The ultimate headphones for portable use!

I got my new Sennheiser for €70 ... I've been using them almost every day for the last 2 months, they're still as good as new.  

If they were £6 new I can't see them being Sennheiser... I may be wrong?!

^ falling apart ... what were you doing with them? 

I once used a pair of Sennheiser in ear phones but despite great sound quality they weren't very strong and only lasted about a month before starting to fall apart, now when buying headphones for portable devices I look for strength rather than sound quality.

Anyway it's hard to reduce the quality of mp3s any further

Another advantage of these type of phones is that they are 'fellow commuter' friendly. They are completely inaudible to those who aren't wearing them, so no 'tish-tic-shhhhh-tissss.....' to annoy those sitting next to you.
They are hearing friendly, less external noise = lower volume level. (This can also sometimes lead to longer battery life, depending on their current requirements).

Yes, you must take care when positioning them, and it does take practice to get the right fit and choose the right tip for you.

I have read that the lower end of the Ety range is supposed to have less pronounced bass compared with similar models from Shure, but with a more detailed open sound. I cannot vouch for this, but it is worth investigating the various makes to get a model which suits your tonal preference. These babies are expensive, so if possible, try before you buy (admittedly, some shops may have problems with you auditioning ear canal phones, but it is still worth a try - borrow a friends perhaps.)

For more info, check out http://www.head-fi.org/

At the lower end of the price bracket, Sennheiser do  a model that is supposed to be a good value upgrade to the standard buds.

^ the risk for eardrum damage is not much greater than with other types of headphones ... in-ear headphones are closer to the ear, but also have much less power to start with.

Obviously you should reduce the volume if after listening for  about an hour you take off the headphones and your ears are ringing or your hearing capacity is reduced (can't hear high frequencies as well as usual). But to be on the safe side you need to turn the volume down a good deal more ... but with good in-ear headphones you don't need much volume anyway, because environmental noises are blocked out.

i've seen these on ebay for £63.00 or the whole kit  for £115.00. My doctor says you should put nothing sharper than your elbow in your ear,  but i would be willing to try them on approval -  will they take them back for a refund if they don't suit me???

Edited by mystic fred - December 02 2006 at 04:03

I use Shure's entry level E2C with my iPod, and they are great noise isolation phones.
Soundwise, not as good as my Grado SR60's, but miles better than the standard Apple phones.

The yellow foam tips provide the best fit for me.

How much are the Etymotic's? I know the top end Shures are around £300, which is crazy money.

^^^ good, I'll remember that next time I go Jogging, Mike...

maybe he's changed his mind...