Passive isolation Vs ANC Vs Sound quality..!

thesquale

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Hello All,

I am on Apple Music and with a Chord Mojo 2.

I have a BD DT 770 Pro for the moment and love it when at my desk at home. but i find the sound isolation is not good enough when at a coffee shop or at the office.

My understanding is DT770 design (closed back) is one of the best for passive isolation and if i find it not good enough, i would have to look for ANC enabled headphones.

But I am worried in losing in sound quality when switching to an ANC set. Some people recommended that i look at IEMs as they might offer better sound proofing and still good sound quality.

So my questions are :

-Any other wired closed back options that might offer better sound isolation and not compromising on sound quality ?

-IF not, then any ANC headphone worth using in that configuration ? Maybe one that has a wired option that keep the signal unaltered from the Mojo ?

-IF the above does not make any sense....any IEM recommendations ? happy to go to £200-£300 if needed.

THANKS guys !
 
I think that most closed-back headphones will have similar passive isolation. I would go with IEMs, as I don't like the ANC headphones. They tend to wear me out quickly.

Take a look at Campfire Audio Honeydew. They have a nice bassy sound and a very comfortable fit.
 
I think that most closed-back headphones will have similar passive isolation. I would go with IEMs, as I don't like the ANC headphones. They tend to wear me out quickly.

Take a look at Campfire Audio Honeydew. They have a nice bassy sound and a very comfortable fit.
thanks ! i am not a huge bass fan though. i have found the Etymotic EVO at the same price range though ? do you know them by any chance ?

 
Id look at something like the

moondrop variations

thieaudio oracles

god there are so many in that price cat to choose from
 
Id look at something like the

moondrop variations

thieaudio oracles

god there are so many in that price cat to choose from
thank you for the suggestions but these two are more in the £450-£480 category so a lot more expensive?

the Campfire Audio honeydew is £250
 
oh sorry i got the numbers mixed up :)

shuoer s12 & moondrop kato imo blow the honeydrew out of the water. I wasnt a fan of the honeydrew though. big bass but timbre in the upper mids and treble was all over the place. not a fan at all.

the s12's are v shaped fun whilst still retaining very good midrange.

the kato's are tuned pretty neutral and are inoffensive in everyway. pretty similar to the evo's you mentioned; however would argue kato has a much more airy presentation
 
oh sorry i got the numbers mixed up :)

shuoer s12 & moondrop kato imo blow the honeydrew out of the water. I wasnt a fan of the honeydrew though. big bass but timbre in the upper mids and treble was all over the place. not a fan at all.

the s12's are v shaped fun whilst still retaining very good midrange.

the kato's are tuned pretty neutral and are inoffensive in everyway. pretty similar to the evo's you mentioned; however would argue kato has a much more airy presentation
ok..:)

i have ordered the EVO at £240 although RRP is £499.

The Kato are £165 it seems. Surely the EVO should perform better as its 3x the price ? or is it just about taste here ?

The EVO impedance is 47 Ohms though so might be difficult to drive when just connected to an Iphone when out. i have the Mojo for all other use.

will try out the EVO.

but if anyone has any other suggestions or ANC that can be wired. lets hear them !
 
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ok..:)

i have ordered the EVO at £240 although RRP is £499.

The Kato are £165 it seems. Surely the EVO should perform better as its 3x the price ? or is it just about taste here ?

The EVO impedance is 47 Ohms though so might be difficult to drive when just connected to an Iphone when out. i have the Mojo for all other use.

will try out the EVO.

but if anyone has any other suggestions or ANC that can be wired. lets hear them !

Honestly kato really punch abover their weight. I honestly wouldnt say one is better, just slightly differnt.

They are also a lot more sensitive compared to the evo's which is over 20db less. should be ok though.
 
ok..:)

i have ordered the EVO at £240 although RRP is £499.

The Kato are £165 it seems. Surely the EVO should perform better as its 3x the price ? or is it just about taste here ?

The EVO impedance is 47 Ohms though so might be difficult to drive when just connected to an Iphone when out. i have the Mojo for all other use.

will try out the EVO.

but if anyone has any other suggestions or ANC that can be wired. lets hear them !
Etymotic Evo sounds nice, it's a solid choice. They use a narrow output nozzle, they will be very comfortable to wear, but they go deep inside your ear canal. This can be a surprise for a first-timer.

Getting them for half price? Lucky you :)
 
Etymotic Evo sounds nice, it's a solid choice. They use a narrow output nozzle, they will be very comfortable to wear, but they go deep inside your ear canal. This can be a surprise for a first-timer.

Getting them for half price? Lucky you :)
there is a sale on hifiheadphones.co.uk
 
Etymotic Evo sounds nice, it's a solid choice. They use a narrow output nozzle, they will be very comfortable to wear, but they go deep inside your ear canal. This can be a surprise for a first-timer.

Getting them for half price? Lucky you :)
Hello ! I do like the sound. And the isolation is good with the right tips.

