Okay, this may sound a little weird, but bear with me. I have rather big ears, and my stock earbuds that came with my iPod are constantly falling out. I was wondering if you guys had any little tricks that could help them stay in, and even make them a little more comfortable.
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Making Earbuds Fit Better
- Thread starter Guitarius
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Yeah, I thought about it. But I'm kinda a cheap bastard. Think I should just break down and buy some?
I have my big studio monitors that I listen to at home, but I need some little ones to bring around with me, and those always did the job.
I have my big studio monitors that I listen to at home, but I need some little ones to bring around with me, and those always did the job.
Lots of people here recommend the Shure range of earbuds. These plug straight into the ear-canal rather than sitting just outside it... and because of that, they also block ambient sound from outside a lot better than the standard earbuds.
pdpfilms said:
True. But taking an expensive iPod and plugging $20 earbuds into it seems a little odd to me... what's your suggestion?
Buy a tight beanie, long enough to cover your ears and wear at all times when listening to your iPod... easier to remove than Scotch Tape... 
Edit: I'm VERY happy with my cheap but extreamly good Koss SportaPro headphones, ditched the in-ear-buds without taking off the plastic bag...
Edit: I'm VERY happy with my cheap but extreamly good Koss SportaPro headphones, ditched the in-ear-buds without taking off the plastic bag...
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I to hate earbuds. They are so impratical IMO.
I too dreamed of getting a set of Shure in-ear phones. However, being cheap has nothing to do with it. Even their base units are to darn expensive period.
So I looked around. Went to Circuit City and found a pair that was just right. No, not Shure, (you can only get them online) but Sony. I'm sorry that I don't have the Model number, but they cost $40.00. They fit nice, block out all other sounds, great separation, good bass and treble and come with extra removable rubber ear fittings. Best of all, they're Mac white with chrome accents. Very sharp indeed!
I too dreamed of getting a set of Shure in-ear phones. However, being cheap has nothing to do with it. Even their base units are to darn expensive period.
So I looked around. Went to Circuit City and found a pair that was just right. No, not Shure, (you can only get them online) but Sony. I'm sorry that I don't have the Model number, but they cost $40.00. They fit nice, block out all other sounds, great separation, good bass and treble and come with extra removable rubber ear fittings. Best of all, they're Mac white with chrome accents. Very sharp indeed!
Try a pair of "The Plug" by Koss - they run about $20 and are better than anything else under a $100.Guitarius said:
Bear said:
"the plug" is pretty good-i have two sets of them that i'm planning on modding (as per this website: http://www.headwize.com/projects/cmoy4_prj.htm) with some earplugs and maybe with some er-4p pieces (like the guy on ebay is selling)
PS: even without the modding, these are above average. i wear them when i walk around outside since it's just too weird not being able to hear anything at all when i wear the shure's outside.
second, if you look for a good deal, you can get the shure e2c at a pretty good price. i paid $50 shipped for mine (i bought 'em from dell--there was a 50% off dell dj accessories coupon) i love my set of e2cs...if you, like me, had never tried any of the higher-end (shure, etymotic research) earbuds, the e2c experience is well worth fifty dollars.
my .02
edit: these are also supposed to be very good for the value (sennheiser px100):
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...31096-1933560?v=glance&s=electronics&n=502394
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Sorry, i didn't mean to void your point. Just saying that a pair of earbuds for $100 seems kind of expensive for someone who considers themself a cheap bastard... and I am in not way calling you that Guitarius, just quoting you.
Sony in-ear headphones are good, and they have a variety of price ranges too, so you can pick the price point that works the best for you
Just because something costs more than something else it doesn't mean it's better.PlaceofDis said:
Also, what fits each persons ears is different. And the type of music that a person listens to can affect the headphone choice as well.
In general The Plug by Koss is you best bang for the buck. Why pay morre than you have to.
And true, sometimes you do get more when you pay more, it just isn't always true.
Bear said:
i'd agree...the plug isn't too shabby at all--especially given the cost. you'll find that its sort of difficult to put in your ear if you're holding something in one of your hands (its much easier to put in with two hands) because you need to roll the ear bud and lift the top of your ear to insert it.
i'd maybe try doing that with your apple 'buds. try lifting the top of your ear with one hand and pushing the earbud as far as it'll go with the other hand.
if you're not willing to spend 50 on a pair of shure e2c's (the price drops to 65-70 very often and you can get 'em for 50 if you're patient...just check a deals website like www.slickdeals.net), and you don't want an over-the-ear set like the sennheiser px100, i'd go with the plug.
Bear said:
true i agree, the good thing about the in-ear headphones from Shure and Sony is that they come with three different size plugs, that way they fit better
my personal experience with headphones though are that the brand does matter and you do tend to get what you pay for, Sony and Shure are the best imho, ive had a few pairs from Koss and didnt like them, but hey i am a Sound snob at times
Sony headphones are kinda blah to me. As for Koss, "The Plug" is the only thing I can recommend.PlaceofDis said:
Then again, the pair of stereo headphones I have (1/4" plug and all) is a $250ish pair.
I have a speaker test CD that I made that will fail almost any sound system. The point of it is to see where the weaknesses are in the sytsem and if they will bother me.
Bear said:
to each their own really, everyone has sound preferences, so if those work for you then awesome, i cant use a pair of apple headphones or a cheap 20 dollar pair myself, at least not since i got my pair of in-ear headphones, the bass and sound quality is so much better, i cant even use regular headphones or stero headphones, unless they are a really really good pair because the quality just isnt there for me
PlaceofDis said:
check out the etymotic research buds, too. the er-4p is (arguably) better than the e5c. but that's way out of my league.
the plugs really aren't bad. especially given their price.
