Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

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waltman300
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Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by waltman300 »

So I been out of the loop... and had no idea there are cordless earphones and headphones the last few years. I only know about the airpods which i heard cost a lot and not much besides that. On amazon, i see a ton of cordless earphones and headphones that seem to be decently priced.


If it matters, I still use those wired apple earbuds that came with the iphone years ago.



Is this a good one? Seem to be low price and very good reviews.


https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Bluetooth-C ... 431&sr=8-1



Now what about headphones? I checked amazon and these seem to be pretty good?

https://www.amazon.com/Cancelling-Headp ... 377&sr=8-1



So... I only worn earbuds and rarely ever headphones. I got to assume most prefer earbuds? For some reason, i felt wearing big headphones in public kind of makes you look stupid... in a way. I see lot of people wear those Beats headphones and those just don't look good to me. I know bose headphones are very good but those are like three hundred dollars plus which is ridiculous.



I guess headphones are good to use when you are inside the apartment compared to earbuds? Also... I had no idea so many of these earbuds/headphones are noise cancellation as well. I never worn anything like that. So would these be good options? Would you recommend both? If I get one... i probably just get those earbuds... would most agree?
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btq96r
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by btq96r »

I have a pair of these and love them for my walks and when I want to rock out but not disturb my neighbors I share a wall with. A bit pricier than the options you listed but worth it to me for the performance.
https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/hea ... eless.html

One downside is wheney I use them for calls, apparently the sound pickup is very sensitive, so folks ask me to go on mute a lot, or I have to keep it short.
CascadiaSoonish
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by CascadiaSoonish »

I've been happy at the gym and outdoors with my Jabra earbuds and I recommend them. Though I'll still grab my big ugly over-the-ear Bose headphones for better sound quality and comfort and effective noise cancellation.
DakotaDoc
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by DakotaDoc »

The original AirPods were underwhelming. However, the next generation ones actually surprised me. My wife forced me to buy them at Costco when they went on sale ($170 I think?) since my old ones basically didn't work anymore after a few rounds with the washing machine. The newer model has soft tips so they actually stay in your ears during workouts. They also have pretty legit noise cancelling. Battery life is reasonable but I'm sure there are better ones out there. Sound quality is great, has spatial audio. I have had some complaints about echoing on phone calls.

You don't need headphones and ear buds. If you get ones with noise cancelling that will be sufficient.
valleyrock
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by valleyrock »

I love my Airpods Pro. They have good noise cancellation, etc.
jayk238
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by jayk238 »

Depends on so many things. Budget? Etc?

I mean it seems air pods are too much?

I use over the ear bose quiet comfort
And airpods pro 2
I love both which are great

Need to know what u use it for , how -over the ear, completely wireless etc?
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lthenderson
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by lthenderson »

I have the AirPods without the noise cancellation and like them over other brands for a couple reasons.

They are formed differently for each ear so stay put when active unlike many which are not ear specific. I don't like the foam tips that come with noise cancellation. They aren't comfortable to me and since I use my airpods mostly when outside around or near traffic, I don't want complete noise isolation. With the new iPhones, you can get stands to wirelessly charge your phone and airpods easily so there is no messing with batteries or a separate charging format.
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Sandtrap
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by Sandtrap »

I've tried tons of these things over the years and use them every day for much of the day.

Apple type ear buds on a wire don't stay in the ear.
Wireless one's get left in the laundry.
Single ear for the phone only, get left in the laundry, uncomfortable over time.
etc.
Expensive ones aren't all that better than mid priced ones.
Cheap ones are cheap and junk, sound is lousy.
For my use, out and about in my shop and outdoors and moving around, the neckband keeps me from losing it. Individual earbuds would be lost or in the laundry (pockets of my shirt or pants) in a heartbeat.

