C is very reasonably priced and definitely fit the needs of a cost conscious audiophile.