The ones that came with the iPod were crap, so I went to C|net and bought a mid-range pair from Shure.
They suck. Small rubber ends that clog with earwax and (unbelievably) require the regular replacement of stickers less than half centimeter in diameter to prevent this problem. They provide about eight stickers, so a few months after I bought these - I was out of stickers. Then they went through the wash - now they're about as good a a pair of rabbit ear antennas. In precisely the correct alignment, they function. Exhale, and one or both buds cut out.
99 bucks wasted.
I went with the upscale earbuds from Apple. They came with rubber sleeves, too - only these come off without too much effort. Meaning a few months later, I'm missing one and now I don't have a matched pair.
Thankfully, my son removed the other and lost it. So now I have some bare metal $50 buds that I can use, provided I hold them in place with my hands.
I'm back to the ones that came with the iPod.
And they have no separate pieces, but they tangle like there's no tomorrow. I dread putting the iPod in my pocket, because I know the next time I take it out I'll have a bird's nest.
Enter this idea:
That'd be a pair of earbuds on a zipper. So you can zip the damn things together.
You take that an no easy-to-remove bits, and they may have something there.
I want.
(H/t design milk)
3 comments:
What kind of freakish ears do you have?
JK.
I bought (and continue to buy) cheap 15.00 buck earbuds that have a little part that slips OVER the top of the ear, which is great for biking with those things in. They don't fall out that way. Ever have to bike while trying to adjust your ear bud? Pain in the ass.
Now, I've gone through several of these, and while I'm again using my backup default came with the iPod ear buds, I can forsee my 15.00 purchase very soon.
Plus, I lose/break/step on/wash them, I'm not too sad.
Or you could go the other way...
starting at ~$500 not including ear plugs molded to your actual ears
Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones
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18 out of 18 people found this review helpful
5.0 stars
"The best I've ever heard"
by waswhatwer on June 20, 2007
Pros: As good as it gets in sound isolating earphones
Cons: Price, price and, uh, price
Summary: I decided to buy some ridiculously expensive earphones about a year ago because I travel a lot and work in a loud office. I tried a friend's top of the line Etymotics and I also grudgingly tried a friend's Quietcomfort Bose headphones (I already decided I'm not halling around those giant things). The Etymotics were quite nice, but I ended up trying the SE530's at CES a couple of months ago and was blown away. I bought them last week and couldn't be happier with them. Absolutely crystal clear in the high and midrange with an enveloping bass. I think the base is significantly better than the Etymotic's, although those are fine phones as well). I was sitting on an airplane today, got lost in sound and actually forgot where I was at for a minute - it was a bit startling to have forgotten that I was on a plane (yes, I've been working too much - you have to to afford these things). Needless to say, the sound isolation is outstanding. My next step may be getting custom molded earplugs for them, the final step in my quest for perfect sound reproduction ;) Bottom line: If I was a Pharaoh, I'd definitely put these puppies in the pyramid for the afterlife, right next to the Anubas statue....
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As Mitch Hedlin would say, you want to really feel something if you lose/break them!
They'd still end up going through the wash...
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