Now, I've got 2 of these and rotate them if the battery charge runs down.
Noise cancellation
Transparency to outside sound is switched
Adjustable for low, med, high in bass/treble
Answers calls automatically when the cord is pulled out of the headset frame
Headset frame is flexy and comfortable
Not quite as good with wind noise as others I've tried
I appreciate good sound, may try the Seinheiser suggested previously, but in the neck band style, though it looks like the buds don't retract.

Price is outstanding.
$54.99

Amazon.com
BCS-700 | Wireless Bluetooth Headphones Neckbands with Retractable Earbuds, Auto Answer on Earbud Pull for Home Office, Video Conference
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1

I've tried and returned a bunch of these that look the same but the sound is not very good on some of them. So, touch and go.

My "backup" (go to) are simple wired Apple Earbuds.
j :D
Last edited by Sandtrap on Thu Apr 22, 2021 8:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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humblecoder
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by humblecoder »

I would recommend taking a look at this website: https://www.rtings.com/headphones

They have very in-depth reviews, and they even provide ratings/recommendations by use case (music, phone calls, office use, travel, etc).
milleo
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by milleo »

If you're hard on earbuds and want something super simple. I like these for running and yardwork. I enjoy my aftershokz too.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-Bluetoot ... /976690419
anil686
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by anil686 »

Would start by saying that everybody has their favorites with experience. I really like the Beats Wireless - they are pricier but excellent sound/music quality and are waterproof for working out and sweating. also good on a call. JMO though...
YeahBuddy
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by YeahBuddy »

You aren't kidding when you said you're out of the loop. This technology is 20+ years old. That's ok, here's what I have:

Headphones:
SONY WH-1000XM3
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H2 ... UTF8&psc=1


Not truly wireless but good for working out
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018A ... UTF8&psc=1

And for truly wireless ear buds I'd go with:
https://www.amazon.com/TOZO-Bluetooth-H ... 111&sr=8-3
Light weight baby!
AS7911
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by AS7911 »

Aftershokz for both exercise, and work. I hate the earbuds that go inside the ear.

https://www.amazon.com/AfterShokz-Open- ... s9dHJ1ZQ==
JS727
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by JS727 »

Can't go wrong with these:

https://www.amazon.com/Raycon-E25-Wirel ... 205&sr=8-3

I love mine.
"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul." | | - John Muir
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Kenkat
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by Kenkat »

If you have an iPhone, I’d go with the Airpod Pros. The easy integration with Apple devices makes it worth it in my opinion. Sound is always subjective but they sound reasonably good for my use case (mostly active) and the noise cancellation is good as well.

If I was looking for something to sit in my easy chair and listen to quiet music, maybe I’d consider something different.
jjbiv
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by jjbiv »

Hundreds of dollars for earbuds just seemed outrageous to me, especially since they are portable and I tend to lose a pair every year or so. I'm also not a big fan of Apple's approach to solving problems and marketing products. So I started at the lower end of the market and found out they worked more than well enough for my needs (mostly listening to voice audio and speaking on Zoom calls). An audiophile may not be happy with these for hifi audio listening but they work great for me and I don't have to worry about losing them. Less than $30. I would be careful with active noise cancelation unless it's something you really need. ANC requires power to function and the earbuds may be heavier or not last as long without charging them. ANC also only works well against noise with a constant frequency (think jet engine noise, not screaming kids (or adults). Make sure you get a pair where you can use one earbud at a time while the other is charging.

JLab Audio Go Air True Wireless Earbuds + Charging Case | Black | Dual Connect | IP44 Sweat Resistance | Bluetooth 5.0 Connection | 3 EQ Sound Settings: JLab Signature, Balanced, Bass Boost

http://www.walmart.com/ip/JLab-Audio-Go ... /760558141
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khangaroo
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by khangaroo »

If you have an iPhone, I don't think anything beats the AirPods. I've had a handful of wireless earbuds and headphones and they all seem to mess up with the bluetooth/WiFi connection somehow (maybe Apple is intentionally sabotaging them so you would buy their AirPods?!?!). AirPods connect 100% of the time, every time.

Also, I'm not an audiophile. I mean I can hear if there is static on the radio but that's about the best that my ears can do.