But they do feel quite "heavy" in my ears or give very "full ears" feeling (sorry, not sure how to best describe it).

its just an impression of course but i am not sure that feeling will be good for long listening sessions. Could it be because it goes deep inside the ear canal as you mentioned ?

I suppose going deep inside the ear canal lead to better sound isolation so if thats what i am looking for, i am stuck ? or are other models feel less "present" ? the Etymotic ER4 is also on sale.

thank you for your advice.
 
Are you wearing the monitors correctly?

See thread: Advice wanted on purchasing a new pair of IEMs

In relation to the thread title, like a lot of comparisons "it depends"

The short answer is that usage case, comfort and personal preference matters nearly as much as sound quality IMO

The longer answer:

Some people do not wear over head headphones as they get too hot or they have a big skull or want more portability. Some people do not like the feel of in ears or medically their ear canals reject in ears

If on noisy public transport, say a plane or train, then ANC or in ear monitors are the only real solutions for isolation

If in a setting where isolation is not required then closed back full sized headphones are a viable option

Not meaning anything by this, I myself would not take open back full size headphones outside. Not because they do not isolate the environment, they do not, rather that everyone nearby might hear the headphones

I like in ear monitors for their combination of ultra portability, sound quality and they isolate like ear plugs. As above, not for everyone. I am personally fine with taking one side out for conversation and being extra mindful of pedestrian road safety both for myself and other road users
 
Hello ! I do like the sound. And the isolation is good with the right tips.

But they do feel quite "heavy" in my ears or give very "full ears" feeling (sorry, not sure how to best describe it).

its just an impression of course but i am not sure that feeling will be good for long listening sessions. Could it be because it goes deep inside the ear canal as you mentioned ?

I suppose going deep inside the ear canal lead to better sound isolation so if thats what i am looking for, i am stuck ? or are other models feel less "present" ? the Etymotic ER4 is also on sale.

thank you for your advice.
Etymotic uses narrow nozzles which offer better comfort than now popular wide nozzles. So the issue is not here.
Two possible solutions for you:
1. Experiment with tips. They make a world of difference.
2. When you plug the IEM in your ear it will put some pressure on your ear canal. It's normal, IEMs have their weight. Try to rotate them, so they rest inside your earlobe. That usually reduces the pressure on the ear canal, increasing comfort substantially.
 
Etymotic uses narrow nozzles which offer better comfort than now popular wide nozzles. So the issue is not here.
Two possible solutions for you:
1. Experiment with tips. They make a world of difference.
2. When you plug the IEM in your ear it will put some pressure on your ear canal. It's normal, IEMs have their weight. Try to rotate them, so they rest inside your earlobe. That usually reduces the pressure on the ear canal, increasing comfort substantially.
hi there

thank you so much for the tips. I am enjoying these EIM more and more. Isolation is quite good (even in a noisy, music filled, coffee shop) !! And i like the sound too so far ! so might have a winner.

I have pre-ordered the NuraTrue Pro (i liked their initial Nuraphone headphones) which will be wireless and using the Qualcomm aptX codec so theoretically Lossless quality...any opinion on this ?

Has anybody used earphones or headphones using this codec ? Although i just realized it is not compatible with Iphones...
 
Sometimes I use a set of NC headphones (not connected just doing NC) over the top of my IEMs. The combination gives very effective isolation. :)
 
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hi there

thank you so much for the tips. I am enjoying these EIM more and more. Isolation is quite good (even in a noisy, music filled, coffee shop) !! And i like the sound too so far ! so might have a winner.

I have pre-ordered the NuraTrue Pro (i liked their initial Nuraphone headphones) which will be wireless and using the Qualcomm aptX codec so theoretically Lossless quality...any opinion on this ?

Has anybody used earphones or headphones using this codec ? Although i just realized it is not compatible with Iphones...
I'm unfamiliar with NuraTrue, but I'm using some ANC true wireless earphones, namely Final ZE3000 and Lypertek Z7. I use them both eagerly with aptX on my Android phone. The sound is excellent. It's not as good as my other IEMs with a DAP, but still more than sufficient on the go.

Apple offers it's own version of AAC. They tweaked it so it's supposedly better than the standard one, but still. No way to compare.
 
I'm unfamiliar with NuraTrue, but I'm using some ANC true wireless earphones, namely Final ZE3000 and Lypertek Z7. I use them both eagerly with aptX on my Android phone. The sound is excellent. It's not as good as my other IEMs with a DAP, but still more than sufficient on the go.

Apple offers it's own version of AAC. They tweaked it so it's supposedly better than the standard one, but still. No way to compare.
thanks. yes, difficult to compare. Will wait for the product to release to "see".

I guess it might be better than the Apple EarPods Pro but not better than a DAC (Chord Mojo 2 here) and EIM combination. So only for "outside" use.
 
thanks. yes, difficult to compare. Will wait for the product to release to "see".

I guess it might be better than the Apple EarPods Pro but not better than a DAC (Chord Mojo 2 here) and EIM combination. So only for "outside" use.
Exactly how I approach this. Sometimes DAP (in my case) and wired IEMs are just too much. Especially during summer.
 

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