Earbuds - best brands, tips

By Matthew_Thepc
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Experienced

Matthew_Thepc

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Hello :)

I'm in the market for a new pair of earbuds, but I honestly don't know that much about the market. What are some good, respected brands (like Asus or Lenovo equivalents)? Looking for a nice pair that will last me a while, or a "can't go wrong" kind of brand. I'm not incredibly picky, but of course I'd like to have a good bag to buck ratio :) Max price should be sub-$100, but lower price is obviously better. Also, what kind of things should I look out for in headphone/earbud specs? Any good review sites I should trust? Thanks :D

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Grand Master

Mindovermaster Global Moderator

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I have these: http://www.amazon.com/Altec-Lansing-UHP206-Headphone-technology/dp/B001GUVBJC/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1363058998&sr=1-2&keywords=altec+lansing+earbuds+UHP206

They have excellent sound cancelling. in a gym I used to go to, it is quite loud. Plug these things in, I hear almost nothing. Until I turn on the mp3 player.

They have 3 sizes of earbuds to improve anybody's ear. Nice tight fit. Never fell out except when I got the cord stuck on something :p

My two Cents...

Mentor

cropcircles

Posted
Posted

As a runner I've tried all types of earbuds for my music. IMO they all SUCK because when I sweat it gets in your ears and it F' up's you sound, Even if your just a walker or weird dude that rides his bike on the trails in jeans or walks with his overweight nasty looking wife on the trails, or wears casual urban attire and walks with his dog, just get some cheap pair of headphones from Wallyworld aka, (Wal-Mart) that cover your entire ear and you get a full sound without all the stick it in your ear annoying adjustment crap.


http://www.walmart.com/browse/mp3-accessories/headphones/3944_96469_133271_4480/
[/CODE]

Community Regular

ingramator

Posted
Posted

I have these: http://www.amazon.co...+earbuds+UHP206

They have excellent sound cancelling. in a gym I used to go to, it is quite loud. Plug these things in, I hear almost nothing. Until I turn on the mp3 player.

They have 3 sizes of earbuds to improve anybody's ear. Nice tight fit. Never fell out except when I got the cord stuck on something :p

My two Cents...

Don't confuse noise reduction with noise cancelling. They are completely different concepts!! Anyway. Some well trusted and quality brands are Sennheiser Monster and Skull Candy. Sennheiser is German and so precision engineering, would definitely recommend them however they can get a bit pricey!

Experienced

Matthew_Thepc

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I have these: http://www.amazon.co...+earbuds+UHP206

They have excellent sound cancelling. in a gym I used to go to, it is quite loud. Plug these things in, I hear almost nothing. Until I turn on the mp3 player.

They have 3 sizes of earbuds to improve anybody's ear. Nice tight fit. Never fell out except when I got the cord stuck on something :p

My two Cents...

Those look nice, but I had a pair of (admittedly cheaper) Altec Lansings and they broke within a few weeks of using them :\ I might give these a try though, after looking through the reviews :)

Anything by AIAIAI. Good looking, durable and great sound quality.

http://www.aiaiai.dk/

AiAiAi-Pipe-Fools-Gold-Earbuds_1.jpg

Those definitely look good, thanks for the link :) One thing, though, is the "maximum power input" difference in http://www.aiaiai.dk/store/headphones/pipe and http://www.aiaiai.dk/store/headphones/swirl really worth the $25?

As a runner I've tried all types of earbuds for my music. IMO they all SUCK because when I sweat it gets in your ears and it F' up's you sound, Even if your just a walker or weird dude that rides his bike on the trails in jeans or walks with his overweight nasty looking wife on the trails, or wears casual urban attire and walks with his dog, just get some cheap pair of headphones from Wallyworld aka, (Wal-Mart) that cover your entire ear and you get a full sound without all the stick it in your ear annoying adjustment crap.


http://www.walmart.com/browse/mp3-accessories/headphones/3944_96469_133271_4480/
[/CODE]

I'm well aware of the problems with earbuds, it's just a personal preference ;)

Yeah, I'd heard of Klipsh :) Thanks for that site too, it looks like a site I need to be on right now.

Don't confuse noise reduction with noise cancelling. They are completely different concepts!! Anyway. Some well trusted and quality brands are Sennheiser Monster and Skull Candy. Sennheiser is German and so precision engineering, would definitely recommend them however they can get a bit pricey!

searched up Sennheiser on Bing and it turns out a lot of my Facebook friends like them too :) thanks for the tip, I especially like the 2 year warranty. are these (http://en-us.sennheiser.com/earphones-in-ear-headphones-cx-215) $40 Sennheisers comparable to these (http://www.aiaiai.dk/store/headphones/pipe) $60 AIAIAIs? which specs should I pay more for? Searching it up, it seems that frequency isn't much of a problem, but what about Ohms and sensitivity?

Thanks for the tips and links so far :D

Grand Master

remixedcat

Posted
Posted

Skullcandy,beats by dre, monster, etc...=NO NO NO NO and again, NO! Overhyped junk that will break within a month or two.

