earbuds plural of ear·bud
Noun
A very
small headphone, worn inside the ear.
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As a runner I have tough requirements for earbuds. Here is a
short list:
- stay
in the ear even through running, this is where advice cannot be taken, get
a set with multiple ear size fitments pieces
- sound
isolation, a good fit in the ear will allow you to keep the volume down,
your ears will relax and you will hear more of your earbuds AND outside
sounds
- microphone,
pause/play, volume up/down, the type of functions that come on earbuds
included in the purchase of a smart phone. The less you need to touch your phone while running,
the longer it will last. When
I commute run I’m always talking or texting.
- must
survive my sweat. This is not
a feature that you can test in the store. Simply being waterproof isn’t enough
- must
survive the wash cycle, leaving them in your clothes should not be a death
sentence
The above list seems do’able. If we can put a man on the moon then we should be able to
achieve this loftier of goals. I
have tried a few earbuds in my 4 years of running. Here are a few memorable ones… (spoiler alert) the search
continues.
- Iphone’s
earbuds: all but iPhone Gen 2 have a wire insulation that will survive
sweat. The earlier models
would not stay in my ears, but the company Yurbuds had a solution for this
in Figure 2 Yurbuds. The newer generation iPhone
earbuds fit into my ear canals nicely, they survived running without
falling out. The bad: with my chemistry, the buttons and or microphone
with every set of these earbuds has failed. 100%. They
will survive the winter months pretty well when there is enough clothing
separating my sweat from their buttons. Usually they fail by engaging the pause/play (which
when held down wakes up Siri).
Music will pause/play on its own, calls ended, Siri asking what I
want. It is infuriating!
- Shure
EC(all), I have tried E3c, E5c, and others. Much improved sound quality, good seal to block out
sounds and let your ears relax.
The bad: They will not stay
in the ears. The wire
insulation gets hard/soft with temperature and they will fall out of your ears.
I recall many not having the buttons and the wire so their functionality
is sub par as well.
- Bang
& Olufsen A8. Since I had
poured hundred of sheckles on the Shures, I figured ‘why stop’. A few hundred dollars later I got
the classiest earbuds I could find.
They hang on the ear so they won’t fall out every thought they are
heavy. You will not be able
to wear sunglasses with these, the over-ear part is too thick. The foam around the speaker is not
meant for sweaty surfaces, but it works. These lasted over a year. The bad: They
failed possibly due to the way I wound up the wire and put them in my
pockets. One side went out
intermittently, putting the wires in a bind and they worked for another
few months.
- Motorola
Bluetooth Headset, Wires failed me, so I tried wireless. I recall these were on a crazy
sale, so I tried them. That
was dumb. The bad:, they are a vice pinching the softest part of
your body, (the pinna).
Instant headache! And they bounce like crazy. Buy these for people you do not
like.
- Yurbuds
Ironman, Yurbuds expanded to making a headset. I bought the ones called ‘Ironman’. The box told the story of their
invention, an athlete could not find a headset that worked, they all
failed or bounced around, etc.
It was telling MY story.
I wept with joy and knew my search was over. I was wrong, they suck. The bad: The over-ear part push your ears out very
far. I looked like Liv
Tyler’s idiot brother who was cut out of the LOTR movies. There were pause/play buttons and
they stopped working after ONE run, the day I bought them. I went back to the store and
exchanged them as ‘defective’.
That set last ONE RUN!
I threw them out and chalked it up as me paying my stupid-tax.
- The Bowers and Wilkins C5, this is a high quality headset. Its method of staying in one's ear is a outward spring tension pushing into the internal curvature of the ear. It is a good solution and can be tweaked to handle running without any bouncing. Good sound, stays in place. The bad: buttons failed after months of use. Not a bad life expectancy relativelty, but costs dollars per run.
- The Bose SEI2I, The ‘active’ version of their headset. I left out the Sony/Seinheiser pieces of junk, but these are shaped the same. They are the most comfy in-ear earbuds I have ever worn. Interestingly, they come with a short cable, but an extension, so you choose between too short or too long. (?) They take a decent beating. The FIRST set I had survived hundreds of consecutive runs (with and without sweat)! The bad: Finally, a earbud that will stay in my ears, seem to survive my sweat, but I washed them once and the dryer’s heat melted the wire insulation. I haven’t wash-tested every headset I have owned, but I have washed a few and MELTING?? Come on!!>?@#wtf!>!?1!1. Needless to say, I was so mad at Bose (whose founder died today L ), that I bought another pair. They lasted 6.00001months and now the buttons don’t work. My ‘alien-blood’ sweat hath done it again. I can pause/play, but the microphone and volume up/down are inoperable. Two pairs, about 1.5years of service.
Over $1000 spent, and the search continues
Your experience mirrors my own. My Bose just bit the dust on the founders death day.
ReplyDeleteTwo additions: Dre Beats -- I have tried the over the ear ones, which I always liked. Very nice sound. controller craps out after one month. Like clockwork.
The Phillips cheap over the ear earphones that were co marketed as Nike and sold in Apple stores -- these actually worked very, very well for a long time, but that was before the day of controllers and now I haven't seen them anymore.
I have used the Motorola line S9 through the current S11-HD and am a huge fan. They keep getting better. I have a smaller head so they don't pinch me, although you aren't the first person I have heard say this. The new S11 has a double band that prevents the bouncing.
ReplyDeleteis it 'a pain' or 'unnoticeable' that you have another device to charge the battery?
ReplyDeleteCurrently testing out some AfterShokz (jaw bone transmission versus in ear), and some Denon Exercise Freaks (blue tooth and supposedly sweat proof). I'll let you know :-)
ReplyDeleteMay be worth checking out:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blessthisstuff.com/stuff/technology/headphones/sprng-clip/
The newer generation iPhone earbuds fit into my ear canals nicely, they survived running without falling out. The bad: with my chemistry, the ... earbudsrunning.blogspot.com
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