HELP!!! I have tried many headphones without much success. Most recently I tried the $99 Shure E2c earbuds. They don’t want to stay in place while running. You lose all the bass when the air seal is lost. Also, every foot strike is like a bass thumping in my ears. My Ipod earbuds are OK only. I also have some that hook to my ear, but they tend to hurt quite a bit after about 30 minutes. I like the sealing method, like with the Shure earbuds, but don’t know if anyone has had more success then I.
Tried them all - I like the etymotic 6i isolators as the triple flange NEVER falls out no matter how hard the run is. A little uncomfortable, but WAY better than the painful earbuds. I also have some Sure E3c that sound a little better, but aren’t quite as good for running since the cord is so “beefy” as the Sures are made way better than the etymotics. I don’t think the price diff is worth the E3cs, although they do sound great. You can get the 6i (get the triple flange ones with lower impedance for more bass - you only loose a little sound quality over the “regular” 6s) via e-bay for under $100.
Easy. The best headphones, for running, is Sony Lites or Lightweights (I am not sure of the official name). They are late 90 style over the head but come with no foam on the ears. They are gray, flexible, lighweight with the speakers that slide into your ear. They cost about $9.00 at Target or Best Buy. Mine have worked for years through sweat, rain, snow and living in my gear bag that goes everywhere. They are cheap enough to not matter about the weather conditions, buy two pair if you find them (buy three and send me one). Happy New Year
Most recently I tried the $99 Shure E2c earbuds. They don’t want to stay in place while running. You lose all the bass when the air seal is lost. Also, every foot strike is like a bass thumping in my ears. …I like the sealing method, like with the Shure earbuds, but don’t know if anyone has had more success then I.
Brian,
I too have the Shure E2c’s. I found the “adapter” that I thought I should use to be too big. After moving to a smaller fitting, they became MUCH more comfortable. BTW. You are looping the cord over your ears, and running the cable to the back of your head, right? I have found running the cord under my shirt, either out the sleeve to the arm band, or out the tail to the waist pack to be most convenient.
Second the sony’s. These work great. I just plop my player thru my shirt so the cord is underneath. No problem. Tey’ve stood up to a lot of abuse and still work great.
the sparkplug ($15) although, sometimes sweat gets between the foam and your ear. These sound the best in a sub 20 phone, I think.
KSC22 ($15) these don’t actually go into your ear, but hang just outside and are held by hooks that go around your ear. Comfortable, but can move when you’re running hard.
The iPod-type headphones never worked for me, they just fall right out.
since I go through at least 3 pair a year, $20 is about my limit… Got them all at best buy
Yup, the Sony’s work well ($15 I think), but the sound is FAR inferior to the Shures or Etymotics. I was assuming based on his already spending $100 for the Sures that he wanted something better sounding. And yes, you do need to run the cord behind the ear on most of the higher end isolator type phones as they isolate so well you will hear every nuance of your body.
I use and have used for several years the Phillips HS310 and HS321 headphones(rubber wrap around style), got them at Target for $10, they are the most comfortable ones I have ever run in. Can’t imagine running in $100 phones!
About the etymotic 6i isolators with triple flange…
Are they hard to get out of your ears? I tried them for couple of days, in order to get deep bass I had to place them deep in the ear channel and because they were so small I had hard time taking them off.
Yes, that is the design. I moisten them and it helps a lot. Sound awesome with great bass responseon the 6i. They take getting used to. My Shure E3cs sound a little “cleaner”, but they aren’t worth the $180 or so when the etymotics are about half that. The Shures are most certainly made better though as is easy to see with a simple 10 sec comparison. Also, I tend to loose the seal on the Shures about every 10 mins or so running. I don’t find it painful when they are removed though. I am thinking about trying the e5s, but not sure if I can justify the $400 (as if $100-200 is “reasonable”) - but I like music and use them every day. If you really want to go crazy, you can get some custom ear molds made just for your ears (like the rock stars use) for any of the Shure phones. Or better yet, Ultimate Ears (made famous by Van Halen, Madonna, Spears, etc.) makes a really nice isolator type for about $1,000 that includes the custom ear piece charge. Their sensitivity is off the charts about around 140dB! I think the E3cs are about 116db. I can already hear the difference in recordings from a CD to the loss with an MP3 convert with my Shures - can’t really tell with the Etymotics unless really listening quietly, not when running. Apple’s M4a/b/p songs from iTunes sound pretty good despite their damn piracy coding into the song ;(
The newer Sony/Nike style that goes around the back of your neck is pretty good. The Nike FlexLite, I think?
I have some of the Shure headphones, and they are great for inside riding, since they block out the hum of the trainer. Plus they are excellent for general usage.
I’d say Nike?Sony for running, Shure for everything else.
Hi fidelity and compressed audio is an oxymoron. Plus, if you’re isolating ambient noise enough to enjoy high fidelity music, ain’t that a bit risky in most situations involving roads with traffic?
I’m a music nut, and I listen to music on a few runs per week. The Sony earbuds give good sound, but they drive me nuts because I feel like I can practically hear my heartbeat and every breath. I’ve tried tons of other models as well and found the iPod ones the best compromise between quality of what I want to hear and allowing me to hear a bit of what’s going on so I’m not taken by surprise by something outside my little world.
Thanks for the great response. I sat on my deck yesterday with my Ipod and a cuban Monte #2 (hey, it was New Years Day!!) and tried out all my headphones while watching a red tailed hawk hang out.
The Shure E2cs wer wrapped over my ears but not behind my back. Earlier someone posted about the Sony isolation headphones driving him crazy because he can hear his breathing and heart beating. That ties in to my super amped foot strike.
I actually have some Maxell behind the neck design. I have been really impressed with sound generation (based on Ipod output setting) and clarity. The only downside is the plastic band behind the neck that is incompatible with any kind of jacket/vest d/t interference. However, at $16 per pair, I can’t go wrong with that.
I use an Ipod for maybe 40% of my running and rarely with cycling (one Ipod ear piece only). I just find it extremely helpful for LSD training.
Thanks again for all the input. For now the Shures are heading back to Best Buy. I just wonder if my preferences for what interference I hear are incompatible with isolation headphones. Sounds like many of you can tolerate it for the benefit of amazing clarity.
–Brian