Reddit reviews Etymotic Research MC5 Noise-Isolating In-Ear Earphones

The best noise-isolating headphones in the world are Etymotic Research MC5's (in-ear-canal headphones, $60).

They don't have fancy circuitry. Etymotic is a company founded by audiologists — They made high end earplugs, and still do. These headphones are absurdly good earplugs, with headphones that pipe audio through the center.

They come with 4 or 5 different kinds of tips. I use the 3-flange tips, which work great, but aren't the most comfortable. If you wet them first, it helps a lot.

If you're willing to pay more ($100 extra), you can go to an audiologist, who will take a mold of your ear, and then send it to Etymotic, who will give you custom-molded ear tips, through their Custom-Fit program.

It's eerie how isolated you feel from the world around you, especially with music playing. I first realized how intense the effect was when I realized I perceived doors opening and closing not from sound, but from feeling the air pressure against my body.

Sounds like the Klipsch S4 would be good on the less expensive end of your range, and the HiFiMan RE-400 would be good on the upper end of your range. I also think highly of the Etymotic MC5, MC3, or HF5. Then there's the trusty Shure SE215, but I don't think it'd go as well as some of the others according to your music taste.

Of all of those in your price range, I'd recommend the RE-400s or HF5s. Both are great IEMs. The RE-400 is highly recommended around this subreddit.

If you're willing to stretch your budget, there are also the Rock-it R-50s, which have great mids and highs, which I recommend for rock/metal/indie/classical.

I have these for music

I have these for track days

In reality the etymotic motorcycle plugs are good, but the ones that cost $1 from the hardware store are just as good. The headphones are the best I've found for riding though. I abuse them too...I use them snowboarding, snowmobiling, and on airplanes.

Edit* They are not the most comfortable for all, but work for me. Etymotic used to make the ER6i which were incredible because they were much smaller, but they stopped making them and my old pair finally fell apart from hard use.

I've purchased 5 new pairs of earphones this summer with prices for being between $60-$130 per pair. Below are my reviews for all 5 pairs. Some are noise blocking and some are not. Some are good for exercising while others are good for travel. Some are great for if you love heavy bass music and some are good for listening to talk-radio or podcasts. All of them are in-ear style earphones. I consider myself somewhat of an audiophile, and over the past 5-6 years I've cycled through countless different brand and models of earphones.

V-Moda Vibrato ~$130 : Sound quality is not good enough for this price, bass levels are a little too high and drown out other sounds, and V-moda has a reputation for their cords breaking at the ends and from the buds within a very short amount of time. I previously had the Vibe first and second generations, and although they look stylish, they had these design flaws and the cord broke within a couple months. They won't block outside noise. Don't buy V-moda earphones. There are far better brands out there and you can get much better quality for less money. 6/10 - this rating is quite generous but its because their lower end earphones are much worse.

Klipsch S4 ~$65 : For the price, these are a good pair of earphones. I use them for traveling because they won't be too much trouble to replace if something bad happens to them. They are nice-looking from a design perspective, and they will block a good amount of outside noise. The sound quality is pretty good for their relatively cheap price, and the bass levels are high, but its never going to overpower the other tones. The cord seems a bit thin and flimsy, but I've had no issues with that so far. These are also great for exercising, and can be worn in two ways on the ear: the normal way or you can flip them up and wrap the cord over and around the back of the ear for a more secure fit. I really like that aspect about these, and the only other pair that I'm reviewing that has this options are the Shure SE215's (see below). They also come with a nice selection of tips and a good carrying case. 8/10.

