Headphones for travelling

[Enigma_2k4]

Hi all,

I am back into my crazy travelling again (30,000 miles in the last 2 weeks.... ) and it's not going to be lightening up. I've always used a set of large "over ear" Phillips earphones I got yonks ago when travelling but they are too big and bulky, also, the sound quality is shite!

This leads me to 3 questions:
1. Are the small "in ear" phones comparable to the larger "over ear" phones within my pricepoint?
2. Are they comfortable for long periods of time?
3. I am looking at spending around R1500 tops on some nice travel cans (ie. I want sound cancelling (not 100% necessary with the in-ear phones as they pretty much block out everything) phones as well as phones that can get nice and small and compact, a spring loaded cable winder and carry case thing would be quite cool. Any ideas?

I'm particularly fond of Sennies. And would like something I could pickup from Joburg int this afternoon. In the plane I use my craptop for movies, the on-board entertainment and also my iPod.

[Enigma_2k4]

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[kamikazi]

Ask Mervin about his experiences with the noise canceling portable sennies. I have the px200ii's and find them to be very good and offers surprisingly good noise isolation and they are really compact! Doesn't beat in ear monitors though imo for comprehensive isolation.

In that price range you should find a lot of quality in ear headphones. If you can find a comfortable pair you can even sleep with them in your ears doubling as ear plugs.

[Viagara]

I have a pair of PX-200's as well and they are fairly good. To me the only problem is that the bass is a bit light unless you "cup" your ears and headphones.

I have listened to some in-ears as well and particularly the Senn MX-500(IIRC) stood out. I just found it a pain to find the correct location in my ears to have a perfect balance between highs and bass, but once you get it right they do sound marvellous.

[Blues]

I did read up on custom fitted in ear phones recently, as my koss porta pro couldn't stand the abuse of doing sports. seems like this would suit your situation better then mine, as I don't want too much noise blocking while cycling. a few links in this direction :

http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/livewires-custom-fit-in/1707-7877_7-32475692.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303491304575188312065904570.html

or for starters something like this...

http://www.igear.co.za/pKOSSPARK/KOSS-The-spark-plug-in-ear-earphones.aspx

[EJC]

The Bose Quiet Comfort 3 are superb but a bit pricy...you could even use the Bose AE2 which are alot cheaper!

The sound quality of in-ear headphones will never compare to that of around/on ear headphones (only pro of in-ears is that its a lot more convenient to carry/portable)

[Enigma_2k4]

Aha, all very good feedback, thanks alot guys. From the reviews I've read maybe the PX100 (cheaper one) seems like a good option.

I've also seen those Bose ones around but they certainly aren't cheap.

However, the more I think about it the more I am keen for noise isolating "canal-phones". So, What I think I should do is first give a decent little cheappie set (400-500bucks) a test, if I find them horribly uncomfortable for long periods then I can pawn them off to my sister for her birthday

So, I'll do some googling and see what I get at the airport just now. It's a toss up at the moment between the nice well priced PX100's (although not noise isolating) and some similarly prices in ear phones. The CX300-II look good and well priced. Eish! Decisions decisions....

[EJC]

Personally i find those in-ear headphones highly uncomfortable after 1 hour of use but each to their own i guess...hope it works out for you

[Blues]

I also found the in-ear option uncomfortable, but would guess that the custom fitted ones should be much better in this regard. for a cheap try out there's even a diy solution :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmk-y_9exJ8

[kamikazi]

I had a pair of Sony MDR71 in ears that were very comfortable and that I used a lot on flights. I had them in my ears for a flight from JHB to Hong Kong (13 hours) for most of the time without any fatigue, so again it depends on what you buy. I could even sleep quite soundly with those left in my ears. The CX300-ii is a bit bass heavy, but they are pretty comfortable and light. Don't buy in ears that stick out too far or have sharp edges that could hurt your ears after a while.

I would avoid the PX100 as it is an open headphone. You are not going to have noise isolation and the noise leakage will annoy passengers next to you, where with the PX200 it is a closed headphone so you won't run into the same issues. The bass response on the PX200 vary depending on how good a seal you can obtain on your ears.

I would also refute some of the comments here about the in ears not matching full size headphones for quality. The balanced armature drivers in more expensive in ear headphones are very good and the higher you go the more of these drivers are fitted into the housing with even better results. And because of their better sensitivity they don't expensive amplifiers either which saves you a lot of money. In ears monitors like the Shure SE535, Sennheiser IE8, Monster Copper Pro's, Westone UM4 and Audio Technica CK10 will be better than most full size headphones in the same price bracket. The only thing that in ears struggle with is to create soundstage, because the drivers are in your ear canals. Technology in dynamic drivers in in ears monitors have also improved by leaps and bounds in the last 3 years. A lot of people are really spoiled for choice in the $50-100 bracket.

[chipwelder]

Get yourself Etymotic Research High-fidelity earplugs... to see if you like in ears... it is worth it, when I go to weddings I take them along.. I am much more pleasant a person with the PA turned down 10-15dB's...

[Enigma_2k4]

Wow, despite the worst flight in the world! Holy crap that took for-ever! Dam volcano! I just hope my luggage turns up soon and with everything all still inside it.

I purchased a cheap set of in-ear phones (Mitone something or other - their most expensive model for like R200) as a tester. I was pleasantly surprised by the output and how comfortable they were at first. I tried a few different caps on and the smaller ones def fit better for me. I still need to try them over a long period of time but for about 2 hours I had no problems. If I find them nice and comfortable for a long flight then I'll happily spend some bucks on a decent pair.

[Jaws]

I`m using the Bose in-ears that they sell at most international airports, they cost about R1000 and come with three different sized silicone buds. I`m allready on my second pair and can wear them for 8 hours straight without any discomfort.  Music quality is ok, nothing close to proper headphone but more than adequate for travelling.

[Jaws]

Found a pic on the net:

[Enigma_2k4]

Oh nice, those look excellent. What model number is that?

I can look again next week but I doubt the silly little airports I am going too will have anything! haha