Also running in busy cities with traffic and having to cross intersections.... might be not a good thing to have isolating unless you are good at feeling stuff or you pay attention a lot some people don't and they end up like the undead iarmy or just piles of them laying around on street corners and around railroad tracks

but you got something called reception vs perception. isolating keeps perception higher then reception. Just becuase you can't hear the music doesn't mean your eardrums aren't receiving it. You are causing damage to your ear drums when you crank it up and still can't hear it becuase of noise. Open headphones and earbuds like the white default ipod ones or those that come with 10 dollar mp3 players are the worst kind for you.

The best types to get are Active Noise Cancelling (Circumaural), Passive Noise isolating (Circumaual), or In Ear Monitors that have a proper seal.

The choice of those varies depends on the type of music you listen to and your budget. many after the 50USD price range are tuned for specific kinds of music. So choose wisely.

Grand Master

Phouchg

Posted
Posted
Open headphones and earbuds like the white default ipod ones or those that come with 10 dollar mp3 players are the worst kind for you.

You mean - those aren't for letting the whole bus full of people hear what one's desperately trying to listen to? Oh, ok...

So... Mot?rheadph?nes Overkill

Mentor

the better twin

Posted
Posted

Some well trusted and quality brands are Monster and Skull Candy.

Lol. No, just.... no.

Klipsch are great in terms of audio quality and they have just refreshed their image s4 line. Also look into Denon, Shure and Phonak PFE.

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Grand Master

remixedcat

Posted
Posted

For reference:

graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=3541&graphID[]=2711&graphID[]=1953&graphID[]=603

As far as IEMs are concerned each set is tuned for particular uses. Each has a different sound signature that drastically varies.

I have the UE350vi's The bass is very defined.

I also have Maximo imetal i390 IEMs and they are not as bass heavy, however have more detail in the mid-range frequencies and more definition in the higher freq. (Please note they are not avalible for comparison on the site indicated in the above graph)

Veteran

Depicus

Posted
Posted

If you are after a good pair for running or bikes that don't suffer the sweat problems of most other makes these are worth a look http://www.aftershokz.com

I tried them at a trade show and wish I had brought a pair, great and very natural and I had a jog about and they felt very safe. Not a big fan of the control box but it's not as bad as it looks.

Grand Master

Astra.Xtreme

Posted
Posted

I have a pair of Klipsch S4i that sound really good.

I also have a pair of VModa gunmetals that also sound really good. The bass is much better on those, but I haven't fully broken in the Klipsch's yet.

I'd recommend either of them, and stay away from Skullcandy. Junk junk junk. :)

Grand Master

+Mirumir Subscriber¹

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The following are some of the audiophile-class earbuds. Some of them may cost a bit more than $100, but that's the price for quality today.

Bose

Bose Sport

Sennheiser - lot's of models

Nixon

Polk Audio

Polk Audio Sport

Munitio

Denon - there are some more budget-oriented as well as much pricier models.

Audio Technica - ^

Marshall

Polk Audio and Munitio are U.S.-based companies so you may want to support them even if their products are only designed in the U.S.

Pioneer and Klipsch are also safe choices.

And last but not least - try to avoid rubber cords if you can. A cord wrapped in fabric is much more durable and less prone to breaking due to wear (at points where the cord bends).

Grand Master

Astra.Xtreme

Posted
Posted

The following are some of the audiophile-class earbuds. Some of them may cost a bit more than $100, but that's the price for quality today.

Bose

Bose Sport

...

I wouldn't recommend Bose. They sound okay, but they are wayyyyy overpriced because of their "brand name".

You can get a pair of Klipschs for less than half their price that sound considerably better.

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Grand Master

LaP

Posted
Posted

Skullcandy,beats by dre, monster, etc...=NO NO NO NO and again, NO! Overhyped junk that will break within a month or two.

Monster Turbine are actually good. But sadly overpriced.

I wouldn't recommend Bose. They sound okay, but they are wayyyyy overpriced because of their "brand name".

You can get a pair of Klipschs for less than half their price that sound considerably better.

Yep from my own exp while Klipsh are not top of the line the price/quality ratio is very good.

Thanks for that site too, it looks like a site I need to be on right now.

Excellent site. I bought from them twice (Klipsh Image s4 and Sennheiser RS 170) and never had any problem. Price is usually good. Good support from my own exp.

If you are willing to spend 100$ i would probably go with Shure. If you want to spend less like i said Kilpsh Image s4 are a good option if you can still find them in sale (like i did) for something like 50$ or 60$ (i would not pay the full 79$ price for those). I heard really good things about Denon in the lower bracket but never actually tried them. Good old Sennheiser (cx300 for example) is always a good option if you can find some for 50$ or 60$. Heard good things about a-Jays in the lower bracket but never tried them. Westone is considered a safe brand but again never used them.

Avoid skull candy. Overpriced piece of ****. Monster are not as bad as people say imo just totally overpriced (like all products by Monster). I actually liked Monster Turbine a lot when i tried them. I just did not want to spend 150$ for something that should be priced at between 80$ and 100$.

Grand Master

Aergan

Posted
Posted

Samsung Galaxy SII based ones / SBH Bluetooth Headset via eBay for < ?3.00 free postage.

Last ages, good sound, great real-world noise cancelation and don't excavate my skin away from my ears like most Sony, JVC, Panasonic, Nokia, Apple based ones.

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