Earbud suggestions for someone who dislikes earbuds

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by colby2415, Sep 11, 2017.

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  1. colby2415

    colby2415 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    I never have been an earbud fan, I find the are too uncomfortable and fall out way to frequently. However, I have started to have issues with over ear headphones that they cause my ears to sweat excessively. They are also a little hard to take when travelling to ensure they don't break, and I will be travelling quite a bit in the next little while. I don't want to deal with the bulk either. So I am looking for a pair of earbuds with decent sound quality for hopefully less than 100dollars. Maybe I just had a bad experience because the only ear buds i have used are the cheap sony and the like. Any thoughts?

    Thanks
     
  2. Bob_in_OKC

    Bob_in_OKC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    Have a look at the Shure SE215. Good for airplanes.
     
    DonnyMe likes this.
  3. Manimal

    Manimal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern US
    My ears don't fit earbuds. I HATE THEM! :)
     
  4. DonnyMe

    DonnyMe Forum Resident

    Location:
    SC
    I have these and they have served me well for over 3 years. Cables are replaceable and with some Comply foam tips these sound really good. These are worth a serious consideration. I have slept with them in my ears every night since day one. Prior to that I went through 2 pairs of Denon in 2 years. They sounded good, but the cables didn't hold up and were not replaceable. I use them with my iPod and iPhone when traveling too. They come with a little soft case and I can even slip my Dragonfly Black and Apple camera cable in it so I can listen to Hi-Rez files on my phone. They can't compete with my NAD Viso HP-50's for serious listening, but on a train, car, or plane these buds are no slouch. For $99 they are a bargain in my book. Check out the reviews on some of the more popular headphone sights and blogs.
     
  5. cdash99

    cdash99 Senior Member

    Location:
    Mass
    I've been happy with the Sub-$100 Hifi-Man earbuds. If you're using them with a phone, they have compatible models.
     
    SandAndGlass likes this.
  6. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    Hard to go wrong with these. Sound great, durable, and very comfy. If you want to try something a lot less expensive, look at these: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91XJuAgdpSL._SX425_.jpg

    A less refined sound with a stronger bass than you expect from ear buds. For the price though, fun to have around.
     
  7. Balthazar

    Balthazar Forum Resident

    IME, best ones under $100 are 1More Triple Drivers, but I still find myself using the stock Apple EarPods the most. They hang loose in my ears but don't fall out. Not as good for music, but for listening to podcasts while walking around, they're perfect. I used to use Etymotic a lot and they were good, too. I'll never bother with custom IEMs again. I've learned that I'm not enough of a hardcore headphone person to bother.
     
  8. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    I use Xiaomi Piston 3 earbuds, they fit great, never fall out and sound great. I've tried at least three other different kinds of earbuds including Ultimate Ears but the Pistons are the best I've used. They have those thin rubbery tips, I've tried to replace them with Comply tips but they didn't really improve the sound.
     
  9. Jack Flannery

    Jack Flannery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    I have grado gr10's. Love those little things.
     
  10. Fortysomething

    Fortysomething Forum Resident

    Location:
    Californ-i-a
    I don't like the round earbuds. The only ones my ears like are the basic Sony headphones, and they're really cheap (9 bucks at Target) and sound great. Anything else, including the ones that come with my iPhone, irritate my ears too much.

    (Just re-read your original post, the ones I suggested might be the ones you don't like...oops!)
     
  11. gslasor

    gslasor Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    I really like my Sennheiser Momentum in-ears.
     
  12. Claude Benshaul

    Claude Benshaul Forum Resident

    I have Sennheiser IE800 and BT Jaybird X2. I sorta like them unless when I don't.

    Lets start that for me none of the IEM sounds as good as on ear conventional headphones and that no headphones sounds as good as my speakers. Taking this into account, I use IEM only when I can't enjoy other alternatives and in this context the IE800 are good enough for Gov purposes. But the problem is that my ears are not the same shape so I need a slightly smaller insert for one of them and Sennheiser are asking for an arm and a leg for a set of tips.

    The Jaybird X2 are strictly for when I'm outside, need also a mic and don't want to mess with cables. They are decent enough for a set of BT earphones but drain my Nexus 5x. At least they don't fall off and are rugged enough to suffer the indifferent treatment I give them.
     
  13. macuzr

    macuzr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seacoast of NH
    I really like Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2. They have an inline mic and controls. The bass response is superb and won't break the bank.
     
  14. andybeau

    andybeau Forum Resident

    Location:
    Coventry, UK
    Soundmagic E10 very good value for money and come with various sizes of ear bud to suit.
     
  15. The Revealer

    The Revealer Forum Status: Paused Indefinitely

    Location:
    On The Road Again
    Whatever you get, you really need to look into Comply for foam tips to cover your specific brand of earphone. You won't have any more trouble with buds falling out of your ears and they have a few styles for your needs - fully noise blocking, ones you can sweat on when you work out, or your 'regular use' style which I've come to rely on. I don't spend a lot of money on these things - but I buy quality if I can. The Klipsch R6 at Best Buy are currently on clearance at 50 bucks. They do a service to the music IMO as a nice pair of reference head phones.
     
    Reese likes this.
  16. beercanchicken

    beercanchicken Legendary Stickman

    Location:
    Chicago
    You'll probably find IEMs like Shure 215s, Audio Technica LS50s, one of the Etymotics or something in that style, more comfortable. Once they're in, they lay flush with ear and are pretty comfortable. The only thing that isn't great about them: if you have to take them out often (like at work or something), they're a bit of a PITA.
     
  17. on7green

    on7green Senior Patron

    Location:
    NY & TN
  18. timind

    timind phorum rezident

  19. BayouTiger

    BayouTiger Forum Resident

    My best experience was Etymotics with foam - NOT silicone tips. Not sure how deep the Op wants to dive in, but Ety can make them custom for your ears, but it involves a lot of commitment as you have to be fitted by an Audiologist of something like that.
     
  20. colby2415

    colby2415 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Will probably check out those shure ones, they seem to be pretty popular here and online.

    Interesting, perhaps this is where my issue with earbuds comes from, the fact that the cheap ones don't really fit too well. I will check these out as well.
     
    The Revealer likes this.
  21. Marcev

    Marcev Sit back, Relax, and Enjoy the Music

    Location:
    New York
    At the risk of using the B word, I use the Bose Soundsport because I can never find a set of earbuds that will stay in my ear. These things don't go completely in your ear, but rest slightly inside and stay in place by a set of silicon wings. So they are NOT sound isolating in any sense of the word. That being said, they stay put even when moving and sound fine for what they are.
     
  22. SandAndGlass

    SandAndGlass Twilight Forum Resident

  23. Uri Cohen

    Uri Cohen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Jacksonville, FL
    I hate IEMs until I purchased the new FiiO F9 IEM. Has both balanced/unbalance cables out of the box and you can swap the cables out to your liking.
     
  24. colby2415

    colby2415 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    whats the problem with bose? :hide:Probably gonna get flak for saying that haha. I have used some of their headphones and have some of their bt speakers and they are pretty good for the price in my opinion.

    interesting, i didn't know that fiio even made headphones. Will check these out.
     
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