Hi, it's me again! Since around 2013 I have been using Sennheiser MX365 earbuds. They are corded, nice to wear, and have great sound. However, my fifth pair has a bent connector and I only have one more; they are out of production. I don't know why they're out of production, but it seems that in general, earbuds that do not feature the rubber that goes in your ear canal are hard to find nowadays. So I have two questions: one, are there companies that still make earbuds in the old style, and two, how big are the disadvantages compared to the advantages of using earbuds in the new style, with rubber that goes into your ear canal. So I'm asking you: do you use earbuds, and if yes, what type and what brand and model, and how do you like them?
Aw, forgot to include a poll. I'm not into creating useless polls anymore, but this one actually might've been able to have a useful poll.
Whichever earbuds you get, try to get ones with the most "flat response" as possible! Nothing worse than having a pair of earbuds that boosts part of the frequency bands. All of which would oversaturate/"blow-out" what the sound is supposed to sound like. Regardless it be the bass, treble, or the highs. (Of course, unless you are into that kind of stuff.)
How about Sennheiser MX375? Yes, I use earbuds on the move but mainly with rubberthingys since they are bluetooth and I dont wanna drop'em. At home I always use over-ear headphones.
I use wireless Bluetooth JBL earbuds. They got the rubber tip insert for the ear. I feel they stay tighter in my ear and less likely to fall out when I move around.
I have had airpods original and airpods pros that work very well, and i have beats studio buds which are actually horrible at connecting, sometimes taking up to a minute +, and randomly disconnecting after only 2-3 weeks
Thanks for the input! More would be welcome. The MX375 sound good, although they seem to be of significantly lower build quality than the MX365. I'm not sure if they are still in production, though, because I could not find it in stock on Dutch web shops. I could order it from China, perhaps, but I would rather not do that... from the USA, the sending fees are too high. So how do you like the earbuds with rubberthingies? I think I would rather not get wireless earbuds. It seems to me that they would get lost more easily, I don't think they look good, and there will be a slight delay due to the use of Bluetooth, which I think could be detrimental while gaming.
MX375 are available on amazon.de what I can see. I kinda like the rubberthingys for my in-ear headphones, better seal (i.e crisper sound) and less risk of dropping them. I'm a Beyerdynamic fan so if you're looking for a top-notch award-winning in-ear headphone with wire then look no further. Try the Beyerdynamic Soul Byrd. https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/beyerdynamic-soul-byrd
Good call 607! I agree with the first bit. I've considered getting my first wireless pair in 2015, but I didn't like the idea of losing them due to their tiny size. The inflated price for something that is not as [in my opinion] good, as a decent pair of wired earbuds, was a major turnoff for me as well. As for the second bit of your post above, Bluetooth earbuds will never sound as good as wireless earbuds. These tech companies are using ancient Bluetooth to "keep it relevant" in modern technology by assigning it a new role, which is way outside of what the original intention Bluetooth was made for. Bluetooth just does not have the bandwidth for high quality audio. (This may change in the future with a more modern version of Bluetooth, but the present is now, not then. Also, my second point [below] will still exist for Bluetooth [like it does for any wireless signal] in the future.) Have fun listening to music in a very crowded environment where everyone else around you is using Bluetooth, or is emitting some form of EMI that disrupts the frequency band that Bluetooth runs at. I'll be over here with my wired earbuds with no issues whatsoever haha
For gaming I always go for wired over-ear closed headphones(read:headset) for a more immersive gaming experience. Better soundprofile and to minimize external sounds. No latency on teamspeak which is kinda important. The comfort factor is there as well, a couple of hours with over-ear not a problem, a couple of hours with in-ear I'd go crazy. Bluetooth for gaming don't cut it frankly but I have no problem using bluetooth in-ear headphones when I'm on the move while streaming from Spotify. My current BT-headphones are v5.1 aptX HD compatible as is my phone. Spotify maxes out on 320kbps while my BT-headphones maxes out on 570kbps so I'm good. Sure Joy_the_Miner, the bitrate for my BT-headphones aren't up to par with a CD for example. Then again bitrates over VBR 192kpbs is pretty much indistinguishable from loseless audio and I never us my phone to play flac-files. Especially when I'm on the move I'm not looking for a high-end audio experience, Spotify will suffice. The notion of you losing your headphones if there is no wire is also weird. Just buy a pair of BT-headphones with a loading/carrying case, put the buds in the case when you are finished using them to keep them safe and fully loaded. Another big advantage with wireless headphones is that there is no tangle to untangle before u can start using them. ( Here is an article about the wire tangles: https://www.thejournal.ie/earphone-tangled-1516145-Jun2014/ ) No tangles = less risk of destroying the headphones especially at the most vulnerable point, where the wire enters the earbud or jack. I know that's the main reason my wired headphones goes to the after-life. ( I have a box with partially dead headphones in a tangle. I live under the illusion that I one day when time permits it, I'll take out my soldering iron and repair them )
