Topic: Headphones for travel....

[save]

I'm going on vacation soon and I am looking for some set of headphones for my ipod, the ones that came with it aren't gonna cut it.  I will be flying so noise canceling would be best.  Any suggestions would be great....fyi i'm not looking at spending an arm and leg since it's just for my ipod and everything on there is mp3 anyways.

Thanks,
justin

[rdfager]

I fly a lot for work and have tried several different type of headphones.  My advice is to stay away from the active noise canceling headphones and go for some of the in ear isolating headphones.  They do a much better job of noise reduction, sound better, don't require batteries, are much smaller and easier to carry.

I've got a pair of the Bose Active Comfort headphones.  They sit at home in a drawer.  My Etymotic ER-4Ps go everywhere with me now.  If you're not looking to spend that much money check out the Sure earphones.  You can get the E2c for about $65 and they sound quite good.

Anyone who tells you that these headphones don't sound good isn't inserting them correctly.  They need to go way inside your ear to sound right.

[Brian Skalinder]

I like my Etymotic ER-6 a lot.  Sound good, attenuate external noise, comfortable, easy to carry, won't break the bank.  Bonus:  with a rubber adapter ring, they also fit into my custom musicians' earplugs as a replacement for the Etymotic ER-9/15/25 filters.  Nothing's more comfortable than custom-molded earplugs + my ER-6 earphones.  But even stock, I like the ER-6.  Note the ER-6 are different from the ER-6i, which are not compatible with custom molds.  The ER-6 cost ~$75.

[bgalizio]

I like my Etymotic ER-6 a lot.  Sound good, attenuate external noise, comfortable, easy to carry, won't break the bank.  Bonus:  with a rubber adapter ring, they also fit into my custom musicians' earplugs as a replacement for the Etymotic ER-9/15/25 filters.  Nothing's more comfortable than custom-molded earplugs + my ER-6 earphones.  But even stock, I like the ER-6.  Note the ER-6 are different from the ER-6i, which are not compatible with custom molds.  The ER-6 cost ~$75.

Same here.

[newscane]

Another vote for in-ear isolators vs. noise cancelling.  My earphones of choice are the Ultimate Ears super.fi 3 studio.  Can be had from headphone.com for $79 or so (if you get clear, I think other colors are less).

[evilchris]

Sennheiser HD-280 Pro, IMO.

$100, good isolation, decent sound.  Might need a headphone amp if you want to really crank it up, though.

[BlackCrowe]

Well...when it comes down to earphones I still haven`t found any better (and better looking) than the Bang and Olufsen A8...



http://www.amazon.com/Bang-Olufsen-Earphones/dp/B000QW70AK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1197533690&sr=8-3

Not exactly cheap but I`m still to find and hear better earphones...I heavily use them for years now and they are still like new, never had a problem.

[Nick's Picks]

$20
Sennheiser HD201
full sized , closed headphone.  excellent sound.  very excellent, in fact.
and for the $$$, who cares if you break them.
http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/sealed-and-noise-canceling/sennheiser-hd-201.php
of the dozen or so sets of cans i've owned, I thought these were the best sounding (for real), of anything I spent <$150 on.
I currently run Beyer DT231s, and dont really like them at all.  the Senns were better all around, IMO.


from headroom:
Our jaws hit the ground when we first heard this headphone. You have to understand just how bad cheap, sealed, full-size cans normally sound but, somehow, Sennheiser got it amazingly right with the sonics of the VERY inexpensive HD201 headphones. No question they are uneven-sounding in spots, but they just sparkle and sing in an unusually clean way for a headphone at this crushingly low pricepoint


for 2x the price, these probably sound better as they are easier to drive w/consumer devices.
http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/sealed-and-noise-canceling/sennheiser-hd-205.php
I might have to pick up a pair of these myself.  I miss my 201s that much.

[George]

Shures, etytomics...your choice.  Check out headphone.com for a complete line up.  Also check buy.com for shures and etytomics and see if they have any sales going on.

I would not recommend closed, on the ear or over the ear headphones.  They simply will not cut it for blocking our noise in an airplane. 

[shaggy]

Audio Technica ATH-CK7

[live2496]

Another vote for in-ear isolators vs. noise cancelling.  My earphones of choice are the Ultimate Ears super.fi 3 studio.  Can be had from headphone.com for $79 or so (if you get clear, I think other colors are less).

In-ear canal are the way to go.

I use the super.fi 3 at home also. Very natural sounding. In fact, I can do a lot of work with them and just use loudspeakers for making final eq adjustments.

I have tried them on the plane and I found that the airplane noise considerably changes my perception of frequencies. I preferred to adjust my eq to boost the low end a lot more and gradually roll off the mids and highs to make it sound right to me. I figure that the super.fi 5 with extended bass might work out a bit better for the plane.

