Tough Earbuds

"Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig" (AndySheehan-StreetsideStig) 12/08/2014 at 13:42 • Filed to: None

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I have two pairs of headphones. The first are some pretty nice AKG studio monitors I use to loop Porter Robinson and block out the idiocy that floats around my office like a haze of weaponized sulfur. I keep these at my desk, so there's little risk of damage.

The second is, or was , a pair of in-ear buds whose name I can't remember (not pictured). They had excellent sound quality. These stayed in my backpack, traveled with me, and allowed me to watch Mighty Car Mods while on the bike at the gym, so I could forget for a while that I'm designed strictly for being fat and sweating like a glass of tea in the Georgian August. My brother bought them for me last Christmas, and I really liked them. Then they stopped working.

My friend gave me a pair that came with his phone, but they abruptly came apart and I don't mind so much, because they had terrible sound quality.

So I need some replacement earbuds, but I want them to last. I want them to be tough. I want to be able to take them with me. To places. And I want them to be cheap enough to put on my Christmas list.

What do you recommend, Oppo?

JGrabowMSt > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 13:50

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I'm a headphone snob, so I have a pair of fake Bose earbuds. I lost them for almost two weeks, because I couldn't figure out where I put them, and then I get all my camera gear out yesterday and find them in a lens pouch with my other camera battery. Great hiding place.

They look like these, and sound pretty decent as well. They don't fall out much either. I don't have real ones though, I have a really good knockoff (and since I've never used the real ones, they might even be better because Bose are notoriously bassy in all the wrong ways usually).

AKG for the win though. I have a set of Q701s on my desk. They sound great and are mostly comfortable, but the top of the headband isn't the best. Nothing a little piece of foam couldn't fix.

bob and john > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 13:51

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uhh. id just call those ear bud. in ears are something like this:


personally, I use skullcandy ink'd puds. $15 for a set, usually lasts me....10 months to a year and a bit. but I use them for EVERYTHING. at work, on the motorcycle, on the computer, riding bicycles. you name it.

Team6.1 > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 13:51

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I don't remember any of the cheap headphones i have ever had, and my nice ones have lasted 5 and 7+ years respectively, but were far from cheap. Crazy all the things you hear in songs with nice headphones you had never heard before

Tohru > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 13:52

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I've had two pairs of Sony MDR-J10's. They're a good headphone, except the cord likes to get tangled on the part that goes behind your ear.

Depending on where you get them, they're between $10 and $20.

Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig > Team6.1 12/08/2014 at 13:52

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Which ones did you go with?

Sam > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 13:55

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You really can't go wrong with a set of Apple ear buds if you want something that will never break ever.

CalzoneGolem > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 13:55

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I just buy a couple of these. When one breaks I pull out the next set and order a couple more. I'm on my third set in ~3 years

http://www.dx.com/p/km92-noise-i…

Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig > Sam 12/08/2014 at 13:58

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Mine broke. :( Also, I think they're a bit overpriced.

Team6.1 > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 13:59

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Klipsch X10 in ears. Won them 7 years ago. Skated and biked with them, wore them to class every day. Best sounding in ears i havd ever heard. Just looked them up and amazon has them for $179 which is a hell of a lot cheaper than $400 when i got them. The x11 that replaced them are $299

Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig > Team6.1 12/08/2014 at 14:00

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Dang. You weren't kidding.

njp1589 > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 14:03

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I was a big fan of the Klipsch Image S4 but due to my finicky ears, I had to stop using them (ear infection prone, and the seal didn't let things "breathe"). They held up VERY well, and even came with a nice metal case. I had them for about 6 years, including through college. Not I just use a pair of Sony MDR-7506 cans.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 14:03

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The cheap 20 dollar sony in ears have great sound and have survived many phone drops while plugged in.

Gonemad > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 14:03

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Try some Plantronics. These guys design(ed) earphones for NASA that handles 6G on takeoff. They design earphones for ATC's (air traffic controllers) that MUST understand what are people saying. Earphones for Pilots. And I got some mild neck injury but did not break the line for my DSP 500 gaming headphone, that lasted 12 years, until I run my chair over the line for the umpteenth time and slammed the door on it by accident. Today I use gamecom 780 for gaming (large cup phones), but not using earbuds anymore from and to work...

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Sam 12/08/2014 at 14:05

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You really can't go wrong with a set of Apple ear buds if you want something that will break.

Fixed it for you.

Anon > njp1589 12/08/2014 at 14:12

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Maybe you should try some comply ear tips.

Mattbob > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 14:22

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if you have a picture of the broken ones, we could probably ID them for you. How cheap do you want to go? I have a set of monoprice $8 earbud headphones with a huge driver and great sound quality, but they are a bit uncomfortable for long term wear. I honestly Like the newer style apple headphones for general wear. They got rid of the nasty rubber on them, and they are more durable than the previous generation you pictured above. I don't know how much they cost, they came with my work phone.

Sweet Trav > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 14:24

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These faux beats came with my HTC one and are some damn good headphones. I also have a pair that came with my dad's galaxy S4 and they aren't bad either.

Mattbob > Sam 12/08/2014 at 14:26

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the older style used to break all the time. They new ones without any rubber on the ear part, are a lot better.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 14:28

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Skull Candy. It sounds stupid but they have pretty good sound for an in ear earbud and I've gone running with them and they have never fallen out.

Saoul-Virage > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 14:34

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Sennheiser CX 150, I paid them 20€ 2 years ago, I maltreat them and they're still OK. The sound is impressive for such cheap earbuds.

http://www.amazon.fr/Sennheiser-Eco…

njp1589 > Anon 12/08/2014 at 15:17

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If I'm honest, I probably should have, but I bought the Sonys to do some light mixing as well and I liked them so much that I didn't really want to go back.

PushToStart > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 12/08/2014 at 16:42

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I had these for a while, and I was really impressed with them. They typically run about 50-60 bucks, but I feel that the sound quality is above what you'd normally find for that price range and up. I compared them with several different kinds of earbuds in the 150-200 dollar range and still preferred these. Admittedly, they did break after 2 years, but I think it was entirely my fault. They come with a case also, so they won't get tangled up or anything in your pocket etc.

SJGeorge94 > PushToStart 12/18/2014 at 09:25

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Wanted those in the middle high school when I was going through my "I want to be a hype beast too" phase, still kinda do...

PushToStart > SJGeorge94 12/18/2014 at 12:10

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Honestly, I first thought the talking point about the headphones would be that they're shaped like bullets, but I was actually really surprised when I put them in and heard the sound quality.