SOUND-ISOLATING EARPHONES
So I realized it was time to get some new earphones. The earbuds that come with an iPod sound great when you’re listening in a silent room, but walk outside and suddenly you lose a lot of clarity due to background noise. Take them on the subway, suddenly you’ve got the volume up all the way, and you’re killing your ears to still barely make out what you’re listening to.
A friend recently bought the Shure E4’s and was raving about them, so I decided to look into it. He was going away for a few days and lent me his E4’s while gone, so I got a good couple days of usage to try them out and get used to them. A week later, I’d already ordered my own pair.
Sound-isolating earphones are awesome. They make listening to music (or podcasts, books on tape, etc.) so much more enjoyable. I can listen on the subway and have my iPod at maybe a third to half volume, with much more noticeable clarity than ever before.
These things can be expensive depending on your budget constraints; some high-end models cost more than the top-of-the-line iPods! The E4’s I bought (middle-end) were just under $200 shipped, and there are cheaper models from Shure and other brands available closer to $100. I’d say that’s worth it just to avoid the hearing damage from having to turn your iPod up so loud to drown out background noise, but the noticeable improvement of sound clarity is amazing as well.
NOTE: Audiokio has no ties to Shure. I happen to have bought Shure earphones (and other Shure gear in the past) and am happy with my purchases, but they have not compensated us in any way for this post. There are numerous reputable brands making high-quality sound-isolating earphones, so do your research and figure out what’s best for you (good research starting point here.)
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