In-ear Noise Isolating Headphones

[stingwray]

So my standard iPod headphones have seen better days, people have been telling me to upgrade for as long as I've had them and I'm finally getting sick of the amount of noise they let in on the daily commute, making me have my volume up at 95% and so killing my already slightly worse hearing.

I'm looking for a pair of In-ear Noise Isolating Headphones and ideally I don't want to be spending more than £50 on them although if someone can suggest something radically better for a bit more money then I'll consider them, but lets not get silly here.

The short list at the moment consists of:

Philips SHE9800

Shure SE102

JAYS s-JAYS

Apple In-Ear Headphones

I can get any of them for under £50 and most reviews seem to be giving them all >7/10 but obviously I want the best. The Shures seem to come out best from some review houses and the rest of the time the Philips do, with the JAYS coming consistently third and the Apple fourth.

I really only included the Apple for completeness, I don't need the microphone (its an iPod Clasic 80GB I'm using) and I don't think I can even make use of the volume clicker.

So does anybody have any experience, ideas, suggestions on how to choose, what to choose or what to even consider?

In short, I'm looking for good noise isolation (so I can get run over crossing the road), good sound reproduction and comfort given that I'll probably be wearing them for ~2 hours most days.

Ta.

[Machstorm]

I have tried most of those in-ear noise canceling headphones and they do not work near as well as a normal set of headphones, because there is little isolation with the in-ear. Not only that in-ear is harder on your ear drums.

the Maxell HP/NC-II Noise Cancelling Headphones:

http://www.maxell-usa.com/index.aspx?id=63...nfo&pid=138

Yes I know that they are not in-ear, but they are really good at noise canceling.

Something that I use when i am walking around on campus are these.

Sony MDR-G57G:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-G57G-Sports...3286&sr=8-1

I like them because of the punch bass that they deliver

they also come in a clip on design:

Sony MDR Q22LP

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-Q22LP-Headp...3506&sr=1-7

The isolation these headphones provide are enough for me because being on campus there are alot of punks that like to do burn outs on a constant basis. Of course your mileage may vary

[stingwray]

Thanks for the feedback.

I've tried my friends Shures which are In-ear Noise Isolating and they are pretty good. I know that if you want the best then you have to go for outer-ear headphones, but they are just not my style and don't like wearing them for long periods of time.

[Machstorm]

Thanks for the feedback.

I've tried my friends Shures which are In-ear Noise Isolating and they are pretty good. I know that if you want the best then you have to go for outer-ear headphones, but they are just not my style and don't like wearing them for long periods of time.

Especially, if you have a bumpy commute then depending on how they are made; those headphones will rub your ears raw

[xdmag]

My favorite in that price range is the Sennheiser CX-400. Not sure how much they cost in the UK. Both the JAYS and the Shure have really good sound.

[stingwray]

Just an update.

I ordered the s-JAYS and I have to say that I'm really happy with them. Obviously I don't own any of the others to be able to compare them, but they sound good to me and there is a definite addition of bass which is nice. The also isolate sound nicely, I'm now playing my iPod at 45% volume on the tube, which before using the apple ear-buds had to be set to 90%+ to be able to hear anything and forget listening to podcasts.

They came with a nice load of stuff and are comfortable to wear for long periods of time, although I'm still getting used to putting things in my ears again after years of being told not to!

In short, they have Stingwray's approval!