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Demon Hunter

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Mar 30, 2004
2,284
39
Sorry I know this is either a) very old or b) answered elsewhere, but:

Are the $39 in-ear headphones better quality than the standard iPod headphones with foamies?

Or are they the same hardware, just with in-ear molds?

Thanks. :)
 

Scarlet Fever

macrumors 68040
Jul 22, 2005
3,262
0
Bookshop!
they are much better quality, but i havent had a good experience with them

i bought them about march last year. After about a month, the left bud went really quiet. I took it to the shop where i got them from, they took it back to Apple, and i got them back about two weeks later. About a month after that, they did the exact same thing again.

I would doubt it is a common problem but its something you will need to look out for.
 

Sedulous

macrumors 68030
Dec 10, 2002
2,530
2,579
Yes, the in-earphones are definitely better but not quite as good as others... here is why (at least my opinion): There is no easy way to clear the eventual buildup of gunk in the short tubular area between the speaker and the metal mesh.
 

GilGrissom

macrumors 65816
Mar 13, 2005
1,042
1
My mum has some in-ear buds. They are pretty good. Better fit and quality than the normal ones. I had some sony in-ear ones, they were much smaller than the Apple ones but the wires were too thin and delicate. Sound didn't seem any better than the Apple ones either. The Apple ones have been fine for us, and they do get some use and throwing around!
 

Elrond39

macrumors 6502
Aug 16, 2005
282
0
Utrecht, The Netherlands
I like them a lot, really. Every once in a while you have to clean them a bit (considering they go in your ears...), but it's a small price to pay for good quality. I usually have problems with earbuds, which tend to fall out of my ears, and that's actually the initial reason for getting these in-ears. One of the best small-investments I've made to date.
 

zyuzin4

macrumors 6502
Jul 22, 2002
412
7
Eugene, OR
nice quality if you can get them into your ears correctly I'd fool around with them and get an instant of awesome sound, but then it would go back to a much more quiet output. I'd have to double the volume on my ipod than I did with regular headphones
 

Sedulous

macrumors 68030
Dec 10, 2002
2,530
2,579
For those who actually have the apple in-earbuds, did you find the low ends faded off first? I'm sure this is the case with all the in-ear systems out there. As I had stated previously, the only downside I have experienced with the apple in-earbuds is that you really can't clean them. Most of the other manufacturers have some means to clean out the assembly.
 

PlaceofDis

macrumors Core
Jan 6, 2004
19,241
6
they are better quality certainly, buuut they aren't the best in-ear headphones out there. they have a tendency to slide out of your ear rather easily because they are cone shaped rather than rounded. i find sony's fontopia headphones to be much better, and for around the same price, they come in white too :D
 
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