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Sony MDR-EX71. Available from www.audiocubes.com. These earbuds block out outside noise basically by becoming earplugs that play music. But they really work! I was recently on a plane and could barely hear the engines.
If you're really picky about audio quality, you might not like them, but they're great for planes, and have a reasonably nice sound.
If you are willing to spend a little more, Shure E2's would work best. There are better choices for plane use but they are way over your budget. I bought my Shure E2's on eBay, and they are perfect.
For airliner/bus/train use, the EX51, 70 or 71 would all fit the bill. I'd go for the cheapest (EX 51) and put the savings towards the ultimate earbud you can get for under $100, the Sony E888, which you should be able to find for about $60. These don't have anything like the same isolation, but you will be blown away by how great your music will sound with them.
Thank you for your response.
Can you really hear a difference between the Shure and the regular ipods earphones ?
The Shure's blow the Apple buds away--and I personally don't think the Apple buds are all that bad, except they're uncomfortable to me..
i got myself a koss portapro. i have to admit these are some great headphones. a bit odd looking but they have smooth deep bass and clear crisp highs. they a very comfortable. i can wear them for hours straight. they have great reviews and are respected among many audiophiles. for the price of $25 (from koss website using promotional code) it can't be beat. they also have a lifetime warranty.
I've heard good things about Koss 'phones - anyone use these ('the plug')? Any good?
The plug is awful. Don't waste your money.
The portapros, however, are very good--and an outstanding value. I still prefer the Shure E2's, but if you're looking mainly at cost, the portapros are an excellent alternative. They don't offer isolation though, and if that's a major concern, I'd look at the EX's or better yet the Shures...
Hmm right. Yeah I was thinking more of 'in ear' to cut out ambient noise. The portapro looks great value but realistically I'll not be wearing them on my daily commute.
What about Sennheisers? Good rep generally but it's functionality with the iPod that I'm interested in.
The Senn's are a great value--they sound very good, but are uncomfortable (at least to me--if you find the Apple buds uncomfortable, IMHO there's a pretty good chance you'll find the Senn's uncomfortable too), and once again, these don't offer any more isolation than the apple buds, and if that's what you're looking for, the Senn's aren't that great of an option.
I'll echo that. Koss' "The Plug" is the worst earbud I own, a good idea that was woefully badly executed, and which simply does not work.
The Sennheisers have better sound than the original iBuds, and about the same sound as the Gen 2 iBuds, but feel like a pair of frying pans in your ear because they are HUGE!
The best conventional earbud IMHO is the Sony E888. But it's not an in-the-ear design. If you go for an in-the-ear design (EX51/70/71, Ety etc.) you're buying an earbud with much smaller diameter drivers. To make 9-mm drivers sound any good costs big amounts of moolah, which is why (again IMHO) the EX51/70/71) are so poor.
Do the Shure E2s sound better then the Eytomic earphones? I have heard wonderful things about the Eytomic's but have never heard of Shure.
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Hi,
As I often travel by plane, I would like to buy new earphones for my ipod.
Could you tell me what would be the best choice for less than 70-80 dollars ?
Thank you,
Greg