However, if you also plan on using these headphones for work and making calls then I would definitely recommend the Logitech Zone Wireless. I've had these bad boys for several weeks now and they are amazing!! You can connect two devices to it at once and the transition is seamless. For example, I have it connected to my laptop and iPhone and if I'm on a Teams call and somebody calls on my iPhone it automatically switches to the iPhone if I pick up the call but remains on the Teams call if I don't. I got this headphone because for some reason the AirPods do not work on Teams through the laptop - quite annoying.

+1 for AirPods if you have an iPhone and not a audiophile.
+1 for Logitech Zone Wireless for work purposes.
johnny
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by johnny »

I rather like my Jabra Elite 65t earbuds. They have a good battery life and are pretty comfortable. A little less costly than the Apple earbuds. I do wish they had a mute button on the earbud itself.
onourway
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by onourway »

Flannelbeard wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:19 am Airpods Pro are junk, my SO has some and they sound like listening to music through mud.
Objectively false. The Airpods Pro have been tested extensively and have an extremely good frequency curve. Among headphone aficionados they are considered among the better options for true wireless earbuds.
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GKSD
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by GKSD »

+1 for jabra elite active 65t true wireless sport earbuds https://www.amazon.com/Jabra-Wireless-U ... B07H3DJXHZ

I have been using these for over 3 years with iPhone and these are a damn good earbuds. The music streaming audio quality is much better than what I get with Airpods (not sure about Airpods Pro). And fits in the ears nice and snug.

The only problem I have is with voice calls - somehow during voice calls, my speech gets attenuated locally - meaning what I am talking is not getting to my ears at a natural level that my ears are expecting it to be (but no problem on the other side of the call, the other receiver gets the speech at right level). This is something I didn't get used to - may be there is some setting that I am missing or may be it is due to tight fit of these earbuds in my ear canal.

I would not recommend using cheap earbuds that one can find on Amazon. I have tried many of these and all have some issues and audio quality is bad.
Last edited by GKSD on Thu Apr 22, 2021 8:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mnsportsgeek
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by mnsportsgeek »

AirPods Pro.
Shalom Aleichem
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by Shalom Aleichem »

I think before
You get a recommendation you
Need to state the purpose. Are they for working out? Phone calls and work from home? Noise cancelling because
Loud neighbors? Listening to
Music casually? Best
Music quality? Listening and don’t want others hearing what you’re listening too? What is the primary and secondary purpose?
rockstar
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by rockstar »

I like my Beyerdynamic headphones from Sweetwater. Call Sweetwater and tell them how you want to use them. Great customer service.
onourway
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by onourway »

Flannelbeard wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:13 am I would assume any "headphone afficionados" know that frequency response curves are mostly marketing with no industry standard for measurement and has nothing to do with whether the device actually sounds good.
Quite the contrary. Third party independent reviews that test the actual sound produced in the ear via a dedicated test fixture have formed the basis of objective headphone reviews for decades. That data, paired with long-term subjective reviews from listeners forms the overall reputation of the headphone within the community. The AirPods Pro score exceptionally well for their price and features on both of these metrics.

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/revie ... y-wireless
https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/apple-airpods-pro/
https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en ... #gsc.tab=0
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/love-th ... ns.927629/
Last edited by onourway on Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
MDfan
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by MDfan »

I bought the MPows and so far they've been great. Just as good, for my purposes, as my kids' way more expensive Apple Air Pods. I have had them for about 6 months and I use them on walks, treadmill, stationary bike, etc.
onourway
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by onourway »

Flannelbeard wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:03 am
onourway wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:30 am
Flannelbeard wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:13 am I would assume any "headphone afficionados" know that frequency response curves are mostly marketing with no industry standard for measurement and has nothing to do with whether the device actually sounds good.
Quite the contrary. Third party independent reviews that test the actual sound produced in the ear via a dedicated test fixture have formed the basis of objective headphone reviews for decades. That data, paired with long-term subjective reviews from listeners forms the overall reputation of the headphone within the community. The AirPods Pro score exceptionally well for their price and features on both of these metrics.

