Getting the best out of Earplug type 'phones

[Tony Hoyle]

I just went for a walk around with the default iPod earphones and got very depressed... the sound just wan't 'there' for me. On my MD player I use a set of Philips HJ030s (http://www.goodguys.com/adtemplate.a...3&catky=162625)
and will sound-test them with the ipod tomorrow I think.

Is it worth looking at something a bit more upmarket? Or is the ipod sound reproduction really not up to that?

[rfaison]

Tony,

I suspect that the problem is with the Apple earbuds - that they just don't fit your ears well enough to get the best sound. (I found them quite uncomfortable and could never get a good fit as they seemed too big). Try pressing them into your ear - does the sound get markedly better? And deteriorate when you let go? If so, then you're having fit problems.

The ipod itself produces quite nice sound - of course the sound quality also is determined by the music file itself and how it was ripped, but don't think that's what the issue here is.

I've had success with the Sony 51 (or 71 something - cost about 40 bucks) earbuds, and then moved up to the Shure E3c (think I got that right) - the sound is quite nice when the buds are properly placed in the ear canal so that the seal is obtained.

If you go this route, it may take a little practice to get the technique - I generally hear a teeny little 'pop' but not always. they just feel 'secure' in the ear.

Good luck - hope you find some satisfaction.

[xtreme1sound]

hey Tony,
I think you can have a try of these earphonesSony MDR-EX81SL Clip-on Earphones, since they come with 3 different sizes of earpieces which you can switch around until you find the best fitted one.

[99Honeyburst]

What great advice. I took delivery of my E3c's yesterday and like many, on first listen was amazed how tinny they sounded. I'd read enough here and elsewhere to know that this meant I wasn't getting a correct seal so I perservered and found that pushing them in a fair way then pulling back out slightly was getting a proper seal. Only problem though - the pulling back slightly thing was causing a slight suction on my eardrum making me fatigued when listening.

Then I came to this thread and voila - no need to use my poor technique with it's associated problem - just do the "pull on the ear as you insert them" thing as described here and I get a perfect seal without the assocaited suction issue!

btw: to anyone considering E3c's - do it! As some of you may have read in my other post, I was quite worried that after going to all of the trouble of having them shipped to Australia from the US (huge savings over the Aussie price btw!), I'd be dissapointed and need to do a messy return. No such problem - they sound absolutely superb and they're not even burnt in yet, nor has my ear had time to adjust properly to thier tonal signature - it'll only get better from here!

[slicky]

Another point to emphasize about earphones is that it will take about a week to two for most people's ears to get used them being worn. When I first got my e3 phones they were uncomfortable (even with the foamies) and after a few days I was thinking I might be sending them back. The place I bought them from said to give them a week or so and see how I felt. I was skeptical, but within the week (few hours a day use) there was zero discomfort whatsoever.

Don't freak out the first few days after you get a new set of earphones. Give your ears time to adjust.

~slicky

[SirRob]

I just got my new Shure E3s in the mail today. I too was not wowed by the quality upon initial testing, the base seemed a bit hazy. There are many reviews out there that claim that letting these Shure phones burn in makes a world of difference. I let these run for a few hours but the best improvement I got was from cleaning my ears.

Go to a nutrition/health food/co-op store and ask for 'ear candles'. They should set you back about $7 a pair. For those of you unfamiliar, it is a tube of wax paper that burns slowly. You stick it in an ear and the heat from the burning candle pulls A TON of crap from your inner ear. Let it burn until it is too hot to hold (best to have a friend help). Cut the last inch open to see all the crap that comes out, there is close to a spoonful of muck in each ear. Gross.

I have a kid that had constant ear infections that amoxycillin never cleared up. I came across these candles and a monthly treatment really made a huge difference in his world. I did not have half the volume of mess in my ears that he does.

Getting this crap out should make the seals stay cleaner longer as well. Q-tips just push all that stuff deaper, so really try to get the candles.

Now try your phones, properly sealed as mentioned above and start hearing all those wonderful sounds.

[Momo]

I love my Sony MDR-EX71SL, it's my first in-ear type earphone and the base is cool! BTW, I have it from here around 6 months before http://www.i-shopping4u.com/sony_mdr_ex71sl.html

[AndyH]

Originally posted by SirRob
Go to a nutrition/health food/co-op store and ask for 'ear candles'.

A safer way to remove ear wax is via a kit such as the Murine Ear Wax Removal System:
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/buyinpri...earwaxrem.html

I bought mine at my local drug store.