Another thing to look for with these is to get a brand with user replaceable cables. The super.fi have a connector that can detach from the earphone. You don't want to have to buy another set just because you snagged the cable on something. You just order a replacement cable.

[live2496]

ecost has the super.fi 3 in red for 49.99 and in white for 52.99
http://search.ecost.com/?i=1&q=super-fi&submit1=find&u1=q

[Brian Skalinder]

Another thing to look for with these is to get a brand with user replaceable cables. The super.fi have a connector that can detach from the earphone. You don't want to have to buy another set just because you snagged the cable on something. You just order a replacement cable.

While I've not had cable issues with my Etymotic ER-6, I wanted to go with the super.fi for this very reason.  I know I'll eventually have cable issues with my ER-6, as I've had eventually with every other pair of headphones I've ever owned.  Unfortunately, the super.fi won't fit my custom molded earplugs, so they were a no-go for me.  But if you don't plan on using custom molded earplugs, and the super.fi sound as good as everyone suggests, the detachable cable's a great additional feature.

[bugg100]

I have the super.fi 3 and love them.  The super.fi 5 pro (not the Extra Bass model-EB) is cheap now also.... $130ish with dual armatures vs. the single armature of the s.f 3.

Joe

[Nick's Picks]

for in ears...
hard to beat any of the ones mentioned.  i've never heard a bad one.  of the entry level models ive used, I like the Ety's ER6 and the M-Audio IE-10

[newscane]

for in ears...
hard to beat any of the ones mentioned.  i've never heard a bad one.  of the entry level models ive used, I like the Ety's ER6 and the M-Audio IE-10

The M-Audios aren't much more than a more expensive clone of the super.fi 3...

http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/04/22/m-audio-ie-10-in-ear-headphones-hands-on/

[Nick's Picks]

I thought that at first too.  and that article does seem to confirm.
good to know.  I can cheap out w/the super.fi's.
  +T

[BC]

I really dig my Ultimate Ears Super Fi 5 pro's. I wear em' in the "inverted" mod configuration, my only caveat is that they stick out a bit from my ears a bit, in comparison with my friend's Shure's which seem to fit the contours of the ear a bit better, but they sound really nice and do a good job of sealing out airplane noise.

[Javier Cinakowski]

I just scored a pair of the Audio Technica ATH-CK9's on ebay from a liquidator for $79..  I ordered some of the Shure Black Olive foamies to replace the AT inserts that don't have a great reputaion...  I hope they sound great, as the ATH-CK7's certainly do....

[jlykos]

I think that I'm the only person on this board that uses them, but the Westone UM-1 that I use are fantastic.  They are IEMs and are comfortable as all hell.  Cost about $100 from the manufacturer (www.westone.com).  If these ever go bad, I'm going to pony up for the Westone 3 phones just to see what three drivers can do for me.

[Gutbucket]

In-ears work great on a plane, car, anywhere you need isolation. I have ER4P's and ER4S's but use blue foam earplugs with a hole punched through them for better isolation. The ER4S's have more extended & transparent highs but often need a portable headphone amp to drive them.

Curious how all the in-ears compare to one another.  Anyone try several different types?  This is a tough thing to try before you buy.  I tried Ety ER6's years back before I picked up the ER4P's years ago but the sound didn't cut it for me after using the ER4S's.

I'm wondering how the sound of the other in-ears compare to the Ety's.   I got my first pair 10 years ago.  Back then the choices were more clear cut and there wasn't as much competition.  Now there are Westones, Ultimate Ears, Shures, AT's, etc. and newer technologies like the usually higher priced multi-driver types.

[Nick's Picks]

of the ones i've either owned or used enough to know, I rate like this:

1. Ety ER4p
2. M-Audio IE-10
3. Ety er6
4. Sure EC3

[newscane]

I really dig my Ultimate Ears Super Fi 5 pro's. I wear em' in the "inverted" mod configuration, my only caveat is that they stick out a bit from my ears a bit, in comparison with my friend's Shure's which seem to fit the contours of the ear a bit better, but they sound really nice and do a good job of sealing out airplane noise.

I've run my super.fi 3's in the "reverse mod" configuration, although I think I'm running them normally now...

[Chuck]

How long is the cord on the super.fi 3's?

I got an Amazon.com gift card that's burning a hole in my pocket.

[live2496]

How long is the cord on the super.fi 3's?

I got an Amazon.com gift card that's burning a hole in my pocket.

50 inches.

[olyrc]

Sennheiser HD-280 Pro, IMO.

$100, good isolation, decent sound.  Might need a headphone amp if you want to really crank it up, though.

$65 on Amazon.com right now.

[Chuck]

How long is the cord on the super.fi 3's?

I got an Amazon.com gift card that's burning a hole in my pocket.

50 inches.

+T, thanks

[Chuck]

You guys that run the custom molded ear canal phones... are you all using Westone ES49's? What attenuation filters do you use with these at shows? My current Westones don't have the ability to use filters and I'm thinking about getting another pair.