[87turbolook911]

I know a lot of you have ipods/personal mp3 players, so I thought I'd share my latest find. I've been looking for the past year for high quality headphones that I could use while commuting through the metro system.
My criteria were:

1) Had to sound phenomenal...natural clean sound with good low frequency (bass) production

2) Had to be small. Can't bring myself to wearing my huge dj monitors while walking around DC.

3) Have noise cancellation attributes. The train, metro, and airplane (when I travel) can be loud.

4) Reasonable cost

I've had my eyes set on Shure E3c's, but at $179 I was going to wait for the price to drop. Then I listened to them and thought they were a bit bass shy....though still very good.

I came across reviews for Future Sonics Ears (model EM3). "They're designed for live sound applications and just happen to make hi-quality MP3s sound far better than any standard earphone".




Originally priced at $159, but you can now get them for $99. Here's the link to purchase: http://www.futuresonics.com/

I've had them for about a month now and I look forward to my commute so I can listen to them. The only negative I've heard about them is that they are brown. They are brown so they don't stand out when a singer uses them in a concert. But that shouldn't be a problem in this crowd who believes "brown is the new black".

Of course I have no affiliation, and if you buy them and hate them, it's Pari's fault...just cause they're brown

[cmartin]

Very timely. A yelping kid next to me on a redeye last week has me on the hunt for kid, er noise, cancelling headphone. Are these up to the task, or should I go for a more robust pair?

Good find.

[Jazzbass]

Great find, Vu. I use my iPod a lot and hate the headphones.

BTW, Chris - I was looking into the noise canceling headphones to block the unwanted kid noise on flights too. From what I've heard, they only block the low frequency noise of the engines and wind in the plane - human voices are not bloced and go right through. "WTF is the point" I thought. The plane noise I can handle.

[cmartin]

Chris - Thanks for the info. I tried on my boss' noise cancellers in a resturaunt last week. When I first put them on I though WTF, they didnt do anything. Then I took them off and the general volume of the room went up considerably. I dont expect them to work as well as a .45, but if they can knock down the rugrat even a little I'm game.

[87turbolook911]

I don't like the "electronic" noise canceling phones because of their poor sound reproduction and their unreliability. When you put the Future Sonics in your ears, the ear pieces conform to your ear canal and truly blocks sounds from the outside. You can hardly hear someone talking to you once you've put them in. It's made of the same material ear plugs are made of. I used them on my last flight and they were awesome!

[cmartin]

Winner winner chicken dinner!

[thomschoon]

I used a set of the Bose & Sanyo noise cancelling for a couple of years and found that the gray noise they create was actually just as bad for my hearing (according to my doctor). I went to the Etymotics last year as they also block the noise, best money I have spent in a while. I have used them on around 100 flights with both the molded silicone and the foam pads and prefer the foam as they block a bit more noise. Here is where I got them:

http://www.customearsets.com/Models_.../etymotic.html

[87turbolook911]

I used a set of the Bose & Sanyo noise cancelling for a couple of years and found that the gray noise they create was actually just as bad for my hearing (according to my doctor).

That's correct because the noise cancelling headphones generate an opposite sound wave to the noise it's blocking out....so it's not really blocking the noise from entering your ears it's "covering up" the noise with more noise....

I saw the Etymotics too, but they were a pretty penny...

[thomschoon]

[quote="87turbolook911"]

I saw the Etymotics too, but they were a pretty penny...

I was also waiting for the price drop on the Shures, but went with the Etymotics after I saw how robust they were. If I could have gotten the price you paid, it would have made the decision much easier and cheaper. The other advantage the ear bud has over the Bose is the size, packing the headphones around was a pain.

[rupped]

Finally a topic I feel knowledgable enough to offer something...

I have had the Etymonics for about 5 years, and logged way too many hours on planes with them. They cost too much, but they sound great and have lasted well. I have the earlier ER-4S, which are less efficient than the P which came about with the popularity of the I-Pod, so I "had" to get a headphone amp (see http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?...tID=0000010001 ). HiFi is another slippery slope.