09/25/2005   English German
  Edition # 56  
San Francisco, 09-25-2005

Top Product: Etymotic Headphones
Figure [1]: The super earphones from Etymotic

Michael I have tried many headphones in my life. When you're on the go, however, there's always the problem of ambient noise spoiling the listening experience. The airplane roars or the train rattles, and you have to turn up the portable music player quite a bit just to hear anything at all. This is not only unenjoyable but also extremely harmful to the ears, which can become irreparably dulled. That's why there are so-called "noise-cancelling" headphones, which electronically create a counter-noise to the external sound, effectively filtering out static noises like humming or droning. However, if some idiot three seats away starts talking on their phone during a train ride, even noise-cancelling won't help anymore.

That's why the company Etymotic offers small earphones that are not just placed in the ear, but are inserted directly into the ear canal. Soft sealing rings hermetically seal the ear canal from the outside world.

Forcing a plastic piece into the ear canal is, of course, unusual. However, it is surprisingly comfortable and, in the long run, much more pleasant to wear than even a regular headphone, whose foam pads rest on the earlobes.

The insulation is so good that no sound from outside reaches your ears. Even if the conductor asks for your ticket for the third time -- not a chance, someone has to tap you on the shoulder, otherwise you won't notice. And because no disturbing outside noise overlaps the music, you don't need to turn up the volume much. Deepest bass and highest treble -- everything is crystal clear. Of course, the whole thing isn't exactly cheap; I have the Etymotic 6i, which costs about $100. But they are truly worth every cent. And there are even more expensive ones!

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