Hey guys,
Was browsing around for some new ear/headphones which will cancel out background noise, as going into London on the train everyday is quite noisy.
So I was wondering if anyone can recommend some decent noise canceling ear/headphones. Nothing too expensive :mrgreen:
Thanks
Have a search - there's an extensive thread on this somewhere. I said it before and i'll say it again - Sennheiser CX300s http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...ardenbanter-21
are what I use, and are excellent. They have a good dynamic range, are inexpensive, and cancel noise extremely well as they sit in the ear canal.
Hope this helps
Another vote for the CX300s (although I've not used any of the competing aftermarket headphones), I find them to give a really decent sound quality and environment muffling.
ahhh cheers million, I did have a very brief search. I shall endeavor to find it now!
shure e2gs arent that much more expensive, and the gulf in sound quality and isolation is amazing, especially if you use the foam plugs
I also use the Sennheiser CX300s! Didn't realise they were so popular!
Although i am very happy with them, it's worth your while being realistic about the term "noise cancelling" - there is nothing active whatsoever that counter-vibrates the outside world etc etc. They simply muffle / reduce the outside world by sitting very snugly in the ear canal. If you stand next to a jet engine, you will still hear it:)
I do think, however, that the quality is good and they are great value for money (I paid 35 quid from an apple store and remain happy)
shure e2, ultimate ears metro.fi2, vmoda vibe - these are pretty much the best under £50. If you want something under £30 the CX300 or the ep630 are the best to go for...
:) Lets see, you're travelling in London, are already distracted by the music and you want to completely cancel out background noise?
Would you mind terribly telling me which tubes you take because you're a prime mugging candidate and I need cash for a new PC! :)
This isn't the HEXUS.Crime forum, you are not aloud to post that here :laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucio
Plus there are plenty of more expensive items than headphones on the tube...
Ive got some shure e3s, they are better sounding than my hifi, and the bass is really good if you jam em in your ears... plus you "cant hear nuffink" when youre in them.
If youre using them for light listening or are on the train, im sure the e2s are more than acceptable, my friend has a pair and he is a sound engineer and is extremely happy with them.
I bought the e3s in the US at a comparable price to the e2s here, and i would recommend the manufacturing quality o soth pairs of phones.
they also make your music play louder when you listen.
get some and they will probably outlast several ipods
unless they get nicked :D
Even if they don't last long, shure's cs has a great reputation. They will replace them if in warranty (2 years, I think).Quote:
Originally Posted by BoB_DoG
I use Soundwise earphones and they have a good range of sound isolating earphones. They are a small UK brand and are really good value. I bought after reading a review on lordpercy
www.lordpercy.com
Am I right in saying that Shure are similar to Bose? in terms of what they claim to be selling
Yes, and no, the same kind of idea, however, the shures will fit better (theres 3 different fitting options (in 3 sizes) for them rather than one rather uncomfortable looking one with bose) And judging by bose products ive heard in the past, likely better sound quality. the e2cs are certainly much cheaper (£35 at amazon)Quote:
Originally Posted by Oobie-
shure>bose unless you are a bose fanboy :p
Am I the only one that actually likes the Sony MDR-EX71s I've been using for the last couple of years?
Admittedly, when they break I'll probably replace them with something nicer, but they haven't done bad after 2-3 years of abuse...
Have you heard better any better earphones?Quote:
Originally Posted by dave87
My ex71 lasted about 18 months. I know have UE metro.fi2 (not exactly high end either) and the difference is like day and night. Better highs, mids, clear and tight bass, better build, better isolation, soundstage exists! (unlike in the ex71s, I never knew what soundstage meant when using those)! I can't believe I put those pieces of crap in my ears for 18 months without realising how bad they were!
Sure they beat the standard apple headphones, but the ex71s are still very low quality imo.
That is probably true, but I simply haven't had the chance to try anything better. That will come when I replace them I guess, but they are still better than most of the sub £30 headphones.
At £16 I'm mighty tempted to get some CX300's myself but can anyone shed any light on the apparent noise you hear when the wires are touched by anything... ?
I don't get that, but sometimes you can hear the wind whistling through the cables... :laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by NightshadowUK
If you're using bundled headphones, £16 is a wonderful investment!
I've currently got --> Sony MDR-ED21LP
Think I'd be able to hear an improvement?
Yes definately... thats like asking if a 1st divison club is better than a conference club lolQuote:
Originally Posted by NightshadowUK
If you are taking the Piccadilly / Victoria / Central or any other "noisy" line, don't bother with any non-isolating/cancelling ear/headphones. You will have to turn volume up to somewhere like 75% to actually hear any vocals.
