Ear buds...

[CarbonCycles]

Alright guys,

Another question for you. I'm pretty tired of going through several pair of the cheaper ear-buds for my IPOD. I typically destory them because I end up using them at the gym, running and sometimes riding when I'm alone. Can anyone recommend a pair of ear-buds that have held up after you've abused them?

Thanks

[ergott]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CE1UO/104-9120209-5487959?v=glance&n=172282

I love mine

[CarbonCycles]

I was afraid someone would post those...man, I've been eyeing a pair for a while but the price always seemed to keep me hesitant.

I'll consider these as more ppl chime in.

[Serpico]

I've had the Etymotic Isolator 6i earphones for two years, price isn't too bad (I'm not an audiophile, so these are fine for me)

they have the plastic pieces shown and also come with foam pieces

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er6i.aspx

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er6i-acc.aspx

[BarryG]

I just picked up a pair of the Ety 6i's myself and am quite impressed with the sound.

[Willy]

those are sound cancelling earphones - isn't that bad?

[CarbonCycles]

those are sound cancelling earphones - isn't that bad?

Guess it depends on what you mean by "bad"

[Serpico]

Guess it depends on what you mean by "bad"

no, it depends on what you mean by "sound"

I'm guessing he meant noise cancelling

[CarbonCycles]

no, it depends on what you mean by "sound"

I'm guessing he meant noise cancelling

Ah good catch...I stand corrected.

[ergott]

I was afraid someone would post those...man, I've been eyeing a pair for a while but the price always seemed to keep me hesitant.

I'll consider these as more ppl chime in.


Come, I talked my best friend into them. Drink the Kool-Aid, you'll love it! Looks like the price came down as well.

:banana:

[terrytnt]

The Etymotic ER6i are outstanding!

http://ilounge.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=7481911

This company makes some of the best earbuds... but remember, they're in ear canal and that takes a little getting used to.

enjoy...

[Spectrum Bob]

I have been using a basic Sennheiser bud - sounds great for the price and so far they have held up well.

[mrhlynnu]

I have a pair of Sure Ec4's and I love them.

[scottie]

I've been using many types of headphone in the past, the ipod headphones last about a week, or less if it rains! The Bang and Olufsen headphones, though pricey are the best things I've ever used. Tough as nails and the sound is amazing. They run for quite a bit of coin in this country, but if you're in europe they are a whole lot cheaper (everything is a rip off in Australia)
so I'm assuming they would be cheaper in the US aswell.
Check them out, they are truly amazing!
Cheers,
Scottie.

[Geoff]

I've been using many types of headphone in the past, the ipod headphones last about a week, or less if it rains! The Band and Olufsen headphone, though pricey are the best things I've ever used. Tough as nails and the sound is amazing. They run for quite a bit of coin in this country, but if you're in europe they are a whole lot cheaper (everything is a rip off in Australia)
so I'm assuming they would be cheaper in the US aswell.
Check them out, they are truly amazing!
Cheers,
Scottie.

This is a good point. How do these things hold up in the rain? I have been using the iPOD ones so far but have not been caught in the rain yet. THey seem to handel the sweat OK. I just cant get htem to fit well and also have been looking for a new set of buds.

G

[Chris]

I have the Bang and Olufsen too. They are great. $175 retail thouugh. You can get them for less on ebay, but you really need to know what you are looking for because their are a lot of copies out there.

[Russell]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CE1UO/104-9120209-5487959?v=glance&n=172282

I love mine

I also use those with my iPod. They are very good, but initially take a little practice to get them in your ear canal correctly. The cool thing is that they mute much of the outside noise so I play my iPod at lower volume levels. I bought mine at a music instrument store and they were about the same price as what Amazon sells them for; they are $99 at Best Buy.

[Wayne77]

Ety ER4-S. Supremo!

