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Comfortable and Functional Headphones

R

rainereality

n00b
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
9
I've been using Apple ear buds for the longest time on my commute to work and generally every other application because of their portability and ability to control volume/built in microphone.

I'm ready for some better quality headphones, as audio quality is beginning to matter more to me due to the sheer amount of time I have my headphones in.

I'm looking for something that is comfortable and has the same volume/mic functionality as the Apple ear buds. The type and style of headphones doesn't matter so much as the fact that they are comfortable, functional, and produce good sound quality. Preference is tailored towards ear buds though because of portability.

In terms of style and type. It should be noted that I have had difficulty getting most ear buds with silicone or foam to fit in my ears. For over-the-head headphones, they would need to be comfortable so that I could wear them for hours and have them not hurt my hears, and not too oversized.

Any suggestions as to what headphones I should get? Or should I just stick with what I've got?
 
Perhaps Logitech UE6000, as they're a good performing pair of headphones AND have an inline mic like your Apple earbuds do. Consider however that on a commute you aren't that isolated from external noise, so the nuances of subtle audio improvements may not be as appreciated as you hope for.

Most ear buds, sound like earbuds. I can't think of any off of the top of my head that come even close to a pair of full sized headphones. IEM of course are also good, but there is quite a bit of microphonics involved with IEM and moving around a lot. Etymotic MC3 is a decent pair of IEM with an inline microphone and an upgrade from your Apple buds as well.

My advice in situations like this is to find stores with good return policies, purchase all of the products you have in mind, and trial them all. Audio is a very personal thing if you aren't objectively measuring it.
 
Thanks for the reply.

In your experience, which stores have you found to be the most lenient on return policies? I'm not sure where you're based from so it would likely be better to stick with larger, well known stores.I would assume that places would be less likely to take a pair of IEM back due to concerns about earwax and general cleanliness. But I can't be too sure, as I've never tried.

Also, with IEM I'm still concerned about them being able to stay properly in my ears. Normally, when I put in any buds with headphone attachments (silicone/foam) they end up falling out too easily. Any suggestions to assisting in making earbuds stay in place?
 
Tape or glue? :D Most headphones will be more than a subtle improvement over the apple ear buds. That being said you could be unlucky and have small ear canals that force IEM's out.
 
There are also IEMs that have around the ear hooks like the Moshi Audio Clarus.
 
I think I may be one of the unlucky ones. I tend to even have difficulty even getting earplugs to stay in my ears. I've tried the many different form factors (small, large etc) they have of foam/silicone inserts and none of them tend to work for me. I've been told before after an ear check-up that something about my ear canal was different from most people. I can't remember the details but it might have been that they were either small, or angled upwards, maybe a combination of both. Which makes me think that I'll have a very difficult time finding buds that are comfortable.

I'm wondering if it might be best to just give up on earbuds and go the over the head headphone route due to this issue. But I really enjoy the convenience and portability of earbuds. I've seen form-fitted earbuds but I'm worried those are too expensive and too much hassle to deal with.

Are there any headphones that are reasonably portable, comfortable and good quality? Maybe a pair that are reasonable small and well built? I'm thinking for the sake of size comparison "Beats Solo" size but with more focus on accurate frequency response as I don't particularly like overpowering bass.

If it helps at all, I enjoy listening to more instrumental music, leaning towards symphony/orchestral music.
 
Something like the Sennheiser PX 200-II would be a good choice for a very light/portable set of cans that aren't going to break the bank, make you look goofy in public (full sized cans) and pretty much line up with all of your requirements. Be sure to get the version that sports the controls/mic.
 
rainereality said:
Thanks for the reply.

In your experience, which stores have you found to be the most lenient on return policies? I'm not sure where you're based from so it would likely be better to stick with larger, well known stores.I would assume that places would be less likely to take a pair of IEM back due to concerns about earwax and general cleanliness. But I can't be too sure, as I've never tried.

Also, with IEM I'm still concerned about them being able to stay properly in my ears. Normally, when I put in any buds with headphone attachments (silicone/foam) they end up falling out too easily. Any suggestions to assisting in making earbuds stay in place?
Click to expand...

headphone.com has a decent return policy, as does Amazon. I generally prefer to go local though, so I can stare a manager down if something goes awry in my return process.

As far as IEM falling out, you should be draping the cord over the top of your ear, and running it behind your ear and down your shirt to your device to help keep it up there and reduce microphonic transmission from the cord bumping and rubbing against your clothing.

As far as "neutral" headphones in the size of Beats Solo, Shure SRH440 is almost that size (just slightly bigger), but there would be no inline microphone.
 
To close things off here. I tried a few of the suggestions: Logitech UE6000, Etymotic MC3. Mainly looking to IEMs I was disappointed to find out that IEMs definitely do not stay in my ears and are continuously forced out + ear wax problems. The Ultimate Ears just didn't have the clarity that I wanted. So i've started looking into over the ear headphones and not care about portability as much because all I want now is good audio quality: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1787979
 
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