My friend had a gaming wireless Bluetooth headset that maxed out at 16,000hz mono. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer not to listen to AM radio quality audio in 2021... If I load a file on my device, regardless of the bitrate of the audio file, I'd prefer to hear it "as is". If I am paying more money for a wireless headset, I would expect it to sound better than the cheaper wired alternatives. The fact that Bluetooth is the protocol of choice disgusts me. These tech companies know that Bluetooth sucks and yet they keep forcing it on us as if "it's the future", it's not. Bluetooth was not deigned with high bitrates in mind, which is why audio quality is quite sub-par when using wireless earbuds. That may change in the future, but even then, like all wireless devices, they will always suffer from EMI, and the oversaturation of bluetooth signals in the environment around you. (Drop outs, packet loss, interference, noise, etc) All of which are not things to worry about with wired earbuds. No, losing earbuds is really easy to do. More so when there's no wire attached to them. I am on the move at my job and I do not have time to play with tiny little toys that go into my ears, letalone making sure I have them in a protective little box that came with them. I can easily stuff my wired earbuds into my pocket with my phone, it's quick and simple. I do not have time to play with little boxes for little toys that go into my ears. As for the wires breaking, easy fix: "Patience is a virtue." Those who are impatient will continue to lose their earbuds if it causes them to break them while untangling them. This is a non-issue for me because I'm a patient person when it comes to little stuff like that. Plus winding them into a roll, rather than "bunching it" together mitigates this, even while in my pocket. So again, non-issue and can easily be avoided. ---------------- As I said in my original post, I commend 607 for considering to steer clear from wireless earbuds. You can get a really decent pair of wired earbuds for about $20 that sound really good, compared to a $130 pair that are "supposed" to be better, but operate on an ancient protocol that was never designed for audio streaming in the first place. I never understood the idea of "paying more for less", but I guess that's just me.
You're hardpressed to tell me that I should spend $150 for wireless earbuds when I can get a decent pair of wired earbuds for much cheaper. Just be smart with your money, 607.
I don't get why you're going full audiophile over wireless earphones. They are made for and marketed towards casual listeners. The average person doesn't care about or even know what a bitrate is, what EMI is, and personally speaking I've had way more interference come through my wired earphones than through my wireless ones. They're far more than serviceable for the average listener, the person on the go, the person who's cooking dinner and wants to listen to some music without having wires getting fried with their onions. By all means plug your wired Sennheiser DD80085_37047734s into your £8,000 tube amp and CD player or whatever, but there's no need to crap on wireless headphones for not matching that experience when they're really not supposed to lol. Unless you're disorganised in other aspects of life too, no it isn't. Ignoring what I'm hoping isn't a health and safety hazard... You don't have time to take earphones out of a box and put them in your ears while on the move, but you've got time to faff about with potentially tangled wires that can get in the way of your arms and get stuck on things and restrict head movement? Oookay then.
Have you recently tried earbuds with the rubber tips that go into your ear, 607? If so, was your experience positive or not? If you haven't tried it, is there an easy way in which you could try them? Not that I'm saying to move to those, but if you'd be open to them, it would significantly increase the amount of products available. Before corona became a thing I very often did this. I never had any issues. If you have the patience to untangle the wires, you also have the patience to take the time to put (wireless) earbuds in a place where you won't lose them. Fortunately, many bluetooth audio devices are capable of much more than 16000 Hz mono. Also, be honest, at your age, are you able to listen to sounds higher than 16000 Hz?
I have a similar trouble finding what I like. Glasses wearing is required but over the ear units tend to cause a bit of pain and I get sweaty spots wearing the rubber tips in ear. There is another style that I have just decided to investigate - not sure what it's called, but it was originally marketed as an option for active wearers iirc.
I used airpods pro, and they work great. Good sound quality, and the sound cancellation is honestly astounding. I use them at work in the office, can't hear my coworkers. I use them when I'm blacksmithing and my super loud forge is running, and it's almost totally quiet (it runs at about 75-80 db constant, I know because I have to keep a sound meter around, so that's a good reference for how much it can cancel out). Battery life is great too, usually about 2 days of all day use between charges.
Congrats! Sound cancellation is something I definitely don't want, though. (unless it's optional, I guess) Airpods only work with iPhones, right? Actually, I have lately been wondering about the bulk of wireless earphones... how do they work? I guess they have a 3.5mm connector with a Bluetooth dongle on it that transmits to your earbuds? Good idea! I've got to say they seem even less desirable than they sounded before I got input from my study association's Discord server and here, but trying them would be nice. I'll ask my housemates what they have, but I feel like it might seem unhygienic to share that type of earbuds? Do you use earbuds?
Hygienic cleaning option everyone should use from time to time. Cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Dry with Kleenex/tissue. The 2 things to watch here are keeping the electronics dry! And the type of rubber/plastic reacting to the alcohol >>> switch to peroxide. Or vice versa depending on what you have on hand. Basically you don't know until you try. Ideally the tip can be removed for cleaning or the extra set that comes with it (sized different) could be tried as cleaning tester.
That sounds like too much of a hassle to ask of my housemates, to be honest. :/ I could definitely ask my sister, but she does have regular earbuds. I will try those soon if I can, but I'm pretty sure I tried them before, and didn't like the audio quality.
