Canal Phones: An Overview

[Terance]

i've had a pair of altec lansing iM716s for about a month now.

I use the tri flanges, and love them, i also have a small cmoy amp.

unamped they sounded good, but with the amp there is a noticible difference.

I'm pretty much hooked on IEMS, I love the portability, i love the sound isolation, and i love the sound quality.

[melor]

I bought a set of Shure E2c headphones and replcaed with the E3c headphone. I love it, I actually liked the E2c's a lot, but found a deal on the E3c's that was hard to pass up.

Paul

[ZOOM ZOOM]

If somebody are basshead and like Etymotic ER4p but not satisfied with bass on these buds. Now here is good news for these ER4p lovers who are also bassheads. Just order for triple.fi 10pro and you will be very happy because these buds shows sheer details in highs(same as ER4p or better) and bass on these are amazing. BTW i ordered mine, i know i will be very happy with these. Because i have an exp with other UE super.fi(5pro and 5eb) models and i find sf5pro are amazing in bass region and it's shows good details in highs. NOTE= i will put my early review when i receive my tf 10pro.......

[mdarnton]

Better late than never, I guess. I have Ety ER6, Shure E2, and the Sony 51 phones (and a drawer full of other non-sealing buds and phones), and I think each has it's use.

I use the Sonys only when I'm on my bicycle, since they hang in on my ears well, but don't block traffic noise (compared to the others, they're definitely not noise rejecting!). They are very comfortable, though. The Etys are clear with adequate bass, and the Shures are bassier and a bit easier to listen to (less fatiguing), but not as well defined as the Etys.

I've do a lot of switching back and forth, and for me, the Shures are best in the morning when my ears are still sensitive, but the Etys better in the afternoon after my ears have been a little beat up by normal city noises. For normal use, the Sonys are totally outclassed by the others. If you want room shaking bass, get a set of speakers, but you will probably find the Shures the least offensive. If you want to hear the left hand fingertips pattering around on acoustic guitar strings, it's the Etys.

I've turned on a couple of friends to the Etys, and they love them, and one of them who has about $20,000 of stereo gear in his living room thinks they're the best in-ear phones he's tried, though he hates phones in general.

I believe my Etys have loosened up in the bass quite a bit since I got them, but it took weeks, not days. They still aren't boomers. My stereo friend says when people complain about too little bass, they don't usually know too much about real audio, and that may be as good of a guide as any as to who will or won't like what.

As far as fit, my experience is that any of the in-ear phones work a lot better after the fittings get greased up with ear wax, so don't give up on the silicone rubber plugs too quickly. That lubrication also helps the plugged-ear effect a LOT. Though initially I had comfort problems and wasn't sure I could get used to them, once mine were well-greased, I really came to like them, and wouldn't use anything else now.

Wouldn't it be nice if the places that sell these things had them all on hand, already broken in, for buyers to try? There are a couple of newer brands I'd love to try, but one can only drop $100 on earphones just so many times before it starts to look like an addiction.

[aetjansen]

I have been very pleasantly surprised by this combo:

Cheap JVC HA-FX33 'phones, with the add-on pieces of a Shure EC2-E's. I use the middle sized foam ones. The transparent, hard rubber pieces I hate. The soft rubber black ones are quite nice, but deliver too much bass for me.

I used Sony MDR-EX71 before, but they had too much bass for my taste. When they broke, I "upgraded" to Shure EC2's. Very nice, but the thicker cable turned out to be the weakest point. Where the curved around my ear (en wear them behind and over the ear), the cable started to wear out after 6 months.

Fed up with buying expensive earphones, I decided to buy a cheap "temp" solution. The JVCs for about 12 pounds (about $20 I guess). Not happy with the standard plastic plugs, I took them off, ripped off the small plastic tube around the phone itself so that the EC2's plugs fitted and I have been very impressed with that combination!

Nice bass, but not too much, quite detailed. Compared to the EC2's the sound seems more clear, a lot less "muffled".

Anyway, I think I will stick to this combi for a while now.

Maybe this helps others to get a low cost, but in my opinion nice sounding, canal-phone solution.

My 2 cents/pence :-)

Arno

[KG GT500]

If you're looking to spend around $120 (CDN) then I strongly recommend the Bose In-Ear headphones. They're about $130 (CDN).

I use them with the small silocone tips and they sound great. They have a lower sound than, say the Apple pack-in buds, but they have a nice detailed sound to them. I listen to music on these and hear things I've never heard before. Great bass. Maybe a teeny bit overpowering at times, but I don't think so usually.

For the money, they're great. Only canal phones I've ever had. I'm pretty sure they're canal phones at least. HaHa

[Mepaphoros]

Can someone tell me why I find my Philips "virtual suuround" phones so tough to beat? Is there anything with an iPhone interface that I would find comparable?

[InvaderZim]

Sony EX85's.
13.5mm driver, angled eartip. Great sound when used with Walkman and iPods.

[jasoncordelle]

I have UE Metro.Fi 200's...bought 150's but took them back for an upgrade...not because there was anything wrong with them, but quite the opposite...I figured if the 150's were that good, the 200's must be incredible.

TBH, there's not a lot of difference between the two, but I'll burn them in and then let you know...

I've been hearing some good things about those Sony headphones.

[truckson]

Found 2 New High End Earphones!
Victor-JVC HP-FX500 Wooden In-Earphone
Panasonic RP-HJE900 Detachable Cords In-Ear

The Victor-JVC HP-FX500 have the wooden diaphragms and the Panasonic RP-HJE900 is made by Zirconia. If you are looking something unique, these earphones will be your choice.

[bobb-mini]

Originally Posted by truckson

Found 2 New High End Earphones!

Why, just because they cost more than $100?

Sound gimmicky to me. Am surprised no carbon-fibre.

JVC: Unusual body. Hate the long-stem strain relieve.
PANY: Ugly-looking, at least from that picture.

[jasoncordelle]

Zirconia body? Like Cubic Zirconia, the man-made diamond? I think not.

Don't like either of those...but it's all subjective...some would say they don't like me.

[truckson]

Originally Posted by bobb-mini

Why, just because they cost more than $100?

Come on, a lot of earphones cost more than 100+! Of course ....it is not the reason!
If they're not your cups of tea, then i have nothing to say!

[bobb-mini]

U sound like Enron management who said, but u guys don't understand!

Tell us why these are so great, in your own words. Really, I wanna know.