Apple ear buds

[MrTroy]

About a week ago the left ear bud stopped working on the ear buds that came with my iPhone. I honestly didn't expect them to last that long so it wasn't a huge deal. I still use them every day as they have the built in mic and I can still hear the calls on the right ear bud.

Yesterday I started getting odd behavior whenever I plugged in the ear buds. Such as music starting to play as soon as they are plugged in, although when looking at the screen you see the pause/play button going back and forth as if someone is pressing it rapidly. Additionally, once this stops happening Siri somehow gets activated, but eventually she times out and goes away. The last straw was last evening when in the middle of a FaceTime call I plugged in the ear buds and the call abruptly ended and music started playing. Today I did a full restore and no such luck as the issue remains.

I have tried using my other set of non-apple ear buds and the issue does not occur, so this leads me to believe that the issue resides with the ear buds. Is this something I need to take into the Apple Store? Would they even replace only the ear buds? Or should I just chuck the buds and forget about them?

Thoughts?

 

[SandboxGeneral]

You could probably bring them into an Apple Store if the phone is still under warranty and they would replace them. But honestly, those Apple earbuds suck!

If you want some quality sound and durability, you should shop around for a nice set of after-market earbuds. Check user reviews on Amazon or your favorite shopping site.

 

[cambookpro]

Seriously, just drop those buds and run away from them.
They are really uncomfortable, have awful sound quality, and fall out all the time.

Save yourself the trouble of going to Apple, and pick up a new pair, even if they are only £20ish. Anything are better than those. Despite making the best music players, Apple make surprisingly woeful headphones. Their in-ear ones are quite good though, just a bit more expensive.

 

[visim91]

If you've been stuck listening

to music out of those tinny Apple headphones, it is high time you made a change:

Thank me later.

 

[w00t951]

The Klipsch S4's or S4i's are excellent. $59.99. The "i" denotes an in-line mike/remote.

 

[thatoneguy82]

Apple easily replaces those. I've been to the Apple store many times and when someone brings in a broken ear bud, they replace it on the stop. Took less than a minute for a switch.

 

[MrTroy]

Thank you for all the replies.

I spoke with Apple on the phone and they said they would send me out new ones but the kicker is they would need to do a $79 hold on my credit card until they received the old ones back. That seems high, especially when the ear buds are $29. I could go to the Apple store, but that is nearly an hour away. Seems like it would be a waste of time to drive that far for some ear buds.

I will agree the ear buds are terrible, and I would love to have something much better. I currently have some Bose in ear headphones that I received as a gift and I am quite happy with those. But they lack the microphone. I am certainly no audiophile, but would the Klipsch S4i's be comparable/better than the Bose ear buds I have now?

 

[iSayuSay]

Fine .. they can hold onto $79 from your credit card, but you don't want standard Apple earbuds replacement. Tell them you want Apple in-ear headphone instead

 

[visim91]

Thank you for all the replies.

I spoke with Apple on the phone and they said they would send me out new ones but the kicker is they would need to do a $79 hold on my credit card until they received the old ones back. That seems high, especially when the ear buds are $29. I could go to the Apple store, but that is nearly an hour away. Seems like it would be a waste of time to drive that far for some ear buds.

I will agree the ear buds are terrible, and I would love to have something much better. I currently have some Bose in ear headphones that I received as a gift and I am quite happy with those. But they lack the microphone. I am certainly no audiophile, but would the Klipsch S4i's be comparable/better than the Bose ear buds I have now?

Let me try and say this as kindly as possible: Bose suck.

You'll love the Klipsch s4i

 

[w00t951]

Bose makes great over ear headphones, but their in ear phones (I've tried a couple, and I finally switched after a year of bad fit and muddy sound) are terrible. Go with Klipsch; they're cheaper and sound better.

 

[redsoxfan320]

Even if you decide to get a new pair of non-Apple headphones, I would still bring in the broken ones and switch them out for new ones, just for a backup pair. Its up to you if you want to spend some money on new earbuds but I know from experience that Apple replaces headphones without an issue. Didn't even need to show proof of purchase for my iPod. They just opened up a headphone box, gave me the buds and that was it.

 

[MrTroy]

redsoxfan320

That is what I plan on doing. It is always nice to have a backup pair in case something goes bad.

Although, I have already ordered the Klipsch due to the overwhelming recommendations I have received in this thread. I'm looking forward to testing these new buds out.

 

[Leonard1818]

I've been looking into some aftermarket ones as well. Found some Sony ones on amazon with good reviews. Must have inline mic

 

[LithePanther]

Sorry to jump in here but would anyone have a suggestion for clip on headphones? The ones that hook over your ears so they stay in place.

 

[verwon]

Sorry to jump in here but would anyone have a suggestion for clip on headphones? The ones that hook over your ears so they stay in place.

I've always like Skullcandy, but I don't know if they still make the ones they had like that.

