Travel Headphones Suggestions

Yes, unamplified. I've contemplated buying a bithead, but I like traveling light (hence the in-ears). I should probably give them a run with my Grado RA1 amp, just to be fair to both, but I don't know if that will do much aside from improving on the bass, which the Shures already do better at than the Etymotics. Am I correct in this assumption?

You should try getting a better seal -- I found the Ety's had better bass unamplified. Amplified, they came out to about the same (IIRC).

"To be fair" -- who cares? I don't blame you for traveling light, I came to the same conclusion. Ety's amplified only fine-tuned how good they were, whereas with the Shure's they made a significant improvement. Is it worth it? I don't know, I like the Ety's, I'm happy with them. I know other people who prefer the Shures' midrange, but they're not me, so I can't defend their opinion.

Also, I don't know how much of an improvement the Bithead would give -- the lowest of the line that I heard is the Micro, IIRC.

I tried both headphones with my own amp at home (albeit with a 3.5mm to 1/4" jack adapter). The results were pretty much the same, but a little, just a little less pronounced than one th plane. I don't know if the lack of background hum had anything to do with that. Could also be my expectations, the adapter, the mood I was in, or the food I ate, who knows. Still, for my money, I'll choose the Etymotics over the Shures.

I should mention that neither headphone holds a candle to my AKG 701's, my current reference. Of course, they are the polar opposite of "portable" - I might as well trade in my rollerblades for some good old roller skates, if I'm going to be wearing those outdoors.

I recently bought Shure's E3Gs. When I send the e3g's back to Shure, most likely from a broken cord(it always happens eventually), do I just send the headphones, or do I include the little case, the extra fitting pieces, etc? Will they really replace them for you when the wires break? I think thats such a great thing! And do they charge anything for replacing them? I just realised I could probably find the info on their website, but I'm generally impaired when it comes to navigating websites to find something specific!

Yeah, repair is just a flat fee, I don't remember what it is, but someone in this thread went through it -- just find the form, download it, fill it out, send in with the earphones (the instructions will tell you whether or not to send anything else) with a check, and several weeks later, voila! All is good.

Fritz,

How did you like the sound on the E3Gs?

Overall I think they are very nice and clear with a bit too much upper midrange. The bass is definitely there, its good enough for me (I like the pliable rubber fittings, they give a very decent seal and its much easier/faster to insert than the yellow foam. My use for them involves short usage periods, so thats why. Also the yellow turned to brownish-stickyness. Back on topic!) Maybe something like....the sound of a snare drum - would sound a little harsh and tinny, but not enough to make me not use them anymore. It might be the resonance of the ear canal space closed in by the headphone. I also find that you can change the sound because once the earphone is sealed onto the ear, if you push it in past the point where it would naturally rest, it creates suction that muffles the midrange.

Overall, with all my ranting aside, they are clear sounding, but there is a bit too much midrange and not quite enough bass.

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Originally Posted by Fritz

Overall, with all my ranting aside, they are clear sounding, but there is a bit too much midrange and not quite enough bass.

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Not enough bass? Then you probably wouldn't like the Etymotics. And the E3Gs are the "bassy" version of the E3Cs. Interesting...

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Originally Posted by nightflier

Not enough bass? Then you probably wouldn't like the Etymotics. And the E3Gs are the "bassy" version of the E3Cs. Interesting...

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Well, I suppose I'm one of those people who likes the bass turned way higher than it's supposed to be...

Most of the songs that I like that have a substantial amount of bass only have it for a second-like the title screen music for Starcraft, for example. I've wondered how the Etymotics would compare to the e3's for me ever since I got these e3g's. I also wonder how the e2's sound compares. It's hard to actually find a place where you can compare them all via actually listening to them. I dont have a car, so I cant get around.

I also thought I heard from somewhere that the G version only differs in color from the C version. Just putting it out there!

I listened to the e2g's for a bit. A friend happened to have a pair. They have noticebly more bass than the e3g's. I didn't listen long enough to determine how refined it was or anything (and I'll admit, I'm still trying to train my ears for hearing details like that). One other thing that I kept noticing is that compared to the e3g, the mid range is much more laid back, and details in the highs are harder to distingush. Based on my short session with them, if I had decided to buy them instead of the e3's, I would have still been pleased. I like the way they feel on the ear more than the e3g.