Etymotic MC5 ~$60 : I had heard and read a lot of great things about this company, so I decided to grab one of their pairs. They are known for their 3-flange tips. For me, these type of tips are nothing special. Actually, the small and medium tips didn't even fit in my ear (with every other company the small or medium tips fit me best) and their large ones barely fit. Thankfully they came with some foam tips that did fit but they are not smooth and are rather coarse and uncomfortable. There was only one pair of tips that worked well in my ears out of the 3 types of tips, and there was only one pair of the style that worked for me, while the others had 3-5 pairs. Anyway, with any type of their tips, the earbuds stick out farther than any other earphones I've had, so I didn't like the way they sat or looked when I wore them. Sadly, I was also disappointed with the sound they produced. There was almost no bass levels whatsoever, and their volume level is the lowest I've ever experienced... you need to have the mp3 player probably 30% louder with the Etymotic earphones compared to any others to have the same noise level. The only reason I kept them is because with seemingly nonexistent bass, they are good for talk-show podcasts and when I listen to NPR. The cord seems decent and sturdy enough, and they come with a nice case. Maybe their higher-end earphones don't have these issues, but for me, they were a huge disappointment. 4/10

Bose IE2 ~$100 : These earphones are perfect for not blocking all outside noise. I use them for exercising and running outside, and at work so I can listen to music or the radio while still being able to hear if someone is talking to me. These are their second generation and a design improvement on the tips makes them stay really secure in your ears while doing any activity. The sound quality is quite crisp with a nice range of tones and good bass levels too. They've got a stylish design and a unique black-and-white striped cord. They stay comfortable and secure in your ears for long periods of time are are well worth their price. The cord is durable and they come with a good selection of different sizes and styles of tips and include a nice carrying case. I think these are the best non-noise cancelling earphones available for a $100 budget. I'm very impressed by these. 9/10

Shure SE215 ~$100 : Saving the best for last. These are the nicest earphones in terms of sound quality, durability, and for blocking outside noise. These are perfect for any situation where you don't want or need to hear anything outside your music. Great for airplanes, long car rides, loud public places, studying, etc. I'll even use them to fall asleep when my roommates are still partying or being loud when I'm going to bed. When exercising, you can wear them pointed up, and have the cord wrap over and around the backside of the ear for a more secure fit. I like to use the foam tips: they're like the earplugs that you squeeze and put in your ears, and then they expand to the shape of your ear canal and block outside noise. As a company, Shure supply's almost every big name musician and performer at large large venue shows with both their high quality earphones and microphone equipment. They far exceed every other brand in terms of sound quality produced. For noise blocking earphones on a $100 budget, there's no reason to get anything other than the SE215's. They'll even replace them for free if you keep a receipt, and they've done this for me and other people I know with their earphones that have broken long after a 2-year period. I had the first generation model for a while and the cord malfunctioned and they upgraded me to the newer model at no cost. With this current model they've deigned the earphones so that the cord detaches from the buds at the base of your ear, so that if and when the cord breaks, you don't need to go buy a whole new pair, just replace the cord. This is also great for if and when you want to upgrade to their higher end models like the SE315, SE425, and SE535 (each higher number is about $100 more than the previous) because the cord works for all of the current SE series earphones, just swap out the buds on the same cord. Once you try any model of Shure's earphones, you will never want to buy another company's earphones. They come with a few styles of different tips, each in small, medium, and large, and their carrying case is quite nice. Ask anyone you know with Shure earphones and they will gladly tell how how awesome the earphones are. 10/10

TL;DR: for the best earphones on a $100 budget, either get the Shure SE215 earphones (blocks outside noise) or the Bose IE2 earphones (does NOT block outside noise).

I've been using Etymotic MC5s (about $50) for about five years. I'm on maybe my third pair? But I used them multiple times a day and they take a BEATING. Can't say enough good things about them. They do NOT move, sound quality is excellent, and the price is reasonable for what you get.

Check out Etymotic Research. I've been a fan of these for years and they have a great reputation for noise isolating buds and great frequency response. I currently own two sets, MC5's for my iPhone so I can use them for phone calls and casual listening and ER6i's where I listen to a lot of loss less audio (mostly flac and wav) from my iPod running Rockbox. There's an insane amount of reviews for the ER6i's on Amazon.

