what earbuds does oppo like?

"D" (danjee)
05/12/2014 at 16:49 • Filed to: None

I'm dismayed to report that my beloved earbuds have kicked the bucket. They only lived two years, mostly because I took up the bad habit of balling them up. I'd buy another pair but for bizarre reasons, the once-$80 earbuds are now $130. Any recommendations?

Wouldn't want to pay more than 70 or 80 bucks

I don't need phone compatibility (in fact I'd prefer not to have it; don't want to pay for something I don't use)

I prefer behind-the-neck cording so I can drape them over my shoulders, but whatever

Good bass is important, I chiefly listen to hip hop

DISCUSSION (37)

Reigntastic > D
05/12/2014 at 16:51

Cheapo skull candy earbuds are surprisingly good. They cost about $15 and come with a lifetime warranty for wear and tear.

For Sweden > D
05/12/2014 at 16:52

The cheapest ones that stay in the ears.

Money is better spent on car parts.

Party-vi > D
05/12/2014 at 16:53

I'll second Reigntastic and say Skull Candy. They're really good for what you pay.

D > Reigntastic
05/12/2014 at 16:54

Didn't know about the warranty but I hear those break like goddam crazy.

I'm borrowing some $20 Sonys right now and they're pretty good but I can do better. I really appreciate good sound and am willing to ante up.

Reigntastic > D
05/12/2014 at 16:55

I've had the same pair for something like 4 years now, so I would definitely say they don't break like crazy. These have survived going through the washer and everything.

The audio quality was comparable to a pair of Klipsh S4i that I bought for my girlfriend. If you really cared about audio quality you wouldn't be buying earbuds, though.

D > For Sweden
05/12/2014 at 16:56

nothing sucks like poor sound

Where have all the lightweights gone? > D
05/12/2014 at 16:56

I've had a few different pairs of Shures over the past decade, and I have yet to hear anything that comes close in the price range. These might be your best bet.

PheeNoIVI > D
05/12/2014 at 16:58

The best ones in the range I'd say are the klispch s4s. I've owned multiple pairs. But I moved on to Shure headphones. Otherwise I'd go with Shure ear buds or Ultimate ears

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > D
05/12/2014 at 16:59

Good bass or SO BASS, VERY BASS? Good bass = Sennheiser or klipsch. VERY BASS = Skullcandy and stuff like that :)

Anyway, Klipsch R6 would be my choice in your price range.

D > Reigntastic
05/12/2014 at 16:59

Oh, I mean I have a couple friends who've had bad experiences with them so I was going off that.

I was waiting for the headphone crowd to chime in. I don't think it's very true that earbuds suck. And for what it's worth, compactness is important to me.

D > Where have all the lightweights gone?
05/12/2014 at 17:01

I'll check them out!

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > D
05/12/2014 at 17:02

The best earbuds I've ever owned were $15 Skull Candy Ink'd earbuds. They sounds amazing good for their price ($150 Beats sound worse) and well, cheap.

They don't break that easily either, had the same pair for 2 years.

lone_liberal > D
05/12/2014 at 17:02

I like Shure's in ear phones since they have foam covers that act just like ear plugs and block out external noise. They're great for mowing and such because of this. They are also built to a high standard. They aren't exactly cheap but aren't absurdly expensive. The sound they produce is great, but they don't exaggerate bass. It's clean and present but only to the level of the recording. Beats they are not.

For Sweden > D
05/12/2014 at 17:02

Agreed. That's why exhausts should be upgraded if necessary.

Reigntastic > D
05/12/2014 at 17:03

Look at the cost though, you can buy 5 pair of skullcandy for one pair of klipsch. That's cheap enough that you might as well try them out, I like quality audio and they are fine for me; I also tend to listen to Hip Hop or Electronic, which use a good low range that will immediately put shitty drivers to shame.

Earbuds don't suck, but if you really want quality it's limited based on their portability. I don't even own a set of headphones right now (I have a headset, Plantronics Gamecom Pro 780) but those are for VOIP and not listening. A good pair of headphones will shit on any earbuds you can provide example of, and do it for half the cost. I prefer compactness as well, and thats why I carry buds.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > D
05/12/2014 at 17:04

I currently use these, and they work a lot better than expected. They're less than $10, and are better than a lot of $50 ones.

Kinja'd!!!

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=8…

Reigntastic > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
05/12/2014 at 17:05

Yep, I've had mine since I was in high school and they are going strong.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > D
05/12/2014 at 17:05

Even though they come with a decent warranty, a couple of pairs ended up fraying their wires near the earbuds. They alleviated this issue with the SE215's and up by building in attachable cables. Those start at around $100.

