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Canalphones Roundup

Comparison

Here’s how the different models in the roundup stacked up together:

	Etymotic 6i	Etymotic ER-4	Shure E2c	Shure E3c	Shure E5c
Price	$149	$330	$99	$179	$499
The Shins	7	8.5	7	8	9.5
Moanin'	7.5	8	8	9	9.5
Coldplay	8	6.5	9	9	9.5
Style	average	none	average	stylish	average
Comfort	++++	+++	++++	++++	+++++

The rank above was updated on March 3rd, 2010.

Each one offers its own strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the right model is a matter of budget, personal style, and I think most importantly, the kind of music you listen to most frequently.

My personal favorite is the E5c, but I had the luxury of keeping my review model, and wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it.

Silence is Golden

The real key to canalphones is the way the earpieces seal off your ear from outside noise. Not only is this convenient to drown out the noisy mess of airplanes and public transit, it is crucial to enjoying your music to the fullest. Insulation lets canalphones bring out little instrumental touches and details in your music that you’ve never heard before.

The trick to getting great sound quality (especially bass) and eliminating background noise with canalphones is getting a good seal. Each model ships with a user’s guide explaining how to properly insert the earpiece into your ear. Foam is the easiest, but you may have luck with the rubber ones too.

Wearing any pair of canalphones and getting a good seal takes some getting used to, but once you get it down, your listening experience will improve dramatically.

Of course, you’ll have to practice caution with your new-found isolation. For instance, don’t even think of wearing these while driving.

Final Thoughts

Let's be honest. Canalphones are simply in a different league than normal earbuds. If it wasn't for the unusual process of placing things in your ear canals, no one would listen to normal earphones again.

Then again, I have found that many people do not really understand what good sound is. For instance, my downstairs neighbor used to listen to music at a reasonable volume - the problem was, she turned up the bass so much that my floor would rattle and it drove me insane. I thought she was just callous and rude, but when I finally confronted her about it, it turns out she didn't even know what bass was. I turned off her stereo's "Bass-enhancer" mode and she didn't even notice the difference. Now I can't hear a thing.

These products are not for my neighbor downstairs. For the rest of us however, I encourage you to try canalphones - you'll never look back.

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