only now do I know wtf op was talking about.. some tips:

a) spell it right.. "Shure"
b) don't use incredibly obscure (read: you just made it up) and/or off-topic acronyms. :)

I agree with what LordFoo said and I add:

a) I find them more comfortable than regular earbuds, BUT they are still fatiguing for long listening periods.
b) fairly lacking in bass.. flat frequency response is great if you're mixing The Next Hit Record. However just for listening back? Give me exaggerated EQ and I'm happy. They're do sound *flat*.
c) the loss of ambient hearing is GREAT in some situations (bus/airplane/library or office where people won't stfu/etc), but terrible for others (eg. riding)
d) that same sound isolation results in certain sounds being really amplified.. you get that 'fingers in your ears hearing' thing happening where your breathing sounds extremely loud, ditto for chewing. Also if the cable is bouncing around you wind up hearing that too.

All that being said, they're still pretty great compact headphones. If the point wasn't to have something you can just throw in a pocket/bag I'd probably go with some over-the-ear 'phones though.

btw. I have the E2c's

^^ RAGE !!!

For general use at a fixed location, I'd buy Grado SR-80s again and again! As an IEM for portable players, my e3c's do the job very well, are extremely clear, and without strong bass. They aren't hip hop headphones.

Are any of those in-ear setups particularly bad for hearing damage?

Say, given a standard (normal/loudish) volume level across the board, are there some headphone/earbud styles to avoid?

I wouldn't use them for more than 2 hours at a time, mainly because they begin to hurt my ear canal. At lower volumes, they're pretty safe to use; safer than, say, open ear phones like the Grados, because you're less likely to crank the volume due to interference from ambient noise. In all cases, there's only so much you can do to avoid hearing damage, and your dynamic range only shrinks with age; case in point: during my 3rd year DSP course, we messed with certain frequencies, and some people could hear up to 20KHz, while others couldn't hear 13KHz.

I used to own the e2c's. I picked them up because they looked the burliest with super thick cables and behind the ear insertion. I don't really remember how they sounded like anymore. They were quite comfortable.
They lasted about a year and a 1/2 of abuse.
The ONE thing annoying about IEM's is the cable rub or when your eating / chewing gum. You hear the sound amplified in your head.

I've also breifly owned the Er-4p's. The sound was real neutral which is what tons of audiophiles are looking for, but the sound just isn't for me. And inserting the white tips wasn't a pleasant experience for my ears.

If I was to buy again, I'd probably try for the Ultimate Ears Super.Fi range. They seems pretty awesome and I really do like the behind ear design as I think it looks a little bit more discreet. I do believe the E2c's are quite a bit older and discontinued? I'm sure they're way cheap by now though. I'd def. recommend them for your first IEM.

I won't ever go back to ear buds. I can't stand the ambient noise that you have if you take the TTC or walk down the street.

As for hearing damage, I don't think any of these setups would be particularly bad for you. no idea.
I find I use a much lower vol. setting using in ear headphones, but thats simply because all ambient noise is blocked off.

Hrm. Seems I need to make a trip to B.B.R. with sample music in tow.

happy kwanzanukkahmas Cam...have a good one.;)

Maybe he celebrates Festivus.

Cosmo Kramer: Is there a tree?
Frank Costanza: No, instead, there's a pole. It requires no decoration. I find tinsel distracting.

Frank Costanza: It's made from aluminum. Very high strength-to-weight ratio.
Mr. Kruger: I find your belief system fascinating.

Yeah, funny you say that because I was schure I spelt it right. My mind is ****ed. I mainly use my headphones on bus/subway which is really loud. So I looked into noise blocking + music = 4tw.

I have a pair of grado sr60's that I really want to sell. They sound real nice but it's extremely uncomfortable, especially if I wear glasses. It's been broken in/headband molded for a year now.

'appy Chrimbo/Festivus/stuff'n'stuff too - take 'er easy!

I'm choosing to stay off the bike today. Xmas junk for lunch at work (Yonge/Sheppard FFS) and still being a bit offside with sicky sick sick I figure I'll rest up and get on it again tomorrow.