I thought I would update this thread as promised after taking a trip using the
Sony MDRNC6 Noise Canceling Headphones. Despite the great advice supplied by all on this thread I cheaped out and bought these Sony's because I had a gift card in hand.

Well long story short I should have used the gift card to get a pair of Insignia speakers before they raised the price...

I recently traveled by jet with my seat right behind the wing where jet engine noise is usually the worst so perhaps no headphone could have meet this test. Anyway I listened to several pieces by Handel. The Sony's did a fairly decent job of handling the mids and highs though at high volume the horns playing were at times shrill. The bass was weak and on occasion was washed out by the jet noise. The ear pieces are made of thin foam which I am afraid over time will probably tear or come apart from the headset. The headset was not particularly comfortable and you were aware of it because of the hard plastic feel to it. While I have not tried cheaper headphones I find it hard to figure where Sony spent the money on these headphones. On a 1-5 scale I would rate this a 2.

Thanks again to all who submitted advice to my thread and I will start looking for a replacement to these when I have the next opportunity.

Thanks for checking back in, even a negative review is useful (to the next poor schmuck who gets stuck next to the engine).

BTW, Ety's make this tolerable. Go Ety next time.

I don't know about etymonics, but I ended up getting Shure e2c's (mostly cause the closest ety dealer was 4 hours drive away...)

but, i compared them to the e2g's, and wow, what a difference... the e2g's are bass heavy, muddy, and shrill on the highs...YUCK! (you all know how much i HATE shrill highs...right?)

My e2c's broke a couple months ago (connection to right earphone failed...) so i downloaded the form, put "under warranty, purchased august 2006" and sent 'em in...

(oh, btw, to one of the old questions, when you send them back to get replaced, JUST send in the earphones, they send you back a whole new retail package!)

yeh, so 2 weeks later a box lands on my front porch...from...SHURE!!! i open it to find...A WHOLE NEW RETAIL PACKAGE!!! all the accesories again! (to replace the ones I lost :P)

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Originally Posted by audio_dude

...the e2g's are bass heavy, muddy, and shrill on the highs...

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Yeah, but that would work with HT and gaming.

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Originally Posted by Dusty Chalk

Yeah, but that would work with HT and gaming.

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yeah, i'm not saying they're bad for that... but for music, they're CRAP...

The E2Gs are still a big step up from what they include with the iPod. I know two other people who bought them as an upgrade, and they like them a lot. Of course, they haven't heard the Etymotics, and I'm pretty sure the E3Gs are a bit better, but the E2Gs should still be a big improvement.

Yeah, I'm sure they are. The E2c's are also better than the E2g's, or that's the word on the street.

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Originally Posted by nightflier

I tried both headphones with my own amp at home (albeit with a 3.5mm to 1/4" jack adapter). The results were pretty much the same, but a little, just a little less pronounced than one th plane. I don't know if the lack of background hum had anything to do with that. Could also be my expectations, the adapter, the mood I was in, or the food I ate, who knows. Still, for my money, I'll choose the Etymotics over the Shures.

I should mention that neither headphone holds a candle to my AKG 701's, my current reference. Of course, they are the polar opposite of "portable" - I might as well trade in my rollerblades for some good old roller skates, if I'm going to be wearing those outdoors.

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So you finally settled on the AKG 701.Great choice as I've recently purchused them.There better than my Senn HD 650 with Cardas cable and that's saying alot.Enjoy

I always sit near the engines. This is because I know it is the least wanted seat in the plane. I also own a pair of Bose Quietcomfort 2's, and dearly love them. They make the trip more than bearable, and the sound quality is good enough that I use them for my primary phones. This really is a great step in the right direction for Bose as well as sound is concerned, and feel that they are more than worth the price.

Window seats are nice, but I always end up resting my head on the side panels. Now, that's loud.

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Originally Posted by compaqguy

This really is a great step in the right direction for Bose as well as sound is concerned, and feel that they are more than worth the price.

