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Ear bud quailty?

C

cubedweller

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 25, 2007
305
52
Is it me or has the quality in the ear buds gone down dramatically since the original iPod. I have some ear buds from an iPod I purchased a few years ago and they are far superior to the new ear buds that came with my iPhone 3G. I don't remember if the ear buds that shipped with the original iPhone were as bad as these but I can hardly use them.

First off, the cord (cable/what-have-you) is so thin and flimsy that they don't really stay in my ears like the older ones did/do. I believe the weight of the cord keeps them secure in your ears. This effect is now gone and I cannot use my ear buds for anything other than sitting at my desk. :/

As far as sound quality they appear to be identical. It's really disappointing though as my old ear buds just started to give way (rattling in the right bud) and I was planning on replacing them with the new ones with the MIC -- this won't happen though because I can't run with the new generation ear buds. :(

Anyone else notice this?

~E
 
Apple is making cuts in cost constantly :p

The 4G iPod came with a dock, wall charger, and all this other stuff. Now all iPods come with are earbuds and a USB cable.

Anyway, any iPod owner should throw away the included earbuds and get something that actually sounds decent. Although the shures the other guy suggested are decent, the ER-6is are generally thought of as better earphones for that price-range.
 
Don't expect much quality from "over hyped apple products" like iphone or macbook air when it first got out! They don't care much about QC when moving 400K units per week.
 
trunksu said:
won't u lose the microphone though if you get those?
Click to expand...

The Shure's have an optional microphone adaptor, your can just use that and plug in whatever headphones you want. But it was designed to replace part of the Shure's headphone's so you will end up with a really long cable if you use it with another brand of headphones.

I'll post a pic to explain shortly... we've been threw this before in another thread.
 
The old earbuds had a plastic shell on the wires. The new ones are rubber. Supposedly the rubber won't retain the shape they were left in. The guys at the Genius Bar thought the Rubber ones were better.

I use mine, since most other earbud systems are to large, or require the foam covers which bother me.

There are companies that make separate mics that you can then attach headphones of your choice.

I'm still waiting for an adapter for an aviation headset so I can use it's built in mic, and maybe even the PTT button on them to control the iPod functions. Then again, I may make one myself.

TEG
 
Hey, it's kinda funny. When I was viewing this thread the attached photo was the ad at the bottom of the page:
 

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The item on the right is the mic adaptor it replaces the cable in the middle which come with your Shure SE210's. So you have the same length of headphones with the added mic and iPod functions.
 

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wow very cool. thanks for the 411. i've never bought good quality headphones before so i have no clue what the difference is between good ones vs the apple headphones.

i always thought the headphones that came with the phone were good (and original reviews had said it was good too). but i'm now reconsidering, sounds like a good investment.

the only issue i have is i listen to my ipod at the gym and use the "clicker" alot. i prob would miss that feature alot.
 
lol i have never used the iPhone earbuds yet, neither my original iPhone nor my iPhone 3G yet. i still use my iPod headphones from my 3rd generation 15gb iPod since 2004 :eek: but it still works. i just don't want to ruin good headphones when i have plenty around from other old iPods
 
RobLikesBrunch said:
Apple is making cuts in cost constantly :p

The 4G iPod came with a dock, wall charger, and all this other stuff. Now all iPods come with are earbuds and a USB cable.

Anyway, any iPod owner should throw away the included earbuds and get something that actually sounds decent. Although the shures the other guy suggested are decent, the ER-6is are generally thought of as better earphones for that price-range.
Click to expand...

Everything I've been reading puts the shures over the ER-6. Are you comparing that particular model of shures to the ER-6? Im interested to know what you mean.
 
Cynicalone said:
The item on the right is the mic adaptor it replaces the cable in the middle which come with your Shure SE210's. So you have the same length of headphones with the added mic and iPod functions.
Click to expand...

Shure is probably the best company I have seen in the headset industry yet. I have been using shure headphones for over 3 years now and now I'm on the the SE310 model which i purchased 4-5 months ago. Yes they are pricey, but if you don't mind the price no doubt you will like 'em! I heard good reviews about the se210 too. But decided to choose the SE310 to see the difference.

Customer Service is superb too, let me add my experience with them so people could see, Last year I had a different model headphones (shure E2C) and one side of the headphones stopped working after 6 months. I print out the service sheet from their website and shipped them for repair . Not more than a week passed and they immediately sent me a replacement unit (not in retail packaging). It was brand new with the extra ear tips.

I am not affiliate of the company, just a happy camper. Just wanted to share my experience with them.
 
i have been looking into getting the shure for a while now... currently saving up.

how much is the mic adaptor by shure?
 
NiroshanMan said:
lol i have never used the iPhone earbuds yet, neither my original iPhone nor my iPhone 3G yet. i still use my iPod headphones from my 3rd generation 15gb iPod since 2004 :eek: but it still works. i just don't want to ruin good headphones when i have plenty around from other old iPods
Click to expand...
Why would you do that when they are the same earbuds minus a very convenient mic???
 
well if he's like me, then he doesnt want the mic on it. i want to be able to pick up calls and hold the phone to my ear, instead of looking like a retartd. with the phone in my hand. and all these wires dangling from my ears.
 
bubbagumpshrimp said:
Why would you do that when they are the same earbuds minus a very convenient mic???
Click to expand...

lol i don't talk on the phone with headphones on lol. i'd rather talk through the iPhone mic too. Also its a reselling point, keeping all of your stuff nice. Oh yea ive never used my iPhone usb cable nor ac adapter, since i have like 4 usb cables from iPods and 2 usb adapters and mostly charge from my macbook.

always gotta think one step ahead, if you wanna sell it you can make more money if its nice and clean. even if i just bought it.
 
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