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/revie ... y-wireless
https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/apple-airpods-pro/
https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en ... #gsc.tab=0
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/love-th ... ns.927629/
It's not objective if there's no standard for what those test rigs are. I don't particularly care to waste my time arguing about this, so I'm just going to reiterate that as a consumer with an interest in headphones and sound quality, the AirPods Pro sound terrible to me compared to my wireless Sennheisers, and wired Etymotic earbuds.

My opinion of AirPods is similar to Beats: they are a fashion accessory and status symbol first and foremost, and a listening device second.
When multiple, independent tests result in the same output, we know they can be trusted. The sites I linked are not some fly-by-night youtuber - they are highly respected independent analysts using technically complex test fixtures. From time to time someone will post test results using similar gear but get results that differ greatly from the others, usually because they don't fully understand how to use it. Those people are quickly called out and their results largely ignored. You are clearly out of your depth here yet insisting on making statements of personal opinion as fact. Clearing the waters for others who may not understand this.

Apple has a long history of quietly making exceptionally well engineered audio devices and not making a big deal about it. Even their Beats line has - since Apple's acquisition - been re-vamped to produce decent sound although they are not at all where Apple puts their real audio research dollars.
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waltman300
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by waltman300 »

Okay... so i won't buy pair of apple airpods. That seem just ridiculous that it cost two hundred dollars for a pair?


I don't want to go higher than 50 dollars at the max for wireless earbuds. So the one i posted in the link on amazon... no one has this? Seem to have tons of good reviews though amazon has lot of fake reviews.


But does costco have good options for it? Such as they have same products on amazon.com like there? Or nothing beats amazon? If so, i would just look at costco for everything first.
bluebolt
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by bluebolt »

waltman300 wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:22 am Okay... so i won't buy pair of apple airpods. That seem just ridiculous that it cost two hundred dollars for a pair?


I don't want to go higher than 50 dollars at the max for wireless earbuds. So the one i posted in the link on amazon... no one has this? Seem to have tons of good reviews though amazon has lot of fake reviews.


But does costco have good options for it? Such as they have same products on amazon.com like there? Or nothing beats amazon? If so, i would just look at costco for everything first.
You can get the Jabra Elite 65t for $80 on Best Buy. You can get refurbished versions for $50ish.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/jabra-elit ... Id=6181245
cdc
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by cdc »

An audiologist and a composer separately warned me away from earbuds. (They’re terrible for your ears.) I bought Bose QC35s, which I love and use all the time, but they’re $300 and out of the price range you’re looking at.
michaeljc70
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by michaeljc70 »

Assuming you aren't an audiophile (and it frankly doesn't matter at the under $50 price point), I've bought and used these:

$27: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081R ... UTF8&psc=1
$36: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MC ... UTF8&psc=1
$30: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0857 ... UTF8&psc=1

I have bought countless other ones that were not so great. These all fit my ears reasonably well (I think all had 3 different sized earpieces) and sounded pretty good for music and podcasts. The battery life has been good on all of them. It sounds like you might have an iPhone so maybe this is moot...but one of the ones I posted has USB C charging which is what my phone uses and means one less cable for traveling.

The only thing I am jealous of with AirPods is how small the case is.

Another thing I would consider is how many devices you want to connect to (not at the same time...but like a phone and tablet and laptop). That seems to vary by product.
Seasonal
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by Seasonal »

Flannelbeard wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:02 am Lmao, this is the typical type of poster present on audio forums and why those places are so awful even for those who enjoy audio. Presents opinion as fact, then creates an ad hominem against those who do the same. Yes, the water is very clear.
Would you say this something other than opinion presented as fact: "Airpods Pro are junk, my SO has some and they sound like listening to music through mud."
hunoraut
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by hunoraut »

There are objective measures for audio equipment. They do not guarantee what each person will enjoy, subjectively. You can measure the color temperature of a lightbulb in Kelvins, it doesn't mean that 2700K is better than 3000K, or that one person doesn't *perceive* "warm white" as a "soft white".