[VitB6]

Ear Candling is boogus: http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery.../candling.html

two investigators tested candles to see whether the wax accumulated after burning came entirely from the candle or included wax that came from the ear. To do this they burned candles with the tip (a) inside the ear, (b) outside the ear, so the wax dripped into a bowl of water, and (b) inside the ear but with a tube in place that would permit ear wax to move into the tube but would block candle wax from moving downward. They demonstrated that all residue originated from the candle and that no ear wax was removed from the ear [2].
Why Candling Can't Work

Since wax is sticky, the negative pressure needed to pull wax from the canal would have to be so powerful that it would rupture the eardrum in the process. However, candling produces no vacuum. Researchers who measured the pressure during candling of ear models found that no negative pressure was created. The same investigators candled eight ears and found that no ear wax was removed and candle wax was actually deposited in some of them! [3]

The notion that the ear canal is connected to structures beyond the eardrum is false. A review of a good anatomy book should dispel this notion. The external ear canal, with an intact eardrum, is not connected to the brain, the sinuses targeted by the procedure (those above your eyes), or the Eustacean tubes (the passageways between the internal ear and the back of the throat). While some claim that the eardrum is porous and quickly allows impurities to pass through, this is untrue. The "impurities" that appear in the collected wax (usually on a paper plate or other collecting device) are nothing more than the ashes from the burnt wick and wax of the cone itself.

[dunepuggy]

Originally posted by slicky
Another point to emphasize about earphones is that it will take about a week to two for most people's ears to get used them being worn. When I first got my e3 phones they were uncomfortable (even with the foamies) and after a few days I was thinking I might be sending them back. The place I bought them from said to give them a week or so and see how I felt. I was skeptical, but within the week (few hours a day use) there was zero discomfort whatsoever.

Don't freak out the first few days after you get a new set of earphones. Give your ears time to adjust.

~slicky

Good to know, because I got my E2cs today and even with the small foamies in they hurt and were driving me nutty!! I really wanted these and to have them hurt was a dissapointment. But I will stick it out and hopefully get used to them soon.

[unsivil_audio]

Interesting thread.

I just bought my iPod not more than a week ago and I love the stock earbuds that came with it (of course I dont really know any better). Plenty of bass and treble to make it hard to believe that its coming from those tiny things.

I might have to try some different headphones just to make its not just my ears are accoustically shaped or something. Oh and I know a bad sounding speaker when I hear one, I've been doing car audio for over 6yrs (also means I have a very good apreciation of a well balanced sound).

[Josss]

thanks man, my left original earphone for my ipod made some trembing noise when there was too much bass, so i decided to buy those in ear headphones. I was really dissapointed 40€!! When i pushed a little bit harder the sound was amazing, but they didn't want to fit. Now they do! I really thank you guys

[misper666]

anyone using sharp md33s? i just got these they blow me away. i need em to handle various levels of bass (bass drums, arpeggiators, sub etc) mid range details / depth, & highly polished top end (synths n chimes n that...) i'm well pleased as i now have that old feeling back that i have superb sound on tap & i can get on a train somewhere without worrying about inferior in earphones, headband types that annoy other people, or great big dj types. got em off audiocubes, they seem to handle anything i throw at 'em no distortion wotsoever.
fitting em is like putting peas in yer ears, though to help the ends form an airtight seal i wet them first with my fingers.

[Dinan]

I just got my ex71s in and i can't tell if i have them in correctly.. they definitely lack bass and produce a sound which i dont especially like. sounds 'empty.'

any tips? i may just return these anyway as they seem very fragile and people have complained about this

[rfaison]

This is going to sound more complicated than it actually is - wish I could show you a picture! A "fit tip" for most earbuds is to, with the opposite hand (ie, use right hand for left ear - reaching over or behind your head) and gently tug the top/rop-rear (think 1-2:00 on a clock face - for someone looking at your left ear) of the ear up, and slightly away from head as you press the earbud into the ear canal.

The tug seems to open the canal, so when you let go there is a better seal than if you simply press the earbud into the canal. I found doing this made a difference - though it took a little practice to get the technique.

I've used these Sony's, and now have Shure's - both benefit dramatically from the above technique. I found that when not properly fitted, if I pressed in with my fingers right under my earlobes - the sound improved dramatically - especially the bass.

As someone else mentioned earlier, moistening them can also help obtain a complete seal. When they're in right, you should feel a bit of suction when you remove them - when the seal is broken.

My ex71s held up fine and while I didn't abuse them, I didn't baby them either. Still have 'em around just in case.

Good luck