Jaunted

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The Antiperspirant of the Ear World

December 6, 2006 at 12:20 PM | 0 Comments

One problem with noise-canceling headphones such as Bose's is that they're bulky. And because of their battery-powered element, they might just bring down an airliner. If they're not an episode of Seconds From Disaster waiting to happen, they're at least an attention-grabber that will attract the wrath of flight attendants and passengers if you keep them on during flight takeoff and landing.

If you'd rather not be bothered with the burden of noise-canceling headphones, sound-isolating earphones might be for you. Yes, there is a difference between the two: sound-isolating means the design of the ear buds isolates your ear canal and basically stops interference before it starts; noise-canceling is a trick also used with those little boxes you might see outside a psychologist's office. Think of it as antiperspirant versus deodorant. Sound-isolating ear buds are generally considered "better."

Shure's sound-isolators will run you into the mid-to-high hundreds, though they start at $100 for a "basic" pair. That includes several sets of foam covers to help you find the perfect fit. It's just one ounce of extra weight in your bag. All of Shure's models are hot tickets on eBay, though you'll want to bid carefully when it comes to items that may or may not have been wedged into the waxy ear canal of another human.

[Photo: gierszewski]