[tavilach]

I bought the Shure E3c's, and I really enjoy the extreme sound isolation, but they're just too cumbersome to set up (cord behind the ear, cord down my back...). I like to wear headphones while walking around campus (I obviously don't set up a wonderful isolation seal when walking, for safety purposes), and I like to be able to pop them in and out as I please.

Furthermore, whenever I turn my neck, the cords get pulled, which is very uncomfortable.

So...

How do they Etymotics, or other headphones, compare to the Shures in terms of raw decibel isolation? I know that the Etymotics block out 15-20 dB, but I don't know how that compares to the Shures.

If I were to switch to the Etymotics, I'd need to be sure of a few things. First of all, the sound isolation needs to be great (see above). Second, the cord needs to be sturdy. Third, for that price, the sound better be great (like the Shures). Finally, the shirt clip better work extremely well.

On that note, can anyone with Etymotics take a picture of the headphones being held by the shirt clip when not in use? That would be fantastic!

[swissmann]

I like the Koss "The Plug" They cost about $10 and if you replace the foam ear plug they have with a more dense foam ear plug (I have some yellow ones that my dad gets from the airport) by poking a hole through the middle of them you get a very secure easy in easy out and fairly good sounding earphone. Probably not as good of quality as what you are looking at but works great for me when I jog etc.

[lingo kaiser]

I have had the etymotics for almost a year now, and they are awesome and very comfortable.

I go running and lift weights with them in without any irritation, also i know of several guys who use them while riding long distances on their motorbikes.

I dont have any pictures of the shirt clip, but it works really well, and i recommend you use it.

Good luck,

Thomas

[iolaire]

I have the Shure. I am having good luck sticking that black rubber area, where the cord split, down in my shirt collar just a tad. That helps the cord balance out of the way a little, also it leaves enough cord for you to move your head. But that doesn't make it any easier to take in and out....

[Charles Bouldin]

The ER6i is often on sale for about $80. Check buy.com. These phones are good for 20-25 db isolation and they work very well straight out of the iPod, and are styled to match. My main use for these is on commercial airline flights to kill the engine noise and obnoxious stream of announcements. With the Ety's, the flights are just blissful isolation and great sound.

They're compact and fit easily in a small pocket on the my iPod case.

If there is a downside to these phones, the only issue is that there are so isolating that they are somewhat hazardous to wear when cycling, jogging, etc. You'll also miss phone calls since you won't hear a phone ring even if it is 2-3 feet away.

Did I mention that they sound great?

[hskanner]

I have Etymotic ER6i and I am very pleased. They work great on airplanes (isolate better than noise cancelling headphones) and take up much less space. You can use either foam or christmas-tree style ear pieces. Like Charles said, they can be too good at times, but I usually pull one ear out and let it hang when I need to listen as well.

The clip is decent. I have an armband and I tie the cord up to minimize the extra length, but the clip keeps it in place on my shirt.

[tavilach]

I hate white headphones. Would it be okay to get the ER6? I've heard that an external amp is needed if I go that route...

Important Edit: I was searching google, and "er6i isolation db" returned a lot of results saying "34-36 db isolation," whereas I got "20-25" for the Shure E3c's...

Are they really that different? I want great isolation, so I guess I should get the Etymotics...

But, again, I can't wear white headphones! I just can't.