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AirPods actually hurt my ears....

E

Ensyed

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 23, 2014
109
57
I just bought AirPods to go w my watch and iPhone. I wore them out on the street and listened to an audiobook for half an hour. Everything was perfect as advertised except that when i took them out it felt like I had bruised my ears. This is the first apple product I haven’t at least liked. Usually I love all of them.
I had tried the beatsX which fit nicely but the too long wire was annoying.

Hope they can do something about the fit. Maybe my ears are extra sensitive.
 
My ears used to hurt really bad, then it got better after 2-3 days. If you can try them for that long
 
Mine were quite uncomfortable when I first got them, but something about spending NZ$269 on them motivated me to persist with them. I guess my ears have adapted to them, because after a couple of weeks they became quite comfortable, and they don't fall out any more, although they still don't feel 100% secure. I love the lack of wires, the little case that keeps them charged and just slips in a small pocket, and they sound pretty good too.
 
I’ve not had any issue with them and I’ve fallen asleep on more than one occasion with them in. AirPods are a tough thing because they are a one size fits all deal. I have some jaybirds x2’s that come with an assortment of different size buds to fit each person. The X2’s are better for exercise imo. Those things stay locked in. I ran with the AirPods last night and they felt like they were going to fall out at first but never did.

I will use the jaybirds for strenuous activity and AirPods for everything else.
 
They sit securely. So I am not worried about them falling out. But they hurt. Maybe I jammed them in too hard when I put them in??
I will try them for a couple more days bc they are so user friendly and the sound was fine walking on busy city streets. I see people walking around all day w them.
 
Ensyed said:
They sit securely. So I am not worried about them falling out. But they hurt. Maybe I jammed them in too hard when I put them in??
I will try them for a couple more days bc they are so user friendly and the sound was fine walking on busy city streets. I see people walking around all day w them.
Click to expand...

Or this may be a product that may not simply be for you. If they're causing any type of discomfort or pain, that I would not be using them. Although, Spigen makes an ear tip for the AirPods for more comfortable fit. They're available on Amazon. It might help your situation.
 
Applenoob34 said:
I’ve not had any issue with them and I’ve fallen asleep on more than one occasion with them in. AirPods are a tough thing because they are a one size fits all deal. I have some jaybirds x2’s that come with an assortment of different size buds to fit each person. The X2’s are better for exercise imo. Those things stay locked in. I ran with the AirPods last night and they felt like they were going to fall out at first but never did.

I will use the jaybirds for strenuous activity and AirPods for everything else.
Click to expand...

When you put them in do twist them up some? That makes it feel super secure for me.
 
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So far so good. They arrived, paired as easily as expected and considering these do not create a seal on the ear canal, the sound is much better than expected. Very clear too. I'll be giving these a go next week and will better put them to the test during con calls. No discomfort whist in the ear. Just as @QueenTyrone suggested, that little twist made them feel much more secure. Still an odd feeling having such a long listening history with wired earbuds/headphones. Pretty cool.
 
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They hurt my ears and fall out. I didn't waste my time with them any further. I use my infinims instead.
 
I tried them again and realized that my ears are too small. So I returned them. Hopefully they will make smaller sizes in the future
 
Ensyed said:
I tried them again and realized that my ears are too small. So I returned them. Hopefully they will make smaller sizes in the future
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Not unless you voice your opinion! (I guarantee you, there were demographic studies done that told Apple that this design would work for X% of the population) - fill in the feedback form and let them know that you're one of those that the design doesn't work for (they receive enough of these, they may look at making additional sizes) :)

https://www.apple.com/feedback/airpods.html
 
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I have never been a fan of the design of Apple's standard issue EarPods. They've always sounded despite the lousy fit I've always felt they've had. What I have always liked about them is they are ideal in those cases where I've needed situational awareness. I was really on the fence about AirPods and never considered them with my 6s because I didn't need to. Upgrading to the 8+ has been great but that means my Bose SoundTrues now have little to no use. I'm not using the dongle. Just not going there.

So far, I'm impressed with the sound of AirPods, love the convenience of the size of the case, the battery life, etc. Call quality seems fine too, they have a place in my lineup but I still need to supplement them with good quality earbuds. I have BeatsX and they're OK. Convenience is superb, but the sound quality is just average, especially for an in canal earbud. They do sound much better on Late Nite EQ setting and with Comply foam tips, but I'm looking for a better soundstage.

