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iPod Do you use the Apple earbuds, or buy your own to use with your iPod?

Do you use Apple Earbuds, or your own?

  • I use the supplied Apple Earbuds

    Votes: 88 35.3%

  • I use other earbuds <$25

    Votes: 21 8.4%

  • I use other earbuds $26-$50

    Votes: 25 10.0%

  • I use other earbuds $51-$75

    Votes: 24 9.6%

  • I use other earbuds $76-$98

    Votes: 15 6.0%

  • I use other earbuds $99+

    Votes: 49 19.7%

  • I don't use earbuds, I use over the ear headphones

    Votes: 27 10.8%
  • Total voters
    249
Etymotic ER 6i… Blocks external sounds very well and stay in while at the gym.
They sound pretty good to my ears as well — details I had never suspected come through.
 
Mine:
3Unwrapped.jpg

Custom- molded for my ears.
 
SENNHEISER MX75. I have mortally abused these earphones, and they have earned the "real" seal from Cheese. That means that they will take an extremely inordinate amount of abuse, and sound good through it all. Cable is covered in silicone, and will last through nuclear fallout. Bass is well balanced, and the overall sound is better than someone would expect from a "sport" variety earphone. They stay in really well, and can be adjusted to fit nearly any ear, which makes for a great bit of kit. IMHO - Apple should get Sennheiser to private label these for them, and include them in the new iPods.
 
mine...

I use the stock ones for normal walking around with my classic, and sony's sport headphones (over the ear/behind the neck) for running with my Shuffle. Would LOVE to get some Sennheisers though to appreciate the fidelity on my Classic, but for right now I'm happy.
 
I prefer in-ears, and the Apples don't fit that well for me (especially without foamies), but otherwise my needs aren't amazing. So I use Griffin's EarThumps / TuneBuds. Basic but pretty good in-ears that come in white or black, with Apple-style symmetric cording, with three different sizes of inserts, and can be had via eBay sellers for ~$15 shipped. They don't last much more than a year, but what with all the sweat they get on them running, I'm very happy replacing my cheap but competent earphones about once every 1-1.5 years. :)
 
Wow, I must say I'm actually surprised at how many people use the supplied buds versus not. Reading through the other thread, I would have thought differently.

One thing that really bugged me about the supplied buds was that when I traveled, I couldn't hear my TV shows/Movies on my 5.5g on the plane. With my E2C's, it blocks out the engine (=good for my ears) and I don't have to blast the volume (also = good for my ears)
 
UPDATE!!!!!


Recieved my new iPod Silver 160gb classic about 1 hour ago.

Apple are shipping with 'NEW' earbuds and they are utter sh*t

Compared to the old style earbuds which weren't admittedly to everoynes taste, they were its safe to say a million times better than these new washed out over trebly pieces of trash.

There is no bass at all, even if you put 'bass booster' on your ipod EQ. There is practically no decent mid range of sound, all emphasis seems to have been put on the high end frequency and it sounds dire.

If you have an old ipod, keep your old headphones.

Seriously unimpressed..... And I'm not an audiophile, these headphones suck so bad it's patently obvious they are a step down in quality.
 
I would never use earbuds. It isn't worth my time to open their package. I only use real headphones.
 
I have the etymotic 6i isolators. Omg they're so good.. To bad I have to convert parts of my lossless library to aac 256kbit for the music to fit on the touch.
 
I've never bought based solely on sound quality, as most earbuds hurt too much to keep in for any length of time. Granted these are poor quality earbuds and more expensive ($100+) would likely be a better fit.
Apple's are the same way. Hard plastic is the worst thing ever to my ears, and causes them hurt within minutes.
I stumbled across these, Philips HE591 Surround Sound Earbuds (Black), and I haven't looked back. They sound great, but more importantly, they feel great. I had read a number of comments on them being too large for some peoples ears, but for only $20 I decided to try them.
Expensive earbuds may sound like a dream, but these do the job damn well for me :D
 

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I don't bother with the stock earphones either.

