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CaseCom · May 7, 2003, 01:29 PM

I have a 10-gig iPod (the previous generation, but with the solid-state scroll wheel). I've never been entirely happy with the earbuds; they sit in my ears OK, but I can always feel them there and if the cord gets tugged a bit I can "hear" it in my ear.

What do you think of the earbuds? Am I whining about nothing? Are there better earbuds I can buy? Or should I go for regular headphones?

(If you use something other than the stock earbuds, please post what you do use)

AssassyN · May 7, 2003, 01:34 PM

I haven't even opened my stock iPod earbuds since I got it; as an audiophile I automatically went ahead and got some nicer earbuds in anticipation of getting the iPod.

I use the Sony Fontopia MDR-EX70's. I got them on sale at B&H Photo/Video website and they sound outstanding for the ~$35 I paid for them. They fit very comfortably and the sound quality is outstanding...I'd *higly* recommend them to anyone looking for top-notch sound and a value price.

zacharie · May 7, 2003, 01:56 PM

Haven't opened the iPod earbuds pack either...I use the Koss portapro headphones with my iPod. good bass, good price.

xtal · May 7, 2003, 02:19 PM

Originally posted by zacharie:
Haven't opened the iPod earbuds pack either...I use the Koss portapro headphones with my iPod. good bass, good price.

Although I don't own an iPod (yet) I must add my support for the Koss Porta Pro's. Great headphones, and they kick the tar out of any earbuds I've listened to.

Axo1ot1 · May 7, 2003, 02:24 PM

Originally posted by xtal:
Although I don't own an iPod (yet) I must add my support for the Koss Porta Pro's. Great headphones, and they kick the tar out of any earbuds I've listened to.

Ever listened to etymotic earbuds? I have their cheapo model, the ER-6 ($160). They are among the best headphones I've ever heard. The out do my friend's grado open-air headphones by quite a bit. Really incredible crisp bass.

mrwalker · May 7, 2003, 02:39 PM

I haven't opened the stock ones either. I already had the Bang & Olufsen ones before I bought my ipod.

I don't know if they're the best for sound quality, but they sound good to me. They also look better than the stock ones and don't stand out as much as the bright white.

-mrwalker

Yoda's Erotic Piggyback · May 7, 2003, 02:42 PM

I had other Sony headphones and I was planning on using them but I gave the iPod ones a quick run out of pitty. Then I switched to the Sony's and was shocked to find out that the iPods sounded better, just as much bass, louder and cleaner.

ryanbrown345 · May 7, 2003, 02:48 PM

My old 5gb earbuds sucked major ass. But the new onees for my 30gb soud pretty decent. I tried the $50 sony earbuds and was disapointed, Truthfully I don't like earbuds. So I tested all kinds of headphones out and found the bose triport headphones. They are really expensive, but once you try them you will not want to go back!

Yoda's Erotic Piggyback · May 7, 2003, 02:56 PM

Originally posted by ryanbrown345:
So I tested all kinds of headphones out and found the bose triport headphones. They are really expensive, but once you try them you will not want to go back!

Dear god the only place anyone should wear something this ugly on their ears is if they are working on a runway.

hardcat1970 · May 7, 2003, 03:03 PM

i use sony m70 nude earbud and it sounds great, although some people don't like earbud.

the first generation ipod's earbud sounds terrible, but the second and the third one actually sound better.

GORDYmac · May 7, 2003, 04:19 PM

I use the Sony MDR EX71 in-ear ear buds. Not only do the look perfect with the iPod, they sound great.

The iPod ones (both versions) are too big for my ears.

xi_hyperon · May 7, 2003, 04:34 PM

I've got the Koss sportapro headphones - sibling of the portapro - and no buds can approach their sound quality. Lots o' bass for such a small pair of headphones.

xtal · May 7, 2003, 04:48 PM

Originally posted by Axo1ot1:
Ever listened to etymotic earbuds? I have their cheapo model, the ER-6 ($160). They are among the best headphones I've ever heard. The out do my friend's grado open-air headphones by quite a bit. Really incredible crisp bass.

Axo1ot1,
Based on your suggestion, I did a bit of research on the etymotic earbuds (Model ER-6, http://www.etymotic.com/). They do look impressive for earbuds, and have a decent frequency response. I would have to listen to them myself to compare though. Intriguing.

However, I have to question their stated frequency response of "20Hz to 16kHz" considering plot below (from the site):

Thanks for the pointer though, I will have to try and listen to these (and other) etymotic earbuds.

MaxPower2k3 · May 7, 2003, 06:52 PM

Originally posted by mrwalker:
I haven't opened the stock ones either. I already had the Bang & Olufsen ones before I bought my ipod.

I don't know if they're the best for sound quality, but they sound good to me. They also look better than the stock ones and don't stand out as much as the bright white.

-mrwalker

my dad has those and loves them... i'm jealous but they're too expensive for me

AJ · 07:10 PM

I use some Sony MDR-EX70SP for out and about listening. They provide quite good isolation from traffic noise, but not too much.

When I am listening in quieter environs, I have a pair of Sony MDR-888s (short length version). These are the dogs. They sound as good (IMHO) as the B&O ones, and I have compared the two quite extensively.
B&O's frequency response: 50 - 20,000 Hz
Sony's: 8 - 27,000 Hz
Hrm. Sony's are cheaper by a large margin

Can't get the MDR-888s in the UK, so i had to import them from minidisco.

hempcamp · May 7, 2003, 08:12 PM

Originally posted by xtal:
However, I have to question their stated frequency response of "20Hz to 16kHz" considering plot below (from the site):

The rated frequency response and the charted frequency response should not be confused. The latter is for matching the response to the ear to show the degree of distortion across the sound spectrum. The Ety's have *incredibly* small distortion, as the chart shows.

Many (if not most) "audiophiles" rank the Ety ER-6's older brothers, the ER-4P and ER-4S, among the top 5 dynamic headphones in the world. Yes, that's right, *in the world.*

Before you rush out and spend nearly three hundred smackers on the ER-4 though, keep in mind that you need a headphone amp to run the high impedance ER-4S correctly. The ER-4P are made for portable devices though, and they are probably the finest earplug-style headphones you could ever match up with the iPod. Don't believe me? You'll have to find somone with a pair -- hearing IS believing!

--Chris

PS - This is all moot of course if, like me, you can't afford an iPod, let alone $300 earplug headphones! Good cheap (non-earbud/earplug) alternatives that match up well with the iPod include the Portapro (Sportapro and KSC-35 have the same innards) if you like boomy pop music, or the Sennheiser PX200 for more refined musical tastes. In between the ER-4P and the Sennheisers would be the ER-6. Check out headphone.com for lots of great info (although you can almost always find cheaper prices elsewhere).