# Have a Recommendation for Earbuds?



## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2009)

My 1-1/2 year old no-name cheapo earbuds finally gave up the ghost. I am now looking for some great sounding earbuds that would cost less than $100. Does anyone have any recommendations based on actual experience? The main thing I am looking for is in-ear comfort and then great sounds (music).

Thanks and Best Wishes!


----------



## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I picked up a set of the Bose earbuds a few months back. The sound was good, but I did not like the way they fit in my ears. 
I tend to like the ones that are flat better than elongated. But again, the sound was good.
deb


----------



## PhillipA82 (Dec 20, 2009)

Try ebay or Amazon. I remember buying a set of Chinese earbuds on ebay pretty cheap ($3-$5) and the still work just fine!


----------



## caracara (May 23, 2010)

I have a pair of Gummy (Im pretty sure thats how you spell it...) They have worked just fine, similar to the original earbuds in sound, and they have yet to fall apart. I bought them off a friend recommendation, and they come in different colors, making them hard to loose!​


----------



## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I like the Gummys also.  I have a pair of them, and a pair of Maxwells.
deb


----------



## cheerio (May 16, 2009)

Bose


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I've been using Bose earbuds for the last couple of years and they're the best I've ever used. I love the way they fit into my ears, they're so comfortable. Please consider the fact that I have Tinnitus and some hearing loss so almost everything sounds the same to me. I do wish they'd come in either black or white and not the black/white combo, but really, it's not that big a deal.

Before I used these, I had a pair of Skull Candy earbuds (pink) that I really liked except I was always losing the foam pieces for the ears and one side or the other usually stopped working within a few months.


----------



## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

J-Lab's J3 J-buds model is fabulous:



I bought a set of these prior to our trip to Ireland. Prior to that trip, I rarely used my iPhone as an iPod; I hated the Apple earbuds, and never used them, so there wasn't much point in loading any music onto my phone. But I knew I was going to want something for the all day travel on both ends of that trip...I HATE flying.

I actually bought the J2 version just before, and I'm sorry to say that I bought them mostly because they were available in pink.  They were great headphones, and a good price. But when I talked my husband into finally taking a listen (which took forever, because, of course, they were PINK! LOL), he wanted a set of his own. When I went back to Amazon to get his, I found the J3 ones and bought those instead. His were so much better than mine, I had to get the pink J3 set for myself. My J2's immediately went into storage for emergency use. And my iPhone now gets used as an iPod all the time.

The sound quality is very good for the price. No, they're not Bose, but I'm not willing to pay those prices. The J3's come with four sizes of earbuds, which works well; I hardly notice when mine are in. They're available in black, white with silver, metallic blue, or metallic pink--the black is linked above.


----------



## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

We love the Gummys here at our house. I bought a pair for me to try and ended up getting some for the kids because they were complaining about their earphones. They sound great and they are the most comfortable earphones that I've ever had.


----------



## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I have the Phillips Noise Cancelling SHN2500 buds.
Got them at Woot for even less.
I like them a lot but like the sound from my sennheiser headphones better.


----------



## ayuryogini (Jan 3, 2010)

I have the Shure e2C sound isolating in-ear phones and the Bose in-ear; they both sound really good;
the Shure are a bit unwieldy and not as easy to position for the ears; once you get them positioned, they're comfy.
I think the Bose ear phones are a bit better, but they aren't made to fit snugly in your ear canal, they rest a little outside it, but still very secure and a good fit. That's the only thing I would change about them. They have really good sound, IMO.
Currently, the Bose are on sale for $10 off at Best Buy ($89 down from $99) and they're in stock at both the Citrus Heights and Roseville stores.


----------



## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

Bang and Olufsen A8s.  They are the only ones I have ever been able to stand wearing for any amount of time, my ears are so tender.  Audio Technica also has a pair that is similar and people have told me they are also very comfortable.  I can only vouch for the A8s.

You can pick up refurbs for just under $100.  Stay away from the Chinese knockoffs though.  My first set of A8s were lostvwhen someone stole my purse, so I got a pair off eBay and was sorely disappointed.  Pun intended, they hurtbmy ears during extended use.


