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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > iPod, iPhone & iPad > Recommended iPhone Earbuds

Recommended iPhone Earbuds
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Junior Member
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Dec 14, 2008, 08:30 PM
 
Could someone please recommend some earbuds WITH MICROPHONE for iPhone? I would like to replace the ones that come with the iPhone.
     
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Dec 14, 2008, 08:49 PM
 
The Apple in-ear headphones are getting some pretty good reviews. I'm thinking about picking up a pair myself, although they won't replace my Ultimate Ears for plane rides...

All glory to the hypnotoad.
     
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Dec 14, 2008, 08:55 PM
 
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 4vi -- $150, with integrated mike/button for iPhone.
     
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Dec 15, 2008, 10:43 AM
 
If you want an inexpensive alternative, I can vouch for Coby's CV-EM86. It's nice not having to worry so much about losing them or them breaking, and to my ears they sound fine. http://twurl.nl/x6eo4u
     
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Dec 15, 2008, 07:23 PM
 
Originally Posted by tooki View Post
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 4vi -- $150, with integrated mike/button for iPhone.
I saw at the Apple Store today that they also now make the iPhone version of the next model up. The Super.fi 5vi was about $200.
     
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Dec 15, 2008, 07:25 PM
 
Originally Posted by eggman View Post
If you want an inexpensive alternative, I can vouch for Coby's CV-EM86. It's nice not having to worry so much about losing them or them breaking, and to my ears they sound fine. http://twurl.nl/x6eo4u
Coby? The drugstore and 7-Eleven brand?!?
     
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Dec 15, 2008, 09:18 PM
 
Originally Posted by jokell82 View Post
The Apple in-ear headphones are getting some pretty good reviews. I'm thinking about picking up a pair myself, although they won't replace my Ultimate Ears for plane rides...
I thought they weren't compatible with the iPhone. (At least the microphone part.)

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Dec 15, 2008, 10:04 PM
 
Originally Posted by Stogieman View Post
I thought they weren't compatible with the iPhone. (At least the microphone part.)
Right now only the volume buttons don't work with the iPhone. But the other button and mic do work, so it's essentially the same functionality as the headphones that ship with the iPhone, just with better sound.

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Dec 16, 2008, 02:23 AM
 
Ultimate Ears is not bad choice. But I bet B&O's A8 is relatively cool and quality. Everyone can check this out:

http://www.amazon.com/Bang-Olufsen-1.../dp/B000QW70AK
     
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Dec 16, 2008, 06:46 AM
 
Originally Posted by WPeterson View Post
Ultimate Ears is not bad choice. But I bet B&O's A8 is relatively cool and quality. Everyone can check this out:

http://www.amazon.com/Bang-Olufsen-1.../dp/B000QW70AK
Those don't have a mic...

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Dec 16, 2008, 06:59 AM
 
Originally Posted by WPeterson View Post
Ultimate Ears is not bad choice. But I bet B&O's A8 is relatively cool and quality. Everyone can check this out:

http://www.amazon.com/Bang-Olufsen-1.../dp/B000QW70AK
I was at the apple store looking for a pair of better earbuds/head phones and the salesman said they were his least favorite pair. No bass, your paying looks. I went with Apple's new earbuds I've only had a chance to play with them a bit but so far I like them better then what I used to use. The voda vibe and the default earbuds
~Mike
     
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Dec 16, 2008, 08:12 AM
 
Originally Posted by Maflynn View Post
I was at the apple store looking for a pair of better earbuds/head phones and the salesman said they were his least favorite pair. No bass, your paying looks. I went with Apple's new earbuds I've only had a chance to play with them a bit but so far I like them better then what I used to use. The voda vibe and the default earbuds
Sounds like par for the course with Bang and Olufsen gear...

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Dec 16, 2008, 09:16 AM
 
Originally Posted by WPeterson View Post
Ultimate Ears is not bad choice. But I bet B&O's A8 is relatively cool and quality. Everyone can check this out:

http://www.amazon.com/Bang-Olufsen-1.../dp/B000QW70AK
Are you joking? B&O is known for style, not audio quality, at very high prices. Ultimate Ears is an earphone company, they specialize in it.
     
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Dec 16, 2008, 09:36 AM
 
(Re: Coby) Wow, $15 isn't that much to gamble on an iPhone headset. I got kinda screwed gambling on 2 cheapish sets. With that in mind, here are my anti-recommendations:

I got a set of Griffin TuneBuds mobile, which had totally acceptable sound quality and well-placed mic. But the cable seems to be really weak; within a few weeks, sound was only coming through one ear unless I jiggled the cord right around the plug. (Of course, after that happened I remembered that the same thing happened to me a few years before with some other Griffin buds for an iPod.)

Afterwards, I got the headset that RadTech sells. I couldn't easily tell if they seemed sturdier. But the sound was terrible. And they have these little holes to insure that some outside conversation can get through. Might seem like a good thing for some people, but I want to be able to use the things as a handsfree headset for the phone while riding my bike, and these make a big whooshing sound. But the crappiness of the sound, tinny and thin, was the dealbreaker anyway.
     
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Dec 17, 2008, 12:56 PM
 
A friend recommended these: Etymotic hf2
Another was talking about Q-Jays, but they don't have a mic.
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Dec 17, 2008, 05:05 PM
 
Will the plug on the new Apple in-ear headphones fit into the recessed jack of a Gen 1 iPhone?
     
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Dec 17, 2008, 09:59 PM
 
The new in-ears are supposed to be plug compatible with all iPods, but the special features only function on the newer models.

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
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Dec 20, 2008, 10:31 AM
 
Originally Posted by Sijmen View Post
A friend recommended these: Etymotic hf2
Another was talking about Q-Jays, but they don't have a mic.
I can also vouch for the hf2 being a great earbud, but it's more expensive than, and sounds slightly inferior to, the Ultimate Ears 4vi. The hf2's biggest advantage is how incredibly small they are.
     
   
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