Ear Buds

ryobi43

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Looking to see if anybody has a recomendation on a set of ear buds that work well with the Droid. Not looking to spend a fortune, just something that is reasonable and clear.
 

OlSarge

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honestly I bought some skull candies at tj max for a third of the price as regular stores they were like 6.00 sound great and they even have the noise canceling ones for around 12.00 (if I remember correctly)
 

largeselection

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the skull candies are pretty good. Though I found they distorted the bass a bit. I'm using v-moda vibes and they are great! You can prob find them online for around $50.
 
G

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I actually use the Mrs's iPod buds since she doesn't like them. They=Fantastic
 

Adiliyo

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i really liked the first gen v-moda vibes, the current ones are good, but nearly as nice as the old ones.

right now i'm using a pair of ultimate ears.

it really depends on what your budget is, what kind of earphones you want, and how much you really care about audio quality. :)
 

corydunbar

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i prefer the iphone ear buds because they include a microphone and button that doesn't get in the way ever. and of course i can make and receive calls while i'm listening to music without having to stop what i'm doing. ex. working out
 

largeselection

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Yea I'm using the vibe duos.

ultimate ears custom fit? I saw those and thought about pulling the trigger, but talked myself out of it because I'm not super friendly to my buds. I want to be able to just throw my buds into my jacket pocket or bag or something and not worry about them. with the vibes if they get all j'd up or something I wouldn't flip about them. It would suck, but I wouldn't flip. However, if something happened to buds that I had dropped $400-$1400 on I would be royally pissed. Hence, I went with the vibes.
 

largeselection

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ps- cory if you decide to try some different buds, v-moda makes a set that has a mic on it for the same purpose you describe. just a friendly fyi in case you didn't know.
 

corydunbar

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This i know

ps- cory if you decide to try some different buds, v-moda makes a set that has a mic on it for the same purpose you describe. just a friendly fyi in case you didn't know.

I'm aware that other ear buds are out their and serve this same purpose, i just have a bunch of those buds at my disposal with all the people in my family that are constantly loosing their buds. I dont even own an ipod.
 

nbobimchak

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If you want an awesome-looking pair of earbuds that you won't see anywhere else, try these:

ALTEC-LANSING MUZX 136

You can get them for $25 at Walmart, and they don't sound too bad. Plus, they're made of wood (actual wood!) so every pair has a different grain quality. I use them for the subway/bus, etc. and just stash them in my jacket pocket. They have good sound isolation for public transit, and sound good enough for casual outside use.

For indoor use, I use these (headphones, not earbuds):

KOSS PORTAPRO

They're legendary for their sound quality. A lot of reviews online say that they're the best option besides Grados under $100, and they're only $40! In fact, I got mine for $30, on sale somewhere. They don't have a closed back for sound isolation, so I use them in the house or when sound quality really matters. In fact, they have so much detail that I wouldn't recommend using them with Pandora or Slacker, since they'll reveal how assy the compression is on those services!

Anyway, you might not want two sets, but for $60-70, it's not a bad investment. In fact, I'd say it's the best you can do for your money.

PS-- I'd include links to the 'phones, but apparently I don't have enough posts to link yet...
 

prometheus

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I know you were interested in low cost solution. However, if someone reading this is interested in getting a little higher end product -- consider this...

Try going to a local audiologist (ear doctor). Have them make a mold of your ear. They put this goopy jelly stuff in your ear and it semi-hardnens and makes a mold. Then mail the mold to a custom ear bud maker. There's a bunch of them. Google "custom ear molds". The ear doctor will charge about $50 to take the impression and the custom ear mold companies charge about $90 to make the mold. There are some do-it-yorself kits available. I've never used them and couldn't vouch for them.

Then have the mold maker make the custom molded silicon ear insert to fit whatever headphones you're using. Just give them instructions. Most can make the mold for any brand headphones. The point is: they fit in your ear is perfect, regardless of the earphones themselves. You can turn a mediocre set of earphones into a great pair by getting perfect fit and better sound by blocking out external noises. I bought some Bose headphones ($90), they work fine. The benefit is that the ear molds completely block out all other sound, so you can wear them with very low volume. Also, custom molds do not ever fall out no matter you're doing. Another benefit is that the mold doubles as an ear plug for high volume areas. I worked in a concrete factory and the noise level required ear plugs. I'd wear the custom molded ones for a 10 hour shift and they never fell out or hurt my ears. The ear bud pops out of the mold, leaving just the insert in your ear and effectively works as an earplug.

Then... have the impressions used to make a custom mold for your bluetooth. The sound is soooo much better without any background noise getting in. I use my molds with a Jawbone prime ($100). The mold for that cost about $90 also.

Fortunately, I bought all of this equipment with an expense account and the company paid for it. We had marathon conference calls and I travel a lot. So, bluetooth was a business expense. Anyhow, it's a VERY expensive option. But if you wear a bluetooth a lot and need it to not fall out and be comfortable for hours - go with custom molds. If you wear headphones while working out, bike riding, etc. and need them to be uber-comfortable and not ever fall out - go with customs. I bought mine a long time ago and I think they're cheaper now.

Here's a picture of the molds with headphones and Bluetooth:

FriFeb05013117AmericaDenver2010.jpg
 
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devarshi

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In the $50-150 range there's no reason to get anything but the nuforce ne7m's. They're $55 on Amazon, get better sound quality than much more expensive earbuds, and have a built in mic. Theyre better than the vmodas, and blow bose ie's out of the water.
 

prometheus

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In the $50-150 range there's no reason to get anything but the nuforce ne7m's. They're $55 on Amazon, get better sound quality than much more expensive earbuds, and have a built in mic. Theyre better than the vmodas, and blow bose ie's out of the water.

I agree... Bose are wayyyy overpriced for the sound quality. I mean, they are good. But, they're not THAT much better than many other earphones on the market. I would NOT buy recommentd them. They're overhyped.

The main benefit of the nuforce ones is the built in mic. -- that makes them dual purpose - one piece of hardware for media and calls. I just couldn't stand the wires dangling and draping everywhere. Even tucked in my shirt - It was just kind of a pain. I like Bluetooth for phone calls.
 

baycruisers

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I bought some Vmoda Sport buds from Costco for $30. No idea why they're called "sport," they seem to be ordinary earbuds. Excellent fit and sound quality. I wore them in flight yesterday and they blocked out the ambient noise very nicely while listening to my Zune HD.
 

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