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iPod Earpods are pretty impressive

I

iEvolution

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 11, 2008
1,432
2
Just got my earpods...

They are not lying about the earpods rivaling more expensive sets, they have good bass response and are much much more full than the previous generation of buds.

They aren't as great as my Sennheiser HD 485s or have the clarity of my Bose OEs but these things are probably the best buds you'll find that aren't in ear or cans.

I haven't had a chance to wear them while active but I will report back later they seem a little slick and gives me the impression they may be hard to keep in the ear.

I've owned at least 20 cheapie sets and several more expensive ones including Klipsch One headphones, Bose OEs, Sennheiser HD 485s, audio-technica ATH-M40fs, and Sennheiser HD555s, these beat out all the cheapies and definitely up there with the more expensive sets.

For 30 you can't find better I guarantee.
 
Nilay Patel from The Verge seems to disagree with you:

"I bought these Skullcandy buds in desperation at LGA for $30 and they're dramatically better than EarPods. You can do better still."
 
The few reviews online have been good so far.

Looking forward to getting first hand experience.
 
There's a very interesting article on inner fidelity (this crazy, ultra-technical website for the headphone-obsessed) that measures the generation of iPod earbuds prior to this against a broad range of other brands, up to and including $50 Sennheisers, I think.

Very surprisingly, the iPod earbuds had the best build quality and measured as having the best sound. They're strongly maligned, but a lot of it just might be how they sit in your ears; placed correctly, apparently they sound very good. So it's quite possible these new ones are great.

I was really spoiled by my UE10s, but the second cable just broke and it's almost as expensive to replace the cable as it is to buy a new pair at this point. These don't measure that well, fwiw, but I love the sound of them.
 
They're really cool looking...I really enjoyed them. At this price range you can't expect too much, but I was pleasantly surprised by the sound signature. This is coming from a CIEM - custom cable - CLAS - AMP setup
 
agitoTech said:
I don't think they will beat out my Ultimate Ears UE13's...
Click to expand...

Well Id hope not considering the price difference, LOL.

I'm just saying for the price they are probably the best bud-style (not in-ears or cans) you can buy. They aren't going to replace high end audio head phones (or in-ears) but they are good for the price.
 
The amount of work that Apple put into the improved earpod design is amazing considering that ultimately these are disposable headphones. Sure, you can find something more expensive, flashier and better sounding than whatever gets bundled with the iOS device of your choosing but the problem with all headphones is that after prolonged use, some part of them will fail (usually the cord) and they will need to be replaced. No point spending too much on anything if you know that it will break at some point.
 
Are these smaller than the old ones? I couldn't use Apple earphones as they always fall off my ears, too big for me
 
Sol said:
The amount of work that Apple put into the improved earpod design is amazing considering that ultimately these are disposable headphones. Sure, you can find something more expensive, flashier and better sounding than whatever gets bundled with the iOS device of your choosing but the problem with all headphones is that after prolonged use, some part of them will fail (usually the cord) and they will need to be replaced. No point spending too much on anything if you know that it will break at some point.
Click to expand...

They didn't do anything amazing. Lets be honest cheap headphones haven't progressed much in the last two decades. All apple did was bring disposable head phones into the 21st century. That's still not saying much.
 
They do sound great, I'm quite impressed by them. They also fit my ear a bit better than the old ones.
 
They feel more secure when I inserted them, but I can't feel they're there either.

Did anybody notice any sensitivity differences vs the old ones? I don't remember exactly but I think I was driving the earpods roughly at the same volume as the old earphones (~70% max in a coffee shop)
 
I've practically got a subscription plan with Amazon in that I buy at least two of their $13 buck Philips SHE6000/28 In-Ear Surround Sound Headphones per year.

They have good bass and clear sound, they just don't take more than six month's worth of abuse (i.e. having them yanked off when they hook on doorknobs, yanked off off when I drop the iPod touch, etc.)

Can anybody give me a comparison of how the Apple Earpods rate sound wise vs the Philips' earbuds?
 
I don't understand why everyone keeps comparing the EarPods to noise isolating buds and then complaining about the sound quality. Of course isolating buds are going to provide better sound than non-isolating EarPods.

They come free with some devices or sit on a store shelf where you have the option to purchase them. If they don't meet your needs, then simply do not use/purchase them.

At the end of the day, not everyone is a discerning audiophile as we are made to believe. I'm sure they're fine.
 
oplix said:
They didn't do anything amazing. Lets be honest cheap headphones haven't progressed much in the last two decades. All apple did was bring disposable head phones into the 21st century. That's still not saying much.
Click to expand...

The design is new. It seems to take parts from earphones (size of speaker) and combine it with elements of in-ear headphones (directing sound into the ear canal). The sound is designed to be directed where is counts and environmental noise is still audible which is good for safety reasons. The icing on the cake is that noise pollution becomes somewhat minimised and as a frequent bus passenger I for one can appreciate that. By the way, what's wrong with people that they would listen to music that loud regardless of the people around them? Too many sociopaths in the world just doing what they feel like and unfortunately they have made the iPod and iPhone another means with which to spoil something like a fifteen minute bus trip for other people.
 
From everything I've read, a new pair of head/earphones need to be run in for a while before they sound their best. I guess it's the cones needing to be flexed for a while before they reach their optimum response.
 
I plan on my wife getting me a pair for use with my iPod and iPad. I have found that due to the shape of my ears, only the Sony over the head ear buds work for me.
 
No, they aren't impressive. Not even close.

From thread https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1457651/

Blackberryroid said:
Too little bass. I need to turn up the equalizer to make me dance. When I make the equalizer, though, I feel like I'm listening to cheap earphones.

In layman's terms, it's not good enough. The beats (not the headphones) aren't really booming.

And did I mention how horrible it sounds in public with noise? They aren't even trying to isolate the noise.

They should have taken Apple's In-Ear, boost the bass a lot, then bundle it. That's just perfect.

What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
 
I would have to disagree. Too bass-heavy. I use my iPod primarily for bedtime listening and it got annoying real quick coming from years of using the old Apple earbuds. Also made my ears feel just slightly "pressurized" - the feeling you get while ascending to a higher elevation while driving. Beyond that, I think it is an attractive design and I loved the remote and mic - very comfortable to click. The travel case sucks ass - good luck trying to wrap them back in there without fiddling with it for 5 minutes.
 
Blackberryroid said:
No, they aren't impressive. Not even close.

From thread https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1457651/
Click to expand...

Find me a bud style that is as good as these at this price.

Not talking about in ears nor am I comparing them to head phones.

Best bud style earphones I've found. They are definitely a step up from the previous generation.

I love how so many people think that heavy bass is the only thing that matters.
 
I'm really impressed with the earpods. They're super comfortable and have fantastic bass response for their size. Sure, they're not going to beat more expensive earbuds made by real headphone companies, but for the free headphones that come with my phone I'm very VERY impressed. Big improvement over previous gen.
 
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