----------



## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

ayuryogini said:


> I have the Shure 2E-C sound cancelling in ear phones and the Bose in-ear; they both sound really good;
> the Shure are a bit unwieldy and not as easy to position for the ears; once you get them positioned, they're comfy.
> I think the Bose ear phones are a bit better, but they aren't made to fit snugly in your ear canal, they rest a little outside it, but still very secure and a good fit. That's the only thing I would change about them. They have really good sound, IMO.
> Currently, the Bose are on sale for $10 off at Best Buy ($89 down from $99) and they're in stock at both the Citrus Heights and Roseville stores.


This was what I didn't like about the Bose, they don't fit snugly enough and they kept falling out of my ears. I think I have weird ears. 
deb


----------



## LRGiles (Apr 28, 2010)

I've got some Sony MDR-EX63V earbuds. They're under 25 bucks, and aren't marketed as noise canceling, but I used them on a flight recently (my seat was right next to an engine) and I thought they were perfect. They come with 3 earbud sizes so you can customize to fit. I highly recommend.

L. R. Giles


----------



## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2009)

KindleChickie said:


> Bang and Olufsen A8s. They are the only ones I have ever been able to stand wearing for any amount of time, my ears are so tender.


(I have the same problem.  ) Thank-you all for the information! I will be doing some research on all of the earbuds mentioned so far.

Best Wishes!


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I'm amazed at how many people are saying that the Bose fall out of their ears. I fall asleep every night listening to music or audiobooks. Most mornings when I wake up, the headphones are still in my ear! (BTW, I use the smallest size earpiece that they come with)


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I recently got the Zagg Buds, mainly because I had a 40% off coupon. They have other, higher priced models with additional features such as a microphone and an in-line volume control.

They come with multiple earbud adapters in different sizes and two different materials so you can find what works best for you. I find the bass response to be much better than the piece of junk that came with my mp3 player, as well as better isolation from outside sound. I imaging you can get better overall audio response at higher prices, but I doubt you can do much better at this price point ($59.99 before any discounts).

I may have a couple other discount codes that are still active if you PM me soon (i.e. in the 20% to 30% range) from the iPad contest they were running this month.


----------



## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2009)

Thanks for the information NogDog. PM sent.

Best Wishes!


----------



## ayuryogini (Jan 3, 2010)

luvmy4brats said:


> I'm amazed at how many people are saying that the Bose fall out of their ears. I fall asleep every night listening to music or audiobooks. Most mornings when I wake up, the headphones are still in my ear! (BTW, I use the smallest size earpiece that they come with)


Just wanted to clarify, I've never had a problem with the Bose falling out of my ears. When I got them I was surprised that they sat right outside your ear canal instead of actually being "in-ear" like I'm used to.

Eeyore, I don't want to steer you wrong on this. it was something that took getting used to, but they always stay in place, and if you have sensitive ear canals, this would be a great solution.

One thing I wanted to mention about choosing earphones (or any audio equipment) that you may already know, but I didn't, so it was helpful to find this out:
Let me preface this by saying my brother is a musician and serious audiophile* (he has all Naim stereo/audio home equipment if that means anything to you (Bentley uses Naim for their car audio system) ; I'm happy with my Bose Wave system).

One thing he mentioned when I was trying to narrow my decision in what to get is that a lot of the higher end choices will have excellent bass and treble, so when you listen to them for a short time (e.g., trying them out in a store) they may sound really great; however, what a lot of them lack is really good mid-range sound, which lends itself to great long-term listening. To me, this is where the Bose excel, they have an amazingly rich tone, especially for such small earbuds.

I just wanted to add this, in case you hadn't made your decision yet.
If you have, I'd love to know what you purchased and how you like them.