Here's a good deal for the MC5's $58
http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Noise-Isolating-Earphones/dp/B003S3RFIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321856883&sr=8-1

Ah yes, good ol' misophonia. I think it's a little hard to understand for people that don't have it. My housemates are not particularly well-educated on mental health issues, nor do they seem to bother empathizing much, so I have to deal with this for the moment.

When others are in the house or awake, I have to wear in-canal earplugs. You can buy them at any store in the drugs aisle; look for rounded foam roll-up kind with at around 30dB of noise reduction, be sure to clean your ears well, and insert the plugs deeply. They're somewhat uncomfortable at first but the boon to your sanity is probably worth it. I even go to sleep with these in.

For noisier moments or for something less conspicuous, I use in-ear earphones with noise-reducing tips, like these. Get extra cylinder foam tips since those are probably the most comfortable and noise-isolating. You can use these as earplugs, and you can also play music as an extra noise barrier.

I don't wear these around them much, of course, since that might come across as a bit rude. But having more quiet moments to myself helps me tolerate them better in general.

As for meals, I would recommend just asking to eat by yourself in your room or something. You may still want to consider bringing it up with your doctor, and if they don't take it seriously, find someone who does. It's easy for this to spiral into progressive anti-social behavior, especially if you have other issues.

Wear some noise isolating earbuds. They're essentially constructed like earplugs (IE: triple flange).

I have these, they'll cancel out pretty much anything. It's possible to mow the lawn and still hear my music comfortably.

Don't ride with crap $10 earbuds.

Get something from Etymotic and you will love it. LOVE IT. You won't go back.

I can't find the model I have because I got my pair years ago (still working perfect) for about $80. But here is a link to what I'm taking about just as an example Please note the triple flange eartips that provide excellent outside noise insulation.

These are great.

With a similar style in-ear bud as the ones you posted, I've been a fan of Etymotic for years. I go with the MC5 or the MK5 model due to the slightly lower price point.

I've had more success with noise isolating - basically ear plugs with speakers in them. This one has worked well for me, 30+ dB reduction I don't see noise canceling beating that.

Etymotic in-ear, basically earplugs with speakers in them. Could be kind of hard to get used to, they go in your ears pretty deep and they are noisy if you bump the cord. They sound awesome, but are nearly as bass heavy as a lot of headphones.

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Noise-Isolating-Earphones/dp/B003S3RFIQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1453849570&sr=8-1&keywords=Etymotic+MC5

If you really want to get into researching this site has a ton of in-ear monitor reviews that include how isolating they are - http://theheadphonelist.com/

Etymotic MC5s or Etymotic ER7s, honestly anything with triple-flange in-ear tips is great, you'll have crystal clear audio even past +100mph. I plug them into my Sena 20s and use the Sena mic for calls, although the Sena certainly isn't necessary.

You get the benfits of the Sena wind cancelling and controls, combined with the 100% noise sealing effect of the triple-flange tips. It's much better than the speaker + earplug combo imo, I've used it comfortably for many days while touring.

I picked these up the other day and they sound really good and keep out most background noise.

Good to see some love for Etys. I have the lower-end MC5's and really enjoy them. One of my favorite features is a strong, thick chord that is pretty much tangle-proof. The amount of frustration saved from not dealing with a rat's nest everytime I pull them out is great. The clip, fit, and SQ are too.

Etymotic Research MC5 have been a life saver for me. They cancel out a good amount of background noise, so I can just hear my set but then also hear my guitarists feed through loud and clear. These also work great with just plugging them into a laptop or a mp3 player and playing along. I can't even begin to tell you how long I have been looking for the perfect in ear monitor for me, but these are about as good as they get for my personal taste.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003S3RFIQ/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

ZERO Leakage Etymotic

Etymotic MC5's deserve a look!!! Etymotic quality at only 60$
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003S3RFIQ?keywords=etymotic%20mc5&qid=1453759443&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

If you want to not only block out sound, but listen to music also - I would try getting these headphones :
Etymotic Research MC5.

