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In-Ear Headphones: Still Waiting

There have been so many great suggestions here, for apple-alternative headphones, which will sound better, but are there any other in-ears that have the remote control? play/pause/next etc?
I love my Grado SR-80's, but the size, and especially the open-air nature, make me want a back-up. I'm also tired of bringing along my Apple radio-remote. More cables!
Thanks.
 
wpc33 said:
There have been so many great suggestions here, for apple-alternative headphones, which will sound better, but are there any other in-ears that have the remote control? play/pause/next etc?
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Both the ultimate ears and the griffin tunebuds mobile do
 
My guess is that they'll ship along with iPhone firmware 2.2, which will (surprise, surprise!) support the volume control.

I also suspect they're ready to ship now, but Apple are holding fire to delay their competitor's attempts at reverse-engineering them - specifically how the volume UP/DOWN signals are sent down the wire.

So the 'buds will come out alongside 2.2 (whenever that's ready) and the hordes absolutely dying for headphones with a full remote control (inc volume) will have only one place to buy. Clever.
 
I find the anti-Bose sentiment to contain a hint of irony... overpriced, overhyped, you can do better for less. All of these arguments are used by people who bash those of us who choose to pay the Mac premium. And like the Bose arguments, they are right and wrong and it really comes down to personal preference.

Again, Bose is not garbage, as some have suggested. They may have a lousy bang:buck ratio, but so do many Apple products, yet we choose them because of less quantifiable values - great resale, we prefer the OS, we *gasp* like the design... but it can be equally argued that you can get a PC for half the price which can do everything the Mac can do and more.

It can also be argued that when you're buying a Mac, you're paying a premium for design and marketing... just like with Bose. I know I paid too much for my Bose in-ear buds, but they are supremely comfortable and sound good enough with a mediocre-sounding product like an iPod or iPhone. After all, I have some great AKGs and a good headphones amp for more ideal home listening. Did I pay more for fancy design and marketing? Yes, but I own Macs too.
 
yadmonkey said:
I find the anti-Bose sentiment to contain a hint of irony... overpriced, overhyped, you can do better for less. All of these arguments are used by people who bash those of us who choose to pay the Mac premium. And like the Bose arguments, they are right and wrong and it really comes down to personal preference.
Click to expand...
Actually, I'm using Avi Neutron IVs with external amp packs as my close field monitors, and currently looking to buy some very expensive (to me) speakers (Beolab 5s –*yes, that's a whole 'nother can of worms) and yet I say that BOSE is hyped among consumers, that they are overpriced for what you get, and that you can do better both in audio quality and build quality, for less. Isn't it funny, how that works out?


Again, Bose is not garbage, as some have suggested. They may have a lousy bang:buck ratio, but so do many Apple products, yet we choose them because of less quantifiable values - great resale, we prefer the OS, we *gasp* like the design... but it can be equally argued that you can get a PC for half the price which can do everything the Mac can do and more.

It can also be argued that when you're buying a Mac, you're paying a premium for design and marketing... just like with Bose. I know I paid too much for my Bose in-ear buds, but they are supremely comfortable and sound good enough with a mediocre-sounding product like an iPod or iPhone. After all, I have some great AKGs and a good headphones amp for more ideal home listening. Did I pay more for fancy design and marketing? Yes, but I own Macs too.
Click to expand...

You also paid a whole lot for less than comparable build quality.
 
yadmonkey said:
I find the anti-Bose sentiment to contain a hint of irony... overpriced, overhyped, you can do better for less. All of these arguments are used by people who bash those of us who choose to pay the Mac premium. And like the Bose arguments, they are right and wrong and it really comes down to personal preference.

Again, Bose is not garbage, as some have suggested. They may have a lousy bang:buck ratio, but so do many Apple products, yet we choose them because of less quantifiable values - great resale, we prefer the OS, we *gasp* like the design... but it can be equally argued that you can get a PC for half the price which can do everything the Mac can do and more.

