DIY Etymotic Noise Cancelling Headphones for $20

[studious_life]

Good evening KL'ers. This is my first post here so I hope you like it.

I came across this modification by accident. As an audiophile, good quality sound is excellent in my opinion and my top 3 brands of headphones are Sennheiser, Etymotic, and Shure. All are pricey nonetheless but I found an Etymotic triple-flanged headphones for around $10 on Amazon.com. Too good to be true? These headphones can run $75 up to $200. I gave it a shot without reading the description. This is the item I've purchased:



http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Resea...3895558&sr=8-2

I was excited when it came in the mail to find out, they're just plain old ear plugs. What do I need earplugs for? To cancel out the sounds of my future ex-wife? Disappointed, I had to figure out a way to make good use of it after destroying the package.

I tried wedging it on my cheap Samsung headphones and they sounded remarkably wonderful, until my cord got cut. I stepped it up a notch and got some mediocre headphones.

I ordered a set of Skullcandy, pictured here:



http://www.amazon.com/Skullcandy-Pro...897346&sr=1-18

[studious_life]

Here's what you'll need:



1. Skullcandy ink'D w/ mic (without mic works also)
2. Etymotic Earplugs
3. Vaseline (or any lubricant such as WD-40)



Step 1: Remove the ends of the ear plugs.



Step 2: Open Skullcandy package and keep warranty information (I heard they have good customer service in case one of the wires become loose, you can get a free replacement)



You can keep these OEM Skullcandy end pieces, discard them, or resell them on eBay for $3. They're worthless.

[studious_life]

Step 4: Align the triple flange earbuds and have the Vaseline on hand (No pun intended)



Step 5 : Dab the lotion on the ends of the Skullcandy. You can be generous and save the leftover lotion for later.



Step 6 : Make it fit. It's a tight squeeze but it takes no more than a minute to put on.

There, you have a beautiful set of Etymotic headphones. Here's a little review of my experience so far. With no sound, they cancel about 20 decibels out so I can hear muffled sound but with music going, there are no words to describe the crisp and clarity of it. Try it with classical music.

Note:

-These are professional earbuds, remove them carefully or you can damage your hearing.

-Don't listen at loud levels.

-Do not buy Etymotic replacement tips because they don't come with the ends sticking out. Make sure it's the ear plug.

-This mod doesn't void the warranty of either items.

-The triple flange has a hole running through the center to channel the sound

~Happy listening

[Tidus]

Awsome! thanks for sharing. I will give this a try soon...

[studious_life]

These sound better than my Dr.Dre beats.