They come with foam tips that expand inside your ear canal, and can function as ear plugs alone. However, you can also listen to music, and as you can see from the reviews these are very nice ear buds. I would definitely suggest this.

I use Etymotic Research MC5 Noise Isolating In-Ear Earphones (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003S3RFIQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and the sena headphone kit. Works great, I can still hear what I need to around me but these keep the ambient noise very quiet.

May I suggest some that I love. Put these puppies in and almost everything drops out. Lets me completely control what I hear.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003S3RFIQ

I would recommend a good pair of in-ear headphones. The Etymotic MC5 and HF5 can be found for under $100. Both offer good isolation across most of the frequencies you'd run into, in-flight (engine noise, cabin conversations and acoustics, etc). Here is a comparison graph of the isolation offered by both. Both offer great sound, as well.

If you want cheaper (and slightly less noticeable by people around you), I'm going to recommend what I consider to be the best in-ear headphones, sub-$50: The MEElectronics M6. They're cheap, come with a range of silicone tips to ensure a good fit, comfortable, isolate well, and have wrap-around style memory-wire which not only keeps them securely in your ears, but prevents microphonics (noise caused by the cord moving or rubbing on things). Of all the in-ear headphones I have used, they're my favorite for everything from airline travel to jogging, to casual use. And they sound pretty damn good.

I bought these last summer and love them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003S3RFIQ I cannot get over how much better they are than active noise canceling.

I use an mp3 player and a pair of earplugphones nearly every day at work. Sometimes I use regular earplugs, but usually there's still enough noise leaking through to make it hard for me to concentrate.

The only problems I've had are when people try to get my attention from across the room; sometimes I don't hear them right away.

So, recently I was recommended the Etymotic MC5's by a user on this subreddit. However, I now came into a bit of extra cash and could afford the Detachable VSonic GR07 or VSonic GR07 Classic. Does anyone here have any experience with these headphones, and how much does the quality of sound improve with the amount spent, if at all?

Unfortunately noise canceling will not do you much good. Noise canceling is good for repetitive noise like engines. Random noise like talking it does not help much with.

What you need is good isolation. The best combo I can recommend is :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Etymotic-MC5-In-Ear-Earphones-Black/dp/B003S3RFIQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505847743&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Etymotic+Research+MK5

with https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mpow-Defenders-Comfortable-Folding-Padded-Construction/dp/B01KBZDB4K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505847867&sr=8-2&keywords=Noise+Reduction+Safety+Ear+muffs

over the top.

I hadn't thought about IEMs, but I'm open to the idea. Are these the ones you're talking about?

Putting things too deep into your ears will cause damage yes. Lots of it in fact.
What kind of custom earplugs were you wearing?
[http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Isolating-In-Ear-Earphones/dp/B003S3RFIQ/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1333477929&sr=8-14]

Get Etymotic MC5

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Isolating-In-Ear-Earphones/dp/B003S3RFIQ

How do these look?

No music, I use Etymotic ER20XS

For music, I use Etymotic MC5

Active noise cancellation requires multiple rather high quality microphones at the outside of the earcup and a beefy build-in audio processor that handles the noise cancelling and keep latency low. You cannot get these things for cheap, decent ANC costs money.

The specs of the H5 claim

> Noise Reduction Level: 20±3db

That is less than some regular wired headphones with passive isolation offer. You can also get in ear models for $50 which would offer twice the isolation and better sound.

If you want some thing noise isolating in that range, you'll find nothing more noise isolating than some Etymotic IEMs

Try these. I use them for working out and they are amazing! They also have a higher quality version for 100 more. http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Noise-Isolating-Earphones/dp/B003S3RFIQ/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1409461669&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=etymotic

I am a fan of these Etymotic they are great at isolation but they are in-ear
http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Noise-Isolating-Earphones/dp/B003S3RFIQ

I agree that even just standard ear plugs will make for a much more enjoyable ride. I always smile when people start to wear them and come back to me and say "I'm amazed at how less tired I feel now after riding!"

