Just curious to what you guys think about these headphones. I read a lot of mixed reviews online and I can't decide. They have a great price and are better than the included iphone earbuds, but how is the sound quality (music & calls)? I am not a full-blown audiophile, but I do notice when something doesn't sound right.
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Griffin Tunebuds Mobile
- Thread starter HyQuality
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After debating for a few weeks over what to get for replacement earphones, I finally decided to give into the Tunebuds Mobile and ordered them on Monday. I haven't received them, so I cannot comment on them yet. I wouldn't classify myself as an audiophile but I definately enjoy good sound, but even more importantly, having a comfortable environment to listen to the music in.
I do not like the standard Apple earbuds, I needed an in-ear solution to my future iphone, and I did not want to spend more than $60 or 70$ on a headset, so the griffin tunebuds mobile seemed like the perfect choice.
I am hoping I will be pleased with them when they come in, and to be honest I'm really not too worried about not liking them. My next options for headsets were in the +$150 range, and I did not want to spend near that amount for headphones/mic.
I do not like the standard Apple earbuds, I needed an in-ear solution to my future iphone, and I did not want to spend more than $60 or 70$ on a headset, so the griffin tunebuds mobile seemed like the perfect choice.
I am hoping I will be pleased with them when they come in, and to be honest I'm really not too worried about not liking them. My next options for headsets were in the +$150 range, and I did not want to spend near that amount for headphones/mic.
If you order from Griffin's website - try coupon code "FIREWORKS" I got $5 off when I used it to order my 3g wave case last night.
A year for $40 headphones isn't bad at ALL.... How was the bass/treble? Mic quality?
Yeah, I used the fireworks discount code and got 20% off my entire order. AWESOME! Expires at the end of July though, so hurry up.
Yeah, I used the fireworks discount code and got 20% off my entire order. AWESOME! Expires at the end of July though, so hurry up.
Apple Ink
macrumors 68000
The sound and isolation are simply off the charts considering its $25 (yeah got it for 25) but the way these things crack😡 yuck!
They first get all hard, very tough to bend and then the become brittle. YA BRITTLE! And then folds appear on the wire and finally the wires break off!
I thought that the Tunebuds Mobile just came out recently? I know that they've had the regular tunebuds for a while, but I was pretty sure these are newer earphones. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I think you're right bab, but I think they're basically the same except for the microphone/control. Well I already ordered mine and I just received the email that it shipped today, so I should get it just in time for iFriday. I'll let you know how they are.
Apple Ink
macrumors 68000
Absolutely on point! But a friend bought them too (He caught hold of a 50% off coupon). I saw them and well.... guess what THEY ARE EXACTLY THE SAME!
Hope you dont get them cracked up as I did. Otherwise you should be impressed with how they perform and how much they cost!😉
Do post back with how you find them!
mkrishnan
Moderator emeritus
I haven't gotten the Tunebuds Mobile yet, but I've had several pairs of the EarThumps / Tunebuds / whatever they changed the name to (i.e. the ones that have no microphone). I've never had a pair crack, but if I use them for running, it's fairly common that in about a year one of the channels fails. Once in a while I call them and ask for a warranty replacement and they're very nice about it.
But to be honest, I consider these amazing disposable earphones. They work great, you use them for a year and let them get all sweaty from running, etc, and then you get a new pair. The non-microphone pair can easily be had for $13 shipped on eBay -- $13/yr to have new headphones every year is a great deal to me. Much better than trying to make a pair of $100 earphones last through four or five years of running.
I'm curious about the tunebud mobile's but I have not ordered a pair yet. I can vouch for the headphone component though -- they're really quite good considering their price. They're very bassy, but they come with several sizes of ear grommets to get a good fit, they do a good amount of passive noise isolation, and they sound reasonably good.
If I can find a reasonable price on the miked version, I'm definitely getting some so that my current tunebuds can go 100% to my running iPod and I can use the new ones with my iPhone....
Mine have been shipped and will be arriving on Friday. Hopefully I will not have the cracking problem, but if they can last a year, I consider that worth it, even for $40 (I will definately put them to use). The main reason for me investing in a 3rd party pair of headphones (with mic of course) was because I just can't use the Apple ones due to their shape, they are just too uncomfortable; and forget it if I am doing something requiring me to move a little, they will just fall out of my ears. I also enjoy the seclusion that in-ear headphones offer from outside noises. You get to keep the volume lower and still hear the music at a clear level.
Just over a day to go for my 16 gb Black 3g iPhone!
Just over a day to go for my 16 gb Black 3g iPhone!
Apple Ink
macrumors 68000
Yeah agreed! Had the price been $50, no one would have looked at them but Griffin knows how to hit it right!
