Are higher end IEMs - In Ear Monitors - like Etymotics worth it?

[newtogolf]

Yes, I'm in NY as well, but run out of state races as well.  NYRR "strongly discourages headphone use" while others don't allow them.  It's a bit funny because headphone use has become a huge debate as it relates to the "purity" of running.  Those who don't believe in their use look down on those that do claiming we're missing the true spirit of long distance running and consider us rude for wanting to tune them out during a race.

Originally Posted by nevets88

Wow, no headphones. I see alot headphones in races here, but I am in "lawless" NYC. The rules discourage it, but, hey, it's New Yawk. One guy usually runs with Christmas bells. I kid you not. Rudolph the running reindeer I call him.

http://www.nyrr.org/races/procedures/rules_of_competition.asp

[nevets88]

Originally Posted by jamo

Whether it's because of bad ears, ignorance, or just the music I listen to (or the fact that I have to compress my songs to get them to fit on my iPod), I simply can't tell the difference between expensive and cheap earbuds. I use $10 Sonys. Whatever the opposite of an audiophile is, that's me. So I'll stop talking now...

Wait, so you never tried in ear headphones? You said earbuds, so I take that literally. If you've never tried in ear headphones, try them ASAP. It is a world of difference, even the cheaper ones are so much better than the earbuds that come with an iPhone/iPod.

Originally Posted by Zeph

That depends what brand and model you buy. Some got pretty bad microphonics, others are pretty good. I can hear mine if they scratch across a zipper, but I have no issues apart from that with noise. The fact that they isolate from a lot of the background noise greatly overrides the microphonics.

That is one of the good reasons for using IEMs, that they isolate background noise, which in turn means you can play with a lower volume and protect your ears. They don't isolate as well as ear plugs, except for noise cancelling ones perhaps, but enough that once you get some music on, most of the background noise is gone.

Plugs that you compress and which expands inside your ear does the best job here.

I've got a couple of the Sony MDR series, they're pretty good for the price. Comparable to the Sennheiser CX series, which is also cheap, but with decent sound quality.

Anything is a huge step up from the generic stuff (crap) that comes with most players.

Microphonics! I learned something new today. Thanks. Holy cr@p, those Shures you have are $400. One thing that stops me from buying high end headphones is every headphone I have always start coming out of one ear eventually (except for my Grados, but those stay home).

[jamo]

Wait, so you never tried in ear headphones? You said earbuds, so I take that literally. If you've never tried in ear headphones, try them ASAP. It is a world of difference, even the cheaper ones are so much better than the earbuds that come with an iPhone/iPod.

I've tried them (I've had $50 pairs of Sonys and Phillipses), but I just can't tell any difference, at least not enough of a difference to justify the added cost (I'll admit, I tend to chew the cords of my headphones, so I probably have to replace them more often than most, its a really annoying habit) and the annoyance of them falling out of my ear all the time, especially when jogging of playing basketball. [quote name="newtogolf" url="/t/54253/are-higher-end-iems-in-ear-monitors-like-etymotics-worth-it#post_660753"] iPhone is a bit large and heavy to jog with but I do take it when I run outside on an armband.  I really prefer the Shuffle for running, weighs nothing and neoprene jacket keeps it safe from sweat and rain.  Plus it's a lot cheaper if it breaks outside of warranty. [/quote] I don't run a whole lot, but when I do I have an old (2nd gen) Nano that I put in my pocket. I'm thinking of getting one of those Nike+Apple things to motivate me (a lot) more, I need to lose some weight. Sigh.

[iacas]

I just noticed that the Sonys I mentioned earlier are called ear buds and are not truly "in-ear".

[newtogolf]

Winter is a great time to start, especially if you're okay with running on a treadmill.  Just be careful with the Nike+ because from what I've read and heard they only work well in certain Nike shoes that are designed with cutouts to hold the sensor.  While you can purchase a universal mount for use with other shoes I've had fellow runners tell me they had issues with their accuracy.

Originally Posted by jamo

I don't run a whole lot, but when I do I have an old (2nd gen) Nano that I put in my pocket. I'm thinking of getting one of those Nike+Apple things to motivate me (a lot) more, I need to lose some weight. Sigh.

[nevets88]

Originally Posted by iacas

I just noticed that the Sonys I mentioned earlier are called ear buds and are not truly "in-ear".

I looked at the picture and the part that goes into your ear is not dish plate flat, like the iPod earbuds, it's tubed shaped to settle into your ear. I guess there's a terminology mixup going on there as I saw other in ear headphones labelled earbuds.

For all intents and purposes, IMHO, the Sony's you mentioned go into the ear.

[Stretch]

The funny thing is that, within the constraints of the basic physical design, Apple has been quietly improving its stock earbuds to the point that they are really not bad at all anymore.

