Travel Gear: You Gotta Have Audio

High on the list of don’t leave home without it? The iPod. I’m addicted to it ever since I discovered podcasting. You know what’s not so great about the iPod, though? Those crappy ear buds that Apple includes. You have to head straight out and get new ones. Through PR pitches and impulse shopping, I’ve ended up with a surprising number of headsets – it’s time for a little round up.

I paid far too much money for my Shure SCL2 Sound Isolating Earphones at Heathrow Airport. What a bad choice for shopping, duty free or no. Never mind, these things are indispensable for long haul travel. Isolation headphones are like a hybrid between earplugs and ear buds – mine have replaceable foam inserts along with a number of other bits you can use for the part that sits in your ear. The sound from these little guys is great and wow, they block out a ton of noise. But there’s a downside – they are not comfortable for the long term. If I wear them for an hour or two, my ears start to hurt. And the shape of the hardware isn’t ideal – they don’t lie flat against your ear so if you nod off on the plane, dropping the side of your head on the seat back, oh, you’ll wake up again. I still take them with me on long trips when I’m super space conscious and on that super noisy trip from Chau Doc to Phnom Pehn, I was really glad I had them. Bonus, they come with a nice little clamshell carrying case that fits in the palm of your hand.

Pros: Great sound, noise blocking, great storage, compact. Cons: Expensive, not comfortable for extended use.

The Outside-The-Box Plane Quiet NC7 Active Noise Canceling Headphone came with a pitch from the company. These are full on headphones with a power supply that runs on one AA battery. They’re lightweight and comfortable and again, the sound is great. When you turn on the noise reduction, there’s a minor hiss in the background, but I didn’t find it distracting. The first time I used these things, I took the crowded commuter bus downtown and I was stunned when I took them off at how much noise they blocked out. Truly, it was amazing. Thing is, the big selling point for these babies is that they block engine noise and that wasn’t really the case on the bus. A little questioning of our resident tech geek turned up the idea that they’re designed to block a specific frequency of engine noise – that’s why they blocked the noise of the roofer’s air compressor and not that of the city bus. They take up a lot more space in the carry on, so I’d probably weigh the space vs. comfort equation before tossing them in the bag for extended travel. For shorter trips and light travel, they are in – in fact, I’ll be packing them for my upcoming trip to NYC.

Pros: Great sound, affordable, comfortable. Cons: Bulky, needs batteries.

Finally, I’ve got a pair of super lightweight seriously designed ear buds from Coosh 782048-B Headphones – White. They’ve got silicon, um, thingies, that wrap around your ear and hold the ear bud in place. And the tiny speakers pack a wallop, the sound out of these little guys is the best of all my gear. They lie flat against your ear and they’re great for extended use – I use them when I’m lying in bed listening to X Minus One sci-fi podcasts. Coosh designed their headsets to work with your phone – there’s a speaker and a clip to hold it in place, so if you’re an iPhone person, these are probably a great choice. Thing is, they don’t block external noise in any way, the only option is to turn it up.

Pros: Great sound for not much dough, comfortable. Cons: No outside noise reduction.

I thought there’d be a clear winner when I decided to stack these things up against one another, but it’s all about context. For long trips where space in my bag is a premium and I want to block outside noise, I’m sticking with the Shure Isolation buds. For shorter travels where I’ve got the space to spare and am feeling like a bit of coddling – including taking the bus – I’m going with the Plane Quiet headphones. For regular use – when I can’t sleep and don’t want to wake Mr. NEV, or when I’m off for a walk to the park with an episode of This American Life, I’m really pleased with the Coosh ear buds.