I'm using the Etymotic ER6i on the Piccadilly line at the moment, MP3 running at minimal volume (somewhere like 5%, although occasionally push up to 20% just to keep myself awake)
I once felt asleep on Piccadilly line because it was so "quiet" and missed my lecture :(
Although you don\'t want to have it on when you\'re overground because you\'ll barely hear people shouting at you.
For IEMs the rule is
Vibration => Microphonics => Not good isolation
So as arthur said, not really great for the tube... but then again no earphones really are.
I adore my ER6i, got them for under £50 on ebay brand new (from a US seller). They're better looking, fitting and sounding than the Shure E2c or E3c in my opinion. Can't go wrong with them :DQuote:
Originally Posted by arthurleung
I've tried some mid to high end IEMs (short of custom made) from various brands. I definitely think they are 'different'. I do share the opinion of many that the Etymotics ER-6i is bass shy (and I do not mean next to a car subwoofer). I do not subjectively find them better than the Shure EC3.
To be honest, it takes some pretty high end IEM to wow me so far. I am currently using the Westone UM2, and while they are solid when isolation is needed (train/plane - they aren't particularly vulnerable to microphonics to me), they stay in the box at other times. I really like the Shure E500 - though in a 'I can justify the cost and amount of listening' worth of cost.
It really comes down to your budget. For £30, I agree that the Sennheiser (et al. - as in alternatives using the same drivers) are nice. And a welcome improvement to the Sony EX-71. But, I personally find equivalent non isolating headphones to sound much better.
About the Bose, I am not aware they made IEMs. Shure, Etymotics, Ultimate Ears, Westone, Sensaphonics are all IEM specialists. Those passively reduce background noise by blocking sound in and out of your ear canals. The Bose (et al.) noise canceling headphones use active noise cancellation. Instead of blocking the sound, it tries to 'cancel out' outside noise which is better explained here. The end result tend to be more bulky as it requires a battery powered device.
Bose do not have much 'creds' amongst headphone enthusiasts in general, given that for the cost of their product (or less), you can usually find a better sounding one. But to be fair, they are very comfy, and I would not fault anyone choosing them to use on a long haul flight over an IEM.
Good post TooNice, although the bose are not active noice canceling.
I am considering the e500 (or UM3) the next time I head over to the US :)
Thanks for the input guys, I personally don't like the idea of spending £30~ on some earphones, if you consider that there are headsets worth that much too. I dunno, something in me as a person wont let me do it.
THe sennheiser mx400's that came with my mp3 player are pretty decent, but I think I will go with the cx300's
Sennheiser CX300.... Brilliant sound, brilliant value for money!!
@Oobie: Actually, you are only scrapping the surface of how expensive headphones can get ;)
But you have to pay for the isolation. Both monetary, and, IMO, sound quality (at equivalent price). My favorite low cost headphones are the Koss KSC-75. For less than £12 ($15 in the US!), you get something that competes with IEMs (and many headphones for that matter) more than 3x it's cost (IMO again, sound being subjective and all). To round it up, you get a life guarantee. I know I sound like a Koss salesman, I did not mention it earlier since you asked for isolation, but I think that it should replace every headphones bundled with MP3 players :)
@SiM: Ah, I see that Bose have the TriPort In-Ear headphones. If you were refering to those, then yes, they do not look active noise canceling at all. I did not know they made those until moments ago. The only Bose product I knew that reduce ambiant noise were the Bose QuietComfort, which 'electronically' cancels out ambient sound (I missed the post mentioning the tips).
And now's a good time to pick up nice toys from the US :)
But if I was to get more headphones, I'd go Stax ;)
BOSE Quiet Comfort II or III.
The III has better bass and are smaller. Both are wonderful. They ARE active noise cancelling.
They are THE best!
NOT cheap.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-C...8483570&sr=1-1
£16.50 inc free delivery!!
How's that for good timing
At that price, these are an absolute steal!Quote:
Originally Posted by MSIC
£15.68 with NUS discount - I'll hopefully have them by Thursday. :D
I remember I bought mine for around $70 on Amazon then my friend mailed it to me (ended up about $80).Quote:
Originally Posted by pr0p4g4nd4
Personally I felt the ER6i's bass is just about right, I think it is really down to what song you listen to, as well as what volume you're listening at.
When I had a perfectly good seal, I could hear crystal-clear bass (although not strong enough for most people). Using an equalizer might help in that respect, since the ER6i's bass response is very bad at low-volume, if you crank the volume up it sounds a lot better.
How do you get NUS discount on amazon?!?!?Quote:
Originally Posted by NightshadowUK
You need an NUS Extra card (£10 for 12 months) - http://www.nusextra.com/discounts/amazon/