Hi guys,

I'd like to get a new earphone because my ipod's earphones are now ready to be tossed into the trash. Can you please help? Top picks are:

Bose In-Ear Headphones
Shure E2C Sound Isolating Earphones
Sony MDR-NC11A Noise-Canceling Headphones

Thanks in advance!

The Shures are really good.

You know what though, if you do a search in the forum there have been several discussions on this before.

I was just looking through some the other day.

Those are good picks and I don't think can go wrong with any of them. They'll definitely be an upgrade to your old iPod earphones.

You might want to add Sennheiser CX-300 Sound Isolating Earphones as an alternative. I still wouldn't call them "cheap" but they're relatively less costly than the choices you mentioned.

the best for me is shure e2c.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/121/294962698_1751d03cf7.jpg

talking about headphones.
is there a cordless noise-cancelling headphone available in the market?

yep.. i think Etymotics just released a bluetooth in-ear phones lately...

For the question... shure's are a good investment.

i want to get the shure e2c one - however, i have a white ipod and the shure e2c (clear) has black cords or whatever you call them ;-) they dont match but what the hell.. the sony one comes in white though.

aoshi, be sure to check out the Vibe moda noise cancelling earphones as well. Based on reviews (5 stars from apple.com) , they sound better than e2c. They are almost in the same price range though.

It is not only stylish, it sounds awesome too. I've been eyeing on this baby for quite some time now. I might even get one myself. The link can be found here if you want to check it out http://www.v-moda.com/collection/modaphones/vibe.aspx

It's available at digital walker for 4800

Been using V-Moda bass freq for quite awhile and recently added Senn CX-300. Basically on the same category - both bass-packed.

Training my eyes already for the V-Moda Vibe.

aoshi, be sure to check out the Vibe moda noise cancelling earphones as well. Based on reviews (5 stars from apple.com) , they sound better than e2c. They are almost in the same price range though.

It is not only stylish, it sounds awesome too. I've been eyeing on this baby for quite some time now. I might even get one myself. The link can be found here if you want to check it out http://www.v-moda.com/collection/modaphones/vibe.aspx

It's available at digital walker for 4800

wow these are really great looking earphones! too expensive for me though:(

I got the v-moda vibe, courtesy of Charlie at Digital Walker. My ipod earphones broke. So I needed to replace it. Good timing Charlie was just bringing it in. Talk to charlie and he can get it down to around 4450 i think. Depends lang when you buy it I guess.

I'm not an in-ear earphone expert but the v-moda vibe is awesome. Good sound quality and the aluminum build is so nice. I never did like how the shures looked like. This one i do.

I have the Etymotics Er6is and they sound great and are comfy enough as well.

the best for me is shure e2c.


Unfortunately you have to replace the ear wax sticker once in a while when it becomes dirty which I think is "high maintenance" in the long run.

aoshi, be sure to check out the Vibe moda noise cancelling earphones as well. Based on reviews (5 stars from apple.com) , they sound better than e2c. They are almost in the same price range though.

It is not only stylish, it sounds awesome too. I've been eyeing on this baby for quite some time now. I might even get one myself. The link can be found here if you want to check it out http://www.v-moda.com/collection/modaphones/vibe.aspx

It's available at digital walker for 4800

these ones get 5 star reviews from apple.com. not initially part of my top picks, but im considering this one. costs around a hundred bucks, though, but looks like this is better than the shure & bose earphones. i might be able to get this lower than 99.95 with free shipping.

these v-moda bass freq earphones also have noise isolating capabilities and are cheaper at $50 (shipping & tax included)

http://www.v-moda.com/collection/modaphones/bass%20freq.aspx

Sennheiser CX300 is great. They are not as expensive as Shure but their performance is almost the same. It depends on your taste, if you listen to hip hop, R&B and Rap music, CX300 is a good choice because of its powerful bass.

Always wanted to get a pair of NC Earphones, but the fact that you become deaf, in effect, has made me cautious- theyd only be good for use in planes and v noisy coffee shops. Then again, am in those places a lot. Guess i'll have to get one now! COnvinced myself after all the posts in thios forum haha..

I have the Etymotic ER4P/S and ER6i. They are really good!!! But none available locally. Any of the earphones mentioned already are way better than the stock ipod plugs so choose according to budget and taste.