A flat frequency response as measured by testing equipment is typically sought after, as it is "neutral", but it also ignores psychoacoustics -- humans have different sensitivities. So when a certain frequency is measured equal to its neighbor (or all other) frequencies... a person might perceive it as too loud, or too soft. Which is to say everything is really subjective.

Subjectively, Etymotics are the best products ive ever listened to. Also big fan of audio-technica, sennheisers, etc. Own/owned most everything mentioned here incuding Jabra Elite 65t, Sony XM3, and way too many others.

Are AirPods Pros worth $200? If you use iPhone/Apple products - yes, theyre worth every penny. If you're sitting in your home library listening to your favorite jazz track, no they're not the best sounding things out there. If you're on the go, in public spaces, putting them on or off, etc, the convenience and integration is just unmatched. They're not the best product in 5% of use-case, but they're the best product in 95% of use-case. (Which really goes for most Apple products)
Topic Author
waltman300
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by waltman300 »

There isn't any issue using the link i posted for earpods and using it with an iphone SE right?
hunoraut
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by hunoraut »

MPow makes decent stuff (in the generic, oddly named chinese electronics category). Aukey and Taotronics are good as well, and Anker is often very good.
jayk238
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by jayk238 »

Flannelbeard wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 6:42 pm
Seasonal wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 5:47 pm
Flannelbeard wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:02 am Lmao, this is the typical type of poster present on audio forums and why those places are so awful even for those who enjoy audio. Presents opinion as fact, then creates an ad hominem against those who do the same. Yes, the water is very clear.
Would you say this something other than opinion presented as fact: "Airpods Pro are junk, my SO has some and they sound like listening to music through mud."
Wow, lots of defensive Airpods owners in this thread!

Most Airpods owners spent years listening to music with the cheesy headphones Apple (used to) bundle in with iPhones. I will never believe that's a demographic that is buying AirPods for sound quality. Bring out all your frequency curves and user testimonies, I don't care. I have ears. So yes it's a fact, from my perspective. Do I really have to preface each statement that is clearly my personal experience with "in my opinion" or "I think" to avoid this type of semantic nonsense?
I dont think this is fair. The vast majority who own airpods may indeed fall in this category but that is simply due to the iphone ecosystem that many many millions have bought into. but there are plenty of 'audiophiles' who like the airpods.

I am an audiophile. I have used some of the high end devices for decades. I started off with the ATs and moved on to some really high end devices. I see no need to emphasize your own superior experience over others.

I am busy today and no longer care for the audiophile experience. I agree that the airpods are not top notch in sound. Setting aside this stipulation, they are superior in every way including compared to the seinheissers you mentioned for the simple fact that they do so many other things better:

from ANC with the ability to turn it off easily, the easier fit and feel - the seinheissers are awful for how big and heavy they are
the extraordinary battery - something the seinheissers are terrible at
the superior connectivity with my iphone- hearing the text messages as soon as they come is a huge plus for me
the abilty to maintain the connection which is a problem for most of these devices but less so for apple
i have used many of the wireless ear buds on the market and for the most part apple does a superior job with the connection part compared to third party systems simply because if you have apple devices they natively connect better.

If you only want good sound I would suggest sticking to wired devices. Trying to force higher quality sound to these true wireless devices is a challenge that is hard to justify. Why bother with all that when you can simply have the connectivity you need with these and save the money for superior audio through a wired device ?
Last edited by jayk238 on Sat Apr 24, 2021 12:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
jayk238
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by jayk238 »

waltman300 wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 12:04 am So I been out of the loop... and had no idea there are cordless earphones and headphones the last few years. I only know about the airpods which i heard cost a lot and not much besides that. On amazon, i see a ton of cordless earphones and headphones that seem to be decently priced.


