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ipod headphones vs in-ear headphones

S

sjjordan

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 10, 2003
296
1
United States
I'm thinking of purchasing the in-ear headphones from apple. Before I do, I was wondering if anyone had tried out both types and could give me a comparison of which is better. I figured the in-ear headphones would fit better, but I really don't want to lose any sound quality over the ipod headphones.

Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks
 
Tried both, bought a pair of in ear headphones.

In my opinion they are absolutely worthless. You might check a site like ipodlounge (??) for a review, but as far as i'm concerned, they are as usefull to an ipod as a fish need a bike.

Really really bad...... if they costed like, 5 bucks, i'd say, buy them for the heck of it, try them.....

And don't get me wrong, im not some sort of high strung, audio maniac... i just enjoy a good tune, but the in ear things just don't deliver.

Cuckoo
 
i've never used them, and have been wondering the same thing... but i've heard very mixed reviews... from being very uncomfortable to being super good fitting...

as far as sound quality, i think i've heard that the bass is not so great...

i second cuckoo as far as checking out ipodlounge.. maybe you'll find another pair of headphones that are better, cheaper, and are less likely to get you mugged (unless that's what you want to happen)

but if you're happy with your stock headphones, i'd stick with them (i'll find out how much i like them on friday :D)

reality
 
Dont waste your money on the in ear headphones.... they really have no bass at all. The ones that come with the iPod I have been very happy with. Great range of sound, 20-20,000 Hz.
 
Depends on your type of music

I have been using my in-ear Apple headphones for about two months now and I am enjoying them but with a few nuances. First off I broke the original headphones that came with my 1st gen 5G ipod, and wanted to replace them with something simular. I love seeing others around Downtown Minneapolis with their white headphones on. There is this very wierd connecting that occurs when two people with iPods cross paths, especially when she's cute. Since the only headphones Apple sold before releasing the in-ear ones were bundled with the remote that was not conmpatible with my 1st gen. I was so excited when the in-ear came out.

Performance wise I would price them around $30 instead of $40, with the extra ten going to the Apple name. The problem is that all ear volumes are abit different. Even though Apple ships three differet sizes, even the largest doesn't fit in my ear snugglly. I push then in as far as I can untill they form a seal but over time they slipp out a little and loose that seal and they sound pretty average. But I'll tell you what you do get if your ears accomodate and hold the seal, BASS BASS BASS!!!! If you are into Rap, Hip Hop, R&B, or something simular, look out!! This kind of deep bass music really comes thru your head. It is incridible!

Apple also includes a case for the headphones which is really nice, it looks cool with the Apple logo on it, and really help keeping them in nice order. Some other point I can think of are that I appriciate these at the connection point into the iPod. As in the original headphones, the end that goes in straight-up, allowing for easy acces to the hold button. Before I bought them, I used a different pair, which are all commonly L shaped, and got in the way all the time when turing on and off the hold button. Also the chord itself is not tottally white. It's more of a light gray. Though it looks white against clothing, you do notice the differnce when compared to the old ones. I think this is actually nice because they appear less dirty.

Bottom line, just try them out wherever you can and see if they happen to fit your ears snuggly. I have gotton into the habit now of pushing them in further every 10 minutes of walking or jogging to get that seal. Mad Bass!! Otherwise they sound just average without forming that seal.

Adam

1st gen iPod
1st gen Flat Panel iMac
2nd gen 12" Powerbook
 
i have the apple in-ear headphones, and i can't really recommend them, though for a completely different reason. here's my abbreviated review:

pros:
1.) pretty good to good sound. i didn't really have a problem with the bass. of course, i'm not too big a fan of massive bass in my ear-canal, but that's just me. even on my bass heavy hip-hop/gangsta rap, the bass levels were more than adequate for me
2.) they are FAR more comfortable than the standard ipod earphones. the standard ones tried to enlarge my ear and they hurt after wearing them for 15 minutes. the apple in-ear headphones are quite comfortable and i've listened to them for the entire life of my battery with no problems.

cons:
1.) only one really: they never stay in. i read the reviews and for some unknown reason didn't believe that they don't seat properly. well, they don't. i'm constantly having to reseat them in my ears. i've grown used to it, and it's not extremely bad, but the silicon covers are slick and feel like they're sliding down. people probably complain about the sound quality because of this. they slip down and the seal is broken, even if you don't feel it.

i would suggest going with the $40 sony in-ears instead, especially if you want more bass. the reviews at ipodlounge (as someone mentioned before) are reasonably accurate. don't go with the included headphones though, they suck. good luck!
 
I think they're both terrible !!! I guess the ones that come with it sound better— BUT, they don't really stay in your ears, & when they do they tend to make it feel like I have a nasty ear infection...lol... That's just my ears though & it's quite possible I have a goofy ear type- wouldn't be the only thing goofy about me..;-)...

