I previously owned an Audio Technica ATH-ANC23 and found that although they sounded great, I didn't like the idea of having to replace the battery as well as the comply foam tips whenever they get grubby. I also didn't like the pressure that the ath-anc23 emits on my ears as it felt uncomfortable like as if you're climbing a high altitude.
So hence I set myself to find a pair of noise isolating IEMs to be used around the office / daily commute.
I generally listen to classical, female vocals and country as well as audiobooks, so I won't delve into bass/mid/treble response due to my limited music genres.
As there were very few reviews on these at the time of purchase, I decided to give it a shot anyway because they were cheaper compared to the HF and MC range.
I'm also not that fond of IEMs so I didn't want to spend anything more than $80 AUD.
When I received them, I was quite surprised as to how well they isolate sound.
I work directly behind a photocopier, and there's currently construction works going on in the adjacent lot.
I can say that it does an impressive job at blocking noise during listening.
Compared to the ATH-ANC23, it sounds clearer and blocks out sound as effectively or even better. Comfort wise....well it took a while getting use to but it's ok now.
As these have a 300 ohm resistance, they do effectively save your ears when you max out the volume on your portable tunes.
This feature can however be bypassed using a portable amp. I find this to be handy when you need to use it to drown out noise whilst intently listening to audiobooks during work hours
One problem I found was that recently I was flying around and I was using these to watch a movie on my Samsung Note 10.1 Tablet.
Unfortunately there were many scenes where there was a lot of whispering and quiet sounds and I was unable to hear them speak even at max volume.
That is my only complaint; if I had my Fiio E5, I think this would've been easily resolved.
In the end, I gave my sister the ATH-ANC23 as she would probably appreciate them more than I would.
Overall, I enjoy these and they are easily a good upgrade from the ipod earbuds
H.M
So hence I set myself to find a pair of noise isolating IEMs to be used around the office / daily commute.
I generally listen to classical, female vocals and country as well as audiobooks, so I won't delve into bass/mid/treble response due to my limited music genres.
As there were very few reviews on these at the time of purchase, I decided to give it a shot anyway because they were cheaper compared to the HF and MC range.
I'm also not that fond of IEMs so I didn't want to spend anything more than $80 AUD.
When I received them, I was quite surprised as to how well they isolate sound.
I work directly behind a photocopier, and there's currently construction works going on in the adjacent lot.
I can say that it does an impressive job at blocking noise during listening.
Compared to the ATH-ANC23, it sounds clearer and blocks out sound as effectively or even better. Comfort wise....well it took a while getting use to but it's ok now.
As these have a 300 ohm resistance, they do effectively save your ears when you max out the volume on your portable tunes.
This feature can however be bypassed using a portable amp. I find this to be handy when you need to use it to drown out noise whilst intently listening to audiobooks during work hours
One problem I found was that recently I was flying around and I was using these to watch a movie on my Samsung Note 10.1 Tablet.
Unfortunately there were many scenes where there was a lot of whispering and quiet sounds and I was unable to hear them speak even at max volume.
That is my only complaint; if I had my Fiio E5, I think this would've been easily resolved.
In the end, I gave my sister the ATH-ANC23 as she would probably appreciate them more than I would.
Overall, I enjoy these and they are easily a good upgrade from the ipod earbuds
H.M