If it matters, I still use those wired apple earbuds that came with the iphone years ago.



Is this a good one? Seem to be low price and very good reviews.


https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Bluetooth-C ... 431&sr=8-1



Now what about headphones? I checked amazon and these seem to be pretty good?

https://www.amazon.com/Cancelling-Headp ... 377&sr=8-1



So... I only worn earbuds and rarely ever headphones. I got to assume most prefer earbuds? For some reason, i felt wearing big headphones in public kind of makes you look stupid... in a way. I see lot of people wear those Beats headphones and those just don't look good to me. I know bose headphones are very good but those are like three hundred dollars plus which is ridiculous.



I guess headphones are good to use when you are inside the apartment compared to earbuds? Also... I had no idea so many of these earbuds/headphones are noise cancellation as well. I never worn anything like that. So would these be good options? Would you recommend both? If I get one... i probably just get those earbuds... would most agree?
i cant speak to the other one but mpow is a well known low end hardware manufacturer. They are a chinese manufacturer and take commoditized tech and put in a cheap form factor and sell it at low price points. I have used their bluetooth wired headphones in the past. Generally they are low quality but I would use these for travel etc. I noticed that sooner than later the wiring would fray or the plastic components would come off. While I dont think they will last long they are cheap and you can easily go through a few before you decide if you want to keep them.

Certainly they get the job done but not in anyway I care for daily use. I have a wired bluetooth pair for travel.
detroitbabu
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by detroitbabu »

I have these and am happy with them.

https://www.amazon.com/Soundcore-Blueto ... B07SKJNCXM
liksah
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by liksah »

The Soundcore Q30s are absolutely incredible for their price point. Raving reviews all around (check youtube). They're ~$65 active noise cancelling headphones that sound like $300 bose headphones.. or close enough. I bought them in January this year and personally was blown away by the quality, battery life, active noise canceling, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Soundcore-Cancel ... 970&sr=8-3

I really love these headphones because they're such a value for money kind of buy. 90% as good as $300 headphones at a $65 price point? Hell yeah! The battery life has been great too, get about 35 hours of listen time.. takes months to drain for my usage pattern but YMMV.
humblecoder
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by humblecoder »

Flannelbeard wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 6:42 pm Wow, lots of defensive Airpods owners in this thread!

Most Airpods owners spent years listening to music with the cheesy headphones Apple (used to) bundle in with iPhones. I will never believe that's a demographic that is buying AirPods for sound quality. Bring out all your frequency curves and user testimonies, I don't care. I have ears. So yes it's a fact, from my perspective. Do I really have to preface each statement that is clearly my personal experience with "in my opinion" or "I think" to avoid this type of semantic nonsense?
Lots of defensive AirPods bashers too :-)

Everybody has an opinion. The reason opinions are different is because we each have different needs and we value different things differently. AirPods may sound like listening through mud to you (although never having listened through mud, I am not sure what that sounds like :D), but others might like the way that they sound. Still others might not care so much about having the perfect sound quality, but they value other things like the ease of use, battery life, how well they stay paired etc. It all depends upon your use case.

Personally, my hearing at the higher end of the register is a bit spotty, so everything in the treble range sounds like listening through water (which I have done so at least I can understand that metaphor). When somebody says that speaker A sounds bad at that range, I don't take that into consideration.

The bottom line is that we shouldn't fight over or bash others opinions. If we all liked or valued the same things, it would be a boring world.

So let's all chill and have a drink. :sharebeer

EDIT: For the record, I am an AirPod owner (not the pros.. the "cheaper" one). I honestly don't care if you like them or not. I don't own Apple stock other than through my index funds of course. If you hate AirPods and prefer another model, I am not going to lose any sleep over it.
shawndoggy
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by shawndoggy »

For someone who just wants to try them out, these monoprice cheapies are pretty nice and they are what I use for exercising and yard work: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id= ... 18QAvD_BwE

They frequently go on sale for $15 too!

