[BC] Robust headphones

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Comfortable?  I like IEMs (In Ear Monitors).  Even on awful hot,  
humid days, no hair sweat.  No head band either.

I fly a lot and like to protect my hearing, flying or not, so  
blocking outside noise is important to me.  MOST IEMs block outside  
sound well, better than the Bose noise canceling headphones.  I have  
a set of the over the ear Bose, and while they do block SOME noise,  
it isn't great, and they don't sound good at all.  "No highs, no  
lows, must be Bose."  I only really like one of their products, the  
800 sound reinforcement speakers.  Lugging four of those beats the  
heck out of four EV 6301s!

 From there I tried Etymotic Research ER-4P IEMs. <http:// 
www.etymotic.com/ephp/er4.aspx>

I immediately fell in love with them, and couldn't live without  
them.  I nearly intentionally missed a plane because I dropped them  
somewhere in an airport and just had to find them before getting on  
any plane.  Since it was an ERJ, and my seat was toward the rear I  
REALLY needed them!

In my quest for better sound, I bought the Shure SE530 phones.   
<http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/Products/Earphones/SEModels/ 
us_pa_se530_content>  They sound pretty good (great for headphones)  
but have a tad too much bass.  Like many headphones and speakers, the  
extra bass is initially very inviting, but over time it shows up as  
what it is -- not flat.  They cost more than the ER4Ps did -- a lot  
more.

The Shure IEMs come with a cool thing that I never use.  You put it  
in line with the cord and when the flight attendant wants to talk to  
you, you just push a button and it cuts off the music and turns on a  
mic!  When you release the button things return to normal.  I love  
it, but I never bother to use it.  The Bose also have a smart cord.   
It is very short, perfect for carrying the iPod in a shirt pocket.   
All the other IEMs have cords that are far too long.  The Bose also  
comes with an extension cord.

The ER-4P is a lot clearer, and flatter.  MAYBE the ER-4P could have  
a bit more output at the extreme high end, but I have yet to find any  
phones that sound better.  Only my electrostatic speakers have  
better, cleaner, clearer highs.  The ER-4P is intended for portable  
use.  They are more efficient than the ER-4S.  It turns out you can  
pad the ER-4P and turn them into the "S" model.  I did, and they do  
sound a bit better.  I bought a Simpl Accoustics A1 amplifier but it  
really isn't needed even with the pad -- at least for me.  It is very  
cool the way it attaches to an ipod.  <http://www.simpl.com/ 
products.html>

I am going to buy a set of Ultimate Ears UE-10 or UE-11.  I haven't  
decided which ones, and you cannot return them or even sell or give  
them to anyone since they are custom molded to each buyer's ears.   
I'm a little concerned the UE-11s may have too much bass.  <http:// 
www.ultimateears.com/_ultimateears/products/custom/ 
ue11pro_description.php>

By the way, both UE and Etymotic make "ear plugs" with different  
attenuation but flat frequency response.  I wear ear plugs at rock  
concerts and they normally do muddy the sound.  I need to get some of  
these.

I cannot normally use either of the IEMs around the house.  I cannot  
hear the doorbell or the phone.  They are totally unsuitable for  
outdoor sports like cycling or running.  The lack of hearing could  
get you killed.

Obviously no one will want to share IEMs but I think sharing  
headphones is a bad idea anyway, as I have already written.  Just  
like rental cars versus personally owned vehicles...


Beyond the IEMs, it depends on where they are going to be used.  The  
Grado RS-1 over the ear headphones sound good.  Koss Pro 4 AA and AAA  
headphones sound fair, play LOUD, block sound OK, and are the classic  
DJ phones. My Pro 4 AAs are about 35 years old and still have the  
original cord on them.  My AAAs are maybe 10 years newer and are also  
in fine shape.  I have Sony MDR-V6 which are OK and much more  
comfortable than the Koss.  I have the Koss Electrostatic phones.   
They are just as uncomfortable as the Pro 4AA, but they really do  
sound very good.  They are a pain in the rear end to use, and to  
drive.  The "special" cord has to plug into a box that has to be  
driven by a fairly high power amplifier.  I use a Crown D-75 as a  
headphone amp for those -- the speaker out, not the headphone out.   
Even so, they are not DJ loud.

Most any of the Stax Earspeakers sound fantastic.  I am amazed at how  
it doesn't seem/sound like I am wearing headphones, except that the  
ones I have used are the size of a small box of tissues on each side  
of the head.  The new ones are smaller, but I haven't tried them.   
<http://www.stax.co.jp/#>

There is an amazing discussion board on all things headphone  
related.  Give them a try:  <http://www.head-fi.org/>

--chip

On Jan 4, 2008, at 6:00 AM, broadcast-request at radiolists.net wrote:

> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:15:01 -0700
> From: "Jim Wood, C.P.E.W." <electrojim at sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: [BC] Robust headphones
> To: <broadcast at radiolists.net>
> Message-ID: <7.0.1.0.2.20080103191450.0441c548 at oldradio.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
> Okay, guys, what is the most comfortable set of cans on the
> market today?  Robustness is a certainly a consideration in
> our workplace, but if YOU had to put on a set of headphones
> right now and wear them continually for the REST OF YOUR
> LIFE, what would you choose, all other factors being secondary?
>
> Thanks,
>      Jim Wood
>      Brea, CA