OT � Ear bud recommendation

[Delaware Dave]

Doing a little more traveling and have been using ear buds. The ones Im using (given to me by my son) are KOSS and actually sound pretty good, decent low end and nice high end; the con (just like their PRO4AA headphones) is that they are large for my ears and are uncomfortable. Ive tried a few others that are smaller, fit nicer and are more comfortable but sound terrible.

 

Any recommendations on comfortable fit, good clarity sounding (not muffled) and doesnt break the bank? Actually looking at wired vs. bluetooth to keep the cost down.

 

[bfields]

Which part of it is too large?

 

The biggest factor in fit is usually the tips, which are interchangeable--earbuds usually come with a few different sizes and types, or you can get third-party tips. So I'd try that before replacing the earbuds, especially if you like them otherwise.

 

But maybe you've already tried that....

[dbran]

Hi Dave. I use Apple Earpods, the wired ones that they still sell at the Apple Store. They cost $30 there, or currently $24 on Amazon. I subject them to a lot of abuse -- many hours of daily use, and many hours spent in my front pocket wrapped around the iPod itself. So they get replaced about once a year. (Other cheaper ones do not last this long for me.)

 

Things I like about them:

 

1.) For the money, they sound quite good to me. It's not a "premium" listening experience, but there is a satisfying amount of bass, and treble that is present but not too accentuated. They sound balanced, and I enjoy listening to music through them, as well as podcasts and audiobooks.

 

2.) Ear comfort is great, at least for my ears. They feel natural and it's easy to forget I'm wearing them, even after hours of listening.

 

3.) The outer insulation on the wires has a kind of "non-tangling" property to it -- hard to describe. There's a kind of stiffness, not enough to prevent bending or wrapping them any way you want to, but it makes it very easy to untangle them if they should happen to get a bit twisted up. Never spent more than 15 seconds getting them sorted out. Someone put some thought into this -- it can't be an accident.

 

4.) If you buy from the Apple Store, and you wear them out from regular use within a year, they will sometimes replace them for free. I've done this a few times. (You have to put up with the Apple store taking 30 minutes out of your day for this with their arcane "reservation" system, but that's another thread.)

 

5.) There are playback controls right into the lanyard. At first I hated this, but I've come around to using it quite a lot to pause and resume tracks. Very convenient if you're using an Apple product, not sure if it works with other players.

 

Overall, they're in a sweet spot for me in the tradeoff of sound quality versus disposability, with other benefits.

 

Curious to hear other recommendations!

 

 

 

[Delaware Dave]

or you can get third-party tips.

Wasn't aware of this. I'll have to research this.

 

I use Apple Earpods

Thanks, I'll check them out...

[Mark Zeger]

Ive used Etymotic wired earbuds for several years. Came recommended from a friend as a good value under $100. I dont think they still make the ones I have but these might be close. https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones/mk5.html

[timwat]

I can recommend Comply 3rd party tips, and they make different versions to fit different brands of earbuds. They're made of that "slow expanding" closed cell foam.

 

Insertion technique makes a big difference: Squeeze the foam to compress. Pull up on outer ear and open jaw to enlarge opening of ear cavity. Insert foam, release ear and close jaw, allowing foam to slowly expand. You get a better seal that way, which is all the difference if you're using foam tips.

 

And if I didn't have self-discipline, yes I could have made all kinds of jokes about insertion technique, enlarging the opening of the cavity, and slow expansion. But because this is a family forum and I have a good sense of decorum and self control, I chose not to go there. Good on me.

 

To respond directly to the question, I can recommend the lower end Shure universal fit models, a couple of the cheap Skullcandy units have been good to me as well. The Apple products are, well, everywhere, and seem to last a while in my hands, and are nothing exciting I'd write home to mom about. The common point of failure with wired earbuds are of course the connection point between bud and wire. So if you're not going to spend on a unit with detachable, replaceable wires, I might suggest going cheap as they share a common failure point.

 

 

[NewImprov]

Has anyone tried the Status Audio IEM 2X? I have 2 pairs of their CB-1 headphones, and I've been really impressed with them, especially at the price.

[Stokely]

I found the most comfortable tips for my Shure iems was the black foam ones that came with it...but they got compressed easily and didn't have quite the isolation I needed. I started using the "harpoon" style ones which weren't as comy but stayed in much better at gigs.

 

Make sure you get the right diameter with the tips. Not sure how they measure but I have several different sizes between my different earbuds.

 

One big difference between my Shures (at 100 bucks) vs cheapies is how thin and easily-tangled the cord gets with the cheap ones. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you have to untangle the darn things every time you use them it gets REAL old real quick.

 

If you don't need the isolation from earbuds, I always liked the old-school Koss portapros (the ones that look like they are from the 70s, not the newer ones). They sound good and you don't even know you have them on, and they fold up pretty small.

[Bob L]

Shure 215s are pretty good. Agree with Stokely's observations.