I need earbuds

Deebaser

Okay so here's the story (It's not a very interesting story. you might want to skip to the TLDR): I picked up these Maxell Peanutz earbuds about a month ago when my Sony Extreme Sport earbud with wire over the ear thingy earbuds shit out on me.

Today, I nearly punched a baby on the train because the left bud's sound cut out completely. With a little jiggling of the connector, i was able to get it working again and electrical taped it in the sweet spot when i got to the office. This is the same g'damn thing that happened to my old head phones that I had for less than a year and its starting to piss me off.

Firstly, I'm wondering if there is anything I may be doing wrong on my end. Im not wrapping the cord tightly around the devices I use, so i am confused as to why the wire connections coming loose/keep fucking up.

Secondly, Can anyone please recommend a durable pair of earbuds? Preferably on the cheap end, but I wouldnt mind paying $100 for a pair that will actually last. If I buy the Bose ones and they crap out, I will punch a baby.

TLDR:
I keep buying shitty earbuds, and I want to know where I can find non-shitty ones.

KalTorak

I've been using these for the past two years: Sennheiser CX300-B Earbuds . They're extremely comfy, snug enough to block a good amount of ambient noise, and sound great. They were somewhere between $60-80 when I bought them, so you get a nice deal from Amazon.

A little over a year in, the left bud did cut out. Luckily there's a two-year manufacturer's warranty, and they sent me a new pair without any fuss.

THEPAIN73

Taking care of said earbuds is a large part of what keeps them nice and working.

Skull candy earphones should work for you but invest in something to keep them nice.

Arivia

Earbuds last a year at most. I've just accepted it as a fact of life.

Weretaco

I use westone UM1s. They are in-ear canalphones so they do a great job of cutting out outside noise.

About $100 from earphonesolutions.com

I've been using the same set for about 3 years now including during workouts at the gym and haven't noticed any wear on them. Only thing you have to do is occasionally switch the foam tips on them. They are also far more comfortable than any other earbud/earphone I've tried.

Movitz

KalTorak wrote: »

I've been using these for the past two years: Sennheiser CX300-B Earbuds . They're extremely comfy, snug enough to block a good amount of ambient noise, and sound great. They were somewhere between $60-80 when I bought them, so you get a nice deal from Amazon.

A little over a year in, the left bud did cut out. Luckily there's a two-year manufacturer's warranty, and they sent me a new pair without any fuss.

I've been using those for about a year now while commuting. They kick ass.

Not more ass than my Koss Plugs with the custom made replacement thing-that-goes-into-ear you can by. But I lost mine whilst drunk and can't find replacement anywhere.

bruin

Weretaco wrote: »

I use westone UM1s. They are in-ear canalphones so they do a great job of cutting out outside noise.

About $100 from earphonesolutions.com

I've been using the same set for about 3 years now including during workouts at the gym and haven't noticed any wear on them. Only thing you have to do is occasionally switch the foam tips on them. They are also far more comfortable than any other earbud/earphone I've tried.

This is a good recommendation.


As for CX-300s, I owned a pair for a couple years. They're decent headphones, but you can get much better sound quality if you're looking to spend upwards of $100.


I can't comment on their durability since I just got them, but Denon AHC751Ks have really been impressing me for the past couple days. And they're marked down from $200 to $100 at the Amazon link above.

Fact of the matter is though, I'm not quite an audiophile and neither are most of the people here. Headphone recommendation threads pop up here fairly often, and all I generally see as responses are anecdotes. You'd be better off served by the head-fi community. Read around and see which buds meet your needs

Mike Danger

I have a friend who swears by these.

Chanus

You can get the CX-300s from Amazon for about $16 now.

Namel3ss

Mike Danger wrote: »

I have a friend who swears by these.

Really? They are only $20, not that I hate saving money, but how good can they be?

finalflight89

Wrapping the cord around your device kills earbuds in no time. I stick mine coiled up in an Altoids tin, but then again, I spent $200 on a very nice pair of IEMs

Mike Danger

That link was supposed to go to these.

As far as price: I dunno, but he was ranting and raving about them a while ago, and I'm pretty sure it's the same company.

Dr. Gero

Don't get Bose, and try to stay away from the rubberized cords. They tangle up to shit, especially in a coat or in bed. Avoid wrapping them around edges, since that'll deteriorate the wiring.

I don't think earbuds last that long with prolonged use anyways.

Waldo

bruin wrote: »

Weretaco wrote: »

I use westone UM1s. They are in-ear canalphones so they do a great job of cutting out outside noise.

About $100 from earphonesolutions.com

I've been using the same set for about 3 years now including during workouts at the gym and haven't noticed any wear on them. Only thing you have to do is occasionally switch the foam tips on them. They are also far more comfortable than any other earbud/earphone I've tried.

This is a good recommendation.

Seconded, I've also had the um1s for about 3 years, and they've been great. All you have to do is buy new eartips (the "comply foam" ones for me are great, but I use 2-3 pair per year and 3 pair costs $15-18).

Beware though, if you want to exercise or just do anything outdoors with these in an area with foot or vehicle traffic, be careful. They block out so much noise that I nearly get run over by bicycles coming up behind me on the sidewalk. I've made a habit of just glancing behind my back every 20-30 seconds while walking.

Great phones, though (technically not earbuds but In Ear Monitors).

cooljammer00

THEPAIN73 wrote: »

Taking care of said earbuds is a large part of what keeps them nice and working.

Skull candy earphones should work for you but invest in something to keep them nice.

I hear skull candy is overpriced and not good quality. Then again, there was a sale the other day on White Skull Candy headphones for 20 dollars. Sold out before I could buy it, but I want to be a hipster, dammit

RenegadeSilence

All Skullcandies sound like shit, the bass is always louder and muddier than it should be on the models I've tried. I've owned a pair before, sure the lifetime warranty sounds awesome, but after the first pair broke the replacements I got broke a couple months after too. I'll admit I abused the first pair through exercise, but I babied the second, and I didn't wrap either of them around my mp3 player.
After frustrations with the sound and the breaking I just dug out these and I abuse them, wrap them around my MP3 player, exercise with them and they sound better. I do plan on getting better headphones later, but I'm happier with those than I was with my Skullcandies. The only thing I liked about them was the noise canceling.

Also watch out for knots and excessive yanking and the cords.

cooljammer00

I use the earphones I get from the airplane.