It can also be argued that when you're buying a Mac, you're paying a premium for design and marketing... just like with Bose. I know I paid too much for my Bose in-ear buds, but they are supremely comfortable and sound good enough with a mediocre-sounding product like an iPod or iPhone. After all, I have some great AKGs and a good headphones amp for more ideal home listening. Did I pay more for fancy design and marketing? Yes, but I own Macs too.
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I was just about to say that lol. Funny how mac owners say bose are overpriced, yet clearly macs are overpriced as well, considering the fact everything costs double. i bought my macbook for $1400 and could have gotten the same specs for $700 on a pc. but i was willing to pay double for convienece, elegance, and leopard. its just personal preference.
 
yadmonkey said:
I find the anti-Bose sentiment to contain a hint of irony... overpriced, overhyped, you can do better for less. All of these arguments are used by people who bash those of us who choose to pay the Mac premium. And like the Bose arguments, they are right and wrong and it really comes down to personal preference.

Again, Bose is not garbage, as some have suggested. They may have a lousy bang:buck ratio, but so do many Apple products, yet we choose them because of less quantifiable values - great resale, we prefer the OS, we *gasp* like the design... but it can be equally argued that you can get a PC for half the price which can do everything the Mac can do and more.

It can also be argued that when you're buying a Mac, you're paying a premium for design and marketing... just like with Bose. I know I paid too much for my Bose in-ear buds, but they are supremely comfortable and sound good enough with a mediocre-sounding product like an iPod or iPhone. After all, I have some great AKGs and a good headphones amp for more ideal home listening. Did I pay more for fancy design and marketing? Yes, but I own Macs too.
Click to expand...
Except the one important detail you left out. If you want to use OSX legally, you don't have any other choice. I have a choice not to buy garbage speakers.
 
Overcast do you have some personal vendetta against Bose? Did your girlfriend leave you to go work for them?
 
elmateo487 said:
This is extremely retarded.

Apple CAN come out and at LEAST say. "We apologize... the item has been delayed", and THAT'S IT! Although not as respectable, its much better than leaving everyone waiting, as they silently keep pushing back the product.

Nice.
Click to expand...

I second this.

Balls
 
wpc33 said:
There have been so many great suggestions here, for apple-alternative headphones, which will sound better, but are there any other in-ears that have the remote control? play/pause/next etc?
I love my Grado SR-80's, but the size, and especially the open-air nature, make me want a back-up. I'm also tired of bringing along my Apple radio-remote. More cables!
Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have the Grado's too.

Wicked, but won't fit over a posh fedora!

fedora.jpg
 
I don't understand the people who bash Bose. If it sounds good to someone else, why are you trying to convince them that it doesn't sound good? :confused: Not only is it something you really have no stake in, it doesn't even make any sense. How can you tell me something doesn't sound good if I think it does (FYI, I don't own any bose products, but I've heard their earphone before and I do like the sound)?

I currently use V-moda duos with my iphone and they sound really good (at least to me - but maybe my ears deceive me :rolleyes:). But my complaint is that the cord/mic tends to catch on whatever I'm wearing, whereas the supplied apple buds never did, so I would like to give these new apple earphones a try if they ever get released.
 
Not to fan the flames, but my local Apple store actually showcases Bose headphones. Every iPhone on display has a pair of them plugged in. Considering the "overpriced!" baggage Bose has on its image, not a good association for Apple to encourage.
 
Wow....

I love how we move from discussing Apple in-ears in first 10 posts to all audio gadgets EXCEPT Apple's in the rest!

LOL
 
The other part of the anti-Bose irony which I've touched on... you need a decent headphones amp to drive decent headphones. For testing purposes, I just connected my AKG studio headphones to my iPhone and iPod and of course those devices just can't drive them. The max volume is limited and sound quality is a joke compared to what a real headphones amp offers.

So really, when it comes to a mediocre-sounding product like an iPhone or iPod, it's kinda silly to buy really good headphones because you're limited by the sound source. But it's not silly to buy headphones which offer you the greatest comfort, which Bose products excel at. I've tried plenty of other buds and phones which sound better, but none more comfortable.

But I'm a musician, not an "audiophile". The best sound systems I've ever heard are my acoustic instruments. I wonder if they would sound real enough for some so-called audiophiles. I also wonder if the audiophiles who are so worried about maximum audio fidelity really hear the music behind the sound. When I hear a thin-sounding old jazz record on a mediocre iPod through mediocre headphones, I get goosebumps. Of course I prefer my more ideal home setup, but the day I stop getting goosebumps in the less-than-ideal situations is the day I stop being a musician. Maybe then I can fill the black hole in my soul by obsessing about fidelity and talking trash about lesser audio products on internet forums.
 