I'll also second the Etymotics. They can be found on Amazon for less than $70. I love mine, although after the second 8-hour day my (small) ear canals tend to feel a little tender.. :-(

IEMS ONLY

Budget - $10-$50 (Lower the better, sales too) $51-$75 is really pushing it

Source - Phone(iPhone6), laptop, PS4 controller

Requirements for Isolation - Moderate or full isolation, Plan to use outdoors, indoors, home, public transpiration(NYC transit is loud)

Preferred Type of Headphone - Comfy IEMs, Mic, long lasting

Preferred tonal balance - Balanced, clear/crisp and a bit towards the bass side

Past headphones - Top earphones I've used from the past from best to worst.

1)I can't find the exact model but [These] (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-II-Precision-Enhanced-Earbuds/dp/B001EZYMF4/ref=pd_sim_23_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=31F3zlJecaL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0ZC2CA08ZMJG2XXZ138J) The one I had a volume slider. It was one of the best I've ever used Handsdown. The sound was so rich with the perfect amount of bass Felt good(sliped a couple of times), great sound, Volume slider. | Bad wire, lacks mic and button(s)

2) [JVC Marshmellow] (http://www.amazon.com/JVC-HAFX32B-Marshmallow-Earbuds-Black/dp/B00DVH265G/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1463378188&sr=1-1&keywords=jvc+marshmallow+earbuds) Good overall sound, felt great in the ear, rarely fell off | Cheap, lack of mic and buttons

3)JBL J33 Good sound, great bass w/o compromising the clarity, mic.,good wire | big af, heavy, not comfy at all.

4) Skull candies. Hate em.

Preferred Music - I listen to a wide range of music. Rap/hip-hop (Kanye, Future,Chance, Drake) Electronica (Crystal Castles), classical, and relax/chill Something to keep my head bumping (Bass)
Some Links, enjoy!

Affection

Saint Pablo

Aloha

At Home

What would you like to improve on from your set-up
Something that feels good in the ear (can listen to music for hours without my ears or head hurting is a must), has a mic/button(preferred) . Something similar or better than the ones I used before. Crisp rich sound with moderate or medium high bass

I was thinking

Klipsch X4i,MEE Audio M6 PRO,Zero Audio,Etymotic Research MC5





Thank you.

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Isolating-In-Ear-Earphones/dp/B003S3RFIQ

Get these, and for all things audio, please dont get those crappy Monoprice buds, unless you want to buy them repeatedly when they break. They will NOT last while working out.

In-ears plus over-ear protection is a good combo, but over-ear protection attenuates different frequencies by different amounts, muffling the highs too much and making the lows "boomy" and unnatural-sounding in my experience.

Most USB mics are not going to have the needed range to handle the volume of a drum set without clipping.

The setup I used was as follows:

Etymotic MC5s which give a good balance of isolation, sound quality, and cost-effectiveness.

A used Shure SM58 for the overhead mic. SM58s are legendary mics, basically indestructible, and an industry standard. They're also plentiful so finding an affordable one shouldn't be too hard.

A Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer. Quality on these is just average, but they're affordable (again, buy used if you can). You'll want one with at least two XLR mic inputs for reasons I'll explain in a bit. You'll also need something like this to plug an audio source into the mixer.

I was mostly happy with the above but wanted more bass drum (owing to the "boominess" I mentioned earlier). I ended up getting a dedicated bass drum mic, though there are cheaper bass drum mics out there, and another SM58 would probably work just fine. Your son might not end up needing it, but I recommended getting a mixer with 2 inputs just in case. You won't spend much more for a mixer with the additional input.