Etymotic ER4S headphones - may be my most important tool for getting work done. I need music and isolation from my environment in order to get in the working zone.
I’ve tried lots of headphones and these are my absolute favorites. I love my Sennheiser hd650’s, but their open-air design means I hear distracting noise around me and they also emit noise, which is annoying. The difficult part of the etymotics is getting used to the fact that they go in your ear canal, which is totally weird and a deal-breaker for a lot of people.
The benefits are fantastic though - total and complete sound isolation plus the best sound quality you can get short of spending $1000 on headphones. You think Bose noise-cancelling headphones are good? These are much better, don’t require batteries, and fit in your pocket. I don’t have to turn my music up to drown out environmental noise because they block all sound, so they’re better for your ears. I never worry about screaming babies on planes. They’re super lightweight and I can wear them for hours without fatigue.
I’ve been using them for five years or so now and would buy them again. This has been your headphone psa.
