Cheap/Midgrade earbuds that are DURABLE $20-40

CheBourgeoisNoir

Looking for a set of earbuds since my Sony's died in the same way as the last two pairs - the model in particular I've been getting is this one: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=sony+earbuds&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=psB&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1920&bih=887&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=1379484248933708601&sa=X&ei=ed1rTvq0NYHagQfW0LHVAQ&ved=0CJ4BEOUNMAE and consistently at L-bend at the plug end the cord frays right at the metal plug and one or both of the speakers dies.

Loved the way these fit, and they sounded pretty good too, but seriously, replacing them every 6-12 months sucks. I use them for gym, running, and laptop gaming use, and they just don't hold up - it's always a break at that weak point. Anybody have recommendations?

SaraLuna

I've been using a pair of skullcandy ink'd buds daily for almost two years now. I don't use them while working out, but they do live wadded up in a pocket in my bag.
they're only $15-20 a pair, sometimes cheaper on sale.

corky842

It's actually not too hard to fix them, and it's cheaper than buying a new pair once a year. It takes maybe 10-15 minutes once you know what you're doing.

KalTorak

I have the same ones, same lifespan. Although I did have some Skullcandy 50/50s that died much quicker.

WildEEP

I recommend you avoid Skull candy. Mine were horrible.
Do you only like the - "in the ear" style you listed or are you okay with an "around the ear" pair as well?

kaliyama

Continuing WildEEP's suggestion - http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-J10-Headphones-Non-Slip-Design/dp/B000092YR6 are great for me. They stay in much better than usual earbuds, and their construction means they don't get a lot of pressure put on them in the way you describe. They're also cheap, so when I invariably lose a pair I don't flip out.

Burtletoy

pablo_price wrote:

I've been using a pair of skullcandy ink'd buds daily for almost two years now. I don't use them while working out, but they do live wadded up in a pocket in my bag.
they're only $15-20 a pair, sometimes cheaper on sale.

Don't SkullCandy buds also come with a lifetime warrenty, or something?\

Sounds good for someone who doesn't want to replace his buds all the time

Drez

I love SkullCandy Ink'd buds. They are excellent, sound-wise. But they are not very durable.

amateurhour

I've got those sony's that wrap around your ears and I love them, I use them at the gym, work, wherever really and they do a really good job. I think they're about $25 at every major retailer.

Forbe!

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDREX10LP-BLK-In-Ear-Headphones/dp/B004XXQI1U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315861934&sr=8-1

They have a few higher grade one with the same body type. Most earbuds are about as durable as they're going to get, and it is just the nature of the peripheral that it breaks at the plug. You should probably figure out a better way to wear it, or find ones with longer cords.

I wear my headphones about 10 hours a day at work, and I've burned through about 4 pairs of earbuds since May. I used to let my player drop down to the bottom of my pocket. Moving it up to the smaller cell-phone pocket near my belt seems to save the plug from all the trauma. Since doing that, I've had these earbuds longer than I've had any of the other pairs.

Erios

Big fan of Sennheiser earbuds. My last pair lasted me over a year with CONSTANT abuse. I recommend the CX 200 as a combination of value and quality. Newegg sells them for a nice discount usually.

CheBourgeoisNoir

Picked up a pair of Skullcandy Ink'd buds at the store today...I really feel like the construction is a lot better than the Sony ones, and the straight-pull plug instead of the L-shape will probably ensure than I don't break them like I always do (it's not even the wear&tear from using them out and about, 95% of their use is just home sitting at a desk, it's the constant jack in /jack out) so that's nice...but honest to God, to my ears they sound like crap? I don't mean to dog on everyone's recommendation of them, but I'm not sure where the reviews of good sound are coming from - they sound a lot more than $5 worse than the pair of $5 more expensive Sonys I used to have. No bass to speak of and the treble is...tinny. I checked Newegg and they're running a deal on those Sennheisers right now, I think I'll snatch those up and maybe keep these for a spare. Think we can call this solved, thanks all.

EDIT: Looking back at the thread, I guess there was really only one poster who said these had good sound, so maybe we're all on more of the same page than I thought. Meh.

EDIT 2X: Having listened to them for a bit longer now I think I'm liking them more; I must've picked some music that didn't quite agree with them to start. And for $15 I can't complain too much.

Fairchild

amateurhour wrote:

I've got those sony's that wrap around your ears and I love them, I use them at the gym, work, wherever really and they do a really good job. I think they're about $25 at every major retailer.

I used to agree with you but have just now started looking at other brands because the last couple of Sony around-the-ears have not lasted very long before becoming one-ear-only buds. I wonder if Sony has started cheaping out on their materials. I bought a Skull Candy set last month and so far so good, but we'll see how long they last.