I don't understand how people can wear isolation earbuds. Maybe it's just me, but I've only had experience with one pair of isolation earbuds. The problem was, whenever I moved my head, via walking or just looking around, the two cords to the ear pieces would move a bit and create loud, internal, unbearable swooshing sounds in my ear that blocked out the music more than any ambient noise. Furthermore, it's like I can hear everything inside of me while I have them on. I can hear the bones in my neck creak and, if I talk, it sounds like a heavy bass. I also hate how I can't hear if anyone wants to try to talk to me. Regular headphones are definitely better. Or, maybe I just had a crappy pair of isolation earbuds?
The problem was, whenever I move my head, via walking or just looking around, the 2 cords to the ear piece would move abit and create loud internal unbearable swooshing sounds in my ear that blocks out the music more than any ambient noise.
THis is why they have a clip to prevent the cord from swooshing.
The problem was, whenever I move my head, via walking or just looking around, the 2 cords to the ear piece would move abit and create loud internal unbearable swooshing sounds in my ear that blocks out the music more than any ambient noise.
THis is why they have a clip to prevent the cord from swooshing.
Ahh. That was what that clip was for. I never bothered with it, since it makes you look like an idiot with it on.
Even still though, I don't like how they dig inside your ear. It just feels odd.
I've had a pair of simple/cheap 25 euro Phillips in ear ear buds for the last 9 months, two pairs, both broke due to crappy wiring breaking, shop just replaces them. While the cable is a PoS, being on of those crap things that goes behind your neck, and thus the weight of the entire cable hangs on the connection in the left ear bud, and they tended to fall out because of that if I had not adopted the act of coiling the wire around my ears, the sound is absolutely amazing, and the isolation also, for such cheap things. Now that the second pair broke a little over two weeks ago and I returned it, I had to live, again, with my very old, super crappy headphones. And they are the definition of shit if you are talking about any sort of speaker. Padding's crap, the speakers clamp down hard on your skull, and since I have glasses, they are extremely uncomfortable, not to speak about audio quality and lack of any isolation or anything. So yeah, I'm all for ear buds. I will pick up a new pair tomorrow from the Dixons, though will talk with them and see if they have anything that might last as long as my factory iPod ear buds did.
@ Iruul, your complaints are inherent to the features of the ear buds, in the case of headphones, they're heavier, must apply pressure to your skull to stay on, and audio quality is crappier most of the time compared to a pair of in-ear ear buds. It goes either way like that. The solution for a problem on one side (e.g. ear buds falling out), has it's own problems (e.g. headphones clamp down on your head, don't fall off, but might be very uncomfortable).
I too also have a pair of the Etymotics er 6i, and they're actually really really good. Before when i caught my train, my volume was set to nearly max, now with the etymotics my volume is between half and a quarter. My friends usually get pissed at me because i wouldn't be able to hear them if they talked to me. i recently bought replacements and it should last for a while if what Scott said was true.
Depends on the situation. When I'm on the plane,train,car I use earbuds. When I'm gaming I use headphones and when I listen to podcasts I like to use earbuds. Though I do prefer headphones more because of the noise reduction and quality.
One other thing I realized recently. The etymotics use suction to stay in your ear canal. The Sonys I'm using have over-ear clips. How is someone supposed to wear sunglasses, or other glasses, while simultaneously wearing any kind of headphone other than in-ear buds? It's either impossible or uncomfortable.
I've never had a problem with over-the-ear style earbuds with my glasses. Maybe I'm just used to it.
The stereo mini connector on my er6is busted. I sent them in for an RMA, but I haven't heard back yet. In the meantime, my ears were dying. I have been completely unable to listen to anything while in the subway, on the street, and even sometimes while I'm sitting on the train. I was using some crappy $10 Sony things. I just got the iPhone, and the buds that come with it are even worse than the $10 Sony pair! I went and bought the Etymotic hf2. It's mostly the same as the er6i, only more expensive ($180 vs $150). However, they have the necessary microphone/button that is necessary to use them with the iPhone. Now I can have isolated earbud action, but also pick up, talk on, and hang up the phone without taking it out of my pocket. Also, the microphone button works as a pause/play button during normal iPod usage.