I've completely given up even trying to get Apple earphones/buds to work & gotten myself a pair of Shure e2's.. Another 80 bucks, but my ears are much happier because of it... lol...
 
federalists said:
i have the apple in-ear headphones, and i can't really recommend them, though for a completely different reason. here's my abbreviated review:

pros:
1.) pretty good to good sound. i didn't really have a problem with the bass. of course, i'm not too big a fan of massive bass in my ear-canal, but that's just me. even on my bass heavy hip-hop/gangsta rap, the bass levels were more than adequate for me
2.) they are FAR more comfortable than the standard ipod earphones. the standard ones tried to enlarge my ear and they hurt after wearing them for 15 minutes. the apple in-ear headphones are quite comfortable and i've listened to them for the entire life of my battery with no problems.

cons:
1.) only one really: they never stay in. i read the reviews and for some unknown reason didn't believe that they don't seat properly. well, they don't. i'm constantly having to reseat them in my ears. i've grown used to it, and it's not extremely bad, but the silicon covers are slick and feel like they're sliding down. people probably complain about the sound quality because of this. they slip down and the seal is broken, even if you don't feel it.

i would suggest going with the $40 sony in-ears instead, especially if you want more bass. the reviews at ipodlounge (as someone mentioned before) are reasonably accurate. don't go with the included headphones though, they suck. good luck!
Click to expand...
I think the included headphones aren't very comfortable, but they have excellent sound quality. Anything I replace them with must be comfortable and have excellent sound quality. Isolation is not as important to me, so I won't get the in-ear headphones.
 
both of them suck just get some decent panasonic ones i have some nice ones that sound 10x better than my original white ipod ones these ones go from 26,000Hz to 16Hz and have better bass and clearer sound, i cant give you a model no. or anything but they have a chromed spike design which is hard to explane but they look good and are comftable.

panasonic headphones get a big thumbs up from me and all they cost was £10
 
Hector said:
both of them suck just get some decent panasonic ones i have some nice ones that sound 10x better than my original white ipod ones these ones go from 26,000Hz to 16Hz and have better bass and clearer sound, i cant give you a model no. or anything but they have a chromed spike design which is hard to explane but they look good and are comftable.

panasonic headphones get a big thumbs up from me and all they cost was £10
Click to expand...
I'd consider those if I knew two things:
1. Are they available in the USA?
2. How much would they cost in US $ ?
 
I haven't tried these Sennheiser ear buds, but they're only $20, and Sennheiser has an excellent reputation. I own a pair of the HD600s, which I've had for years, and I consider them the be the best money I've spent on audio equipment.

Just another option....
 
Hector said:
both of them suck just get some decent panasonic ones i have some nice ones that sound 10x better than my original white ipod ones these ones go from 26,000Hz to 16Hz and have better bass and clearer sound
Click to expand...

I think it's awesome (and by "awesome" I mean retarded) that companies sell headphones that work beyond the range of human hearing! :D As a medical student, one of the many facts beaten into my head was the human audible range...20hz to 20,000hz, and the upper end is more like 16,000hz. :)

Thanks for all the suggestions! I think I'll try out the stock headphones for a while. I'll probably use them mostly to work-out with and walk here and there. Sounds like the in-ear phones won't stay in. I checked out ipod lounge and that was the main complaint
 
You might want to invest in a decent pair of over-the-ear headphones for listening when you're not moving too actively. They'll be more comfortable and sound better. I don't mean a $400 pair. Just something a bit nicer than $15 earbuds to get the most out of your iPod investment....
 
I use Sony's in ear head phones. I found that the Apple ear buds were uncomfortable and constantly were falling off when I was at the gym. I'm not sure about Apple's in ear buds, but I think the sound quality from the Sony ones are better. Additionally, they came with three different sizes so I was able to find a good fit for my ears.

Deryk
 
sjjordan said:
I think it's awesome (and by "awesome" I mean retarded) that companies sell headphones that work beyond the range of human hearing! :D As a medical student, one of the many facts beaten into my head was the human audible range...20hz to 20,000hz, and the upper end is more like 16,000hz. :)

Thanks for all the suggestions! I think I'll try out the stock headphones for a while. I'll probably use them mostly to work-out with and walk here and there. Sounds like the in-ear phones won't stay in. I checked out ipod lounge and that was the main complaint
Click to expand...

it's different with different people, in a quick test at school with speaker and a ocisiliscope the teacher turned the knob up and up and up telling the class to put there hands down when they could not heart it any longer, i stoped at round 20,700Hz and i could not hear below 18Hz it varys from person to person i have exeptional hearing, my teacher dose not he cant hear abouve 19,000Hz, there are also other things to consider with headphones such as the clarity of the sound and in this catagory i can say that the panasonic ones do best.

test a some otherwise identical headphones that one has a greater range that the other and the one with the better range will sound nicer
 
This is a good thread. I generally can't use earbuds because they don't fit me well at all. My ears are to small for them, so either I can get them in enough to stay, or once they are in they start to hurt very quickly. I generally use bigger band-over-your-head headphones because they are far more comfortable, but they are bulky. I also like to have some small headphones around for travel, so I'll have to check out some of the recommendations in here.
 
Dont let these ney-sayers fool you.

Everyone on here is always dissing the apple in ear headphones, and I never understood why.

I ordered mine when they were first announced, and like them alot. I used the regular headphones before that and here is what I found.

The "Regular" headphones, will give you better bass sound regardless of the position of the earbuds. And they are not the most comfortable at first. You should get used to them though, and they are easier to wear.

The "In-ear" headphones are much more comfortable, and have a deeper bass, which sounds more natural, and better, when positioned correctly.

Overall I would say you get a tiny bit of an upgrade in sound, and alot in comfort. If thats Worth $40, then do it. I thought it was.
 
yes they are better than the originals but they are crap compared to 3rd party headphones so they are not worth the $40 that you could spend on some better ones and still have money to spare
 
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