Even with the Beats acquisition, they still don't know how to make a good fitting earbud. I mean you'd think they could capitalize on some of the intel and produce a marque product like AirPods and make them fit better. While they fit inside my ears OK, that silly plastic they use always moves around. Even when I give them the twist it lasts for a period of time, but I need to do that again. Sorry they didn't work for you and I agree with @fischersd, send them feedback. I'm going to do the same.
 
staggerlee41 said:
I have never been a fan of the design of Apple's standard issue EarPods. They've always sounded despite the lousy fit I've always felt they've had. What I have always liked about them is they are ideal in those cases where I've needed situational awareness. I was really on the fence about AirPods and never considered them with my 6s because I didn't need to. Upgrading to the 8+ has been great but that means my Bose SoundTrues now have little to no use. I'm not using the dongle. Just not going there.

So far, I'm impressed with the sound of AirPods, love the convenience of the size of the case, the battery life, etc. Call quality seems fine too, they have a place in my lineup but I still need to supplement them with good quality earbuds. I have BeatsX and they're OK. Convenience is superb, but the sound quality is just average, especially for an in canal earbud. They do sound much better on Late Nite EQ setting and with Comply foam tips, but I'm looking for a better soundstage.

Even with the Beats acquisition, they still don't know how to make a good fitting earbud. I mean you'd think they could capitalize on some of the intel and produce a marque product like AirPods and make them fit better. While they fit inside my ears OK, that silly plastic they use always moves around. Even when I give them the twist it lasts for a period of time, but I need to do that again. Sorry they didn't work for you and I agree with @fischersd, send them feedback. I'm going to do the same.
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Regarding really good sounding earbuds, if it wasn't for the poor bluetooth performance, I really enjoyed the Jaybird bluebuds X (original) series. I had a horrendous time with their bluetooth coverage though (was using them with the Apple Watch on my left wrist) - the Jaybird transmitter was on the right and it would cut out as my arm swung when walking. I sent them back (but should have re-configured them for over-the-ear which would have put the transmitter on the left side and alleviated that problem).

They had fantastic range and the best sound quality I've heard in anything comparable for bluetooth.

Go take them (their newest iterations) for a test drive one day soon...they may be a better solution to you than Beats (which is what my alternate is to my AirPods now - Beats wireless X2's - they stand up to the sweat at the gym, the AirPods don't). Oh...and still get comply foam tips for them....SO much better!!! :)
 
Yep, I have the same ones, Jaybuds I believe was the model. They fit well enough except for the ear hook--that always moved around too much. I used Comply foam on them and they held much better. Just as you said though, the bluetooth performance was absolutely lousy. So lousy, I won't even use them.

The thing I'm not wild about with Beats is the lack of soundstage. There's a lot of bass which I like, but the sound is not as rich as I like if that makes sense. Mids are just not there and treble is weak. I'm going to be looking at RHA Audio MA 750 Wireless. They're similar style to BeatsX with many of the same features, but likely the sound quality I'm looking for--at least I hope anyway. And they're sweat/water resistant. If I don't like those, I may go back to Bose and get SoundSports. If I go that route, I won't need Comply tips, but I agree with you. Comply tips make a significant improvement to sound quality AND they're insanely comfortable. Thanks for your comments!
 
Ensyed said:
I just bought AirPods to go w my watch and iPhone. I wore them out on the street and listened to an audiobook for half an hour. Everything was perfect as advertised except that when i took them out it felt like I had bruised my ears. This is the first apple product I haven’t at least liked. Usually I love all of them.
I had tried the beatsX which fit nicely but the too long wire was annoying.

Hope they can do something about the fit. Maybe my ears are extra sensitive.
Click to expand...
[doublepost=1558523083][/doublepost]i just bought some today. they hurt my ears instantly. i have small ears. i swapped them over i.e left to right and vice versa so the long part goes up instead of down. very are comfortable now.
 
jj22 said:
[doublepost=1558523083][/doublepost]
i just bought some today. they hurt my ears instantly. i have small ears. i swapped them over i.e left to right and vice versa so the long part goes up instead of down. very are comfortable now.
Click to expand...

That's genius! I'm going to try swapping them. My ears got really sore after a couple of hours and I was very disappointed.
 
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