Slightly OT: Headphone suggestions?
 

I've been using my Sony 7509's with my EX1 and I love them. However, they are fairly bulky and I'm looking for a pair of closed-back 'phones that will fold up compactly but still maintain as much fidelity as possible. I've been tempted to use my Etymotics but they can get a bit uncomfortable after an hour or two so I'm looking for suggestions.

Dave

I use the same thing (well, not really, actually the 7506's). Admittedly bulky, but I've not come across a smaller substitute that is as comfortable and sounds as good.

Dave, are the Etymonics the in-ear phones that I've heard about?

I'm in the same boat as you sort of. I love my 7506s but they are big and conspicuous, particularly when shooting out on the street and trying to "blend in." For some reason the camera doesn't spook people it's the bald guy with the headphones! They take up a fair amount of space in the bag too.

What are your complaints with the Etymotics? Are you happy with the sound but not the fit?

Thanks
Bob

I'll throw my 2 cents in, even though these probably aren't the ones you are looking for. Other people might find these useful. I primarily shoot doc style and handheld, and now really love my bluetooth headphones. It's amazing how often the danged headphone cable gets caught and snagged, and I love just being able to set the camera down without having to put the headphones on and off. The only drawback is there is a delay, but I have grown used to it, and really like it, because I know that I am really hearing the recorded sound, but can still hear enough around me to hear the director and such. It's almost impossible to ask questions of the subject when you hear your own delayed voice, however.
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/sp...s/212&cl=US,EN

Hi Bob,
Yes, they are the ER-4's:
Etymotic Research, Inc. - ER-4 - Which ER?4 is Right for You
and they are very accurate IF you plunge them into your brain! Seriously, they are very good but you will note a markedly different sound once you insert them fully into your ear canal. That's where it starts to bug me after a while as they start to get uncomfortable being that far into my brain.

I'm trying to condense my kit quite a bit so that's why I'm looking for something with the fidelity and isolation of my 7509HD's but will fold into a very small space. If I could stand to have the ER4's in my ears for extended periods, I'd be good to go already. So, I'm still looking for suggestions.

dave

Look no further than here

Sennheiser Worldwide: HD 25-1 II - HD 25-1 II

They are excellent

Vincent, I couldn't tell from the product photo or description if these can be folded or collapsed. Can you clarify?

No they can't be folded or collapsed, but they are superb in sound quality. They are used by most professional audio people - and better still they are not that expensive.

Are you using the ER4 S or P variant?

Oh you HAD to ask me a tough question, didn't you? ;-) I think it's the "P" variant because I have the little adapter to change it to the "S" freq response curve, but there's no marking on these things apart from serial numbers on each barrel. I have almost all the original packaging but it doesn't tell me what I have. I sent an email to etymotic to have them help me ID these things.

Re: MD25s
And I can confirm that they're indestructible to a point, though I have since had the plug-end replaced with a right-angle. Less leverage when the inevitable tug happens.

But they're also quite tight between the ears for some and I find them uncomfortable.

Would love to find the equivalent in-ear buds...

Ughh. Well, that leaves out the MD25's for me as I have a fairly large melonhead. I gave away a nice pair of Sennheisers to a friend of mine because they were SOOO tight on my head. I used to produce hour-long podcasts and by the end of the show, I had a headache from the inward pressure.

Dave,

I have all of the above (HD25's, Etymotics and the Sony's) - as well as the Sennheiser PX200 and the Sennheiser CX 300 ear buds.

I now use the CX300's most of the time because they are light and portable, comfortable and have reasonable sound. They are a trade off I am willing to make for much of my work. If I know that the sound will be highly critical - I use the Senn HD25's, but this is less thatn 5% of the time. The etymotics are great - but as you said get uncomfortable. For me the Senn ear buds are the best compromise of sound for comfort and portability. The Senn CX200 portable phones are an alternative that I use some times. These are in between the buds and the HD 25's for both sound and comfort (and portability).

Ymmv.

My two cents:

I have the ER-6 and used them for about a year. Good audio quality. One side went bad, could be due to a wiring failure somewhere. I got a replacement pair but noticed that with all my moving around, and with them occasionally getting wet, the sound wouldn't pass through the earpieces properly all the time.

They do provide a lot of isolation which is what I wanted them for. But they can start irritating the ear canal when worn for extended periods.

I since started using the Sennheiser CX380 Sport II. It provides good isolation and is supposed to be water resistant. The earphones sometimes ends up falling to the wet deck of a boat so the water resistance is a good idea.

It's also more comfortable than the ER-6. What I don't like about it is the asymmetrical wires to the earphones. The way I normally wear them creates slack on one side. They're supposed to be worn behind the head but that's troublesome when the camera, which is on my shoulder, snags the cord.

I use the Sony MDR410LP folding headphones. They sound fine, except for the fact they don't have any bass response. I just like how they fold up and you can just wrap the cable around them. Amazon has them for $18 right now. I bought a pair at Circuit City when it was going out of business.

Yes, there are better headphones out there, but I love the portability and compactness when folded.