*by serious audiophile I mean not in a snobby way; he just loves music, and appreciates a great system; plus he's on Kindleboards, so I wanted to clarify, in case he reads this


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

ayuryogini said:


> ...
> *by serious audiophile I mean not in a snobby way; he just loves music, and appreciates a great system; plus he's on Kindleboards, so I wanted to clarify, in case he reads this


Your advice is good, IMO, in that a true audiophile is only concerned with getting the most faithful reproduction of the music possible within his/her budget. When someone starts telling you stuff about his system such as how many watts, frequency response, and how much it cost without talking about how enjoyable, neutral, and _musical_ it is to listen to, there's a good chance he's just buying a status symbol and may not truly be a good source of practical advice. As you said, a lot of low-/mid-fi components are purposely designed to be attention-getting rather than accurately musical, so you need to be careful about being seduced by them, only to find out how fatiguing they actually are to listen to. (As an extreme example there are those ubiquitous car stereo subwoofers that sound really annoying impressive due to how much sound they put out, until you realize that it's mostly all at one resonant frequency instead of true, balanced, tight, musical bass.)

Also, if you don't want to spend too much money on your music playback system, whatever you do, do _not_ got to a high-end system retailer or a rich audiophile's house and listen to a truly excellent stereo system that is properly set up. If you do, you'll suddenly realize what you're missing, and then start rethinking how you want to allocate your discretionary income (or even worse, your non-discretionary income  ).


----------



## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

I use sennheisers, but I can't remember which model they are.


----------



## Boston (Nov 7, 2008)

Mine are - Sennheiser CX300's...occasionally they go on sale for under $20...nice sound for the price imo. 
(Before that, I used the Sennheiser PX 100 Collapsible Headphones).

I also have a pair of Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 sitting in the box (picked them up when they were on Amazon special for $99). I have a Cowon player so really should take advantage of these. But I don't take very good care of my earbud...they get tossed in my pocketbook...so I'm afraid to use them 

btw - Yesterday (and it looks like its still good today), Yugster's private offer are Lenntek Sonix for $19.97 + free shipping which seems to get very good reviews for the price. 
http://www.yugster.com/dspPriv.aspx?cid=2309

(Note: Never buy earbuds from anyone but an authorized dealer...there are a lot of fakes out there).


----------



## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2009)

Thanks for the suggestions, everybody. I ordered a set of Zagg Buds and was able to get a discount code from NogDog that saved me some money. Should be here later next week. Again, thanks for all the great suggestions!

Best Wishes!


----------



## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

Wow, with the 50% off that they are offering today you just can't beat that deal! $60 earbuds for $29.99 and free shipping. Plus I see that they have a 45-day guarantee period. So if you don't like them, send them back for 100% refund. Thanks for the suggestion, NogDog, and the posting of the 50% off in the discount section.


----------



## Someone Nameless (Jul 12, 2009)

See what happens? I stumble in here and I'm not even considering ear buds but the next thing you know I've ordered a pair of ZaggBuds. My ear buds are awful and I did need a pair. With the 50% off today, you can't beat it. I _almost _ordered the more expensive pair but decided to just go with the $59.99 pair. Wish they had the ones with the mic!


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

LOL: I wish I got a commission.


----------



## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I actually got the Zagg buds







today too with that sale going on and because of this thread. I've never liked earbud headphones but hearing other people say the same thing and liking other types it makes me hopeful.


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I have a pair of the Zagg ones (with the mic) and they're not too bad. Hubs has a pair and really likes them. The mic picks up way too much noise and nobody can ever understand me when I'm using it. I do like the cord it has, they seem to get tangled less than my Bose. (I think the headphone fairy comes in and ties those in knots every night...)


----------



## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

Scheherazade said:


> I actually got the Zagg buds today too with that sale going on and because of this thread. I've never liked earbud headphones but hearing other people say the same thing and liking other types it makes me hopeful.


Ditto for me...but I thought with the 45-day guarantee it was a good deal. If I can't get them to fit right I can return them. If others can get them to fit right then I'm hopeful that I can too.


----------



## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

Zagg just sent me a note that they're extending their 50%-off sale, through midnight tonight:

Our affiliate link: Zagg









Good for all Zagg products as well as their InvisibleSHIELD products.


----------



## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

Harvey said:


> Zagg just sent me a note that they're extending their 50%-off sale, through midnight tonight:
> 
> Our affiliate link: Zagg
> 
> ...


