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Topic: In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones (Read 5818 times) previous topic - next topic
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In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Hi!

I wonder if decent in-ear phones could replace circum-aural headphones for music listening (modern jazz) at home with a standalone cd player and without dedicated headphones amp? Would be there any disadvantages like reduced dynamic range or increased distortions?

Thanks in advance for competent replies.

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #1 –
Etymotic make some in-ear headphones which many people like. The ER4S, ER4p and ER6. There are differences from standard headphones but not reduced dynamic range (but are you talking about going without an amp here?). Shure also make in-ear phones. The ER4p is designed to be used without a separate amp. Canalphones have a different feel from normal headphones of course; not to everyone's taste.

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #2 –
Quote
are you talking about going without an amp here?

Yes, without a dedicated (standalone) one, such as required for 200+ Ohms headphones. Only cd player's built-in amp will be used.

And I know of course about models you named and about the existence of differences
I want to know what are those differences in sound quality between canalphones and headphones?

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #3 –
Canalphones generally have smaller soundstage (or 'headstage' no phones really compare to speaker soundstage) than some fullsize phones. Also comfort may be an issue. I'd rather wear my HD555 for hours than my Shure E2C.

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #5 –
Custom moulded drivers = ultimate in-ear headphones.

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #6 –
Quote
Canalphones generally have smaller soundstage (or 'headstage' no phones really compare to speaker soundstage) than some fullsize phones. Also comfort may be an issue. I'd rather wear my HD555 for hours than my Shure E2C.
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I think that's a personal preference.  I can wear my Shure E2Cs for hours using the foam sleeves. In fact I wore them for at least 5 hours straight on a recent flight.  I could not do that with ear buds or my Sony MDR-7506s. 

As far as sound, they E2Cs have a flat sound and the bass is slightly depleated. Personally I love them, although at first I hated them.  They take time to get used to, and you really have to have them inserted properly to get good bass response.  Inserting them correctly becomes second nature, but at first you'll have to play with them. 

I also like the fact that you don't have to blast the music, when I listen with other headphones sometimes I find myself turning the music up as I listen.  With the canal phones you set the volume low and never have to adjust it due to outside noise.

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #7 –
Apart from feel, the differences depend on the phones naturally. You can't talk about differences in sound between canalphones and normal headphones. I don't listen to Jazz, but often phones recommended for classical are recommended for Jazz too, in which case the ER4p should be a good choice for running unamped. Look on head-fi for an infinite number of threads on all relevant headphones.

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #8 –
Thanks for replies.

Now I see there's actually no superiority of traditional headphones if one get accustomed to canalphones.

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #9 –
Quote
I think that's a personal preference.  I can wear my Shure E2Cs for hours using the foam sleeves. In fact I wore them for at least 5 hours straight on a recent flight.  I could not do that with ear buds or my Sony MDR-7506s. 

As far as sound, they E2Cs have a flat sound and the bass is slightly depleated. Personally I love them, although at first I hated them.  They take time to get used to, and you really have to have them inserted properly to get good bass response.  Inserting them correctly becomes second nature, but at first you'll have to play with them. 

I also like the fact that you don't have to blast the music, when I listen with other headphones sometimes I find myself turning the music up as I listen.  With the canal phones you set the volume low and never have to adjust it due to outside noise.
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I too have E2C headphones and agree with everything idioteque has said.  They do take a while to get used to, but worth it in the end.  And I've cut the volume on my H120 by half!

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #10 –
Quote
Thanks for replies.

Now I see there's actually no superiority of traditional headphones if one get accustomed to canalphones.
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I listen to my canalphones every day, but am always glad to get the full size phones
on because of the increased sound stage.    The full size ones are also a bit more
comfortable, though that really depends on how you feel about having something
deep inside the ear canal.

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #11 –
>I listen to my canalphones every day, but am always glad to get the full size phones
>on because of the increased sound stage.    The full size ones are also a bit more
>comfortable, though that really depends on how you feel about having something
>deep inside the ear canal.


I second that one. I love my Ety's ER6s, but the soundstage may be more important than you think.
Music played straight to your brain, or music (seemingly) all around you in that room you're sitting in?
I use my canalphones when it gets *very* noisy, or when travelling/commuting.
All other sendetary listening with Ultrasone HFI-650's, for the soundstage.

M

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #12 –
I got a pair of SONY EX-MDR71SL's for €50, they're comfortable, block outside noise quite well, and sound better than anything else i've tried so far. Soundstage could be better, but it's not a very big issue for me.

Yes, they are canalphones in case you're wondering.
Veni Vidi Vorbis.

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #13 –
The Ety cords are VERY microphonic; any bumping or rubbing of the wires produces noise.  It's been reported that at least one Shure model has the same problem.  I've never encountered that noise with traditional  headphones or, to be fair to in-ear cans, with Koss Sparkplugs.

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #14 –
As has been said, you'll have a smaller soundstage. Headphone listening even through cans sounds like it's all going on inside your head, partially due to the source typically being mixed with the expectation of some L/R crossover (speaker playback) and partly due to the reduced soundstage inherent in any headphones. With canalphones, it's very noticeable. The ER6s are great, but for regular listening I much prefer the soundstage of my HD590s.

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #15 –
For listening at home, definitely cans, not in-ears.  Just replaced my ailing cans with a £30  '5.1' headset (2 main drivers and an LF driver per side).  Best £30 I've spent in a long time 

Takes a bit of time to get used to music sounding like its coming from your nose not from the middle of your brain but it's nice when you get used to it 
 

In-ear headphones vs full-sized ones

Reply #16 –
Quote
I got a pair of SONY EX-MDR71SL's for €50, they're comfortable, block outside noise quite well, and sound better than anything else i've tried so far. Soundstage could be better, but it's not a very big issue for me.

Yes, they are canalphones in case you're wondering.
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I bought the same pair from Amazon.com for $29US+shipping a few months ago; I'm also enormously happy with them.  And yes, I now use them far more often than my cans (even at home) because they sound just as good to my ears and they're more comfortable.