3 ms·

Apple's in-ear phones are indeed vastly better than the default earbuds -- in fact, they compare favourably with similarly-priced offerings from Shure and Etymo

by cstross 16y ago

Apple's in-ear phones are indeed vastly better than the default earbuds -- in fact, they compare favourably with similarly-priced offerings from Shure and Etymotic, and are competitive on price. I suspect Apple's standard "free" earbuds are actually deliberately bad because they're intended to upsell the customer on a better pair of earphones -- and a customer who's buying in an Apple store will of course be exposed to Apple's in-ear phones as a possible upgrade. (Full disclosure: I use a pair of Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10's which kick the shit out of the Apple ear canal phones ... on the other hand, they're a lot more expensive. In the sub-$100 earphone range, the Apple in-ear phones are fine.)

stcredzero 16y ago
I have a pair of Etymotic ER4P's. http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er4.aspx http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er4.aspx They are truly reference-class equipment. (My Brain-Age2 word-discrimination score would jump a whopping amount just by using those!) I don't use them unless I'm on a plane, though. In-ear is just too much effort/overhead for me. These Sennheisers had decent sound and folded up to fit in a dandy little case. However, my girlfriend at the time told me that they look so dorky, she didn't want to be seen in public with me wearing them. http://amzn.com/B001NZ8PHQ http://amzn.com/B001NZ8PHQ Then I told her that there's even better sounding headphones (non-iPhone) in the same price range that look even dorkier. She didn't believe me until I sent her the link. http://amzn.com/B00001P4ZH http://amzn.com/B00001P4ZH Apple needs to solve the headphone/headset design problem!
- Groxx 16y ago
  That last one does deserve a 'wow'. There's just something about them that makes me say 'no'. Grados, on the other hand, are full of gooey retro goodness: http://www.gradolabs.com/product_pages/rs1.htm http://www.gradolabs.com/product_pages/rs1.htm I have an 80, and it's amazing how many random music geeks will start talking to you just because you have them on. Since you've used some: have a recommended starting point for Etymotics? I've been looking for something isolating to complement the I-can-hear-that-ant-tapdancing-through-my-music of the Grados.
  - stcredzero 16y ago
    A coworker of mine had the made-for-iPod Etymotics. (6i) The build quality wasn't even half as good as my ER4's. The ER4's are really robust. I can't imagine them wearing out, ever! The 6i's are an old model, though. I don't know what the newer ones are like. I bought my sister some bluetooth Etymotics which are no longer made. She really liked those. I also have an Ety.com headset, which is really good at what it does. (Allows you to have a phone conversation in really noisy environments.) My advice: try some from a store with a really good return policy. They are not for everyone. Also, I'd just buy the ER4's, unless you want an iPhone headset. They are a very good in-ear phone with superb isolation, especially if you are sitting still, and you can use them to do serious sound work. I've bought mine from http://www.headphone.com/ http://www.headphone.com/. (Not affiliated with them in any way.)
    - Groxx 16y ago
      Another question then, if you don't mind: I (apparently) have rather large ear canals, and a lot of in-ears don't seal properly. I've had the worst luck with the triple-flange style. As such, I kind of need something with larger sizes than normal, and / or get something custom molded (which I'm seriously considering). Know a good place to look for any of that?
      - stcredzero 16y ago
        Etymotic has a custom in-ear mold voucher program, which costs $100. You can also look up the Make DIY instructions, which uses a $12 kit. http://makeprojects.com/Project/Custom-Fit-Earbuds/199/1 http://makeprojects.com/Project/Custom-Fit-Earbuds/199/1

by cstross 16y ago

stcredzero 16y ago

I have a pair of Etymotic ER4P's. http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er4.aspx http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er4.aspx They are truly reference-class equipment. (My Brain-Age2 word-discrimination score would jump a whopping amount just by using those!) I don't use them unless I'm on a plane, though. In-ear is just too much effort/overhead for me. These Sennheisers had decent sound and folded up to fit in a dandy little case. However, my girlfriend at the time told me that they look so dorky, she didn't want to be seen in public with me wearing them. http://amzn.com/B001NZ8PHQ http://amzn.com/B001NZ8PHQ Then I told her that there's even better sounding headphones (non-iPhone) in the same price range that look even dorkier. She didn't believe me until I sent her the link. http://amzn.com/B00001P4ZH http://amzn.com/B00001P4ZH Apple needs to solve the headphone/headset design problem!

Groxx 16y ago
That last one does deserve a 'wow'. There's just something about them that makes me say 'no'. Grados, on the other hand, are full of gooey retro goodness: http://www.gradolabs.com/product_pages/rs1.htm http://www.gradolabs.com/product_pages/rs1.htm I have an 80, and it's amazing how many random music geeks will start talking to you just because you have them on. Since you've used some: have a recommended starting point for Etymotics? I've been looking for something isolating to complement the I-can-hear-that-ant-tapdancing-through-my-music of the Grados.
- stcredzero 16y ago
  A coworker of mine had the made-for-iPod Etymotics. (6i) The build quality wasn't even half as good as my ER4's. The ER4's are really robust. I can't imagine them wearing out, ever! The 6i's are an old model, though. I don't know what the newer ones are like. I bought my sister some bluetooth Etymotics which are no longer made. She really liked those. I also have an Ety.com headset, which is really good at what it does. (Allows you to have a phone conversation in really noisy environments.) My advice: try some from a store with a really good return policy. They are not for everyone. Also, I'd just buy the ER4's, unless you want an iPhone headset. They are a very good in-ear phone with superb isolation, especially if you are sitting still, and you can use them to do serious sound work. I've bought mine from http://www.headphone.com/ http://www.headphone.com/. (Not affiliated with them in any way.)
  - Groxx 16y ago
    Another question then, if you don't mind: I (apparently) have rather large ear canals, and a lot of in-ears don't seal properly. I've had the worst luck with the triple-flange style. As such, I kind of need something with larger sizes than normal, and / or get something custom molded (which I'm seriously considering). Know a good place to look for any of that?
    - stcredzero 16y ago
      Etymotic has a custom in-ear mold voucher program, which costs $100. You can also look up the Make DIY instructions, which uses a $12 kit. http://makeprojects.com/Project/Custom-Fit-Earbuds/199/1 http://makeprojects.com/Project/Custom-Fit-Earbuds/199/1