Igor_small
Reputation: 32

Better earbuds for my iPhone?

My buds tend to fall out, and also they aren't loud enough. I hate to spend $100 to get buds that work the way Apple should have made them do in the first place. What are the options?

5 Answers

  • Img_0733_small
    Reputation: 105

    I'll continue to rep for the Etymotic HF2s. They're the type that fit deep in your ear canal and block out most sound even when there's no music playing. Once I got used to the fit and feel of them, I grew to love them. As I mentioned elsewhere, the warranty and return process for them are really good and they've just been redesigned so the post that sticks in the iPhone is slightly angled to keep the wire from shorting at the base. I have used Ultimate Ears too which had great sound but kept falling out of my ears. A couple years ago I tried the V-Moda's which were terrible. The clicker was annoying and the sound wasn't great. The Etymotics aren't for everyone and if you don't like having the ear bud deep in your ear canal, you may want to avoid them but the quality of the product, the warranty and swift return/exchange process and the sound quality make these my favorite buds so far. The only think they lack is volume control but I never have an issue feeling for the volume buttons in my pocket.

    http://reviews.cnet.com/headsets/etymotic-hf2-noise-isolating/4505-13831_7-32954298.html

    A good friend of mine bought the Klipsch S4is and loves them. For an earbud that doesn't go so deep in the canal, these would be my next purchase.

    http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/klipsch-image-s4i-earphones/4505-7877_7-33801629.html?tag=also

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  • Tomato_small
    Reputation: 1045

    I've had the same problem and have searched far and wide for good replacements. The wrap-around-the-ear styles don't work for me - apparently I have weirdly shaped ears, as the back part pokes in and hurts.

    So, for earbuds I was buying SkullCandy, but only when I could get them on sale. Plusses include multiple rubbery bud-covers, so they really do fit different ear sizes. Also, a couple of pairs had a separate volume control on the cord, so I wouldn't have to dig into my bag to find my iPod. But, none of these lasted more than six months.

    Recently I bought some Sony earbuds on the recommendation of a nice geeky guy at Radio Shack. He said he had had the same brand and model for a few years (he showed them to me, they were beat up and looked old), but they still worked. I've had mine for just two months now, and really liked them. I paid about $50 for them, but also paid for the one-year warranty -- foolish, perhaps, but I was tired of replacing my earbuds.

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  • M-t4d1lenjcrn5kmuqfa4kwarnienfkb0xgd4mjwsyer56gacgf-cgc27fmswrev_small
    Reputation: 7

    If you can find them still (there's one on eBay right now, but these come in a whole host of colours), the Centrios series of earbuds are robust-sounding, include adjustable rubber pads to adjust for your ear size, and are usually at or below the $20 mark.

    Don't let the low price be a deterrent: the idea is that when you use them, they are a great bang for the buck. Should they be broken, damaged, or lost, replacing them is a lot less spendy than replacing a $100 pair. I've gone through three pairs of these in four years: one pair was lost to an iPod theft, one pair got me through a summer, fall, winter, and spring of a bike messenger season before one of the wires shorted, and the current set still works.

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  • N1742797601_5631_small
    Reputation: 134

    I've been pretty happy with the Skullcandy brand, especially when i buy them at Radioshack. You get them for 20 bucks, pay 2 dollars for the warranty, then when the little plug starts going bad, or you accidentally drag them out of your car door on the freeway and grind them down into misshapen plastic good balls they replace them for you free.

    Decent sound for the money, and they block out a fair bit of noise so you can actually hear what you're listening to.

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  • Fourtimesthesteak_small
    Reputation: 71

    First, don't buy an iPhone.
    Second, buy a Nexus One or other Android phone.
    The earbuds I got free with my Nexus One are 10 times better than iPod/iPhone earbuds.

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