RE: Re: [OT] iPod Headphones...

["Phil Harris" <phil@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yeah - if you Google for ER-6i reviews and you start reading the
forums the=
n
you'll find lots of people complaining about the bass response on the
ER-6i's and saying "Yes but I have got them to seal properly" but
the simpl=
e
fact is they haven't - I found the sponge tips much better than the flanged
tips but it wasn't until I got the moulds that I really heard what the
ER-6i's could do.

The response on them is good enough that I was listening to some Yello this
morning whilst doing a bit of marshalling and I was trying to think of what
speakers I've come across that actually produce the solid bass that the 6's
do and there's not a lot!

I've recently been looking at maybe getting a set of T2's (or possibly T1's
if I can run to them) from www.hearingprotection.co.uk as they're supposed
to be a significant step on again ...

Phil

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On Behalf
> Of rb_ziggy
> Sent: 28 December 2008 10:16
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject: [ukha_d] Re: [OT] iPod Headphones...
>=20
> I have to agree about the iPod phones - absolutely sh1t.  I always
> found them very uncomfortable / painful and pretty poor audio quality.
>=20
> 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
> I can comfortably wear these for 8 - 10 hrs on transatlantic flights
> without any problem (often just have them in to reduce noise).
>=20
> Having switched to an iPhone recently, I noticed that ER also now do a
> headphone version.  Bit tempted by those.
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> Regards
>=20
> Richard
>=20
>=20
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> --- 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
> >
> >
> >
> > 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).
> >
> >
> >
> > 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!
> >
> >
> >
> > 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)
> >
> >
> >
> > 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:
> >
> >
> >
> > http://www.customearphones.co.uk/about-er6c.php
> >
> >
> >
> > Custom earmoulds for the ER-6i's =85 not "cheap" as
such - =A385 for th=
e
> > 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
> >
> >
> >
> > =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".
> >
> >
> >
> > 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).
> >
> >
> >
> > Anyway =96 hopefully that might be of use to someone here if
you're
> looking
> > for a damn good set of headphones=85
> >
> >
> >
> > Phil
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
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