High quality iPhone 4 earphones/mic

S

sphinx99

[H]ard|Gawd
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Dec 23, 2006
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I travel too much while needing to take phone calls, and every bluetooth headset I've tried has had poor fit and sound quality and occasional quirks. This on top of (a) having another device to charge and (b) having to turn on battery-killing Bluetooth on the phone. I realize this works for others, but I'm done with single-ear Bluetooth headsets.

If I'm looking for sound quality (for music), mic quality (for voice calls) and durability, about $150 or under, any suggestions on regular in-ear headphones with an inline microphone for iPhones? Basically a drop-in replacement for the ones that come with the phone, but with better build quality, better sound and more flexible fit options (changeable tips, etc.)

I've seen quite a few sites reviewing headphones but SQ reviews for items with inline mics seem to be harder to come by?
 
I don't think they meet your budget unless you shop used but UE Triplefi 10vi are what I really like.
 
Klipsch S5i with Comply-TX tips are probably the most rugged/durable IEMs and sound fantastic.
 
Thank you for the suggestions. I have been considering the S5i but I have to admit the reviews have been scaring me off. A lot of people complain about them falling out of the ears. (Also, many people saying it's weak in bass, but without context one can't tell if they're just bass-heads unhappy with a linear response set.)

What's wrong with the Brookstones? I have to admit, I like the look of them--seems like it would a nice fit.

Context - I listen to Senn HD800s on Benchmark DACs so I do take headphone audio pretty seriously. But, for some reason I've never bought anything portable. If I'm going to get started, I would like something with a decent inline mic.

Do my options open up if I raise the budget a bit?
 
That's why you need the Comply tips. They're memory foam so they expand and mold to your ear canal. I use mine exclusively for the gym and I have never had a problem with them falling out of my ears with these tips. Most complain about the bass because they are not fit properly and there is a poor seal.
 
Definitely recommend complyfoam tips, they are great. Almost the same noise isolation as foam earplugs and similar comfortable fit. Better than noise cancellation IMO, you don't want to wear them walking in the city, you won't hear cars etc.

Whatever you settle on IEM wise check these out.
 
I have to put my vote in for these. I have used older versions of them for years, I currently have this exact same pair and they work excellently. The one downside is they have extremely good noise cancelling, so you don't hear anything over the music really.
 
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I had a pair of Klipsch headphones , the model before the S5i's with my iPhone 4 for about a year until the audio jack began to have some issues but as far sound goes they were pretty sweet, can't say many great things about durability considering they didn't last over a year but that was with pretty heavy use, still....
 
I've always enjoyed my Etymotic earphones, especially when traveling because they will block out the noise. I think the Hf3's are about $140 on Amazon right now. If you want to fancy them up, you can get custom made ear inserts for a $100.
 
I decided to ante up and got the Senheisser IE-8i. I'm delighted. I can finally hear people talking when driving. They also seem to hear me better than previous headsets. SQ of course is thrilling, although I am still struggling to work out a good seal.
 
Update - I've been using these almost continuously for two weeks. They are fantastic. People can hear me quite clearly, and needless to say I can hear them as well. SQ is amazing and being able to dial in the bass response right on the earphones is rather nice, actually. The earphones fit well, but I will have to look at third-party foam plugs as none of the ones that come with the phone quite give me a good seal that lasts.
 
Terpfen said:
Bose is not high quality.
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:rolleyes:

Sure, they aren't the best out there, but to say that they aren't quality is ignorant. I have a pair of their regular ear buds and they sound just as good as my quality headphones.

To the OP, as for them falling out, I have those same earbuds on my Bose headphones and I run 2 miles with them in and they don't fall out. Just use the right size ones and you'll be fine.
 
Didn't see the date on the thread. My apologies.
 
OEM said:
:rolleyes:

Sure, they aren't the best out there, but to say that they aren't quality is ignorant. I have a pair of their regular ear buds and they sound just as good as my quality headphones.
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If you define Bose as "just as good" as your "quality headphones", then I'm doubting whether or not you have "quality headphones". Bose is awful: they make cheaply-built products that cost too much relative to the sound they put out, but hey, the advertisements are great! Usually, Bose's products attempt to make up in loudness what they lack in sound quality, which is basically a "two wrongs make a right" design strategy. Doesn't work.

Basically, Bose is what Apple haters think Apple is. I would opt for my $50 JVC-HARX700 cans over a $200 Bose product.

Tyler_ said:
Razor ! or other extreme gaming earphones are best...!!
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First of all, nothing with the word "extreme" in its name ever is.

Second, gaming headphones are basically super-budget products with a built-in microphone. You're paying up to $100 for the convenience of not having to manage a second cable. That's it.
 
Terpfen said:
If you define Bose as "just as good" as your "quality headphones", then I'm doubting whether or not you have "quality headphones". Bose is awful: they make cheaply-built products that cost too much relative to the sound they put out, but hey, the advertisements are great! Usually, Bose's products attempt to make up in loudness what they lack in sound quality, which is basically a "two wrongs make a right" design strategy. Doesn't work.

Basically, Bose is what Apple haters think Apple is. I would opt for my $50 JVC-HARX700 cans over a $200 Bose product.



First of all, nothing with the word "extreme" in its name ever is.

Second, gaming headphones are basically super-budget products with a built-in microphone. You're paying up to $100 for the convenience of not having to manage a second cable. That's it.
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So would I. $200 for headphones is idiotic unless you listen to sonar in a submarine for a living. Let me look at my newegg history and see what headphones I have. I'm on vacation and my headphones are at home.
 
OEM said:
$200 for headphones is idiotic unless you listen to sonar in a submarine for a living.
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$200 is the very low end of quality headphones. You might be able to get the AKG K501 used for that price if you're lucky.
 
The audio section of this forum said these were the best headphones for under $100. Maybe people ranted and raved about how good they sound...and they sound about the same as my Bose in ear headphones that were the same price.

I hate crappy sounding music, and these sound fine for me...I guess I'm not a hardcore audiophile.
 
OEM said:
The audio section of this forum said these were the best headphones for under $100. Maybe people ranted and raved about how good they sound...and they sound about the same as my Bose in ear headphones that were the same price.

I hate crappy sounding music, and these sound fine for me...I guess I'm not a hardcore audiophile.
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The AD700s you linked to are basically entry-level products, and better more for gaming than for music listening sessions. Still better than Bose though.
 
For anyone still looking for a pair, I'm a fan of the Etymotic HF3. I was looking for a decent set of in-ears with the mic & buttons for a few months, and my dad recommended these over anything else, including the Klipsch...and he used to work for Klipsch, if that says anything.

I got mine for $110 new on eBay a couple months ago, although that comes with the gotcha that you don't get the Etymotic warranty. They're afraid of people getting counterfeits on eBay and other sites, then exchanging them for genuine, etc.

It's a bit of a weird sensation getting used to the incredible noise isolation. This was actually my first earphone set that wasn't cheap junk and/or included with my iPhone. I had tried some noise isolating earphones from JBL a while back since they were being offered on sale for like $45, but these are just in another league entirely.

I'm told you can make them even better by getting a real set of ear plugs for them, but it came with 4 types of them and I'm happy with the foam set. You might find the large 3-cone set that comes on it a little too close for comfort though, I think it touched my brain when I first tried them.
 
Etymotic has some really nice in-ear headsets out there now.

Very true sound, for amazing prices now.
 
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