iPod touch should I get the Apple in-ear headphones?

[nutmac]

To those with Apple's in-ear earphones, Apple is offering a replacement program for those that experience intermittent/non responsive controls

Apple Headphones with Remote Replacement Program:

Note: Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic and Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic which exhibit the symptoms noted above are also covered under this program.

I got the replacement from the Genius Bar this afternoon.

 

[burne101]

don't bother

I'm used to apple products being high quality, but their in-ears are not worth the bother. Weak bass, weak middle, bad isolation and lack of rubber doodah's.

I replaced them with Sennheiser CX-300 II Precision, which fit perfectly to my ears, sounds the part and are very comfortable. Because I couldn't find a new pair of Sony MDR-EX71SL in time.

I'm not an audiophile. On the contrary. I've got 'some' experience as a sound-engineer from everything from a solo soprano in church to a metal-band in a large stadium. Ten years or so.

Either one is a reasonbly priced, very good set of in-ears. (40-60 dollars) The Sony's are hit or miss. If they fit your ears, they are perfect. If you have wonky ear-channels they might not suit you and you are out of luck. Sennheiser is a bit less 'involved' soundwise, but, if you complain about the sizing of the rubber doodah's they will send you a bag of 9 different doodah's that will fit anything from your cat to your neighbours Great Dane. With perfect fit they are precise, won't wear you down and pleasently suprise you with regards to the quality of your mp3's.

 

[NZed]

I'm not sure if they had it back then, but they offer a full warranty on all of their products, and a 50% off coupon for accidental damage. I would've told them about the broken pair, but I wouldn't be saving any money versus buying a new pair from eBay.

It lasted about 5 months. By then it was my birthday and i got a Klipsch S4i instead.

 

[FunCakes]

Bluetooth option for Freedom - LG HBS-700

I am not an audiophile, but I love the convenience, ease of use and quality of these headphones. At around $50 they are well worth a look! I use them with my iphone and my tablet and they work beautifully for calls, music, audiobooks and movies. They are in-ear buds, but I often leave them a tad loose - need to hear what the kids and dogs are up to around the house and yard.
Good luck with your decision making!

 

[diamond.g]

Does anyone have any recommendation for ear buds that resist static shock? I have killed my Apple in ear buds and my Nu-Force in ear buds...

 

[samven582]

Personally I like the Bose ones more. I like the sound and think the fit is the most comfortable in all headphones I have tried. For only $100, the price isn't all that bad either.

I recommend Bose also

 

[Aradar]

I'm fine with them.

 

[wgnoyes]

I like mine, and I am somewhat of an audiophile, in that I play classical piano. The thing with these headphones is that they come with three different sizes of inserts. You have to pick the insert that fits your ear the most snugly. I tried mine with the default mid-size inserts and was disappointed in the bass. Then I took the very extreme action of actually reading the instructions that came with the product and found you need to try the different sizes. I swapped the mid-size inserts out for the largest and the rich powerful bass that was wanting with the other inserts was back. So they work just fine for me and do well when I don't want to bring along the Bose QC2 headphones or my wife's 15's.

 

[arjen92]

Build quality of the Apple in-ears is poor. I went through two pairs and they both suffered from weak cabling which led to one of the monitors dying. I was careful with them but they fell apart with light use ... not recommended.

Same experience. I too went with the Klipsch s4i. They're really great. I can get them for €60. That's even cheaper than Apple's.

 

[Christer]

As with most other posters, I'm also not too happy with the Apple in-ears. I don't think the sound quality is that bad (mainly listen outdoors where there's a fair amount of noise), but they are too fragile for the price. I upgraded mine to a pair of Klipsch s4i which although more expensive have much better sound quality and durability. They do, however, have a somewhat hard edge on the plug which ended up breaking my set after about a year and a half or so.

I'm now using a pair of Ultimate Ears 600vi, which are by far the most comfortable in-ears I've used to date. I also like the fact that they are designed for having the cord go over and behind your ears which helps keep them in place when running. On the negative side, the plug seems to have a hard edge and that's where it's likely to break in the end (even though the L-shape is likely a bit less prone to breakage). In addition to that, the microphone is nowhere near as good as on the s4i. The mic on the ue600vi has a tendency to pick up a lot of noise from the surroundings, whereas the s4i one did a better job of not picking up external noise.

It'd be hard to pick between the s4i and the ue600vi as they have different strengths and weaknesses. If I were to buy a new pair, I'd probably stick with the ue600vi mainly because of comfort. This assumes that durability is at least equivalent to the s4i.

 

[Zwhaler]

I recommend Bose also

Over the ear Bose's are good, but I didn't like the in ear. They were too bass-y and way too expensive for the mid grade sound they produced. The over the ear's are great if you can find them on sale.

 

[AustinIllini]

They were too bass-y

not possible. Just kidding. I think they're fine now. for serious listening i just use something else.

 

[JMies419]

Apple in-ears are awful.

 

[Zcott]

Apple in-ears are awful.

I disagree.

 

[Epic Xbox Revie]

I didn't really like the in-ear headphones of the Apple variety. Which is saying something, I usually love anything that says Apple.... proceed with caution, try them out, but if they don't instantly click, return them!

 

[T-Stex]

Does anyone have any recommendation for ear buds that resist static shock? I have killed my Apple in ear buds and my Nu-Force in ear buds...

I actually came here to post about Nu-Force and recommend their products.

Have you contacted Nu-Force? I had a pair of the NE-7Ms that this may have happened to. I contacted them, and within a few days, I had a replacement pair, and a pre-paid envelope for my broken pair. I'll give a big recommendation to Nu-Force. I use my NE-7Ms more than my Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pros, which cost 3-4 times as much.