I am getting tired of headphones.

[steve knight]

I have gone through for more headphones (earbuds) then I should. The problem started with the iphone. I first went with cheap earbuds and mic adapters. I work in a woodworking shop and with all the dust and cords getting caught they did not last. or the jack going into the phone would give up the ghost.
started with better headphones then just the jacks would go bad. sometimes only 2 to 3 weeks.
I finally went to hanging my phone around my neck (changing to an armband next week) because that keeps the cord out of the way. I have not had a set of headphones go bad since. But Now I am dealing with headphones that don't work. I have been happy with the klipsch headphones but that they don't work right. I found they inserted too far into my iphone 4's jack and as I walked the talk button would engage and do all kinds of things. I found a washer of paper with some super glue took care of it and now they work perfectly.
I bought some V-MODA Vibe Duo's as I got them for about 20.00 I was very happy with them till I lost them. so I buy two more pairs off of ebay and the button won't work or the mic on either one. I find the jack is way longer then the others by about .02 two hundredths of a inch. after playing I found about 7 pieces of paper (tractor feed edges are great) Let the mic button work but not the mic.
I emailed the company and they said well they are not compatible with the iphone 4. Well they are but not for volume of course.

so is my phone wacky or have others had this problem? I don't know of anyone else that has a iphone 4 to test them on. they work fine on a 3gs.

 

[oakie]

first, dont buy items like this off ebay since much of it are knockoffs.

second, i have etymotic hf3's, ultimate ears 5 pro customs, and apple in-ear dual driver buds and all of them fit the 3.5mm jack just fine. the apple and etymotics both have inline controls and they work as advertised as well as both being advertised to work with the iPhone4.

if you dont need the controls, sony's EX premium MDR-EX76 have a short cable of only 2ft to help it stay out of the way, with an included 2ft extension if you need it.

but if you need the inline mic and controls, all i can recommend is a better quality brand from a respectable retailer. the higher quality brands will stand behind their product when purchased from an authorized, full service retailer. btw, the v-modas are really, really poor quality earphones all around.

 

[vincenz]

Ditto, don't buy headphones off ebay. Especially Sennheiser in-ears... There must have been more fake ones sold than real over the years.

 

[steve knight]

I would not buy high end off of ebay. but these are the real thing. But I don't need great ones i only listen to audio books and they get broken too much. All I really need is the mic button so I can answer calls.

what I want to do is take them to the apple store and see if they work on another iphone 4. they worked fine on a 3gs.
My last klipsch (not bought off ebay) have the same issues and have had them with three pairs. So I need to know if it is my phone or the earbuds.

 

[Beezy]

I am a carpenter as well. I run the cord under my shirt it stays out of the way just fine. I had 4 pairs in a year. They just go. I just look for cheap ones that sound ok. I bought a pair at Lowes of all places. 7 bucks they sound as good as the Sony's that I paid 25 bucks for. Not saying much but hey work. Lots of bass if you are into that.

 

[steve knight]

I did the shirt thing but the cord from my pocket to the shirt was enough to get hooked on a tool. but sometimes when I removed them from my ears they would fall out of my shirt and get hooked or stepped on. so I try to keep the cost around 25. but I do need a mic. Now that I have eliminated the plug issue I have a bit more to choose from. but I need to find if others have had problems with the iphone 4

 

[Beezy]

I wear ear muffs over mine. That's one thing I would love to have is ear muffs with high quality headphone speakers built in and blutooth. They actually do make these but they go from 300 up to over a 1000 dollars. Thats way too much. Even if they had senhieser drivers in them it's too much. Someday maybe these will come down I would love to have a pair.

 

[steve knight]

I had couple of the earmuffs with built in speakers and sound reduction. they did not hold up and they were expensive. I was disappointed with the peltors.
so I wend with buds under them on cheap headphones and I cut the band and wedged them into the cufffs.
but I found the klipsch block enough noise so if I am not using a screaming tool they work pretty well.
Ok I went to the mac store and found someone with a iphone 4 and tested the problem earbuds and the mic would not work either.
so it seems the iphone 4 is much more picky about having earbuds with the volume control then most. even though I used the same earbuds before with great results.

 

[eastercat]

Griffin makes a little cord that has the answer button, so you can use whatever headphones you want with them.

 

[steve knight]

I have used them for awhile but the plugs kept going bad on them. but that was when I was putting my phone in my pocket. But I do see they have a new one with volume control.
But I just checked and the new ones only have a 8" cord on them so the mic would not be much use unless you hold the mic in place while using it. I just have to fork over a bit more for headphones. it's not so bad now since they don't get damaged like they used too.

 

[Roadking]

Why not purchase some bluetooth headsets? Then you don't have to worry about cords or the jack at all.

Motorola S9 or S10 or several others out there that would do the job for you.

Only problem is remembering to charge them up.

Well that and I guess their battery life...

 

[steve knight]

I had thought of going that way but you can't really wear them with ear muffs.
Plus I need a mic so i can talk on the phone. Not sure I would want the hassle of needing two pairs to make it through the day though. but getting rid of wires would be very good.

 

[labman]

Try A-Jays Four I have tried many sets and I am finally happy with my Jays! Also at $70 they are priced right!

and check this!

http://synamatiq.com/2011/02/04/audiophiles-the-best-headphones-on-the-market/

 

[steve knight]

those may be the way to go. the cord looks strong the plug is good. when I was going through earbuds I did not want to invest much since they did not last. but I have most of that worked out. But I also only listen to audiobooks games and a movie once in awhile so I don't need the best sound.

 

[wildrage]

Stereo Bluetooth is the way to go. I was wary at first, but I started using them about 2 years ago, and could never go back to cords again.

Almost all stereo bluetooth headsets also have a built in Mic, but their biggest selling point for me is the controls that are incorporated into the headset. The come in many different styles, from over the ear, traditional, and I believe there are wireless earbuds floating around (although I sort of question the design).

I typically get around 20 hours per charge, but different models vary.