Any way, what are you using right now... I mean some time ago, I was in the market for something good & really confused b/w Bose and Shure! In the end I got a very sweet deal on Bose from ebay and I bought the triport!
Am planning to get a good headphone now. Any suggestions?
(please don't recommend the BOSE QC2. I hate noise cancellation. Seems like with the ambient noise, they also cancel out music quality! Besides, they are really expensive!
mkrishnan
Moderator emeritus
Yeah, I'll be curious to see what you think. The only thing I don't like about the tunebud mobile's is that they only come in black. That's my least preferred color, and they've always at least come in white as an alternative. I really like my silver tunebuds -- they go very nicely with both my iPhone and my silver 2nd Gen iPod nano....
My quick review of the Griffin Tunebuds Mobile earphones:
(*disclaimer -- I am no audiophile, but good sounding music is VERY important to me.*)
Well I've been using my Tunebuds for a little over a week now and I'm happy to say that they are pretty damn good. They come with 3 different sized silicone earpieces and a little carry pouch. When I first put them on (using the medium-sized silicones), I pushed them all the way into my ear and turned on the music on my iPhone 3G.
The first thing I noticed was that the music sounded like I was on an airplane... very muffled, like underwater sounding. I pulled them out of my ear and put them back in without pushing them all the way in, and the sound was much better. It just felt weird to me because I was previously using the Apple in-ear headphones and I was used to pushing them all the way in to get the best sound. I also needed to tweak the EQ to "Spoken Word" to get the best sound. Also strange.
The next thing I tried was switching the silicone covers to the smaller size. This made a WORLD of a difference because now I'm able to push them all the way in, get great-sounding music and isolate outside noise. The quality of the sound was very good... not THE BEST, but very good. For a $30 pair of earphones, the sound was unbelievable.
The in-line microphone and control button is AWESOME. I don't know how I ever lived without something like this. The mic quality is excellent and people say that I sound perfect, even while walking down a loud busy NYC street.
It seems as though the Tunebuds are built quite well, with a thick durable cord and solid earpieces. All in all, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND these earphones for any iPhone user. Great value, especially at such an amazing price ($30 from griffin's website!!!).
Sound = 8/10
Durability = 9/10
Mic = 10/10
(*disclaimer -- I am no audiophile, but good sounding music is VERY important to me.*)
Well I've been using my Tunebuds for a little over a week now and I'm happy to say that they are pretty damn good. They come with 3 different sized silicone earpieces and a little carry pouch. When I first put them on (using the medium-sized silicones), I pushed them all the way into my ear and turned on the music on my iPhone 3G.
The first thing I noticed was that the music sounded like I was on an airplane... very muffled, like underwater sounding. I pulled them out of my ear and put them back in without pushing them all the way in, and the sound was much better. It just felt weird to me because I was previously using the Apple in-ear headphones and I was used to pushing them all the way in to get the best sound. I also needed to tweak the EQ to "Spoken Word" to get the best sound. Also strange.
The next thing I tried was switching the silicone covers to the smaller size. This made a WORLD of a difference because now I'm able to push them all the way in, get great-sounding music and isolate outside noise. The quality of the sound was very good... not THE BEST, but very good. For a $30 pair of earphones, the sound was unbelievable.
The in-line microphone and control button is AWESOME. I don't know how I ever lived without something like this. The mic quality is excellent and people say that I sound perfect, even while walking down a loud busy NYC street.
It seems as though the Tunebuds are built quite well, with a thick durable cord and solid earpieces. All in all, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND these earphones for any iPhone user. Great value, especially at such an amazing price ($30 from griffin's website!!!).
Sound = 8/10
Durability = 9/10
Mic = 10/10
Because of this thread I went to the Apple Store to get these Tunebuds, but they did not have them. So, I settled for the V-Mode Vibe Duo for the iPhone... They were $99.95 but they are really amazing. I have only had them for a couple of hours, but they work really well. They have better sound quality than my Bose ear buds. They are so good I could not hear my wife talking to me. I would recommend them to anyone.
Jeff
Jeff
The only reason I did not buy the v-modas is because I read countless posts online saying that they literally fall apart after a few weeks of use. For $100, I would want my earphones to last at least 1-2 years...
I've been playing around with the Tunebuds Mobile and after the initial "burn in", the sound gets much better and I even turned off the EQ completely. Great sound. Especially for 30 DOLLARS
I've been playing around with the Tunebuds Mobile and after the initial "burn in", the sound gets much better and I even turned off the EQ completely. Great sound. Especially for 30 DOLLARS
mkrishnan
Moderator emeritus
I finally ordered a pair of tunebuds mobile this week. Has anyone used Griffin's previous products? HyQuality, you described the cords as "durable" -- and while I've always been happy with my Griffin products, I'd never describe them that way -- they're on the very thin side.
