If you want to ignore the budget, I just bought a set of UE10 Pro's from UltimateEars.com They have the best sound isolation I've ever heard, as well as the best sound quality. Though they break the bank on price at over 900 bucks.

Scott

While their pricing (at least to me) is somewhat higher than other places, headphones.com offers a tremendous satisfaction and return policy.

From their site: ( http://www.headphones.com )


and no, I don't work for them. :p

Another recommendation for the e2C's. They work perfectly with the ipod, don't fall out of your ears, and sound great. For extra, extra isolation I put in the Shure's, plug them into the audio source, then wear the Bose, switched on sans audio cord, over them. On a noisy ERJ flight this combo can give you near-total isolation from the jet/wind noise.

Depends on how waxy your ears are. If you've got relatively wax-free ears, you could get a week of daily listening out of them. If you're like me, they're good for a roundtrip flight.

So, I stick to the gray silicone rubber tips and wash them frequently.

Excellent advice, I use a little alcohol on the reuseable gray tips. I do agree that a better seal can be acheived with the foam tips and I have seen them advertised in bulk quantities, but they are for single use.

I don't want to gross anyone out, but I work in a manufacturing facility where hearing protection is mandatory. We have had instances of ear infections when people have reused plugs without cleaning them. :eek:

After reading the recent earphone posts I decided to get the Shure E3c. My only question for those who have it is it recommended to use when working out, or do you buy a cheaper earphone that wraps around your ears? They sound like they're great for riding the bus/subway, relaxing at an airport, or writing a paper in a loud dorm, but are they perfect (meaning can they handle the jostling from jogging)?

Actually IME they stay in much better than regular earbuds when exercising, assuming you have them fitted properly in your ears. My only reservation would be using them when jogging on public streets, since the noise isolation is so good you might not hear traffic. At a gym or track they'd be perfect.

I have had the ety er6 for about 4yrs . I have loved them after learning how to seal them properly. Initially I was apprehensive about wearing IEM's but they are so comfortable and deliver great sound i can't possibly use anything else. They get better with each use and I cannot survive on a flight without them. Recently I noticed that I may have a short in the wire so I thought about buying the shure e4c. When I realized that I was going to spend $200 to listen to music in a lossy format on a DAP, I began to think twice.
Instead I bought a pair of the ety er6i which are designed for portable music players, particularly the ipod. They are currently on sale for $80 at buy.com and Amazon, which is a really cheap price.
I haven't used them yet but I will after I figure out how to change the white color of the earphones with a dye or sharpie. I don't want anyone thinking that I am listening to an Ipod! You can get mugged in NYC for that.