Which budget canalphones, E2C, MDREX71 or koss plugs
Apr 29, 2004 at 10:27 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 22

Steveflood26

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I need to travel alot for work and the ability to shut out airplane noise while listening to my music has led me to look into canalphones. My sources will be NJB3 and sony MD with no amp.

So my options are within my budget:
1)koss plugs (£16) vs. Sony mdrex71 (£25) or similar from sharp
2)E2C (£60)
Is it worth spending the extra money on the shures? If not I might then buy some open headphones for use at home/office to go along with the cheap options.

cheers
Steve
 
Apr 29, 2004 at 11:46 AM Post #2 of 22
If you really do lots of airplane trips you might want to spend a little more on etymotics, because apparently they block out much more sound.

Having said that, I have the Sharp HD-MD33, and they're great. I haven't heard any of the others though, but I do have the SR60, and I would say that they are broadly comparable. I prefer them most of the time, because the isolation they produce mean that I don't have to listen to general ambient noise.
 
Apr 29, 2004 at 1:14 PM Post #3 of 22
you asked about *budget* canal phones so etys don't fit that criteria unless you consider the ER6 within the price range you define as *budget*.

I've only had experience with the Shure E2 and can't comment on the others. The E2 will definitely fit this requirement. It isolates very well and I've used them on planes myself and have found them to make the trip much more enjoyable. It helps cut down on fatigue and stress and since the bass is fairly pronounced, it will not get overwhelmed by airplane engine noise easily. The E2 is easily driven without an amp and your sources should match it well (I used an iPod with my E2 for 8 months).

It would help us to know what type of music you listen to as well as what characteristics you find desirable in headphones - do you like classical or rock? do you like laid back phones, phones with nice bass slam or phones with detail and great high end? Unfortunately with budget phones, you will have to make some compromises but different phones compromise in different areas.
 
Apr 29, 2004 at 1:27 PM Post #4 of 22
My music tastes are quite varied I listen to Jazz, rock, dance and a little bit of classical. So most choices will comprimise on one or other of the types of music. My budget can't stretch to er6(£120). AS an aside i'VE seen ER4p for £160 on ebay, still far too much though
plainface.gif
 
Apr 29, 2004 at 2:16 PM Post #5 of 22
Hi,

You could buy the ER6 and be within budget if you get them from Tod, link at bottom of page.

If you e-mail him and ask nicely he will mark them as a gift. You then avoid additional costs. My Etys took just 5 days to arrive.
 
Apr 29, 2004 at 4:22 PM Post #7 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by Steveflood26
I need to travel alot for work and the ability to shut out airplane noise while listening to my music has led me to look into canalphones. My sources will be NJB3 and sony MD with no amp.

So my options are within my budget:
1)koss plugs (£16) vs. Sony mdrex71 (£25) or similar from sharp
2)E2C (£60)
Is it worth spending the extra money on the shures? If not I might then buy some open headphones for use at home/office to go along with the cheap options.

cheers
Steve



Of your list, the E2's would largely be considered superior and work for your application. The E6's would be stiff competition if you added them to your list as others suggest...
 
Apr 29, 2004 at 6:09 PM Post #8 of 22
The EX71's are not canal phones, by anyone's standards. Isolation is good but not in the same league as the E2C's and ER6's.
 
Apr 30, 2004 at 7:50 AM Post #9 of 22
Right.
Now it seems that I should add some Shure E3c onto the ever growing list as a second hand pair sourced from the uk. More queastions now E3c vs ER6 vs E2C. I'm leaning towards the E3c now as I'm guessing it'll preform better than the E2c.
Sorry for all the questions I'm new to headphones.
 
Apr 30, 2004 at 7:53 AM Post #10 of 22
Don't, under any cirumstances, get the Koss the Plug
smily_headphones1.gif

Ok, they're not that bad actually, much better than your average ear plug but by no means really good. Bass is good but extremely undefined and the whole midrange is completey muddled by the predominant bass. Isolation is ok, nothing special but better than normal earplugs.
 
Apr 30, 2004 at 5:24 PM Post #12 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by Steveflood26
Right.
Now it seems that I should add some Shure E3c onto the ever growing list as a second hand pair sourced from the uk. More queastions now E3c vs ER6 vs E2C. I'm leaning towards the E3c now as I'm guessing it'll preform better than the E2c.
Sorry for all the questions I'm new to headphones.



OK...now you're making this interesting. I've heard the E2's and the E3's. IMO, the E3's are way beyond the E2's. More detail and less (but better) bass. Some people think the E6's compete with the E3's...but I think that the usual consensus is that the E3's compete more directly with the E4's (thus implying that the E3's are a step beyond E6's). I love my E3's. They have held my attention away from the Ety's due to their solid build and upfront characteristics (and the lesser insertion depth). There's no question to me that they are quality phones. Will you prefer their sound?....only you know.
 
Apr 30, 2004 at 5:32 PM Post #13 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfen68
Of your list, the E2's would largely be considered superior and work for your application. The E6's would be stiff competition if you added them to your list as others suggest...


Between the E2 and the ER6, I would lean towards the ER6 for having a much better sound. But then I would lean towards the E2 for being much more comfortable to wear. For the price, the E2 is the cheaper of the two and that's what makes it my choice.

Between the ER6 and the E3, I would take the ER6 anyday because of the price difference. The ER6 is far more detailed than the E3 and overall, it sounds more neutral.
 
Apr 30, 2004 at 5:34 PM Post #14 of 22
I usually come off as a Shure fangirl and I often say that the e2s are great, but I have to give you a bit of a warning. With sensitive canalphones, there's a hiss with the NJB3. I'm not quite sure what that will mean to you, though. The Shure line of phones is a sensitive lot and picks up hiss quite easily. It's not that big of a deal, but the noise exists especially during quieter parts of a song. This is probably a bigger deal for classical than other genres. I'm not sure (ugh, no pun intended) if the Etymotics would produce less hiss, but others seem to think so.

And as always, the Shure v. Ety debate seems to be primarily centered around personal preference for sound. The general concensus is that Shures can be more fun with more bass, but the Etys are more neutral and accurate. I think it depends a lot on what you prefer.
 
Apr 30, 2004 at 6:06 PM Post #15 of 22
With the isloation of the 71's... They get "maybe" 10db
of isolation. (and I think thats a stretch)

My E2's, I estimate around 20db+ of isolation.

Enough for example on my player, I run the volume
at 1/4 the level to get the same fullness of
music in a noisey environment.

My 71's were useless anywhere except in a relatively
quiet environment.

If you want isolation, you need the Shures, or ETY's.
BUT... with the ETY's to really make them work requires
a head amp. The Shures perform quite well without
a head amp.
 

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