Depending on one’s situation, audiophile earbuds may not be worth it IMO. If you’re out on the street or in other public places, there’s usually too much interfering background noise anyway.
I got Sony earbuds for about $15 at The Best Place To Buy Stuff. Luckily, I opted into the two-year free replacement plan, because about ten weeks later, either they just stopped working or a cat chewed the cord so I had to replace them. The new ones were the JVC Marshmallows mentioned up-thread; these haven’t worked so well for me. I must have strange aural anatomy: To properly hear the music I would need to push them in farther than the little flanges on the outside of the buds will allow. When these wear out, I’m going back to the Sony earbuds. And the replacement coverage is more than worth the price.
So in a nutshell here’s my strategy:
[ul]
[li]Buy cheapish, but not the cheapest ear buds[/li][li]Make sure you’re always covered by a replacement contract[/li][li]Live near the store, or at least one of its locations, so it isn’t a hassle to replace your buds when needed. [/li][/ul]
Thanks for all the advice, folks. What I use are the “in-ear monitor” style–the flat disc (along the lines of what comes with the iPod/iPhone) is terribly uncomfortable for me, and falls out to boot.
It sounds like the best plan is really just to go cheap with a replacement plan–which is what I had been considering anyway, since I know the things are prone to failure. They offered me one when I picked up these oddball wood-cased ones at K-mart, and I turned it down more out of habit than anything–a decision I’ve obviously come to regret. Looks like I’ll make another trip there soon, and make the right choice this time.
My favorite earbuds are a cheap set of Phillips with the wrap around ear piece (keeps them in place when I put on my helmet). I paid under $20 for them. The sound quality is excellent.
I once bought a high end set for about $150 and honestly didn’t notice a difference in sound quality. They also started cutting out after a few years.
Since sound quality is important to me as much as fitting design, for about a year I’ve had Bose earbuds. For the price, you might want to be careful with them, even though they are quite solidly built.
The only type I get on with are the ones that have silicone-rubber earpieces that squish into your ear canal. They help to seal out outside noise, and they stay snugly in place even when you’re running. I currently have Panasonic ones and they work great.
Hrm, I was goin to recommend V-Modas. My friend had the electric shock problem but I never did. The new models with the Kevlar-wrapped cords are way more reliable than the old ones with the standard cords.
I never knew any that didn’t suck. Soundwise you can find a lot but my problem is earwax rubs off on them or else the cord stretches a bit. Right now my right ear bud plays fine but if I move the wire just a bit it shuts off. So I must’ve tugged on it somehow.
I found Walmart has cheap $4.00 earbuds which are OK for me since I listen to podcasts mostly.