Monday night I was riding across Sammon Ave and had a guy say "I think that bike is a season or two off for this" pointing to my roadie... I said "nah, this thing cuts right through all this crap - I've only fallen once today!" heh - good times :)

And now... to the streetcar and trying to keep sane. (I know as soon as I see a cyclist out there I'm gonna be green with envy but it's for the greater good :p)

:lol:

Used headphones?.... eeeew

When being introduced to the Track... do we bring flowers? A bottle of wine?
Should we put on airs of Olympic Glory or just be ourselves? Gee I hope the track likes us.

Yeah, I find the same thing. Because all the ambient noise is blocked, you don't need as high a volume.

That's how I feel about the Grados as well. I don't care how good they sound if I find them physically uncomfortable. Plus, as I said before the flat frequency response thing is what all the audiophiles jack-off to, but I don't think there's anything wrong with having coloration, as long as it's coloration that YOU LIKE. People always talking about that for speaker cabinets for bass (guitar) as well. However, try playing one of those totally flat response cabinets in a live setting and you realize how much of your presence comes from that speaker coloration when you get totally lost in the mix.

Not to mention the fact that you're likely using them to listen to mp3's anyway. You hardly need audiophile quality headphones to listen to a lossy file format. That'd be like putting carbon zipps and campy record on my urbanite! :P (see what I did there? brought it ON TOPIC!)

I like BASS.... if they can't boom, they have failed. Noise bleed is more irritating than anything in the world to me. Sitting on the streetcar listening to what everyone else is listening to totally irks me. I rock the over the ear Sony ones, I love em, 30mm for bass and no bleed. Word to comfort, I can't use in ears anymore at all, they just hurt.

I'd skip the zipps and go for this:

http://www.thebigox.com/index.html

Includes a secret ingredient that unleashes the awesome power of apples.

Fun to catch, but pickerel is better eatin'

Like I don't have enough reasons to hate this world....

Pickerel tastes waaaaaay better than Walleye ;)

Canned O2.. you knew it was coming.
Would this be a banned substance, UCI wise? A water bottle full of hyperOxygenated air?

that canned oxygen crap reminds me of the scene in spaceballs where mel brooks breathes in the canned air when his planet is running out of it. remember when something like that was ridiculous?

to the crackhead that stole the lights off the front of the bike last night while i was working: if you're that desperate for money i can get you a job as a dishwasher. why do you need the lights WITHOUT the mounts!?

it's so he could find the rock he dropped in the doorway in the alley.

i hope finds that rock, if it was worth it. glad i had a spare light in my bag.

Ahhhh, Perri-air :D

I have more than a few harsh words to scum like this we have in this city, that's balls. Some people don't want the help though *shrug*. :(

gold.

mmmmmm.Pickerel...I have an affinity for perch as well.
I have a pair of Seinheisers (sp?) that have the curl around the ear thingy on em....love em. They sound great and the little curly-cues keep em in the ear when I have hat/helmet on. I listened to a pair of Ca-razy headphones at the Brack wine and cheese party a few years back. Used to be an audiofool myself dontcha know. These headphones were over $2000...were super comfy....came with their own Chrome, half-moon shaped tube amp and were the best sounding anything I have ever heard. The coolest part was as I was listening to them I wanted to ask my buddy a question...he was standing right next to me. I had the volume on the amp at max......it was crazy loud....but I could still hear my friend talk in a normal speaking voice. Weird.

purty steel salsa: http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fu...36&status=True

I have no need for such a bike, but I still enjoy looking at it. :)

Since we are talking about fish... where is the best take home smoked salmon in Toronto... not the shaved kind, but the chunk, covered with pepper etc. I am dreaming about it for Christmas morn treats... and does the shop let cyclists take their bike in?;)

East end Queen.. gimme a sec and I'll find the name

http://www.kristapsons.com/ Supposedly the BOMB

what about that caviar direct place in st lawrence?

Ive had the smoked catfish there and it was tha bomb.

I smoked a catfish once. It was a ***** to get lit.

Question: I want to get a Capo sometime in late December or the new year, and I also want to complete my steel build, but I can't have my cake & eat it, too. So, I was thinking of selling off my Giant OCR SS. Question is: what do you guys think I can get for it? Specs:

Frame & Fork: Giant OCR medium & CF fork
Cranks: Truvativ Touro 50T
Peds: PD-M520s
Cog: Shimano BMX 18T
Wheels: WH-R561
Bars: Nitto bull horns
Front brake: Cane Creek SL-5
Brake lever: Dia Compe TT.