Ear phones for ipod?

[spartacus]

I bought the latest ipod shuffle for off road musical interludes, but the accompanying ear phones are a terrible shape. What would be a good alternative? I see the professional riders have interesting looking radio ear phones that shape to actually fit the ear (unlike the Apple version) but I don't know if they work with ipods or who makes them.

Any recommendations?

N.B. I don't use my ipod on the road, and then only in one ear.

Cheers, Sparts.

P.S. Contador - naughty boy.

[nm87710]

Good Luck

[echelon_john]

Etymotic ER6i. No wind noise; passive noise blocking; excellent sound.

great for the woods; some might say too much noise blocking for the road...

[dogdriver]

I've used a couple different Sony products but have found them to be too fragile for cycling.

My current favorite is by Skull Candy-- good sound, the buds come with three different size plugs for the ear and are secure when riding, a VERY long cord (a must for me, as I put my itouch in a rear pocket and run the cord up the inside of the jersey from the bottom), and a lifetime replacement warranty if they ever fail. Extra cool, as Skull Candy's HQ is 5 miles from the house...

[Likes2ridefar]

Etymotic ER6i. No wind noise; passive noise blocking; excellent sound.

great for the woods; some might say too much noise blocking for the road...

Disagree re: excellent sound, but they do everything else as described. I find them quite anemic sounding compared to other options that are both cheaper and more expensive.

I went through a phase of headphone obsession and eventually got custom made IEMs for around $600. worth every penny if you travel or use headphones a lot.

[mpetry]

+ 1 on the Etymotic, I have had the ER4s for years and not tired of them yet. The cord is a little microphonic so having it clipped properly to your jacket is a good idea.

who's living in a state where there's a bill in the legislature that would make it an offense for bikers and joggers - or anyone crossing a public street - to use earphones? There's one like that here in WA. Seems like our elected representatives have got all the other problems solved ? or is it just a grab for revenue?



Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA

[fiamme red]

who's living in a state where there's a bill in the legislature that would make it an offense for bikers and joggers - or anyone crossing a public street - to use earphones? There's one like that here in WA. Seems like our elected representatives have got all the other problems solved ? or is it just a grab for revenue?

New York.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gHUhl-pyMq7Q11HC3qfRB1ITJjXA?docId=CNG.7bfcfd891f40aa723 54703f627bc22bc.461

[jamesau]

Sennheiser makes nice earbuds. I've the CX300 and Amazon is blowing them out right now. They're sooo much better than what Apple provides.

[rice rocket]

Sennheiser makes nice earbuds. I've the CX300 and Amazon is blowing them out right now. They're sooo much better than what Apple provides.
Ditto on the CX300s. Love 'em.

[xjoex]

Do not buy LE Ultimate Ears brand earphones. They sound fantastic, but the cord breaks very easily. It has happened on two pair of mine.

-Joe

[sabulatodd]

I've gone through so many headphones over the years cycling. The cables break, the gold plated ends wear (and cause static). All with iPods and my iPhone. I've had Shure E4cs, Bose, Apple, and other in-ear phones. I bought a set of these at Best Buy just to see what they would be like. They have a cord that is bullet proof, and they've survived months of daily cycling- summer sweat and winter wet.

The reviews complain about cord noise, but I think that most people who use IEMS don't understand how to correctly put them in your ears. You have to stick them way in to wear them correctly. If you just gently place them in your ears like you would with ear buds the cords are noisy as hell. Here is a link on Amazon. This color is currently being sold cheap- these MSRP for $29. They're not as perfect as the $350 Shures I use on my music studio, but they sound really good when you're hammering along. Solid bass, but not overwhelming.

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-SHO9555-28-Sound-Isolating-Headphones/dp/B003VNKKSU/ref=pd_cp_e_3

[BumbleBeeDave]

New York.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gHUhl-pyMq7Q11HC3qfRB1ITJjXA?docId=CNG.7bfcfd891f40aa723 54703f627bc22bc.461

Totally unenforceable . . .

That being said, I vote for the Skullcandy's, too. The Ink'd model is about $20, decent sounds, good noise blocking and the rubber ear plugs actually guarantee they will stay in your ears. I bought a pair, cut off one ear bud, got a mono adapter at Radio Shack so I get both channels through the one bud, and it works great on the road.

BBD

[Black Dog]

Sennheiser or Panasonic. Both well made and good value. Put some duct tape around the wire at the jack to strengthen the strain relief area. This will prevent the wire from braking where it enters the jack.

[rice rocket]

who's living in a state where there's a bill in the legislature that would make it an offense for bikers and joggers - or anyone crossing a public street - to use earphones? There's one like that here in WA. Seems like our elected representatives have got all the other problems solved ? or is it just a grab for revenue?



Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA

Crossing a public street (as a pedestrian) seems extreme, but for bikers on public roads totally. Just like it's currently illegal to operate a motor vehicle with headphones, the same should apply to biking. Should really apply to bike paths too, move-the-f-over...

[spartacus]

I have bells on my bikes. Pedestrians on narrowish combined foot and cycle pathways using ipods hack me off. Back to me, can't hear my bell, and yet are 'unhappy' when I try to very slowly ease my way past their swinging walking arm. Zombies.

[toaster]

Just buy these for a bit over $5

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/genuine-apple-earphone-with-volume-control-for-all-ipod-shuffle-3-5mm-jack-90cm-30185

The earbud is better for on the bike than in-ear types for hearing other ambient sounds like cars.

[ckamp]

Spend some money, not 5 dollars.. For excellent quality:

http://www.earphonesolutions.com/um1-iphone.html

($138.00)

If you want cheaper I recommend "JVC Marshmellows" ($25.00)

[Nooch]

@BBD

When you say you cut off one of the buds, you litterally just snipped it at the split? I'm intrigued by the whole mono adapter you mentioned.. I use the Skull Candy in the right ear at low volume while riding (road included) when I need that extra boost, but only hearing half the song is a little awkward. I tuck the other one in down round my bib strap.

[dogdriver]

Hey Nooch:

http://www.amazon.com/HTC-Headset-Adapter-PPC6800-T-Mobile/dp/B0016D9URO

[Charles M]

I've gonenuts for this thing...


http://www.tunebug.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/shake-main.jpg

http://www.tunebug.com/



Reasonable sound but you hear everything else on the road too...


On a plane or at home I have SURE... I just want to be safe on the road now...

[Joe]

This is from late 2009, so slightly dated now, but this might be helpful:

http://www.avguide.com/buyers-guide/avguides-playback-headphone-buyers-guide


And new headphone reviews are periodically added here:

http://www.avguide.com/


Good luck.

Joe

[Lanny R. Levenson]

I saw the Lenntek Sonix Micro earbuds at Costco for $29.95 for two pair. Has anyone tried them?

[Nooch]

I've gonenuts for this thing...


http://www.tunebug.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/shake-main.jpg

http://www.tunebug.com/



Reasonable sound but you hear everything else on the road too...


On a plane or at home I have SURE... I just want to be safe on the road now...

I'm really interested in this now... Curious, though, can anyone else hear the music or is it really centralized to your head? Not sure that the rest of the group ride wants to listen to my soundtrack...