I just got back to the office and put these bad boys in. I don't know if it's just because I'm so relieved to have noise isolation again, but I think these are actually better than the 6i. Then again, it could also be because of the supposed improved audio quality of the iPhone 3G. Sitting in the office I am able to put the iPhone's volume on the absolute lowest non-mute setting, and still hear everything just perfectly. It's so great.
Sitting in the office I am able to put the iPhone's volume on the absolute lowest non-mute setting, and still hear everything just perfectly. It's so great.
I did this with my iPod the first time I used my er6is. It was absolute heaven. You need to experience it to understand.
Ok so I got some new isolation earbuds and I have to say that I've changed my mind, they are great. If I'm in a situation where I want to hear people talk to me I just put one side in and all is good. One really big problem comes up though. When I plug it into my laptop I can hear really annoying static sounds from the earbuds. I have to turn the music up really loud to cover it. Anyone know anything about this?
When I plug it into my laptop I can hear really annoying static sounds from the earbuds. I have to turn the music up really loud to cover it. Anyone know anything about this?
The sound card in your laptop is shit. Now that you have quality earbuds, you can actually hear the shit. It's the classic problem where better things make smaller flaws stand out more. Sort of like how on HD-TV you can see small blemishes that were invisible on standard definition.
When I plug it into my laptop I can hear really annoying static sounds from the earbuds.
Your laptop has a crappy soundcard, or else you're using Linux on your laptop. ^_~ There's nothing to be done, short of getting an external USB soundcard.
Yes, it's when I game on my PS3 I can sit back and relax. I want wireless headphones cause I play really really late and I can't turn up the TV volume that high.
Wireless headphones are unnecessarily heavy, unreliable, crap and make your ears hurt by pure pressure and the QUALITY of the sound. I speak from experience, don't bother. Just get a pair of earbuds.
I wouldn't have thought weight was such a problem as long as you make sure they are resting on your head and not your ears. Also, 0.485016977 pounds = 0.22kg for people in the metric world.
0.485016977 pounds?Theseseem amazingly light, I want to get them, but I do want to hear the quality of the sound that comes out of them.
That's almost half a pound. That's not that light.
Exactly, you are going to wear them on your head, not in your hands. Sure, half a pound is not that much, but having it on your head will get very annoying since, at least the one I have tried, was very unbalanced. If you listen for any period of time to music or podcasts you are much better of with a pair of in-ear earbuds. Weight nigh nothing, great audio quality, no need to turn the sound up and destroy your ears and if you need distance, just buy one of those cables.
I really like using headphones, as big as they get. That is my listening device of choice, however, most of the time I'm listening, I'm not at home, maybe driving somewhere, or at the gym, or walking through campus or something, and in that case I have to use ear buds, walking down the street with big face plugs is not that socially accepted down here. Since this is 'kinda' related, and I don't want to create a discussion over this because it might just prove I'm mad crazy, when I'm listening to the podcast, I sometimes hear a back noise, really low, that sounds somewhat like a dot matrix printer at work. Does anyone else get this? That's on my iPhone where I usually listen to podcast, but I don't get the noise in any other situation.
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Even still though, I don't like how they dig inside your ear. It just feels odd.
@ Iruul, your complaints are inherent to the features of the ear buds, in the case of headphones, they're heavier, must apply pressure to your skull to stay on, and audio quality is crappier most of the time compared to a pair of in-ear ear buds. It goes either way like that. The solution for a problem on one side (e.g. ear buds falling out), has it's own problems (e.g. headphones clamp down on your head, don't fall off, but might be very uncomfortable).
Buds. I am sticking with it. There shouldn't be a debate, people!
I just got back to the office and put these bad boys in. I don't know if it's just because I'm so relieved to have noise isolation again, but I think these are actually better than the 6i. Then again, it could also be because of the supposed improved audio quality of the iPhone 3G. Sitting in the office I am able to put the iPhone's volume on the absolute lowest non-mute setting, and still hear everything just perfectly. It's so great.
Also, 0.485016977 pounds = 0.22kg for people in the metric world.
Since this is 'kinda' related, and I don't want to create a discussion over this because it might just prove I'm mad crazy, when I'm listening to the podcast, I sometimes hear a back noise, really low, that sounds somewhat like a dot matrix printer at work. Does anyone else get this? That's on my iPhone where I usually listen to podcast, but I don't get the noise in any other situation.