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OOPS... Typo there... I meant that it it is a great step in the right direction as FAR as SQ goes...

sorry

Most here are talking about Shures and Bose products. Bose for me has never met the sound test. I have a factory Bose system in my Infiniti, and it sounds just fine. Car audio can never be good sound because of the limitations of the genre. A perfect environment for the Bose philosophy of using electronic signal manipulation to cover up the shortcomings of inferior speaker components. However, the Levinson gear in Lexus is much better from the start, requiring much less EQ to get the sound right. To my mind, anyone who willingly spends his money on a Bose product deserves the mediocrity he's going to get.

Shure has proven its value in the plug market, and virtually every electric performer out there owns a set of Shure ear monitors. They are truly the best at keeping out extraneous noise and feeding a direct signal. This quality makes them excellent plane plugs.

But I've found, after steadily increasing my budget for Shure plugs, that my good old Ety ER4s sound as good as the best Shures. Not bad for a pair of $150 plugs. Yes, it's nice to have a separate amplifier for them, and I have a very nice homebuilt that uses 2 9v batts to supply the juice. It does help, but it's not absolutely necessary. All my Shure plugs sound thin without sufficient voltage to drive them properly (that's why I have this little amp). The Ety's sound better with the amp, but their sound is much more satisfying straight out of the Zen jack than the sound of the Shures.

Not carrying a separate amp with its accompanying wire makes the difference for me, especially in high-noise environments. The Shures do a bit better job at sealing out exterior noise. But I found the extra-long Ety ear nibs really work well with my head, and provide a better seal for me than I can get with the ones that come with the phones. And you can buy them by the gross for next to nothing.

Bottom line: now I've got a tiny player I really like in the Zen V Plus, no need for an external amp, very good external noise seal, and great quality plugs--in the most portable package ever. If you want the best combo of extreme portability and isolation from external noise, you've just found it in your own portable player and the Etymotic ER4.

Wow, this thread is still alive. I'll add a little bit more myself.

Everyone usually talks about isolation on planes, but I've found that they are just as useful in cars. We took another trip up the bay area (6-8 hour drive, depending on the little one), and while my wife was driving, I reclined the seat, plugged in the Etymotics and it was like I was somewhere else. Our car is fairly well insulated, but now even the whisper of the wind drag was gone.

I should also add a little about the Etymotics & bass. Now that I've had some good opportunities to compare them with the Shures, both with & without an amp, I can say that the bass on the Etymotics is really what is standing out to my ears. It is not as heavy, as previously mentioned, to be sure, but it is clearer, more punchy and crisp. I was listening to everything from Beethoven to Tool and must say that these little ear buds sound truly amazing. The Shures do seem at first to have bigger, deeper bass, but it is slightly more muddy and indistinct. The frequencies just above it are also affected by this and the Etymotics really let me hear more of the upper bass and lower mids than did the Shures. So no, the Etymotics maybe don't have as much bass as the Shures, but it is more punchy and visceral and certainly more to my liking. Of course, this also begins to bleed into the issue of sound preference, and maybe this is where my comparison should end, but for me, the Etymotics are truly amazing technology - so small, and yet still able to bring so much to the table.

So guess what?!

My e3g's BROKE! damnit.
Not even the cord, just what I deserve for finally expecting the cord to be the first to go. As anyone with a shure IEM knows, the headphone is made of 2 parts, the back with the driver and wire, and the front part with the tube that goes in your ear. The tube part cracked and came off the driver part while I was removing it from my ear. I guess the suction from the rubber piece tore it off.

So I'm off to the Shure website, I am going to get new ones.

I suppose now is a good time to mention, when I first bought them, I did notice that the pieces were not completely attached all the way. There was a little gap where it wasnt slid on all the way. That is where it broke. D'OH!

there are a few things i want to reply, first, the difference between the shure c version and the g version is exactly the same sound wise. the g version has a longer cable and it's all black in color.

the shure has a new line. i tried e2c and e3c before. i didn't like it at all. i read some good reviews about the new se210, se310. i'm going to get one later this month, or next month.

as for ety. it's know for it's good high. and very detail mids and tight bass. what i mean tight bass is good clean bass with going bassy or boomy.

one suggestion. if you want more bass than ety but not too much bass, try ultimate ears super fi 3 or some westone.

Fritz, i read shure has great customer service. drop them a mail and see what they can offer.
audio_dude, i think you need to try some ety if you can take shrill highs from my experience, er6 and er4s need an amp. er6i or er4p don't need one but will sound better with an amp.