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/lauding-jobs-least-loved-product-basic-apple-ear-bud

[Grumpter]

IEM's are meant more for uncompressed live music aren't they? I would think the In-Ear Phones for compressed recorded music would go by a different name.

[Zeph]

IEM's are meant more for uncompressed live music aren't they? I would think the In-Ear Phones for compressed recorded music would go by a different name.

IEM's are meant for music (or audio if you like), period. I've never heard of audio equipment being made for certain types of music or recordings.

[Grumpter]

Originally Posted by Zeph

IEM's are meant for music (or audio if you like), period. I've never heard of audio equipment being made for certain types of music or recordings.

I'm not talking about certain types of music just the difference between live music and compressed recorded music. Equipment intended for live sound reinforcement is built to withstand the dynamics of live music. Try using home stereo equipment to reproduce live sound (vocals, distorted guitar) and you will most likely damage the speakers pretty quickly. Once you let the magic smoke out of them they don't sound so good.

[jamo]

I've tried them (I've had $50 pairs of Sonys and Phillipses), but I just can't tell any difference, at least not enough of a difference to justify the added cost (I'll admit, I tend to chew the cords of my headphones, so I probably have to replace them more often than most, its a really annoying habit) and the annoyance of them falling out of my ear all the time, especially when jogging of playing basketball. I don't run a whole lot, but when I do I have an old (2nd gen) Nano that I put in my pocket. I'm thinking of getting one of those Nike+Apple things to motivate me (a lot) more, I need to lose some weight. Sigh.

I should mention that I do have a pair of decent Sony noise-cancelling over-ears headphones, but I only use those when I'm at my desk. The difference between those and earbuds is noticeable, just to me the difference between earbuds and in-ear headphones is not.

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by jamo

I should mention that I do have a pair of decent Sony noise-cancelling over-ears headphones, but I only use those when I'm at my desk. The difference between those and earbuds is noticeable, just to me the difference between earbuds and in-ear headphones is not.

I use these when I'm at my desk.

[DarkPrince]

With Skullcandy it REALLY depends on how much you want to pay. I get a deal with them through work so I've tried cheap/mid/most expensive lines to see the difference. The cheapest ones (Ink'd $20/SmokinBuds $30) don't do bad but they don't hold a candle to the FMJ's which are $70. Iacas, if you want to try a skullcandy one designed for running, pick up a pair of ones called "The FIX" I think they are around $40, my footwear manager swears by them now....and he is the biggest audio snob/footwear snob I know :P  I also managed to pick up a pair of the SKDY Rocnation Aviator's and I have to admit they are the most comfortable completely over ear headphones I've owned with insane quality.  I think skullcandy gets too obsessed with bass though.  The cheaper ones tend to have bland highs, ok mids, and too much bass compared to the rest. Mid level ones have a good amount of each, but still too much bass sometimes. and the really nice ones they even put in line subwoofers....yaaaaaaay.    I don't know...it really just comes down to you get what you pay for, but sometimes you get some good steals at lower prices.  Good companies I would say are Sony and Senheiser. I used to have some Sennheiser earbuds that had some kind of bar thing that stuck out and braced itself against a ridge in your ear so they would always stay in place when you were running, and they did, they just got kind of uncomfortable quickly even with the 3 difference sized tips they gave you.

[jamo]

I use these when I'm at my desk. :-)

I've got these guys too: [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/image/id/184229/width/300/height/300][IMG]http://thesandtrap.com/image/id/184229/width/300/height/300[/IMG][/URL] My TV is on my desk too, so I usually have them hooked up to that.

[nevets88]

Originally Posted by Stretch

I use these when I'm at my desk.

Is that your dog? Looks just like the one in "Up!" SQUIRREL!

[nevets88]

Originally Posted by jamo

I've got these guys too:

My TV is on my desk too, so I usually have them hooked up to that.

That looks like the same mode of design as the Apple Cube:

[iacas]

Originally Posted by jamo

I've got these guys too:

So do I. The original ones. But the last time I tried putting them in my ear it didn't work out so well.

[Zeph]

Skullcandy sound as bad as they look, imo. I put a pair of Klipsch RF82 in my ears. [quote name="Grumpter" url="/t/54253/are-higher-end-iems-in-ear-monitors-like-etymotics-worth-it/18#post_661485"] I'm not talking about certain types of music just the difference between live music and compressed recorded music. Equipment intended for live sound reinforcement is built to withstand the dynamics of live music. Try using home stereo equipment to reproduce live sound (vocals, distorted guitar) and you will most likely damage the speakers pretty quickly. Once you let the magic smoke out of them they don't sound so good. [/quote] I won't claim a high knowledge in the audio world, but that sounds like bro science to me. If anything, I'd say the album versions are more dynamic than live recordings. What I do know is that In Ear Monitors are monitors you plug into your ears, and they are not intended for live audio.