I like them better than my AirPods Pro where passive noise cancellation is important (think running a leaf blower) though I still haven’t found anything better than my wired etymotic earbuds with foam tips for that).

That said for around the house and at work I absolutely love the AirPods Pro. Great integration in the Apple ecosystem, transparency mode, very fast pairing, good call quality and the mic works well for calls. I was worried about spending so much and now they are a part of what goes in my pockets every day (keys-wallet-phone-AirPods).
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waltman300
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by waltman300 »

liksah wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 7:41 am The Soundcore Q30s are absolutely incredible for their price point. Raving reviews all around (check youtube). They're ~$65 active noise cancelling headphones that sound like $300 bose headphones.. or close enough. I bought them in January this year and personally was blown away by the quality, battery life, active noise canceling, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Soundcore-Cancel ... 970&sr=8-3

I really love these headphones because they're such a value for money kind of buy. 90% as good as $300 headphones at a $65 price point? Hell yeah! The battery life has been great too, get about 35 hours of listen time.. takes months to drain for my usage pattern but YMMV.

Okay i took a look at it and seem to be good reviews. But whats the difference between the one you posted vs the one i posted? Is yours that much better than the one i posted?

Yea i cant imagine paying $300 for bose headphones. I cant imagine paying 200 dollar for apple earpods. To me that is just ridiculous.
liksah
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by liksah »

waltman300 wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 12:26 pm
Okay i took a look at it and seem to be good reviews. But whats the difference between the one you posted vs the one i posted? Is yours that much better than the one i posted?

Yea i cant imagine paying $300 for bose headphones. I cant imagine paying 200 dollar for apple earpods. To me that is just ridiculous.

Those look really good too. I'm not sure about the brand since I've never heard of them. Anker/Soundcore are a well known brand. The noise cancellation on the soundcore q30s is really good. Most budget headphones that claim to have active noise cancellation don't stack up so well against $300 headphones. The Soundcore Q30s are very competitive in that department. There are several deep dive reviews on Youtube using decibel meters and all kinds of fancy equipment that show the Q30s have incredible performance, frequency response, and active noise cancellation. At $65 I just couldn't resist and have been super happy with mine.

The other real difference I can find is that the Q30s are Hi-Res audio certified. So if you're looking to listen to really high quality audio (like through Tidal or another streaming service..) then I guess the Q30s would play lossless and master tracks without issues.

https://www.edifier.com/au/en/blog/what ... -it-matter
vfinx
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by vfinx »

I used to prioritize sound quality, but now I realize that beyond a certain baseline, the implementation of all the other details is much more important to me.

Based on some recent experiences:
- Avoid Sony. Reviewers say they have great sound quality, but their app and connectivity suck. They have all kinds of dumb gimmicks that don't add any value. My impression of their products is that they just build them to fulfill marketing programs. In real world usage, they fail on all the little details. My gamble on a WF-1000XM3 was an expensive failure.
- Bose is very comfortable, particularly their "StayHear" tips system. Their app is pretty good, and can manage multiple sources if that's necessary for you. I use mine with my phone and laptop for example. I still have a 6 year old set of Quiet Control 30 (one of the first wireless noise cancelling earbuds ever) that work great. Work gave me a set of QuietComfort 35 that also work great.
- If your primary use cases involve movement, try to research how well they do in those cases. For example, some units are prone to wind noise, or a booming effect with foot impact.
- AirPods are great especially if you have an iPhone. They connect super fast. I just picked up a non-pro set for walks. I like the "open" non-sealed feel, and want to hear the world around me a bit for safety.
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Kenkat
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by Kenkat »

Flannelbeard wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 6:42 pm Wow, lots of defensive Airpods owners in this thread!

Most Airpods owners spent years listening to music with the cheesy headphones Apple (used to) bundle in with iPhones. Did you do an extensive survey on this? Were the original headphones actually made of cheese? I will never believe that's a demographic that is buying AirPods for sound quality. Did you do a demographic study on this? Bring out all your frequency curves and user testimonies, I don't care. I have ears. