Ear bud suggestions

[Chaotic_Warlord]

Hey guys, haven't been on here for forever, been busy with work. Anyway, I've become addicted to I Heart Radio but the ear buds that I'm using are really uncomfortable. So does anyone have any suggestions for a pair of really comfortable ear buds that have good sound quality. I need ear buds BC I can't use headphones while I'm working due to I spend a lot of time driving and deal with customers face to face. Thanks for your input.

[Jesda]

Standard ear buds or IEMs that go into your ear canal?

[MinisterofDOOM]

Don't buy the Sennheiser CX150s I keep seeing "on sale" everywhere. They appear to be made of cartoon-grade washtub guitar strings. The cord channels EVERY VIBRATION IN THE WORLD into your ears. You hear your breathing, your heartbeat, the cord moving...all of that is twice as loud as the music coming out of the speakers. They're also bass-heavy.

[Otto.]

[dre1507]

JVC gumy headphones are usually under $10 at most places. The sound quality is awesome for the price, and they last long enough if you don't continuously physically abuse them. They can withstand a good amount of force, though.

[Razi]

My sister could never used earphones but she also likes the JVC Gumy earphones, she said they are quite comfortable.

[zacmil]

JVC gumy headphones are usually under $10 at most places. The sound quality is awesome for the price, and they last long enough if you don't continuously physically abuse them. They can withstand a good amount of force, though.

This man speaks the truth. I picked some up at walmart about a year ago because they were cheap. If I recall correctly, I had left my more expensive earbuds elsewhere and just needed something to make it a few days. Anyway, one year and a ton of abuse later they're still going strong. In my opinion they actually have better sound quality than the skullcandy earbuds I was using previously.

[Chaotic_Warlord]

I had a set that I picked up at 5 Below that were comfortable and didnt mind wearing for long periods of time but I lost them. I'll pick up a set of those Gummis and give them a test.

[Chaotic_Warlord]

Anyone have any experience with the Beats by Dre ear buds?

[Razi]

I wouldn't buy Beats.

[sbird1]

Skull Candy is always a safe choice.

[Jesda]

Sony has anti-tangle cords, a godsend, and they sound good. Avoid that ones with buds that aren't completely round -- they're designed that way to allow for more bass

[Otto.]

Anyone have any experience with the Beats by Dre ear buds?

They're WAY overpriced and too bass-heavy.

What's your price range? Check out the Klipsch Image S3's. I think Sure might have something around that price too. I don't know nearly as much about ear buds as I do full-size headphones.

No matter of you have the best headphones in the world, if you're using the direct audio out headphone jack in your computer or phone, you're still going to get a lot of unwanted noise. You'll probably be happy with whatever you get so don't go out and spent $80 or more on Beats or whatever. I don't know anything about I Heart Radio but if it's a streaming service like Pandora or Slacker, they already compress the audio a lot. You're not missing much by using cheap ear buds.

Plus, they'll be that much easier and cheaper to replace when the time comes.

Skullcandy makes some decent stuff, especially for the price range. If they still have the same warranty they did a few years ago, it's a great choice. When they eventually break, you can send them in and get a 50% discount on your next pair.

Stay far away from Beats and Bose.

[Jesda]

I agree with Otto.

[alms24sebring]

So do I. They are super expensive. Ive never really found comfy earbuds that I can wear for more than an hour, I think it depends more on the foam cusion.

[frapjap]

I have a pair of IEMs that I love. Very comfortable, excellent sound, and block out the world (and screaming children on an airplane) like anything else I have ever tried.
They're made by Etymotic. The company also makes high end hearing aids. Anyway, after trying literally 10 different types of ear buds and returning them, I was completely satisifed with these.
http://www.etymotic.com/hp/er20.html
^ The cheaper version, still better than most of everything on the market.

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er6i.aspx
^ the type I purchased.

[AppleBonker]

What's your price range? Check out the Klipsch Image S3's. I think Shure might have something around that price too.

ftfy

And I've got two pairs of Shure buds. They are awesome. One has been used for when I'm working out, so they've seen all sorts of abuse and held up for about 3-4 years now. The other set I baby a bit more. Most of them are pretty pricey, but in the earbud market I'm not sure I'd go with anything else.

[300ZXttZMAN]

Skull candy is good.

[krash]

Skull Candy "ink'd buds" are what I buy. $15 a pop and they sound decent. and they have a pretty sick warranty.

[TaiLuu]

I have skull candy buds and I always end up replacing them in 3 -4 months, But I do love them.
I've bought about 14 skull candy ink buds in my life, that's how much I love them.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Klipsch > SkullCandy > Beats

Beats are made by Monster. Monster makes cables, not drivers. Way overpriced and not great performance. SkullCandy is pretty decent, I actually use one of their models for my DJing cans. Inexpensive and good quality. Klipsch you will pay more for than Skullcandy but you will hear the price difference. I have not had good experience with Sony so I will not endorse their products.

Whatever you do, dont buy anything with fabric coated cables like MinisterofDoom mentioned. They literally do channel EVERYTHING up the cord and into your ear. So annoying. If you are stationary great, if you want to take a sip of your beer forget it.

[93coupe]

Skull Candy is pure garbage. I have gone through at least seven sets. The guys I work with have all had the same expericence with theirs too. They always break the same way.

So far, I have had the best luck with these.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/04/27/phi ... ds-review/

[Space Monkey]

Etymotics. Period.

[Chaotic_Warlord]

Thanks again for all the input guys, I do appreciate it. My work van doesn't have a CD player or aux jack and Philly has a billion radio stations that all suck but also eat up all the radio bands that an FM modulator uses so I can't listen to my phone through the vans speaker, so I'm forced to listen to through one ear while I'm driving. My main issue is I can't stand having anything in my ears and most earbuds start to really hurt after about 20 minutes. I'll give the JVC's a shot, just want something that I can actually wear comfortably for a large chunk of time and that sound fairly decent with all the different typez of music I listen to seeing as my music tastes range from the Andrews Sisters to Skrillex and literally everything in between.

[RobPaulson]

And I've got two pairs of Shure buds. They are awesome. One has been used for when I'm working out, so they've seen all sorts of abuse and held up for about 3-4 years now. The other set I baby a bit more. Most of them are pretty pricey, but in the earbud market I'm not sure I'd go with anything else.

+1, absolutely swear by shure. they even replaced a pair i had for just shy of 2yrs when the cord started to break (from extremely heavy gym use). I'll never use another inner ear bud again in my life.

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

What's your price range? Check out the Klipsch Image S3's. I think Sure might have something around that price too. I don't know nearly as much about ear buds as I do full-size headphones.


Stay far away from Beats and Bose.

That's what I have...use them for gaming too. My only gripe is earwax seems to get lodged in the hard plastic beneath the silicone covers...but I may have really waxy ears...