A good forums of earplugs: http://www.head-fi.org/

these v-moda bass freq earphones also have noise isolating capabilities and are cheaper at $50 (shipping & tax included)

http://www.v-moda.com/collection/modaphones/bass%20freq.aspx

no need to buy abroad. I think digital walker has them already. That's where i got my v-moda vibe earphones.

i would not recommend the shure e2c/e2g for its local selling price (P4.5-5k). for that price you would be better off getting the v-moda vibe. imo its much much better than the e2c or maybe even e3c. as for the senn cx300, like what some people indicated here, it really is a bassy earphone. more suited to bass heavy type of music.

finding the right earphones is somewhat subjective since they all have different sound characteristics. best recommendation is to audition them all :)

the E2C works wonders for studying in noisy places! :) im so happy with them.

I use my Bose QuietComfort 2. It seems large but I usually use them on my airplane flights and train rides . I bougth it off on a trip to the US about 3 years ago after being stuck on a window seat near the engine. 12 hours of a 747 engine whining is torture for me I did not mind the 300 usd I got it for . it has been soild for the number of times it saved me .

any one know where to get them cx300 locally?

any one know where to get them cx300 locally?

Either you check our sister site podCentral or tipidpc and look for the handle meiroque. He sells orig CX300, a trusted seller.

Bose been using it for 3 years still the best for me especially on long haul flights

I got a Sennheiser CX300 from Meiroque. He has posts at www.podcentral.ph (http://www.podcentral.ph) and www.tipidpc.com (http://www.tipidpc.com). You can really trust him. They CX300 that I got from him are definitely originals and a looooot cheaper than the market price.

Anyway, I really recommend the CX300. Its very comfortable to wear, offers great noise isolation, and great sounds. The only problems I had with it is that it does not come with any pouch or case like some other Sennheiser earphones. And I am really careful in using my CX300 while commuting, because of the noise isolation I cant really hear the cars, hehe.

The Senns cx300, Shure e2c, and v-modas are all noise isolating in-ears. There are noise cancelling phones like the Senn px-250. Noise cancelling phones are great when travelling cos they are able to mute the sound of the engines which the noise isolating dont do so well. Its just hassle cos they have the mic dangling somewhere in the cord.

I like the sound of the Shures ( havent tried the vibe) but i have a hard time using them cos even the smallest ear piece is too big for my ears.

For those on a tight budget....

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?dest=9999999997&product_id=3936044&sourceid=1500000000000003142050

Been using them for months without any problems. It cost me around $20+ (around a thousand bucks lang)

I found these for $14.99...

http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones-headsets/coby-cv-191-noise/4505-6468_7-31414036.html

tried the noise cancelling earphonse of Bose in a golf tournament they sponsored. What I noticed is that it's very good at cancelling out droning sounds (i.e. the hum of an engine, wind) and above average in cancelling out all the others.

In terms of sound quality it was great for leisure listening (which I guess will be the main purpose of your headphones), nice low end with a bit for mid-high hump. :)

i read from a head-fi forum that bose really sucks. there were a lot of "hate threads" regarding bose. i their home and car setups are good but not their ear/headphones.

@jin-o
those hate threads in headfi.org doesnt really mean that bose sucks. its just that they find them waaay overpriced. typically you can get a similar headphone/sound system with the same performance from a different manufacturer at a much lower price.

btw, thanks for buying the cx300 and also the recommendation. :)

Nah, thats a misconception. Most audiophiles (especially the ones at head-fi.org, i hang out there sometimes) dont think Bose SUCKS....i mean, in fairness, Bose has good sound and quality, its just that Bose is waaaaaaaaaay overpriced and overhyped. Just as meiroque said, what they say there is that you can get a headphone with equal Sound Quality and build quality for a much lower price than Bose. Its just that Bose has awesome marketing machinery to hype and justify its astronomical prices. For example, there are much better sound-cancelling or isolating headphones out there other than the Quiet Comfort or the Triports, for a much cheaper prices, its just that they arent marketed as well.

Examples: (im talking Full cans here, not earplugs or in-ear monitors)

AKG k81dj
Beyerdynamic DT880 and DT990
Sennheiser HD280

Furthermore, noise isolating is much better than noise cancelling technology. No need for batteries, and no extra frequencies flying around to distort the music.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/logoprinter.gif (http://www.nytimes.com/)
June 14, 2007
State of the Art
Headphones to Shut Out the World

By DAVID POGUE (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/david_pogue/index.html?inline=nyt-per)


As you may have heard, air travel this summer isn’t going to be pretty. You’ll be crammed in, delayed and bumped — if you’re lucky. If you’re unlucky, your flight will just be canceled.

Fortunately, not all of this misery is out of your control. Take, for example, the noise-canceling headphones (http://tech2.nytimes.com/gst/technology/techsearch.html?st=p&cat=&query=headphones&inline=nyt-classifier) that Bose began making popular a few years ago.