Once a friend wanted to play me a new track on his iPod, using his stock earphones. The first thing that hit me was the volume he had it on! He told me he has to have it on that high, or he hears more street noise than music. I told him he was also damaging his ears with such a high volume. I then let him try the earphones I had at the time, Sony’s MDR-EX70s. He was amazed at the difference in sound, and although they were good at the time, they're a long way off audiophile standard.

At the moment, I primarily use Shure E500s. They are by far the best earphones I've ever used. For me, they clearly beat the Etymotic ER 6is I have, which are a little thin in body (music, not physical shape).

For casual use, I use Sennheiser CX300s. They pack a certain 'wow' factor, makes snares punchy, yet doesn't muddy the overall sound with it's strong bass. A bargain for the low price!

I think any branded in-ear headphones are gonna be better than the freebie Apple ones. At the very least, you'll be able to listen to your music at a reasonable volume, and be able to hear it, and not damage your ears. New sets of earphones are easier to come by, than new sets of ears!

Sorry for the long post!:D

436617504_c46b74e9a8.jpg
 
Ninden said:
I've never bought based solely on sound quality, as most earbuds hurt too much to keep in for any length of time. Granted these are poor quality earbuds and more expensive ($100+) would likely be a better fit.
Apple's are the same way. Hard plastic is the worst thing ever to my ears, and causes them hurt within minutes.
I stumbled across these, Philips HE591 Surround Sound Earbuds (Black), and I haven't looked back. They sound great, but more importantly, they feel great. I had read a number of comments on them being too large for some peoples ears, but for only $20 I decided to try them.
Expensive earbuds may sound like a dream, but these do the job damn well for me :D
Click to expand...


Just bought some on eBay. Thanks...
 
Ninden said:
I stumbled across these, Philips HE591 Surround Sound Earbuds (Black), and I haven't looked back.
Click to expand...

I used an earlier version of these... I think they were my second pair of earphones on my original iPod (so about 2005). They're not too bad, and they're pretty readily available. At that time, at least, they had the wraparound style wire split (so one side is longer than the other). This is totally a personal preference, but I cannot stand that, and it was my biggest dislike about them. I think ultimately they went bad in the way that most of my earbuds go bad -- one side stopped working.
 
CrouchingDonkey said:
New sets of earphones are easier to come by, than new sets of ears!
Click to expand...

AMEN MY FRIEND!

I can't tell you how many weird looks I get when I put in earplugs at shows. Come on, there is NO reason to be pushing 80+db and peaking at over 100!


I went skeet shooting with a friend, and HE didn't wear earplugs WHILE HE WAS SHOOTING!

You only have one set of ears, and once they are gone, they are gone
 
ER-6i

I use Etymotic Research's ER-6i Isolator Earphones. They are wonderful--Awesome sound quality and really durable. They have took a ton of abuse, and are still going strong! Plus they are white and match my iPod. Highly recommended!! :)

P.S. Does anyone know why Apple no longer sells these?
 
My ears are too small ... the earbuds don't fit!

I bought some $25 Sony headphones a few years ago and they still work well.
 
Since I am absolutely intolerant of anything in my ears (even UE's) I use a set of Sony MDR-7906 (used in a ton of studios for referencing). Yes, I am an audio snob.

Although, luckily I usually have my iPod connected to my Pioneer head unit via dock connector (and then to Kenwood speakers) and obviously that sounds ridiculously better than any head phone/ear phone ... yes even UE's (there's no substitution for natural room ambiance).
 
BiikeMike said:
AMEN MY FRIEND!

I can't tell you how many weird looks I get when I put in earplugs at shows. Come on, there is NO reason to be pushing 80+db and peaking at over 100!
Click to expand...
+infinity

What the idiots who are giving you funny looks don't realize is that the guys running the FOH mixer(s) use them as well. I've never understood why people like to have their ears blasted to bits and be temporarily partially deaf afterwards. M.O.R.O.N.S.
 
I use the newest Apple ear buds that come with the ipods. I love them so much better than the last ones, which hurt my ears. The new ones feel great! :)
 
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