I also travel a lot. I've tried a few things. Shure E3's sound great and cost $179. I also have a pair of Sennheiser HD580's. They sound terrific, but they are "open" which means they are worthless on a plane because they let too much noise in. Also, don't know what your sleeping situation is, but the open headphones also let a lot of sound out, which means if someone is trying to sleep in the bed next to you -- you will bother them. So, though I love the open Sennheisers, I hardly ever get to use them. I also bought a pair of Sennheiser 280 PRO's, which are closed headphones. I have a buddy who bought the Bose "noise cancelling" headphones and we took a flight together.
IMO, the Sennheiser 280 Pro's sounded better than the Bose and the Sennheisers only cost $100 compared to the $300 he paid for the Bose. "Noise cancelling" means the hedphones have microphones in them. They pick up the ambient noise and then the headphones put out a tone that "cancels" the ambient noise. It does work -- the ambient noise disappears, but the noise the headphones put into your ears means you are getting noise mixed with your music. With the Sennheiser 280 Pro's, they are closed, so that blocks out some of the ambient noise and then when you play music, you cannot hear anything outside. If you get the Sennheisers, play music through them for about 40 hours before using them -- they really improve and then sound good. I haven't tried the Shure E3's on a plane yet, but they sound a little better than the Sennheiser 280 Pro's, so I would bet they will sound better than the Bose Noise cancelling headphones as well -- and cost more -- and when I have them in my ears, I cannot hear anything outside, so based on that, I would bet they will also sound great on a plane. If you need something for travel and to keep from bothering those around you, the Sennheiser 280 Pro's are a great bang for the buck. One other issue -- you've got to decide whether you like having earphones "in" your ears or headphones "on" your ears. |
Bose -- $299
Shure E3 -- $179
Sennheiser 280 Pro -- $100
Cannot help with wireless headphones. I've tried a few and have never found anything satisfactory. That was a number of years ago, so maybe the technology has improved since then. |
Well, you could always buy a 10 foot extension cord. 10 feet of extension cord is likely to cause far less degradation than going wireless. I would rather have one great set of headphones or earphones than to split your purchase over two pieces just to overcome the 10 feet between your system and bed. If you decide to buy etymotics, the best price I've seen was from....
http://headroom.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=3&subTopicID=26&productID=0020100000
I, personally, have not heard the Etymotics. They are $40 more than the Shure E3's. I'm happy with the Shure E3's, but that's without hearing the Etymotics. Either the Sennheiser 280 Pro's or the Shure E3's will sound great with an i-pod and Etymotic also makes a set to go with players like the i-pod.
If you're looking to get bang for the buck and don't like things "in" your ears, go with the Sennheiser 280 Pro's, they'll work on a plane or in your bed with an extension cord. If you're not on a budget and don't mind earphones that must be inserted, demo the Shures and Etymotics.
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>>Id pick the sub $200 HD-580 over the top of the line etymotics any day of the week.<<
I know where you can get HD-580's for around $150. I own these and they are excellent headphones and an excellent value -- BUT -- when I tried to use them on an airplane, I couldn't hear anything -- even at top volume. This is because they are open backed, which lets sound in and out -- the noise coming in from the Jet drowns out the sound from the headphones. This is why I purchased the Sennheiser 280 Pro's. They are closed. Now, I have purchased the Shure E3's to compare, but I haven't flown with them yet. Having heard my Sennheiser 280 Pro's on an airplane against the Bose, I think I can safely say you don't have to give any money to Bose. The web-site I posted has the Etymotics for $219. I believe that if you go for a closed back headphone like the Sennheiser 280 Pro's or an insertion type earphone like the Shures or Etymotics, you don't need to go the "noise cancelling" route.
Bose -- $299
Etymotic -- $219
Shure E3 -- $179
Sennheiser 280 Pro -- $100
Shure E2 -- $100
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I've been listening to my Shure E3's against my Sennheiser HD580's. I've got to say the Shure E3's are superior to the Sennheiser 580's. The Shure's are more dynamic, fluid, more definition, and, for want of a better word, more fun. With the E3's in, my head is bobbing, when the 580's are on, it isn't -- the "head-bob" test is a biggie with me. |
Bass *response* seems remarkably similar in the E3's and HD580's, but the bass seems more *detailed* and specific in the Shure E3's. What distinguishes the E3's from the HD580's are the dynamics. The 580's seem to smooth out the dynamic level of all of the instruments while the E3's are more specific, have more punch, air, and variety. Also, I have not heard the Etymotics, but I can say that the Shure E3's do cause the singer and other instruments to image in your head. I used to love my Sennheiser HD580's -- but the more I go back and forth between them and the Shure E3's, the more I find myself eager to get back to the E3's. They are accurate *and* musical. I find myself reaching for the most overused cliche' in audo -- damn if the music doesn't just come alive with the E3's. And I do not find them fatiguing,
which is surprising considering the level of detail, dynamic complexity, and the fact that they are *in* my ears. I fell asleep with them in my ears last night, which tells you something. Whether or not these have enough bass prominance will be a matter of taste, but I feel confident in saying the "level" of bass is quite similar to the Sennheiser HD580's. The E3's do a far better job of communicating rythmic drive, which accounts for the constant "head bobbing" and foot tapping while wearing the E3's. |
The Shure E3's come with an assortment of ear pieces of different size and stiffness so you can use one that fits your particular ear. If it is a real problem, you can even have an ear specialist design something from an imprint of your particular ear that can be used with the Shure earphones. I would guess that would be true of other ear phones as well. |
I have not compared earphones extensively, but I had a pair of Sennheiser HD580's and I was pretty happy with them, but they are open design so I needed earphones for airplane travel. I bought a set of Shure E3's and the E3's sound way better than Sennheiser HD580's. I never listen to the Sennheisers anymore. When I got the Shure E3's, I listened to them with an ipod for so long, I fell asleep wearing them. |
I have no trouble listening to the Shure E3's at pretty high volumes. Cannot comment on Ety 4-p's. |
I'm sorry, what'd you say? No, seriously -- I appreciate the concern, but I don't listen at really high volumes only pretty high volumes and then only for a little while. I may not be the sharpest potato chip in the bag, but I do know enough to avoid blowing my own ear drums to smithereens. |
You know, I have never connected the two before, but now that you mention it, I bet a jacket would help keep me warm and toasty in frigid situations. Thanks! |