D > PheeNoIVI
05/12/2014 at 17:06

Before I chose those $80 Sonys I actually ordered a pair of Klipschs (do not remember the model). They got great reviews from everyone but when I tried them they were dreadful; they had to be defective. Returned them and didn't look back, but I will shop Klipsch again this time

NaturallyAspirated > D
05/12/2014 at 17:06

I'm a musician so I'm picky about sound quality. The best buds I've found, by a wide margin, are the Etymotic MC5. Fantastic sound quality, great bass, clear treble. The company is also great, I broke mine and Etymotic sent me a replacement pair for free. Looks like they run about $60/ pair on Amazon.

The only downside is that some people find them uncomfortable, because they do fit into your ears the way earplugs do. I like this, as it does a great job of blocking out outside noise, and they stay in really well, but my ears do start to get sore after about 4 straight hours of listening.

Garrett Davis > D
05/12/2014 at 17:07

I had a pair of a-Jays for about a year that I liked a lot: http://www.amazon.com/-JAYS-Three-T0…

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Very comfortable, good sound, didn't fall out, etc. Great headphones for the price, but they wore out recently. A few weeks back I won a pair of Munitio 9mm Billets: http://www.amazon.com/Munitio-Billet…

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I've been using them for the past few weeks and they're much better than I was expecting, though not as good as my old pair. A little heavy on the bass for me, but this might be a plus for you. I actually swapped the ear pieces from the a-Jays over to these though, because I found the ones that came with it to be a bit uncomfortable.

Good luck!

PheeNoIVI > D
05/12/2014 at 17:09

They are really nice for the money. I almost like them better than my $400 headphones. But if you want to spend a little more than your budget. You might want to check out the Shures another guy mentioned. Awesome stuff.

D > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
05/12/2014 at 17:09

yeah, I'm going to raid Klipsch's site pretty soon

D > NaturallyAspirated
05/12/2014 at 17:11

I'll look 'em up! Thanks for the insight

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > D
05/12/2014 at 17:11

Klipsch make quite good stuff.. not neutral as fuck, not just bass.. :) I've got a set of RF 82 MKII's here now, I love them :)

D > Garrett Davis
05/12/2014 at 17:14

thanks! I'm collecting all the suggestions from this thread and planning a massive research/review-reading fest for later

Garrett Davis > D
05/12/2014 at 17:16

Gotcha. Well if you need any over ear headphone advice, I just went through a huge amount of research in buying a pair as well.

D > Garrett Davis
05/12/2014 at 17:18

Cool :) Not on the market right now but someday I imagine I'll look to buy my first pair. Compactness is too important at the moment

akant > D
05/12/2014 at 17:22

I love love love my Klipsch S4s. The current models are the S4i or S4a, for iphone or android, respectively. They're super comfortable, sound great, and are pretty durable (mine went through the wash once or twice with no problems). I think they're reasonably priced too

D > For Sweden
05/12/2014 at 17:22

Miata 1.6 with stock exhaust has a delightfully mechanical sound ;)

Bad Idea Hat > D
05/12/2014 at 17:57

Kinja'd!!!

Crazy person located.

D > Bad Idea Hat
05/12/2014 at 18:00

no kidding. I can't even begin to comprehend what it's like to pilot a car like that...

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > D
05/12/2014 at 18:01

I use Skullcandy Titans. Groupon has them now for $20 (normally $40) ( http://touch.groupon.com/deals/gg-skull…

They have a great feel and good sound. Plus a lifetime warranty! I haven't bought new full price buds in about 5 years. The warranty is quick, easy, and convient. For the money, you can't go wrong.

These also are more reliable than other Skullcandy. I've had this pair for about 1.5 years and they were washed once and I use them every single day.

Hermann > D
05/12/2014 at 18:33

I second the SK's. I had a pair I abused for nearly 3 years without any issues. Paid $20,00.

My wife managed to break them within a month, though. I have no idea how.

Another good option are Sony earbuds. Some of the most comfortable buds I've tried.

I remember Lifehacker discussing this topic for a while (not only a while, but many, many times) and they decided on the monoprice buds. Said there were $50 buds that didn't match it.

Edit:
And personally I'm currently using the Apple earpods that came with my iPhone. I like them. But if they break I'm not buying more. I'd probably go for a Sony.

Clay_T > D
05/12/2014 at 18:45

I like the Etymotic ER-4 . Had mine for ~10 years now.

The foam ear plug option really blocks outside noise when using in noisy environments.

Lorinserc230 > D
05/12/2014 at 21:02

Klipsch are great as others have recommended. Shure makes great earbuds as well.

Local Miata Bro > D
05/12/2014 at 22:39

The Beats earbuds are really good for bass. They came for free with my phone though. But you really can go wrong with the 15$ Sony's