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Ears Wide Open

April 21, 2005 › Sandy McMurray | comment

I've recently joined the proud cloister of podcasters (more on this next week). In the process, I've invested a few hundred dollars in audio hardware. I'm pleased with all of it, but I have to say I am astonished by one item in particular.

I picked up a pair of $100 sound-isolating earphones - the Shure E2s. That may sound like a lot for earphones. Well, it is a lot to pay for headphones, but these things are remarkable. Plus, you won't look like a Star Wars character wearing them.

Stick it in your ear
As radio production guru Tod Maffin points out, it's important to monitor sound during the recording of audio interviews. Unfortunately, with regular bulky headphones (also extremely pricey), your subject will feel like she's being interviewed by Princess Leia or some guy who doesn't know enough to take his earmuffs off indoors. They're also about as portable as two bagels strapped to a luggage handle.

The E2s slide into your ear canals and stay snuggly in place via silicone cones (you get three sizes). I can use them along with my flash memory digital recorder and a plug-in stereo mic and have a complete CD-quality recording kit that fits in a sandwich-sized Frig-o-seal container (which is exactly what I use, padded with a household sponge).

But, it's the sound of these things that is incredible. I'm discovering parts and frequencies in familiar music I've never heard before. I'm pretty sure violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter had a chipped fingernail on her right hand when she was playing the allergo from the Sinfonia Concertante, K364 by Mozart. Okay, I made that part up.

The E2s make the earbuds that came with my iPod sound like the speakers on a $19 Walmart boom box. I'm not suggesting you run out and buy E2s. But, the lesson I learned is this. Whether you're recording audio for a podcast or just listening to your fav tunes, invest in a decent pair of earphones. It really, really makes a difference.

Stay tuned for more of my podcasting discoveries, coming soon.

April 21, 2005 › Sandy McMurray | comment on this item