I actually ordered my new pair even though my current tunebuds have gone bad at only about 4 months... Sigh. The two pairs I had before that both lasted a year, which is fine by me, since as I mentioned, I run with them and they get grimy and I'm happy to pay less for them and replace them more frequently. I'm going to return those and ask for a replacement, and in the meantime, I'll actually have a pair with a mic. 🙂
I actually ordered my new pair even though my current tunebuds have gone bad at only about 4 months... Sigh. The two pairs I had before that both lasted a year, which is fine by me, since as I mentioned, I run with them and they get grimy and I'm happy to pay less for them and replace them more frequently. I'm going to return those and ask for a replacement, and in the meantime, I'll actually have a pair with a mic. 🙂
What I meant by "durable" is that the cords are thick, and covered with a fabric matrial.. forgot what it's called. But it feels strong and it's tangle resistant.
mkrishnan
Moderator emeritus
Thanks for the clarification. I'm excited to see mine. That definitely sounds like a design change from the previous generations, then. The previous generation was notably thinner than Apple's headphone wires or most other brands.
mkrishnan
Moderator emeritus
I just wanted to add in my experience with them... the bottom line is that they're what I'm using currently and I love them, but...
My latest pair of tunebuds (not mobile) ended up going bad in one ear after a very short time -- four months, as I mentioned aboe. I decided to contact Griffin but also order a pair of TB Mobile in the meantime, since I wanted them anyway.
The TBM came with the same problem, out of the box! After trying them on several devices and finally getting convinced they were indeed bad, I called Griffin. They were extremely nice, and gave me an RMA for both my silver TBs and my black TBMs.
Anyway, I got my replacement pairs last week and now I'm using the Tunebud Mobiles. I really do think the fabric casing is a great idea, and I hope it makes them more durable. I think it keeps them looking nicer, too, since the plastic cable gets dirty very easily if one sweats, e.g. running.
The earbud design is slightly different than past Griffin buds, but I like it a lot. The medium size plugs (the one that come on the buds when you get them) are perfect for me, which is a welcome change from the standard Apple earbuds (I don't know whose ears they were thinking of when they designed those things, but they're certainly not very usable in my ears...). Of course larger and smaller buds are still included. I'm actually using the little fabric zipper case that comes with them, too, at least when they're in my briefcase (not when they're in my pocket), to see if I can't be slightly more gentle with them.
Also very happy with the microphone. I made and received calls outside in the city and inside stores and was very satisfied. ffff
So, after the rocky start, I'm loving mine! 🙂
My latest pair of tunebuds (not mobile) ended up going bad in one ear after a very short time -- four months, as I mentioned aboe. I decided to contact Griffin but also order a pair of TB Mobile in the meantime, since I wanted them anyway.
The TBM came with the same problem, out of the box! After trying them on several devices and finally getting convinced they were indeed bad, I called Griffin. They were extremely nice, and gave me an RMA for both my silver TBs and my black TBMs.
Anyway, I got my replacement pairs last week and now I'm using the Tunebud Mobiles. I really do think the fabric casing is a great idea, and I hope it makes them more durable. I think it keeps them looking nicer, too, since the plastic cable gets dirty very easily if one sweats, e.g. running.
The earbud design is slightly different than past Griffin buds, but I like it a lot. The medium size plugs (the one that come on the buds when you get them) are perfect for me, which is a welcome change from the standard Apple earbuds (I don't know whose ears they were thinking of when they designed those things, but they're certainly not very usable in my ears...). Of course larger and smaller buds are still included. I'm actually using the little fabric zipper case that comes with them, too, at least when they're in my briefcase (not when they're in my pocket), to see if I can't be slightly more gentle with them.
Also very happy with the microphone. I made and received calls outside in the city and inside stores and was very satisfied. ffff
So, after the rocky start, I'm loving mine! 🙂
senorFunkyPants
macrumors 6502
I had recently bought some TBMs but they were slightly faulty..but full marks to Griffin (USA) for their customer service, especially noteworthy since I live in the UK and bought the TBMs from an online shop based in the USA. Griffin are sending me a replacement pair, excellent.
mkrishnan
Moderator emeritus
Yes, this is the second time I've appealed to their customer service (another pair failed right around a year, and usually I let that go, because my running is hard on them, but I sort of ask for a replacement maybe every other time that happens or something), and both times, they've been extremely friendly. Now I have replacement TB's as a spare and the mobiles that I'm using happily. But I really think they've done such a nice job with the TBM's that they're worth going with instead of the no-microphone ones.