Arran said:
Fly a lot too. I bought a $300 pair of Shures a few years ago, but could never get a good seal to block external noise. They also sounded very tinny but, again, that was due to a poor seal. Other people love them however, so I think I just have odd-shaped ear canals.
Click to expand...

Maybe you should try getting custom IEMs? $300 can get you a pretty decent custom these days.

Btw, for those comparing Bose to Apple, the argument does not even stand. Bose does not have a superior design, quality or ease of use, nor do they give you less headache by eliminating viruses. Bose is comfortable, but by no means the most comfortable IEMs, and their design is nothing to write home about. They are far smaller, more elegant designs out there. Plus, what is so convenient about Bose earphones?
 
Yeah, I'm not going to argue that Bose compares to Apple in terms of overall value and quality... I guess I'm more reacting to those who describe their products as garbage. Overpriced? Yes. Overhyped? For sure. But garbage? No way. I really have nothing against most audiophiles, but there's a certain contingent of audiosnobs I have difficulty stomaching.
 
shrub said:
and have to conclude that a well encoded 128kbps AAC/MP3 track is almost indisdinguishable from any higher bitrate compression (including lossless formats) when played on the iPhone.
Click to expand...

Maybe people who love to play and listen to music disagree with you, and can tell the difference.

I think everyone here who really know what they're talking about would agree with me that 128kbps aacs or mp3s are more than distinguishable from higher bitrates on an iphone
 
Sounds like the 2.2 fw is whats going to do it for the headphones. Apple just released a patch for the nano that will enable the headphones to work. probably same for the iphone/touch
 
Audio or Mic

I've been reading a lot of comments about the sound quality of different ear buds and how these new apple ear buds will compare. I can appreciate good sound quality, but all these super-nice cans and sets don't have that mic and volume control do they? That's what I'm really looking for. Decent sound and the mic/controller. I bought a pair of Sen CX400s. They sound great to me but no mic/controller. I bought the igriffin mic but it's really inconvenient having 2 separate cables and having to deal with that. I do hope that the new apple ear buds work with the iphone. As mentioned before, the apple site doesn't mention any compatibility to the iphone at all.
 
yadmonkey said:
I find the anti-Bose sentiment to contain a hint of irony... overpriced, overhyped, you can do better for less. All of these arguments are used by people who bash those of us who choose to pay the Mac premium. And like the Bose arguments, they are right and wrong and it really comes down to personal preference.

Again, Bose is not garbage, as some have suggested. They may have a lousy bang:buck ratio, but so do many Apple products, yet we choose them because of less quantifiable values - great resale, we prefer the OS, we *gasp* like the design... but it can be equally argued that you can get a PC for half the price which can do everything the Mac can do and more.

It can also be argued that when you're buying a Mac, you're paying a premium for design and marketing... just like with Bose. I know I paid too much for my Bose in-ear buds, but they are supremely comfortable and sound good enough with a mediocre-sounding product like an iPod or iPhone. After all, I have some great AKGs and a good headphones amp for more ideal home listening. Did I pay more for fancy design and marketing? Yes, but I own Macs too.
Click to expand...

Thank you. You so eloquently put into words what I had been thinking throughout this entire thread...
 
nanvinnie said:
I've been reading a lot of comments about the sound quality of different ear buds and how these new apple ear buds will compare. I can appreciate good sound quality, but all these super-nice cans and sets don't have that mic and volume control do they? That's what I'm really looking for. Decent sound and the mic/controller. I bought a pair of Sen CX400s. They sound great to me but no mic/controller. I bought the igriffin mic but it's really inconvenient having 2 separate cables and having to deal with that. I do hope that the new apple ear buds work with the iphone. As mentioned before, the apple site doesn't mention any compatibility to the iphone at all.
Click to expand...

Actually, this is something I've wondered about... I think most decent headphones devices lack inline volume because they're potential for signal degradation at any interruption point. But Apple's unit looks like it might be different - that the headphones themselves might not change the volume, but simply signal the device to do so. Pretty neat, if that's the case.

X5-452, cheers!
 
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