Re: [OT] iPod Headphones...

["rb_ziggy" <rb.lists@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have to agree about the iPod phones - absolutely sh1t.  I always
found them very uncomfortable / painful and pretty poor audio quality.

I moved to the ER6i's after being recommended by a friend who (I know
this is a bit strange) is quite deaf and needs very high quality gear
He uses the top end ER (=A3250 odd) to listen to his iPod.=20

Anyway, I found the ER6i's very good but it did require playing around
with the various different ear pieces to find the ones that really
fitted.  Only once properly fitted did they give decent base
response.=20=20

I can comfortably wear these for 8 - 10 hrs on transatlantic flights
without any problem (often just have them in to reduce noise).=20=20

Having switched to an iPhone recently, I noticed that ER also now do a
headphone version.  Bit tempted by those.

Regards

Richard=20



--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, "Phil Harris" <phil@...> wrote:
>
> Just wanted to share a bit of info with you all in case it's of use=85
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> Some people think I'm a bit anal about things on occasions =85 one
things has
> been trying to get decent sound out of my 160Gb iPod Classic after I
finally
> succumbed to the appeal of Apple (no, I don't use that piece of crap
iTunes
> though =96 I use XPlay3 to manage the content on it). My issue with
the sound
> on the iPod has been that firstly the supplied `phones are a stunning
> combination of bad physical and bad audio design. The bloody things
just
> wouldn't stay in my ears and they also sounded pants (plus they
didn't have
> enough volume for my liking).
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> I have a much loved pair of Senheiser HD580s that sound lovely but
the iPod
> just doesn't have the guts to drive properly and I've used various
external
> portable headphone amplifiers feeding from the dock connector
(bypassing the
> crappy headphone amplifier stages) to very good effect but it's not
really a
> convenient solution as the `phones themselves make you look like a
Cyberman
> and you end up with what is effectively a separates system in your
pocket!
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> I bought a set of Stax SR-001 portable electrostatic headphones
which are
> less bulky and do sound stunning but you still have the separate
energizer
> box for them which uses a set of batteries which don't last long and
the
> thought of using them when it could start raining and you have 580v
dc just
> millimetres from your eardrums just didn't sit well with me. (OK =96
honestly
> the SR-001s are stunning and I still have them and use them but the
separate
> energizer box is a pain and they look like the equivalent of the
1970's NHS
> glasses that someone you were at school with wore and which were
always
> "repaired" with sellotape or elastoplast=85)
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> Anyway, after talking to a couple of the guys at work about the
"problem"
> and just about settling on a set of Grado SR-60 or SR-80 headphones
- the
> iPod drives these phones pretty well from its own amp circuits and the
> Grados do fold flat so they're semi portable-friendly =96 one of them
> mentioned the Etymotic Research ER-6i's which are an in-the-ear
unit. Now,
> he really rated them and even though I *LOATHE* in the ear phones I
did
> decide to give them a try. Anyway, yes, they were better than I
expected but
> I still found them uncomfortable for all the same reasons that I
find other
> in the ear phones uncomfortable and was just about to order up the
Grados
> and pass the ER-6i's on to a friend when a came across this:
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> http://www.customearphones.co.uk/about-er6c.php
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> Custom earmoulds for the ER-6i's =85 not "cheap" as such -
=A385 for the
> earmoulds on top of about =A370 for the phones themselves but I
thought it was
> probably worth a punt. I bought a voucher to get the moulds done,
the guy
> from the audiologists turned up at my home one evening to squirt
blue goop
> in my ears and a couple of weeks later the postman left me an "Oi
you prick,
> you ordered some sh*t and then weren't around for us to deliver it
so get
> off your arse and fetch it from us" card. I picked up the package
from the
> post office at the sparrows fart on a Saturday morning just as I was
about
> to set off on a five hour drive in the works company van, popped the
ER-6i's
> into the moulds, applied a little bit of the supplied lube (no dodgy
> comments guys) and slipped `em in to see how they felt and how long
I could
> handle having them in for given that the longest I could hack the
ER-6i's
> with the normal rubber flange type tips was about 30 minutes before
they
> drove me nuts=85
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> =85five hours later I rolled up at the customers door, popped out the
ER-6c's
> (as is the designation of the ER-6i's with the custom moulds) and
thought
> "They were OK".
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> Been using them pretty much every day since then and I have to say
they're
> bloody fantastic =85 more than sensitive enough to get good volume
from the
> standard iPod headphone amplifier circuitry and good enough to
respond very
> well to being driven from one of the portable headphone amps I have
or from
> one of the dedicated home headphone amps such as the one that my
employers
> make. I've compared them to the Grado SR-60 and the Senheiser HD-580
of
> course but also to some much more expensive `phones from Ultrasone
and they
> really do hold their own very well =85 the top end is a bit splashy
compared
> to the high end Ultrasone units (but they were nearly a grand) but
otherwise
> the ER-6c's are a phenomial bit of kit =96 they sound superb and also
are
> *VERY* comfortable to wear for long periods of time (oh, and they
also cut
> out a huge amount of outside noise too so they're brilliant for use on
> planes).
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> Anyway =96 hopefully that might be of use to someone here if you're
looking
> for a damn good set of headphones=85
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> Phil=20
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> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>



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