My MP3 player is to my commute what water is to a fish. It’s a balm, or a salve if you will, to my sanity. I’d find it very difficult to negotiate the NYC subway system on a daily basis without it. But it doesn’t end there, if my MP3 player is water to a fish then my earphones would have to be the gills.

Here’s a brief summary of my commute. I walk, ride a train, walk some more, another train, walk again, take the next train, and then a little more walking. Oh and I forgot to mention that there are several staircases and a moving sidewalk that works about as often as Haley’s comet visits the Earth as well. There’s no part of this trip that’s even remotely quiet. Crowded subway platforms are noisy, trains are very noisy both inside and out, and traffic above ground is also noisy. New Yorkers being fond of their car horns and such.

I cope with all this ruckus by doing the best I can to shut it out. The key to this besides the MP3 player is a pair of noise isolating earphones. These are small devices that sit inside your ear similiar to ear plugs that both block outside noise and play your music. I’ve been using them for several years now and they are a commuting godsend. There are many different models available from several manufacturers which brings me to the point of this post.

Whenever I buy a new gadget(earphones, etc.), it usually takes me several purchases to find the perfect one for me. The floor next to my desk is littered with gadgets that didn’t pass muster. Wasteful? Yes, but because I usually wind up giving them to my friends or co-workers they don’t go to complete waste. But back to earphones, I have bought and used all the models in the list below. I’m hear to talk about the pair that beat the pack.

They’re the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5EB and I am loving them. At last I’ve found a pair of earphones that offer excellent sound including “sweet,sweet” bass, good isolation(could be a little better), and a comfortable stable fit. In short, they rock and have improved the sound on my commute immeasurably.

The Pack: with brief reviews and in order purchased

Sony MDR-EX71 – Decent sound, decent isolation, wouldn’t stay in my ears
Sony MDR-EX81 – Ditto above
Shure E2C – Best of bunch prior to 5EB, fair sound(if a little flat), excellent isolation, cable noise nonexistent*, pretty comfortable, sturdy, I kept coming back to these
Etymotic ER 6 – Clear precise sound but no bass at all, very good isolation, horrible cable noise, comfortable, tiny
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio – Very close to E2C, better highs and mids, worse bass, no cable noise, good isolation, stable comfortable fit, replaceable cable
Sennheiser CX 300 – Overall really nice highs and lows, wouldn’t stay in ears, some cable noise but not as bad as ER 6, decent isolation
V-moda Vibe – Overall really nice highs and lows as well, bass gets lost(on platform and train) though due to lack of good isolation, couldn’t find a fit that was comfortable, look great
Shure E3G – Great sound, very good isolation, stayed in my ears but kept sliding out of position(odd considering E2C fit really well) such that I kept having to adjust them, small size, no cable noise, sturdy

*Cable noise is a common problem with earphones. The cable rustles against your clothes and transmits the sound right to your ear. IMHO, Shure and Ultimate Ears do the best at negating it.

MP3 Players: Past and present

Creative Zen 20GB – Replaced hard drive with 60GB, overall great player just a little big
Samsung YP-700H 128MB(?) – Bought refurb, decent player but died after a couple months
Apple iPod 4th Gen 40GB – Great player, unparalleled design, poor battery life, current player of choice with upgraded battery
Mobiblu DAH-1500i 1GB- Fun player, good battery life, super tiny, died attempting to upgrade firmware
Cowon iAudio U3 2GB- Great player, easy to use, excellent battery life, pretty small(think Bic lighter), still using but not as much cause Mac can’t seem to write to it

If you made it this far, could you do me a favor? Don’t think about how much all this cost cause it makes my head hurt or should I say wallet? Although it’s a pretty small price to pay for a little sanity during the two hours everyday that I spend on my commute. Therapy would cost a lot more.

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