Cheapest earphones to isolate noise, portable mp3 player |
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Cheapest earphones to isolate noise, portable mp3 player |
 May 13 2006, 00:48
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#1
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Group: Members Posts: 30 Joined: 29-April 06 Member No.: 30162  |
Hi guys, todays is my first day with my mp3 player ) Finally! Walking n listening to music. I commute a lot (metro) so I need this. Unfortunatelly I was unpleasantly surpised that there is so much outside noise (when metro is moving, ppl talking, etc.) that I cant hear my music thru the earphoens my H120 came with sehenheiser. The onlly way to listen is if I turn it up loud, but i dont wanna do that and damage my ears.
Can you recommend me the cheapest earphones which reduce the outside noise? |
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May 13 2006, 01:49
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#2
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Group: Members Posts: 320 Joined: 21-August 02 Member No.: 3138 |
Well, if you really want the cheapest that eliminates active noise cancellation. Koss "The Plug" does a pretty good job of blocking out extraneous noises. Especially so if you replace the included foam with ear plugs from a drug store. It's cheap. It's effective. Sound quality is not the best. You get what you pay for. Good value for the money though.
Woody |
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May 13 2006, 05:19
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#3
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Group: Members Posts: 30 Joined: 29-April 06 Member No.: 30162 |
QUOTE (woody_woodward @ May 12 2006, 20:49)  Well, if you really want the cheapest that eliminates active noise cancellation. Koss "The Plug" does a pretty good job of blocking out extraneous noises. Especially so if you replace the included foam with ear plugs from a drug store. It's cheap. It's effective. Sound quality is not the best. You get what you pay for. Good value for the money though. Woody OK. Thast interesting! I am looking at Koss' site and there is "PLug" and Sparkplug" models  THey look identicle to me. On amazon "the plug" has got great rewviews. THey migh be a pretty good choice. COuld you explain what do you mean by "Especially so if you replace the included foam with ear plugs from a drug store" -- I thouight I am buying earplugs?
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May 13 2006, 05:26
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#4
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 Group: Members Posts: 1182 Joined: 19-May 05 From: Montreal, Canada Member No.: 22144 |
http://www.headphone.com/products/headphon...iser-hd-201.php
These are supposed to be great, isolating, and inexpensive. I haven't tried 'em myself, but I'm sure you can find a demo pair somewhere. |
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May 13 2006, 05:37
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#5
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Group: Members Posts: 397 Joined: 2-October 04 Member No.: 17436 |
I have a Philips SHE-9500 which, personally, has a quite good output.
Probably not too isolating, but it's enough for its price. It's around US$20~25 I think. Though probably it's not to beat Sennheiser and the likes... |
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May 13 2006, 06:04
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#6
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Group: Members Posts: 30 Joined: 29-April 06 Member No.: 30162 |
Shade, im looking more for eabuds/ ear phones. Big headphones are not good for travelling.
Them philips ones seem to be European sold only, when i google them i get only resuts from europe and in pounds.. And as far as the Koss The Plug, heres a review I found: http://www.powerbookcentral.com/columns/hi.../kossplug.shtml And it sais to stay away from them and go for Sony MDR-EX71SLs... |
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May 13 2006, 06:35
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#7
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Group: Members Posts: 1182 Joined: 19-May 05 From: Montreal, Canada Member No.: 22144 |
I travel (in Montreal, Canada) with my HD280s, and they even keep me from the cold during the winter. They're fairly large.
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May 13 2006, 07:19
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#8
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Group: Members Posts: 826 Joined: 29-September 04 Member No.: 17374 |
I recommend you Panasonic RP-HNJ50 - a sport/portable modification of RP-HJE50 closed canalphones with a cool metal-in-selicon neck strap. It cost me ~$30 and I very pleased with the fact they don't fall out of my ears even when I run fast and turn my head left and right.
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May 13 2006, 14:35
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#9
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 Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 2365 Joined: 22-September 01 Member No.: 3 |
Read this: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....showtopic=40728
Apparently, Creative EP-630 are better than Koss The Plug. I also have another roundup (AUDIO magazine), let me post the conclusions: Creative EP-630 - "Fits very well, silicone adaptors included. Looks the same as the Sennheiser CX 300, but the setup is a bit too bright". 35 Euro, 9 grams Koss The Plug - "Great yield of the sound, good isolation. But not everyone likes this 'construction worker earplugs' feeling". 36 Euro, 7 grams Koss Spark Plug - Same as The Plug. 36 Euro, 7 grams Panasonic RP-HNJ 50 - "Average but honest sound. A bit bright, can get aggressive at high volume". 40 Euro, 9 grams Panasonic RP-HJE 50 - "Too many mids, not enough bass". 35 Euro, 9 grams Philips SBC HN 060 - "With noise cancellation. Stress-free, detailed, warm." 50 Euro, 9 grams Shure E4C - "Ultra-dynamic and very neutral, perfect fit. But you have to like the directness". 355 Euro, 31 grams Shure E2C - "Neutral, very direct. Can be irritating to wear". 114 Euro, 30 grams Sennheiser CX 300 - "Excellent and cheap, one of the best in-ear plugs, stress-free to wear, flawless sound". 40 Euro, 6 grams Sony MDR-NC 11 - "With noise cancellation. Free, fast, dynamic". 180 Euro, 47 grams Sony MDR-NX 1 - "Doesn't allow harmful volume. Bass sounds diffuse". 50 Euro. 4 grams Ultimate Ear UE10 Pro - "3-way converter, perfect sound, breathtaking presence. Can play very loud". 1100 Euro, 14 grams These are all noise-isolating "In-ear-plugs". This post has been edited by CiTay: May 13 2006, 14:43 |
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May 13 2006, 15:27
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#10
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 Group: Members (Donating) Posts: 542 Joined: 19-March 04 From: Alberta, Canada Member No.: 12841 |
I would recommend looking into products made by Etymotic. I own and love their stellar ER-4Ps, but you can get the ER-6 and the ER-6i for quite a bit cheaper, and they work the same way.
Head-fi.org is a great place to go to ask about such products, and you can probably score a used pair from the forums there for less money, if price is a concern. |
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May 13 2006, 15:55
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#11
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Group: Members Posts: 30 Joined: 29-April 06 Member No.: 30162 |
CiTAY! this info is extremely! helpful, thanks.
Supacon, i dont think i want to sepdn such money for earbuds. And buy them used? Hmm, i dont like the idea of exchanging ear sercets with other ppl. |
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May 13 2006, 16:27
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#12
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Group: Members Posts: 826 Joined: 29-September 04 Member No.: 17374 |
QUOTE (CiTay @ May 13 2006, 20:35) I also have another roundup (AUDIO magazine), let me post the conclusions: Creative EP-630 - "Fits very well, silicone adaptors included. Looks the same as the Sennheiser CX 300, but the setup is a bit too bright". 35 Euro, 9 grams Koss The Plug - "Great yield of the sound, good isolation. But not everyone likes this 'construction worker earplugs' feeling". 36 Euro, 7 grams Koss Spark Plug - Same as The Plug. 36 Euro, 7 grams Panasonic RP-HNJ 50 - "Average but honest sound. A bit bright, can get aggressive at high volume". 40 Euro, 9 grams Panasonic RP-HJE 50 - "Too many mids, not enough bass". 35 Euro, 9 grams Philips SBC HN 060 - "With noise cancellation. Stress-free, detailed, warm." 50 Euro, 9 grams Shure E4C - "Ultra-dynamic and very neutral, perfect fit. But you have to like the directness". 355 Euro, 31 grams Shure E2C - "Neutral, very direct. Can be irritating to wear". 114 Euro, 30 grams Sennheiser CX 300 - "Excellent and cheap, one of the best in-ear plugs, stress-free to wear, flawless sound". 40 Euro, 6 grams Sony MDR-NC 11 - "With noise cancellation. Free, fast, dynamic". 180 Euro, 47 grams Sony MDR-NX 1 - "Doesn't allow harmful volume. Bass sounds diffuse". 50 Euro. 4 grams Ultimate Ear UE10 Pro - "3-way converter, perfect sound, breathtaking presence. Can play very loud". 1100 Euro, 14 grams I would take this info with a big grain of salt as Panasonic RP-HJE50 and RP-HNJ50 have identical sound reproduction drivers. Also I just verified this fact with my one year old RP-HJE50 and brand new RP-HNJ50 by plugging them both into "1minijack-m=>2minijack-f" adapter (3.5 minijack splitter). Then I listened to audio cd with left phone of HJE50 in the left ear and left phone of HNJ50 in the right ear - got a pure mono signal without any difference between my L/R ears (also tried with right phones of both pairs with the same result). |
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May 13 2006, 16:48
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#13
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Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 2365 Joined: 22-September 01 Member No.: 3 |
QUOTE (Egor @ May 13 2006, 17:27) I would take this info with a big grain of salt as Panasonic RP-HJE50 and RP-HNJ50 have identical sound reproduction drivers. There is no contradiction. In the detailed review, they made quite similar remarks about them: RP-HNJ50: "One of the better In-ear-plugs with combined necklace. It's fastened with a small lock/key system. Three silicone adapters are included, for S, M, L-sized auditory canals. The sound is on "M"-level: strong and pleasing in the mids, no bragging in the bass. Higher volumes can sound shreaky." RP-HJE50: "It sounds fresh, but the bass sounds thinned out. The mids are too present and it sounds a bit too bright." |
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May 13 2006, 16:54
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#14
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Group: Members Posts: 30 Joined: 29-April 06 Member No.: 30162 |
Also, one note, could you guys recommed stuff I can buy in US. For example, the Creative EP-630 - I cant find them anywhere on the popular online stores like Amazon.com.. Ran thru pricegrabber.com and no results. I guess some of you are located in Europe but I cant buy your recommedations.
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May 13 2006, 16:57
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#15
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Group: Members Posts: 826 Joined: 29-September 04 Member No.: 17374 |
QUOTE (CiTay @ May 13 2006, 22:48) There is no contradiction. In the detailed review, they made quite similar remarks about them: He-he, I see...
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May 13 2006, 17:10
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#16
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Group: Members Posts: 826 Joined: 29-September 04 Member No.: 17374 |
QUOTE (Unknown @ May 13 2006, 22:54) Also, one note, could you guys recommed stuff I can buy in US. Most Panasonic stuff you usually can get from Panasonic Direct. Also Froogle may help in some cases. |
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May 13 2006, 20:06
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#17
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Group: Members (Donating) Posts: 542 Joined: 19-March 04 From: Alberta, Canada Member No.: 12841 |
QUOTE (Unknown @ May 13 2006, 08:55) Supacon, i dont think i want to sepdn such money for earbuds. And buy them used? Hmm, i dont like the idea of exchanging ear sercets with other ppl. Heh... usually high-end canalphones come with a kit containing several pairs of earpieces. For example, the Ety ER4Ps come with three pairs of (washable) silicone eartips, and about ten+ pairs of medium foam earplugs. You can buy more. If you buy such headphones used, generally the person will throw the used eartips away, so you won't be getting second-hand ear wax I like my Etys, but they are kinda bad for microphonics (you can hear noise from the cable rubbing on stuff). For high end stuff, Shure has some good phones, but CiTay's post is probably more up your alley. For my own use, I'm only interested in medium-priced high quality gear. (Perhaps in the future, I'll have to check out the custom fit Ultimate Ear products, but $1,000 is a little rich for me right now). This post has been edited by Supacon: May 13 2006, 20:07 |
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May 13 2006, 22:01
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#18
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 Group: Members Posts: 313 Joined: 25-March 06 From: Slovakia Member No.: 28819 |
QUOTE (Unknown @ May 13 2006, 01:48) Can you recommend me the cheapest earphones which reduce the outside noise? Just a little warning: i think there's a reason why portable players are supplied with earphones letting in quite a lot of outside noise. It may be inconvenient, but it may save your life. Just my personal experience: i often listen to complicate music, that makes me think deeply about it's content, so with isolated outside noise most probably i would have been already involved in some street accidents... (to tell the complete story, i must confess that i'm pretty dangerous even without earphones  )hope my posts is not too useless/offtopic -------------------- www.last.fm/user/molnart
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May 13 2006, 22:12
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#19
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Group: Members Posts: 30 Joined: 29-April 06 Member No.: 30162 |
QUOTE (molnart @ May 13 2006, 17:01) QUOTE (Unknown @ May 13 2006, 01:48) Can you recommend me the cheapest earphones which reduce the outside noise? i often listen to complicate music, that makes me think deeply about it's content, so with isolated outside noise most probably i would have been already involved in some street accidents... (to tell the complete story, i must confess that i'm pretty dangerous even without earphones )hope my posts is not too useless/offtopic  IM not that bad. PLus if I have 5 min walk to the metro station, and then about 1 ohur ride on the metro. SO I can put them on once im in the metro..BTW, what is that complicated music of urs
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May 13 2006, 22:22
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#20
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Group: Members Posts: 313 Joined: 25-March 06 From: Slovakia Member No.: 28819 |
QUOTE (Unknown @ May 13 2006, 23:12) BTW, what is that complicated music of urs Like some progressive metal pieces, telling a whole story and so on (DeadSoul Tribe, Opeth, Pain of Salvation - when i was listening the album "BE" while walking in the city i was becoming quite afraid for my life )
-------------------- www.last.fm/user/molnart
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May 14 2006, 00:28
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#21
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Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 2365 Joined: 22-September 01 Member No.: 3 |
QUOTE (Unknown @ May 13 2006, 17:54) Also, one note, could you guys recommed stuff I can buy in US. For example, the Creative EP-630 - I cant find them anywhere on the popular online stores like Amazon.com.. Creative sells them directly in their online shop: http://us.creative.com/shop/shopcategory.asp?category=437& (hm, out of stock) But maybe you can get a better price on the slightly better Sennheiser CX 300. This post has been edited by CiTay: May 17 2006, 13:50 |
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May 14 2006, 04:32
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#22
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 Group: Members Posts: 286 Joined: 8-January 02 Member No.: 959 |
I just want to add some facts here...
First take a look at these headphones... Creative EP-630 Sennheiser CX300 Edifier H260 No. They are no fakes. They are the same thing, which comes from this ODM. The difference? Only the labels and the brand, and thus the price. Edifier is a China brand, so it is the cheapest. But the same earphone, with the Sennheiser brand, sells at more than double the price. I just want to say that this is the reality of headphone manufacturing. See how familier you are with these headphones? Foster is currently the biggest headphone manufacturer in the world, and the OEM and ODM of virtually all headphones we see today. It is a japanese company, with the manufacturing plant located in Panyu, China. This post has been edited by William: May 14 2006, 04:53 |
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May 14 2006, 05:10
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#23
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 Group: Members Posts: 963 Joined: 4-March 03 From: Singapore Member No.: 5312 |
William, this is startling information, at least for me.
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May 14 2006, 06:43
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#24
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 Group: Members Posts: 2090 Joined: 29-June 02 From: Boston Member No.: 2427 |
William,
The question is where to get these? -------------------- "You can fight without ever winning, but never win without a fight." Neil Peart 'Resist'
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May 14 2006, 11:30
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#25
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Group: Members Posts: 286 Joined: 8-January 02 Member No.: 959 |
QUOTE (dreamliner77 @ May 14 2006, 05:43) William, The question is where to get these? Would this help? (Wow, even Edifier is expensive, probably because of exportation and transportation cost). This post has been edited by William: May 14 2006, 11:33 |
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 22nd November 2009 - 11:12 |