Harvey, can you put the affiliate link up at the top with the others? I didn't know Zagg was an affiliate. Come to think of it, Teavana is not up there either. Is there a place that lists all the affiliates?


----------



## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

Andra said:


> Harvey, can you put the affiliate link up at the top with the others? I didn't know Zagg was an affiliate. Come to think of it, Teavana is not up there either. Is there a place that lists all the affiliates?


Hmm, it's a good idea. We have quite a few affiliates - and not all are Kindle related. Maybe I'll create an affiliates page that just lists them. I appreciate you using those links when you can - - it really helps support the site!!


----------



## Someone Nameless (Jul 12, 2009)

A list would be great because I didn't know that when I ordered!


----------



## Someone Nameless (Jul 12, 2009)

My Zaggbuds arrived today.  They are absolutely the most comfortable ear buds I've ever worn and fabulous for the price!!!  A BIG THANK YOU for the recommendation!


----------



## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

I just got the new iPhone 4 and I need good better earbuds. The ones that came with the phone are a piece of junk. I am bummed I missed this thread when in first came out. I love the looks of the Zagg's but as far as I can tell, when I go to their web site, there are no specials. Does anyone know of specials that are not posted there?


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Tripp said:


> I just got the new iPhone 4 and I need good better earbuds. The ones that came with the phone are a piece of junk. I am bummed I missed this thread when in first came out. I love the looks of the Zagg's but as far as I can tell, when I go to their web site, there are no specials. Does anyone know of specials that are not posted there?


Go to http://www.zagg.com/community/contest.php and enter their iPad contest. As soon as you enter, they'll send you an email with a discount code for somewhere between 20%-50% off. If you get less than 50%, let me know, and I'll PM you the code I got for this week's entry.


----------



## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

NogDog said:


> Go to http://www.zagg.com/community/contest.php and enter their iPad contest. As soon as you enter, they'll send you an email with a discount code for somewhere between 20%-50% off. If you get less than 50%, let me know, and I'll PM you the code I got for this week's entry.


Thanks Nog Dog. I signed up. Haven't received an email yet, but when I do, I will let you know. Thanks again.


----------



## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

Tripp said:


> Thanks Nog Dog. I signed up. Haven't received an email yet, but when I do, I will let you know. Thanks again.


Check your spam folder just in case, it's been my experience each week when I re-enter the contest, the coupon arrives in my inbox within seconds.


----------



## Someone Nameless (Jul 12, 2009)

I have a code for 40% off that you can have if you would like it.  I got the Zagg Earbuds and I love them.  They are the best!


----------



## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

I don't know what went wrong.  I signed up a second time thinking I entered my email address incorrectly.  I got a message on the website thanking me and telling me I was already entered for the week.  But, no email...not even in my Spam file.  So, I guess my discount is 0%.  

Nog Dog and Kindle Gracie, if the offer is still good to share your discount, I will take one of you up on it.  . I love Kindleboards.  Everyone is so generous, with their info and support.


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

PM'd you the 50% code I got this week.


----------



## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Got it.  Thanks so much!


----------



## Someone Nameless (Jul 12, 2009)

Sorry I'm late seeing this.  I have a 40% off code if you still need it.


----------



## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Kindle Gracie said:


> Sorry I'm late seeing this. I have a 40% off code if you still need it.


Thanks so much KIndle Gracie. I used the code that Nog Dog so generously gave me. I ordered the $80 buds for 50% off. I went for the free shipping, so it will be about 5-7 days. I am cheap, when something is free, I usually opt for it. Looking forward to getting my Zaggs. Thanks again to both of you.


----------



## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

I swear by these. I have two pair. My kids each have a pair. Fantastic sound. AND VERY COMFORTABLE!! Well worth the $30.
Brookstone Surround Sound Stereo Earbuds

http://www.brookstone.com/buds-retractable-surround-sound-earbuds.html?his=2~46337~2~root_category%40kwd~ear+buds&bkiid=searchResults|C4CategoryProdList1FDT|7145217


----------