-pricy though

[Tom]

hold your frigging line. This morning some genius is getting all sinusoidal and I call out "I'll go by on your left!" No reponse. "On your left!" No response. OK, I'll time it. They go right, I start past and they start left out of sequence. Moron. I should have given them the hip or whacked their bars and blasted them into the ditch but I didn't. I was a nice guy and didn't even hock a goober all over them. I figured they were just stupid and didn't know better.

[Russell]

hold your frigging line. This morning some genius is getting all sinusoidal and I call out "I'll go by on your left!" No reponse. "On your left!" No response. OK, I'll time it. They go right, I start past and they start left out of sequence. Moron. I should have given them the hip or whacked their bars and blasted them into the ditch but I didn't. I was a nice guy and didn't even hock a goober all over them. I figured they were just stupid and didn't know better.
I never wear headphones when riding my bike and am surprised to see that many do. Too much crap going on (cars, skateboarders, kids, etc) to not be tuned in to the world around me. They are nice for drowning out the constant drone from my wife.

[Grant McLean]

I never wear headphones when riding my bike and am surprised to see that many do. Too much crap going on (cars, skateboarders, kids, etc) to not be tuned in to the world around me.

I wear only 1 ear bud when on the bike.
You can hear everything around you perfectly.


g

[Don]

Have you checked your state laws regarding wearing ear phones while riding on the roads?

In Florida, it is illegal for any driver of a vehicle (bicycles included) to use a headset, headphone or listening device, other than a hearing aid, while riding. State Statute 316.304.

Hopefully, in our effort to gain respect for cycling, we are in compliance with our laws.

Don

[deechee]

I hate the current trend in earphones - I bought a pair of sony MDR-888LP and they sound ok but after a little while they hurt my ears. I prefer the original in-the-ear style. When I was using my walkman/md a lot as a student, I went through earphones probably every few months. I think its normal.

The best earphones I ever had were the 484's. They were HUGE earbuds, with incredible sound. The 585's were in a similar category - I think they were the headphones Sony recommended with their DAT recorders when they first came out.

Aiwas were ok but the cord was flimsy, I was never impressed with Sennheiser - (although my dad loves his wireless headphones). Maybe I'm too picky. Earphones really aren't good for you... buy some quality speakers and listen to music at home...

[Grant McLean]

Have you checked your state laws regarding wearing ear phones while riding on the roads?

In Florida, it is illegal for any driver of a vehicle (bicycles included) to use a headset, headphone or listening device, other than a hearing aid, while riding. State Statute 316.304.

Hopefully, in our effort to gain respect for cycling, we are in compliance with our laws.

Don

But somehow it's perfectly fine to drive around with your windows up,
10,000 watt car stereo, subwoofer pumping bass...

g

[BarryG]

I have the Bang and Olufsen too. They are great. Here's (http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2176&highlight=B%26O) a discussion on the sound quality (or lack thereof) of the B&O's. I'd go with the Ety's.

[scottie]

Hey Geoff,
I ride to work in the rain quite a lot and nearly always wear these babies and yesterday it was absolutely pouring and they never even flinched.
Everyone wants to have a try of my headphones and they all love them, really adjustable too which helps them stay on like they should.
Those knocking the quality should give them a shot before they do it, B & O is a customer of mine and they are a major PITA but there stereo equipment is amazing!
I have no doubt that the shure stuff is great too, I used to use shure microphones back in my childhood band days and they are great, but I've never used the headphones on a daily basis and was only reporting my real world experiences!
off to work for me,
Scottie

[Jeff Weir]

ATMO for what it's worth....

I've had all 3: ety's, shure's, B&O

Here's my take: the B&O's sound very good, but are not noise cancelling (or whatever you want to call it).

Shures's tend to have a more pronounced midrange, while the ety's go for the high end of things. I used a pair of shure e4's in an airport, while waiting for a flight, and i couldn't hear anything around me ( I was right next to the Bose kiosk!) they worked great.

But, I happen to like my music rather crisp and clear, so I chose the Ety ER4's. I use them when I want to really listen to the music. You can really hear the sublties going on in the music with these things.

For cutting the grass, waiting in the car for the kids, general purpose earphones, the ety 6i's can't be beat. Their sound is similar to the ER4's but with a bit less bass but with a much more attractive price.

If you do go for a "noise cancelling" style earphone, keep in mind that both companies make different size tips; soft plastic or foam. It's worthwhile experimenting with a few different sizes and shapes to see what works with your ears the best.

[Ray]

I have a set of the Shures, second up the ladder. These and the Ety's have to go waaaaaay into the ear canal to work. If you don't get 'em in right, they sound like a tin can - really terrible. But if you get 'em in right, the sound is amazing. That said, because of the way they go in, you can't hear ANYTHING else when they're in. Even with no sound coming out, you basically can't hear anything outside of your head. So, regardless of how you feel about cycling with headphones, I SURE (no pun intended) wouldn't cycle with this type of ear bud. No idea how they'd hold up, but if you're listening to music even at low volume and a truck blasted its horn from just a few feet away, you'd better feel it because you're not gonna hear it.

But for listening when being otherwise deaf won't put you in danger, they're truly wonerful.

-Ray

[92degrees]

for riding? cheap. that's what i use. anything under $20 at Bestbuy. they sound OK over the wind noise on the bike, they don't block the sound of cars, and they break the boredom. perfect.

[Kevan]

The ol' iPod earbuds have lost their edge. In fact, I think I blew the right side, I'm getting a bit of buzz now and then.

So... anything new out there turning people's ears? Birthday is approaching and a set costing less than say $150 would be nice.

How 'bout those Bose?

[Wayne77]

The ol' iPod earbuds have lost their edge. In fact, I think I blew the right side, I'm getting a bit of buzz now and then.

So... anything new out there turning people's ears? Birthday is approaching and a set costing less than say $150 would be nice.

How 'bout those Bose?

Bose is usually overpriced junk, IMO. I picked up a pair of Shure E2C to use with the IPod for $80 at Costco. These sound great for the price. I used to listen to a pair of Etymotic Er4S (over $300) canal phones which sounded amazing and I am plenty happy with these.

[William]

I just picked up a Shuffle and I'm not crazy about the buds that came with them. The guy at the store tried to sell me a pair of Koss buds with the foam for inserting into the ear. I stayed with the ipod buds. Actually I don't much like ear buds and luckily at the gym, I can plug it into the stereo and crank it. I think i would prefer an over the ear headphone for times when I need to keep it quite. And recommendations?




William

[Archibald]

I use the Sony in the ear version with the silicone earpiece. Great sound and comfortable to wear all day. They were around $50 or so. I'm sensitive to stuff in my ears, I can't wear the stock buds for more than about 20-minutes without them driving me crazy. Downside to the Sony's is that they're like having earplugs in even without having the sound on. With the ipod on at normal levels a top fueler could go by you and you'd not even notice it.

[big shanty]

I bought some Audio Technica clip-on headphones....they are incredible, some of the best music-related $$$ I've ever spent. They make earbuds also:

http://www.audio-technica.com/cgi-bin/product_search/headphones/headphones.pl

[jhcakilmer]

Man, alot of you guys must have lots of money to through away......ofcourse this is the Serotta forum......

Anyway, I've been using these.....
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?CategoryName=acc_Headphones_h%2eear&ProductSKU=MDRJ11G&Dept=audio&INT=sstyle-pa_headphones_portable-deptfeature-MDRJ11G|sstyle:sy_cat_content_p:pa_headphones_port able

and they sound decent, very secure, and have been extremely durable for me!!! Do you guys, that have the $100+ ear buds really think your getting the best sound while running, or cycling?

I have a good pair that I use leisurely, but for $15 you can't beat the Sonys and if you crash, and destroy them, you can forgive yourself..... :D

[OldDog]

I have the Sony MDR-12 (OVD?). Sport series. Slightly wider range at 18 - 22 MH. Same $15. Sounds good to me, although I have Tinisus, loss of hearing in the range from around 14 - 17, resulting in ringing in the ears. Due to load guns and music when I was young. Careful with those earbuds kids...

[Elefantino]

hold your frigging line. This morning some genius is getting all sinusoidal and I call out "I'll go by on your left!" No reponse. "On your left!" No response. OK, I'll time it. They go right, I start past and they start left out of sequence. Moron. I should have given them the hip or whacked their bars and blasted them into the ditch but I didn't. I was a nice guy and didn't even hock a goober all over them. I figured they were just stupid and didn't know better.

+100.

If you're riding with headphones around me, you'd better be able to hear every darn word I say. Most of my peers who ride with iPods ride with one earbud, so they can hear. But the occasional ones who ride with two, who can't hear, well, you know, sometimes snot rockets get people's attention. I'm just saying.

Get smart.

[Grant McLean]

+100.

If you're riding with headphones around me, you'd better be able to hear every darn word I say. Most of my peers who ride with iPods ride with one earbud, so they can hear.
Get smart.


+101

I'll only ride with music that way. You can stand there, talking to a traffic cop with one
bud in, and it's no issue.

g

[thosmm]

The ol' iPod earbuds have lost their edge. In fact, I think I blew the right side, I'm getting a bit of buzz now and then.

So... anything new out there turning people's ears? Birthday is approaching and a set costing less than say $150 would be nice.

How 'bout those Bose?

I have a pair of the Bose earbuds and they're much better sounding than the stock iPod earbuds. Several of the guys in the office have taken a listen and everyone is impressed.

I tried a pair of the Shure E5c earbuds and they're better than the Bose. They're also $400 more, so I'd expect them to be. I haven't tried the E2c's, so I can't compare them directly.

Tom

[konstantkarma]

I spent the past week obsessively reading reviews on earbuds. I am heading to Asia for 2 weeks with my wife and two toddlers. I want to be "isolated" from the sounds around me during these flights! I found that in the reasonable price range for something that will take a lot of abuse, the Shure e2cs were right for me. I found them new on Ebay for $72 shipped. They have thicker cables than other comparably priced buds (e.g. Etys), they come with a carrying case, and a variety of foam, plastic and rubber tips, and they sound great with my Ipod. The reviews were consitently excellent.

BTW, I would never use them, or any other headphones while riding :no: , ATMO!

[Serpico]

fyi, apple is coming out with bluetooth wireless earphones. I don't know about the sound quality, but if it's decent I'll probably get some for riding.

hopefully etymotic will get on board with some wireless isolator earphones soon as well.

[SoCalSteve]

fyi, apple is coming out with bluetooth wireless earphones. I don't know about the sound quality, but if it's decent I'll probably get some for riding.

hopefully etymotic will get on board with some wireless isolator earphones soon as well.

I have a feeling to get the "BlueTooth" to work, they will be too big to fit inside a cycling helmet...just a feeling from what I have seen in the past with wireless headsets...

[Hysbrian]

I've seen someone use the oakley sunglasses that have bluetooth, with an Ipod, and a bluetooth adapter. I think that only down side right now is that the BT adapter for the ipod is $200.

[Frustration]

those are sound cancelling earphones - isn't that bad?


Yes... It is bad to use buds that cancel out all the other noises on the road.


But I would still expect this place to worship what ever costs most...

[fishbolish]

listened to a pair of V-moda Vibes (supposably the new hot ticket)@ a headphone/earphone forum get- together yesterday in the detroit suburbs,impressive!, also the senheiser pmx70 sport sound good for outer ear style(waterproof also)

[rustolium]

You guys are gonna really think I'm nuts, but consider the following:

1.) I am a musician/engineer (not currently active). That makes me particularly judgmental of audio gear. (Yes even mp3/aac out of my ipod)
2.) I spend a lot of time with in ears attached. Travel, riding, late night personal recording. Can't wake the family.
3.) I have been through a lot of ear phones and all have failed in one or more areas of Durability, Audio Quality, Usability, Comfort, and yes Asthetics.
4.) I do believe in "you get what you pay for" most of the time.

http://www.ultimateears.com/custom/UE-10-Pro.htm

These things really did solve all my issues. They don't bother me at all when in and sound incredible. Fit makes all the difference in the world. I use them for every thing I need ear phones for even on my bike. I'll spare all the reasons, but I will buy this type again in a heart beat. I feel more stupid about all the time and money I wasted trying to find something less expensive that would cover it.

If you have a severe issue with things in your ears you might want to avoid these as the custom mold is to the second bend in your ear canal. The actual unit does not go that far. However, if you don't mind in-ears and have only had comfort/sound issues etc then these will blow your mind.

For those that want to hear more road noise you can pick the model designed for stage musicians that want more stage sound as they have a filter that will let external sounds mix in.

Anyway, just wanted to share my own personal craziness.

[djg]

Veering slightly off-topic, but has anybody tried the Grado headphones (that is, real headphones, which one wouldn't wear riding, which is ok, because I don't listen to music while I'm riding, but want some good, but reasonably priced, headphones for the office)? I haven't seen any around, and have been toying with the idea of just ordering a set.

[Jeff Weir]

check out this link....


http://www.head-fi.com


tons of user feedback

[konstantkarma]

You guys are gonna really think I'm nuts, but consider the following:

1.) I am a musician/engineer (not currently active). That makes me particularly judgmental of audio gear. (Yes even mp3/aac out of my ipod)
2.) I spend a lot of time with in ears attached. Travel, riding, late night personal recording. Can't wake the family.
3.) I have been through a lot of ear phones and all have failed in one or more areas of Durability, Audio Quality, Usability, Comfort, and yes Asthetics.
4.) I do believe in "you get what you pay for" most of the time.

http://www.ultimateears.com/custom/UE-10-Pro.htm

These things really did solve all my issues. They don't bother me at all when in and sound incredible. Fit makes all the difference in the world. I use them for every thing I need ear phones for even on my bike. I'll spare all the reasons, but I will buy this type again in a heart beat. I feel more stupid about all the time and money I wasted trying to find something less expensive that would cover it.

If you have a severe issue with things in your ears you might want to avoid these as the custom mold is to the second bend in your ear canal. The actual unit does not go that far. However, if you don't mind in-ears and have only had comfort/sound issues etc then these will blow your mind.

For those that want to hear more road noise you can pick the model designed for stage musicians that want more stage sound as they have a filter that will let external sounds mix in.

Anyway, just wanted to share my own personal craziness.

Whoa! 900 bills for earbuds! I mean, i am sure they are nice for a professional , but for an Ipod? I'd like to listen to a pair to see what I am missing.

[konstantkarma]

Veering slightly off-topic, but has anybody tried the Grado headphones (that is, real headphones, which one wouldn't wear riding, which is ok, because I don't listen to music while I'm riding, but want some good, but reasonably priced, headphones for the office)? I haven't seen any around, and have been toying with the idea of just ordering a set.

Try headphone.com for "sound" advice and reviews on a range of headphones. I found a pair of reasonably priced conventional Sennheisers there that sound nice.

[rustolium]

Whoa! 900 bills for earbuds! I mean, i am sure they are nice for a professional , but for an Ipod? I'd like to listen to a pair to see what I am missing.


Yes, it is crazy, but the custom mold solves a multitude of issues that you will always have with mass market earbuds. The fit improves sound, fit, and comfort. Overall usability is so much better and when you have a higher quality audio source you can really enjoy it. I have noticed a real improvement even with the IPod. DVDs from the laptop on a plane...sweet!

With the proper seal you get better bass response which is always a pain with earbuds. These things are super smoothe across the freq range. Also, I have rarely had any change in sound when my jaw moves etc.

These things also are not coming out unless you want them to and they are incredibly out of the way. They go right in without any force etc.

You listen at less overall volume to get the same effect for your music which in turn saves your hearing.

Like I said, I would do it again if I need another pair. It's that much of an improvement all the way around.