 

[thatoneguy82]

Try Dre Beats - Tour HD with ControlTalk In-Ear. (Made by Monster)

You will hear on both sides that this sucks to or it's great. I think it's great. I have had it for almost a year and I have had no problems. Sounds come out well, as do the bass. The earbuds form an extremely tight fit into your ear that pretty much isolates you. Not totally, but significantly. I don't think Bose can do that as it is over the ear. It comes with a lot of "moldings" for your ears so you can achieve it, too. Also, I've had Bose and I have Bose products but when it comes to earphones, I think the Dre Beats are better. But the decision is yours to make.

http://www.amazon.com/Beats-Tour-Mobile-Control-Headphones/dp/B002EL4RI4/ref=pd_cp_e_1
That's for the page that's setup by Monster. Other one is third party and hard to trust due to many fakes.

 

[Diode]

Check out ultimate buds - he replaces the ear buds on the iPhone cord with better quality aftermarket headphones. So you get the best of both worlds - the iPhone cord and an aftermarket head set.

 

[Tophersky]

These are the best sounding earbuds I have ever owned. They get better with age, and with the foam tips, with a good seal...sound absolutely fantastic. And @ a great price too! I am on my second pair, due to wire wear near the plug, I'm guessing from removing them from my iPod to put them back in their case.

 

[SurferMan]

Even on the low end the Skull Candies are excellent compared to the Apple Earbuds.... Apple's headphones are horrible

 

[visim91]

redsoxfan320

That is what I plan on doing. It is always nice to have a backup pair in case something goes bad.

Although, I have already ordered the Klipsch due to the overwhelming recommendations I have received in this thread. I'm looking forward to testing these new buds out.

That is a sound decision. Pun intended.
They'll sound great right out of the box and, here's the kicker, after a few weeks of use - or "breaking in" - the sound will transcend all expectations; just jaw-dropping.

 

[AlphaVictor87]

Man i guess i must be the only one in the world that loves the buds that come with the phone.

I'm still using the pair i got with my 3gs almost 2 years ago.

I haven't touched the ones that came with my 4s yet because my original ones are still good to go.

OP: as for the $79 hold, it sounds like they are trying to send you the in ear buds, rather than the regular buds that come with the phone. Then when they see you sent them regular ones, they might try to charge you the difference. I'd say go into an apple store rather than online.

 

[Grayburn]

Try Dre Beats - Tour HD with ControlTalk In-Ear. (Made by Monster)

You will hear on both sides that this sucks to or it's great. I think it's great. I have had it for almost a year and I have had no problems. Sounds come out well, as do the bass. The earbuds form an extremely tight fit into your ear that pretty much isolates you. Not totally, but significantly. I don't think Bose can do that as it is over the ear. It comes with a lot of "moldings" for your ears so you can achieve it, too. Also, I've had Bose and I have Bose products but when it comes to earphones, I think the Dre Beats are better. But the decision is yours to make.

I so wanted to like these.They did sound good but felt very fragile.None of the ear tips gave a tight fit for me and this made them fall out when i was walking or when i turnt my head.

Back using my Sennheisers.

 

[Drunken Master]

Bose makes great over ear headphones, but their in ear phones (I've tried a couple, and I finally switched after a year of bad fit and muddy sound) are terrible. Go with Klipsch; they're cheaper and sound better.

I like ear buds, but I don't like these new ones that jam themselves deep into my ear like the Klipsch ones.

At least the Apple ones aren't trying to set up an apartment in my inner ear. What would you guys recommend for normal, non-invasive ear buds?

 

[xraytech]

About a week ago the left ear bud stopped working on the ear buds that came with my iPhone. I honestly didn't expect them to last that long so it wasn't a huge deal. I still use them every day as they have the built in mic and I can still hear the calls on the right ear bud.

Yesterday I started getting odd behavior whenever I plugged in the ear buds. Such as music starting to play as soon as they are plugged in, although when looking at the screen you see the pause/play button going back and forth as if someone is pressing it rapidly. Additionally, once this stops happening Siri somehow gets activated, but eventually she times out and goes away. The last straw was last evening when in the middle of a FaceTime call I plugged in the ear buds and the call abruptly ended and music started playing. Today I did a full restore and no such luck as the issue remains.

I have tried using my other set of non-apple ear buds and the issue does not occur, so this leads me to believe that the issue resides with the ear buds. Is this something I need to take into the Apple Store? Would they even replace only the ear buds? Or should I just chuck the buds and forget about them?

Thoughts?

Sounds like there is some sort of short. Just ditch them and get a new pair.

 

[Steve Slobs]

If your looking to get the best bang for your buck, go with JVC Marshmallows. They are hands down the best in ear phones for under 20. Have yet to find a better sounding set for the same price. I listen to all genres, from classic jazz all the way to dubstep/DnB and these have the best bass….for under $20.