Headphone Plug-in Type On Board?

[getonline]

Hello All:

I'm buying a high end Shure headphone set, but I got to thinking - would I be able to use it on my flights? I'll be on 747 and 77W (in First), as well as regional 772s (J).

What does the plug in look like? The Shure kit includes what they call 'International Flight' adapter, which is two pronged. However, I've seen planes with a single small jack as well.

What does SQ use?

Eric

[stargold]

Hmm...

On all the SQ flights that I've been on, it's always been a double-prong in Y, and triple-prong on flights with noise cancelling headphones (F and J classes). The third prong of the triple prong is used for the noise cancellation circuitry, so you just need the normal "International Flight Adapter" which is provided with the Shures to use it on all SQ flights.

You will also want to use the Attenuators that is provided in the package, as the volume levels on the in-flight entertainment systems tend to be far too high for the very sensitive in-ear monitors like Shures.

[getonline]

Would there be a remarkable difference in the sound quality between a high end Shure headphone set (SE530) and the noice cancelation ones provided in First?

[stargold]

I found that, while the noise-cancelling headphones were better than nothing, my own pair of SE310 still sounded much better and the noise cancellation was also much better too. Plus, you could sleep with the Shures on, and so on...

But one of the problems with the inflight entertainment systems is that the audio circuitry is not really that high fidelity, so there are always loud hisses and lower sound quality than even an average MP3 player. If you want to really enjoy music, you'd still have to bring your own MP3 player. Mind you, the inflight system is fine (especially if there's music on there that you want to listen to), just that it's not the best quality.

[9V-JKL]

Your Shure SE530s will sound much better than those on-board. No doubt about it.

Echoing stargold's point on airline IFE not being hi-fi, you may find that using your SE530 will bring out those deficiencies to the point of being unbearable. On LX with Ultimate Ears, the sound was very tinny.

[HUGE AL]

See:

http://www.sqtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=283

I did end up getting the Shure SE530PTH. Everything else is crap.

[hofo_mofo]

I would like to throw my two cents in here

Although I don't travel in F or J (just Y) I do however use my earphones.

Last year and this year I have been using my Sony MDR-EX51LP In-Ear earphones. While these are not the noise cancellation type, because of the way they inserted into the ear it blocks out everything. To accommodate the 2-prong system on board, last year for my first trans-pacific flight, i bought off of ebay adapters (which usually come in a set of 2 and with free shipping); the cost couldnt have been more than 10 USD (I'm pretty sure it was 2 or 3 bucks).

I am a person who listens to dance and techno, and thus i love my bass, and I must say these earphones cause my eyes to shake

You cannot go wrong with Shure earphones as they are the best of the best, however last year I bought their cheapest model and unfortunately was not to pleased, and thus i returned them (which i now regret as I chose the BOSE earphones over them and well I hardly use the BOSE ones, and dont stay in my ears even with the new bud type)

Now the bad,

While on the plane I usually have the volume set to half a bubble to at most 2 full bubbles of volume, when a passenger announcement comes on, it is very loud as the volume adjusts to 3 full bubbles (but of course this is in Y class and thus may be different up front) and as such I have to pull the earphones out before the person starts talking (I think i was able to adjust the volume properly during the first announcement). But when I am sleeping...ha! not a problem...for you see when I'm asleep, yeah I'm out like a light the only way I could be woken up is from the gentle yet repetitive poking by a SQ Stewardess

NOTE: In ear types are not for everyone, as people do complain that after a while your ear starts to hurt (usually the lobe apparently)

[stargold]

Now the bad,

While on the plane I usually have the volume set to half a bubble to at most 2 full bubbles of volume, when a passenger announcement comes on, it is very loud as the volume adjusts to 3 full bubbles (but of course this is in Y class and thus may be different up front) and as such I have to pull the earphones out before the person starts talking (I think i was able to adjust the volume properly during the first announcement).

The Shure in-line attenuator has a volume controller which means that, rather than yanking them out quickly, you simply flick the volume control all the way down during the announcement, and turn the volume back up when the annoucement is over.

The attenuator is good for eliminating much of the hiss of the crappy sound system, because you can turn the volume down on the attenuator and turn the volume up on the IFE, increasing the SNR In-ear monitors are really too sensitive for the brutish IFE sound outputs and the attenuators are great for this problem.

[hofo_mofo]

The Shure in-line attenuator has a volume controller which means that, rather than yanking them out quickly, you simply flick the volume control all the way down during the announcement, and turn the volume back up when the annoucement is over.

The attenuator is good for eliminating much of the hiss of the crappy sound system, because you can turn the volume down on the attenuator and turn the volume up on the IFE, increasing the SNR In-ear monitors are really too sensitive for the brutish IFE sound outputs and the attenuators are great for this problem.

I knew i was forgetting to add something

I bought one alone with the adapters, but from a store here in Canada called "The Source" which was formally Radio Shack...yeah that inline volume control really does help...but because i got "used" to it I guess, i let the person two seats over borrow it and an adapter during my SQ21 flight..he was getting ticked with the SQ headphones and was trying to use his own

BTW thanks again 9V-JKL for the seat advice