Until you try them, you won’t believe what a difference such headphones can make. As tiny microphones monitor the mind-numbing roar around you, circuitry in the device creates a sound wave 180 degrees out of phase with the original sounds. Presto: the roar of the engines is magically subtracted from the sound that would otherwise have ground away at your well-being for six hours.

You can wear them just to be more peaceful, or you can connect them to a music player, DVD player, laptop, or the plane’s audio system. Because the engine roar is missing from the mix, you can enjoy enormously improved audio quality at substantially lower, safer volume levels.

Nobody disputes the quality of Bose’s market-leading phones. But wow — $350 a pair?

Little wonder rival companies are now trying to bring you similar peace in the stratosphere without propelling the price up there, too. Panasonic, Sennheiser, JVC, JBL, Audio-Technica, Logitech (http://www.nytimes.com/mem/MWredirect.html?MW=http://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp&symb=LOGI) and Able Planet have now joined the noise-canceling marketplace, with hopes of canceling a few of those Bose sales along the way.

There’s only one good way to test these headphones: wear them on planes, trains and automobiles. So when a three-leg trip loomed, I grabbed a carry-on bag and crammed it with 10 pairs — 2 Bose models and its 8 rivals.

Airport security probably thought I was a little unbalanced, and my seatmates thought I had some kind of attention deficit disorder. But in the name of science, I shrugged off the humiliation and proceeded with my A/B test. Or, rather, my A/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/I/J test.
Most of these headphones are powered by a single AAA battery. Each comes in a carrying case that keeps the devices together with their accessories: the miniplug cable for your music or DVD player, for example, and the adapters for quarter-inch phono jacks and dual-pronged airplane armrest jacks. Most of these cases exude elegance but take up a huge portion of your carry-on bag.

The “active noise reduction” technology used by these headphones generally cancels only lower frequencies. Higher ones are difficult to stifle electronically. Whatever upper-register noise cancellation you get from these headphones, therefore, comes from the seal they make with your ears, which is “passive noise reduction.”

None of these products touch the sound quality of high-end audiophile headphones. Some people say, for example, that they can hear a faint hiss in some noise-canceling headphones when music is not playing, although my 44-year-old ears couldn’t detect it.

Here are the contenders, from least to most expensive. (I didn’t test earplug-style phones, which earring-wearers may prefer; my trip wasn’t long enough.)

JVC HA-NC100
There are three refreshing points to note about JVC’s entry. First, the street price is only $40; you could buy seven pairs of these for the price of one Bose set. Second, these phones rest on your ear instead of surrounding it. As a result, they’re so small, they come in a compact drawstring bag, rather than in a hard clamshell. Finally, the audio cord is retractable — a brilliant, obvious and extremely handy feature.

You can probably feel a “but” coming, and here it is: the circuitry cuts out only a chunk of the lower frequencies, leaving much of the engine roar unabated. And the music quality is only average and weak on bass.

PANASONIC RP-HC500
The pleasantly smushy-edged earcups on this new model do an excellent job of isolating your ears. That may be one reason the noise cancellation works so well; all but the highest frequencies are subtracted. Better still, the music reproduction is stellar, especially in the crisp, clean higher registers.

I waited to look up the prices for these products until after I’d tested them. So I was astonished to discover that you can find these online for $100. You get quality that’s nearly indistinguishable from the Boses — for a third the price.

AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-ANC7
Here is another winner, with another surprising price: $132 for these comfy, solidly built, absolutely great-sounding headphones. The circuitry cuts out a huge swath of engine, road or train noise, and the music is crystal clear, sweet and finely textured. It’s “Bose” without the marketing campaign.

JBL REFERENCE 510
You can’t accuse JBL of designing with the herd. Instead of putting the circuitry and the battery in the earcups, JBL’s engineers offloaded them to a little box that dangles on the cord. You can clip the box to your clothing.

Thus relieved of that extra weight and bulk, these on-ear headphones are positively microscopic compared with their rivals. They fold down into a little pocketable stretchy bag.

Unfortunately, these $150 phones are the least comfortable of the lot; those tiny earcups feel like tongs trying to grip your head. The external-fob approach means a lot more wiring to fuss with, too. And you can’t detach the cords when you want to use the headphones for noise cancellation only.

Music sounds terrific, but beware: with a 125-decibel peak, these cans will blow out your eardrums if you’re not careful.

