pjrice

My husband and I were on the plane over the weekend and he was trying to watch a movie on his portable dvd player. My husband told me that it was very difficult to hear the movie and I thought that perhaps a new set of earphones would do the trick. I know that Bose has those noise reduction headphones but I don't want to spend 3 or 4 hundred dollars for head phones. Are there any other head phones that are good but not as pricy?

Thanks

mesadler

I love my ER 6 headphones. Click here for more info.

MoreMilesPlease

Check out www.buy.com I got a pair of Altec Lansing really cheap after rebates. They're not Bose but good enough for my needs.

jwalkabout

Shure E4's good value for the money u can get them for about $190 all in @ earphonesolutions.com
Personally I like the sound of Ety's better but Shures are constructed and travel better. They can take a lot of abuse whereas Ety's are delicate.

Go to head-fi.org if u want tons of reviews and opinions on various headphones

BTW- Shure and Ety's block out sound better than Bose, reproduce sound better and take up less space when traveling.

pjrice

Thanks for the info....

ftweb

I have the Bose headphones, and like them. However, they are a bit cumbersome to carry around, and the noise reduction, while certainly good, could also be better. Thus, I was thinking of getting Shure E4C in-ear noise-blocking headphones. Then a friend who has both the E4C and E2C told me to get the E2C, because he actually likes them better. (I'm sure audiophiles prefer the E4C, but for movies E2C might be better.) Price was $62 on provantage.com.

I just ordered a few days ago and haven't received the package, so can't yet report first-hand on these. Other supposedly good in-ear sound-blocking headphones are the Etymotic er6 (roughly the same price as the E2C) and er4p ($150).

boondoggie

Totally agree on the Shure's blocking out sound better. I just picked up a pair of Shure EC4s at Heathrow having left the other pair at home. They're just under $300 on Amazon, and they sound great.

Another consideration is size. The Shure EC family fits in a small case about 3 inches in diameter and are very light. The headphones take up a lot of space in the bag, which is always at a premium.

daw617

I absolutely love my Etymotics ER-4P headphones. They're in-ear headphones with excellent sound quality and good sound blocking. Search for "Ety", "Etymotics", or "in-ear headphones", and you should turn up a bunch of reviews.

jwalkabout

The The Shure E2's are not that great, I would buy the Ety 6's before the Shure E2's based on the sound and comfortability alone. Compared to the Shure E3's which u can buy for $130 all in, the E2's casing is huge and obtrusive. If u have narrow canals then the E2's will be uncomfortable because the stem is fatter than the E3, also the E3's sound a heck of alot better than the E2's to my ears. The sound is more lively and richer.

tdo-ca

I just read a review that recommended the Sennheiser CXs for those who didn't want to fork out the dough for Shures or Etys.

Disclaimer: I like my Shure E4Cs, which run under 200 bucks.

jwalkabout

I own the Senn CX's which are also sold under the Creative brand for 1/2 the price. They are decent phones IEM's if u can get them for $30. The drawbacks are that there is no stem which places the sound deep enough in the canal, it is tough to get a seal with the provided caps and there is really no way to prevent the earwax from eventually clogging up the mesh-like face and muffling the sound over time.

I actually had a good time with them for about 4 months and then their appeal faded really fast. If u can get them cheap enough they are dcent canals to use as a backup in case u worrythat ur Shures or Ety's will be stolen, lost or damaged.

As I am typing this I am in the office wearing my Shure E4G's. I always pull out and listen to my DAP when everyone leaves for the day.

Tennisbum

So, what are the significant differences between the Shure EC3s and EC4s? How comfortable/unconfortable are they for folks with small ear canals?

FlyingToFly

If your maximum is $300, I would recommend the Westone UM-2.

Awal

I do not know how much research the OP has already done on the subject. There are three main types of head phones to chose from. 1) In-Ear 2) On-Ear and 3) Over-Ear. In my opinion the Over-Ear head phones provide the best overall passive/active noise reduction and are the most comfortable for long flights. They take up extra space but for long flights are well worth it. I own all three types. Thetravelinsider has excellent reviews to help make a purchasing decision. I think the main points for making a purchasing decision in no particular order are cost, comfort, size and ability to reduce noise. If the OP can provide more details as to amount of flying done, length of flights and price range we can try to help narrow down your choices.

Nachtswerg

I bounced between my Coby's ($19.99 at Fry's), which are full over-the-ear, and a pair of hybrids ($12.95 at CompUSA), which are ear buds. While neither match my dad's Bose, I also don't feel too bad when I break them or leave them on the plane!

By the way, I used to HATE the early hard-plastic ear buds. It took me a few years to retry them and by that time, they had the silicon covers for them. Now I found them comfy for shorter flights.