Noise-cancelling headphone recommendations sought

thayerg · « **on:** 8 Jul 2004, 02:51 am »

I need a pair of noise-cancelling headphones for work I do in a machine shop. I'm assuming that the audio quality of nc phones is basically sucky but I'd be interested if anyone has some experience with multiple models or can point me to a place where such matters are discussed?

Thanks in Advance

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #1 on:** 8 Jul 2004, 03:49 am »

Hey theyerg,

An interesting article 'hear' (here) could help ya'....

http://popularmechanics.com/technology/audio/1999/5/Noise_Canceling_Phones/

I have the NCT model...from the licensers of this technology to most or all makers out there. It's the cheapest at $69.99 list. Fidelity

- nah, none of them can or do it (I heard a more expensive Aiwa at the airport a year ago that was worse, for more money).

I was talking to the Sales Mangler of Lewis & Clark Travel Accessories a year ago, they licensed the NCT headphone in their line but de-listed it for slow sales. He said they were closing them out for $29.99 in thousands of Travel shops nationwide.

At that price, it's a square deal and will save your hearing for the future. Maybe they are still around in shops nationwide just waiting for you to poach one at the right price.

My wife travels with them; I just use ear plugs that I buy at Walgreen's on planes that cut ambient sound by 22db.

I am the rudest dude to the passenger sitting next to me now....can't hear a damn thing anyone says unless you're real close.

martyj · « **Reply #2 on:** 9 Jul 2004, 04:57 am »

another way with great sound, would be to buy a pair of Etymotics ER 4 P. You can use with a portable and they're light as a feather. They actually insert into your ear canal I just bougt a pair from IdealSound, an ebay Store. The SRP on this set of phones is $330. You can buy them from IdealSound for $199.99. You also get an adapter for airplane use. These units are supposed to filter sound out by about 20-25 db. Which articles I've read say beats noise cancelling. Plus giving you high-end audiophile sound. I'm getting my set tomorrow just in time to fly out to Las Vegas for a week for a trade show. I can't wait to use these. Just today, I had a flight on JetBlue from NY and this woman's girls, squealed, shrieked and shouted throughout the flight home. Next time I fly I can just block them out and listen to the music I pick!

JMTC's

Marty

Quote from: thayerg

I need a pair of noise-cancelling headphones for work I do in a machine shop. I'm assuming that the audio quality of nc phones is basically sucky but I'd be interested if anyone has some experience with multiple models or can point me to a place where such matters are discussed?

Thanks in Advance

Tyson · « **Reply #3 on:** 9 Jul 2004, 05:54 pm »

Yeah, I 2nd the Etymotic ER-4 for isolation. They are basically earplugs that make sound. They come with foam tips or rubber tips, IMO the foam tips sound best and isolate the most (basically the same as if you had a regular compressed foam ear plug in your ear). In fact the Ety's isolate FAR more than any noise cancelling headphone out there, and they sound FAR better to boot. Highly, highly recommended.

ooheadsoo · « **Reply #4 on:** 9 Jul 2004, 07:54 pm »

Siegfried Linkwitz likes the Shure e2c over the etymotics, if that means anything. He seems to think the etys need equalization and have an excessively microphonic cable.

Tonto Yoder · « **Reply #5 on:** 9 Jul 2004, 08:30 pm »

Doesn't anybody make JUST the noise-cancelling electronics (allowing use of one's choice of 'phones)???

I've seen this DIY recipe before
http://headwize.com/projects/noise_prj.htm

but wondered whether someone manufactured something similar. That way one could plug in Etymotics or other good isolating 'phones.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #6 on:** 9 Jul 2004, 08:55 pm »

Quote from: Tonto Yoder

Doesn't anybody make JUST the noise-cancelling electronics (allowing use of one's choice of 'phones)???

I've seen this DIY recipe before
http://headwize.com/projects/noise_prj.htm

but wondered whether someone manufactured something similar. That way one could plug in Etymotics or other good isolating 'phones.

Tonto,

I think there are various patents protecting it...NCT (Noise Cancellation Technologies) I believe is responsible for most, if not all of them. They used to be based in Baltimore area, as I remember it.

It'd be up to them to release something like that..but I'd think they want some hefty licensing fees to go along with any design using NCT technology.

Not sure why you'd plug an Etymotic in to them; the Etymotic already seals out more ambient noise, without the penalty of lesser fidelity (by and large). Using a box like that with Grado's or Senn's might prove more worthwhile.

Tonto Yoder · « **Reply #7 on:** 9 Jul 2004, 09:44 pm »

Quote from: TheChairGuy

Not sure why you'd plug an Etymotic inot them; the Etymotic already seals out more ambient noise, without the penalty of lesser fidelity (by and large). Using a box like that with Grado's or Senn's might prove more worthwhile.

I was just thinking out loud: seems like if you started with 'phones that were pretty good at isolating outside noise and added the noise-cancelling circuit, you might be quite noise-free(once you added some tunes into the mix). My own interest was in getting rid of noise rather than ultimate fidelity.

One other avenue might be old 'phones like Koss Pro 4AA with those big fluid-filled cushions that were good at isolation (no doorbells, no phonecalls, etc.). Our solution to noise back in the '70's was simply to turn up the volume.

martyj · « **Reply #8 on:** 10 Jul 2004, 03:45 pm »

We used to turn the volume up back in the 60's. I can remember being up all night on headphones and listening to Carlos Santana Abraxas. Unbelievable sound and I'm sure it had nothing to do with the drugs I'd injested. Afterall if it was organic, it was okay to use it..not like the artificial stuff made in a lab. No real damage to my hearing...What did you say? I tried out the new Etymotic ER4P's yesterday and I cautiously turned the volume up. The transducer seems like it sits so close to the ear drum (kinda like the sperm slamming into a diaphragm).

My wife is very concerned about my hearing loss, because I ask her to repeat things. I think it's just part of my ADD and tuning out without headphones

I can't wait to use them on Monday when I fly out to Vegas for the VSDA show. No more screaming toddlers in the seat behind you will be heard.

So, Tonto do you think you've had any hearing loss because of that 70's habit of turning up the volume?

PJ · « **Reply #9 on:** 16 Aug 2004, 03:39 am »

You might want to look into some of the pro-audio headphones, if you are interested.

The Sennheiser HD-25, used by DJ's, has 32dB of background attenuation. It is designed for professional monitoring in high SPL environments.

Lost81 · « **Reply #10 on:** 16 Aug 2004, 05:35 am »

You want this.
Come on, you know you want this:

Shure e5c

-Lost81

Carlman · « **Reply #11 on:** 16 Aug 2004, 02:01 pm »

Quote from: martyj

another way with great sound, would be to buy a pair of Etymotics ER 4 P....

Has anyone heard the differences in the P vs. the S model? I generally don't care for the weird and soft bass-boost crap on headphones. Also, if the P is more battery-friendly, that would be something to consider also.

I'd mainly want this for bike-riding and airplanes... connected to an MP3 Palm dealy.

Thanks,
C

Tyson · « **Reply #12 on:** 16 Aug 2004, 03:12 pm »

I had the ER-4p with the S converter cable. The 4s is better sounding than the 4p in just about every way. I'd recommend just going for the 4s.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #13 on:** 16 Aug 2004, 04:52 pm »

Anyone hear the Westone UM2...I just got them late last week and they sound better than my Grado SR60's outta' the box (they sould as they cost $210 more

)

These are the Westone's with the separate woofer and tweeter, like the Shure e5c, and a bunch cheaper. Westone makes hearing aids and pro monitoring headphones, so they got the reputation. It comes in a very nice watertight plastic box and it has those gel beaded packet to remove moisture from the 'phones when not in use. A pretty nice preseantation, overall.

They are 117db efficient, so they crank my fairly awful Panasonic CT590 personal CDP to nice levels, while attenuating outside noise by 20db. I flew to Salt Lake City last week (1.5 hours each way from here) and enjoyed the trip immensely with the tunes from the Westone's.

Anyone compare these...I've not seen mention here or a brief search on Headfi.org.

Aside, do cans need break in time...like speakers?

ampgalore · « **Reply #14 on:** 20 Aug 2004, 08:20 pm »

Etymotic research's ER4S, the most affordable audiophile canalphone

jackman · « **Reply #15 on:** 20 Aug 2004, 08:39 pm »

I picked up a pair of Sony MDR EX-71SL phones from Amazon for about $33.00 and really like them. I use them with my iPod and can't believe the excellent bass and balanced sound they produce. Haven't heard the Shure phones or the Ety's (although everyone who has heard them seems to love the sound), but I stand by the Sony phones. They come with lots of extra ear pieces and fit snugly in my ears. I think Sigfried tried them and also found them to be very good.

For the money, they are hard to beat. Here is a link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000092YQW/qid=1093034044/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/002-4866369-8399236?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846

Good luck,

J

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #16 on:** 21 Aug 2004, 02:03 pm »

ampgalore,

The Etymotic is $50 more than I paid for the Westone, and has only a single driver. That's why I went with the Westone - separate woofer, tweeter and crossover like Shure's e5c.

Sounds good, can't compare as I have no other in-ear reference. It does beat my (slightly modded with constrained layer damping on the cups and scooped out earpads ) Grado SR-60 tho.

Jon L · « **Reply #17 on:** 25 Aug 2004, 08:01 pm »

I'm looking at all of these ear/canalphones mentioned also for my 4G iPod.

I have a philosophical question, though. In big speaker world, crossover-less, single-drivers are gaining acceptance as a preferred method of sound reproduction. And I do hate passive crossovers and multi-drivers.

So, why should I pay so much $$ for the multi-driver, cross-overed canalphones over the simpler single-driver units?

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #18 on:** 25 Aug 2004, 09:08 pm »

Quote from: Jon L

I'm looking at all of these ear/canalphones mentioned also for my 4G iPod.

I have a philosophical question, though. In big speaker world, crossover-less, single-drivers are gaining acceptance as a preferred method of sound reproduction. And I do hate passive crossovers and multi-drivers.

So, why should I pay so much $$ for the multi-driver, cross-overed canalphones over the simpler single-driver units?

Jon L,

Personal taste...I've never gotten what I wanted from single driver speakers. It's missing too much...and the trade-offs using a well designed crossover is, for me, acceptable.

Hence, my purchase of the Westone's. I've never used any type of cheapo, or good, ear buds, so I can't compare to any of them. But, compared to my (subtedly modded) single driver Grado SR-60 the detail, bass, highs are much better. I know $300 vs. $69 is somewhat unfair, but I don't have a pair of Sennies to compare it to.

With the Westone's, I hope I have a great earphone with dual drivers that happens to double as ear plugs for me on the plane (I travel 50,000+ miles yearly...some years 100,000 miles). So, it works for me - quality sound and noise attenuation of 20db. I may have started life with crappy hearing, but I'll go out with better than most

If you like single driver speakers, save yourself a bunch of $$ dough and buy the single driver ear plugs from Etymotic, Shure, Westone, etc. The Westone's are something like 1/3 the cost for the single driver units.

Tyson · « **Reply #19 on:** 25 Aug 2004, 10:03 pm »

Etymotic just came out with a canalphone designed with the portable audio players in mind - the ER-6i (not to be confused with the ER-6 non-i version). I had the ER-6 (non-i) for a while, but it was too bright & thin sounding, mainly due to a lack of bass. The 6i has been re-engineered to address these issues. If they give better bass with the same level or clarity and detail, they will be "the" budget canalphone to get. They are available from http://www.discountheadphones.com for $109.