LOGITECH NOISE CANCELING HEADPHONES
The noise-canceling circuit is superb, cutting out both the low roar and most of the middle frequencies. Inside the gigantic case, labeled loops keep everything, including jack adapters and even an iPod (http://tech2.nytimes.com/gst/technology/techsearch.html?st=p&cat=&query=ipod&inline=nyt-classifier), in its place.

Music sounds pretty good for the price ($155), though it does not keep up with the Boses.

ABLE PLANET CLEAR HARMONY, LINX AUDIO
These cans look great and feel great. They sound pretty good, but the noise-canceling is only so-so.

On the bright side, there’s a volume control on the audio cord, which you can use to mute the music when the flight attendant is asking for your drink order; and the volume, as with the JBL set, goes all the way to 11. For $300, though, you can do better.

BOSE QUIETCOMFORT 2
Mmm, nice. Bose may charge a lot ($300), but you have to admit they know their acoustics. The noise cancellation is amazing; when you throw the switch, the world just falls away. Music sounds fantastic — wicked bass, clear highs.

Unfortunately, you can’t use these as regular headphones; when you turn off the noise-cancellation, you turn off all sound.

BOSE QUIETCOMFORT 3
This $350 pair are smaller than the QuietComfort 2’s; they’re on-ear rather than surround-ear. There is no room for a AAA battery. You get a snap-in rechargeable battery instead, which means that you have to pack and track its charger. The 3’s are incredibly comfortable, and both the circuitry and music reproduction is outstanding — but like the cheaper version, they can play music only when the cancellation circuitry is turned on.

SENNHEISER PXC 450
If these headphones were any bigger, they’d be called Sousaphones. They’re loaded with unique features, like a Talkthrough button that cuts out all the music and the noise-canceling when someone’s trying to talk to you. Volume buttons and a bypass switch turn the Sennheisers into regular headphones.

The noise cancellation works well. But you can’t detach the audio cord. And despite “adaptive baffle damping and Duofol diaphragms,” music reproduction isn’t where it should be for $450.

So what’s the verdict? Nobody has yet knocked Bose off its pedestal, but Panasonic and Audio-Technica have climbed up there with it. These headphones sound amazing, but cost a half or a third as much.

Then again, any noise-canceling technology is better than none. Now all we need is technology that gives us overbook-canceling, delay-canceling and cancellation-canceling.

E-mail: Pogue@nytimes.com




(http://www.nytimes.com/)

now thats Bose marketing in action :D

i use the vmoda bass freq... they're pretty good in terms of noise cancelling... going at a fairly rapid pace on a loud vtwin sportbike with the ipod set to about 50% volume, the music still comes out crisp and clear with minimal engine and wind noise coming through...

my only complaint would be what seems to be a weak wire/earbud link... i've broken 3 of these as opposed to the philips earphones i also use... the philips don't cancel external sound as well and are useless at anything higher than just puttling about...

i would like to try the active ones but anything that extends outside the ear bars in-helmet use...

anyone knows where to get beyerdynamic headphones locally?? kindly pm me.. thanks

hi guys... I would use my ipod at times when i'm in bed listening to some meditation and the likes... is there an earphone you can recommend so when i lay on my side my ear wont hurt? it may sound funny but... just wondering coz i really need one... TIA :)

Check out Bose QC3 if you dont mid spending, its sound a million. Check it out at Bose The Block SM North Edsa.

ijingo... i googled it and find it still kinda thick... thanks anyway for your quick reply :)

hi guys... I would use my ipod at times when i'm in bed listening to some meditation and the likes... is there an earphone you can recommend so when i lay on my side my ear wont hurt? it may sound funny but... just wondering coz i really need one... TIA :)


you might wanna try this

http://www.sleepphones.com/

you might wanna try this

http://www.sleepphones.com/

renfield... thanks, that's just exactly what I need. I just hope I can find
one here... will try and start looking at malls if they have it...
Thanks a lot again. :D

hi guys... I would use my ipod at times when i'm in bed listening to some meditation and the likes... is there an earphone you can recommend so when i lay on my side my ear wont hurt? it may sound funny but... just wondering coz i really need one... TIA :)

Sennheiser's CX Series have a soft buds on their in-ears.

They are so comfortable to use without the pain that the Apple Earphones or the likes brings.

CX300 = 2k+
CX500 =3k+

Sennheiser's CX Series have a soft buds on their in-ears.

They are so comfortable to use without the pain that the Apple Earphones or the likes brings.

CX300 = 2k+
CX500 =3k+

do you happen to know where i could check this out? won't it hurt when i lay on my side? thanks

Hi Guys!

Check this out...

iLuv i801 - Noise Cancelling Behind-the-Neck Stereo Headphones



http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/items/528270.jpg

General

Recommended Use The noise canceling feature blocks the din on buses and airplanes. Plus, they are portable for easy transport.

Product Type: Headphones

Headphones

Headphones Type: Headphones - Binaural Headphones
Form Factor: Behind-the-neck
Connectivity Technology: Wired
Sound Output Mode: Stereo Active
Noise Canceling: Yes
Response Bandwidth: 20 - 20000 Hz
Diaphragm: 1.2 in Magnet Material Neodymium

Remote Control

Type None

Connections

Connector Type 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )

Miscellaneous

Cables Included 1 x Headphones cable - Integrated Included Accessories Carrying pouch, Airplane adapter

Power

Power Device None Battery 1 x Standard battery - AAA type



Available at Digital Source Technology Co. in Vmall Greenhills and iLogic Technology Solution Co. in Gilmore I.T. Center along Gilmore Ave. Quezon City.

^^ magkano yan?

Hi crazy_boy,

Its Php 2,200

cubee, its really up to your need, bose noise cancelling is the best for me, they may look thick but they're very light. not to mention that it has removable audio cable that can double as cellphone headphones. The ear cups are soft and tender, clad in faux leather. very sleek and sassy. anyways enjoy.http://www.bose.com/images/home_entertainment/products/p_qc3_l.jpg

also....

try crossroad mylarone x3i around P2.5k

and shure e4c around $299

and cheaper a4tech iem P400 petot @ local computer shops

For portability, I'd recommend Etymotic ER-6is. I dunno if they are available locally though.

cubee, its really up to your need, bose noise cancelling is the best for me, they may look thick but they're very light. not to mention that it has removable audio cable that can double as cellphone headphones. The ear cups are soft and tender, clad in faux leather. very sleek and sassy. anyways enjoy.http://www.bose.com/images/home_entertainment/products/p_qc3_l.jpg

I agree. I have these myself.

I have this… the Sennheiser PXC-250 (http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/productdetail.asp?transid=004924) noise-cancelling headphone, with fold-and-flip design, given FREE in business class on a trip to Lisbon (or Budapest, forgot already and which airline also)…

http://shop.sennheiserusa.com/retail2002/images/catalog/PXC250_normal.jpg

@soloworx

Those are nice noise canceling cans and highly recommended also.

cubee, its really up to your need, bose noise cancelling is the best for me, they may look thick but they're very light. not to mention that it has removable audio cable that can double as cellphone headphones. The ear cups are soft and tender, clad in faux leather. very sleek and sassy. anyways enjoy.http://www.bose.com/images/home_entertainment/products/p_qc3_l.jpg

How much po??

Bose Quiet Comfort 2 sells at around 19000 pesos
Bose Quiet Comfort 3 is at around 24000 pesos

I saw someone selling the QC3 for 13000+ and QC2 for 11000+ before. I don't know if those are legit or not.

I use the Bose in-ear headphones! Nice pair of earphones.... not really noise cancelling. U can still hear some of the sounds in the environment which should be especially if your driving. Noise cancelling in my opinion is very dangerous if your on the go.

I tried those bose headphones last month! and it is amazing-it does its job! but too pricey for me....

im just wondering if there are fake bose qc's going around. im planning on buying one

im just wondering if there are fake bose qc's going around. im planning on buying one

for you to be sure, just buy on official bose stores, they even give warranty on their units

ot: not too thrilled with the sq of the boss on-ear but its a very comfortable wear and no sweating. It does a good job in attenuating ambient noise and there's very little leakage. I guess it depends on the wearer's preferred sound signature. Some swear by it, others say bose is all hype.

Here's what NOT to buy :

CAPDASE In-Ear Earphone/Headset for the iPhone.

I got mine for P990 at iStudio.

It cancels out surrounding noise just fine, the problem is the sound for music is horrible.

Here's how bad it is: the stock iPod earphones sound ten times better.

I just bought it because it was cheap. Apparently, it wasn't just the price that was cheap, cheap quality rin pala.

Now I even have a sneaking suspicion that it may be a fake, since Capdase doesn't have it on their website, and I can't find it anywhere on the internet.

Hmm.

guys how about bose around-ear?

U can still hear some of the sounds in the environment which should be especially if your driving. Noise cancelling in my opinion is very dangerous if your on the go.You're not even supposed to be wearing headphones or earphones when driving. It's against the law in most places (not sure about in the Philippines, though).

for you to be sure, just buy on official bose stores, they even give warranty on their units

someone's sellin me a slightly used one for 8k only. just need to know if its authentic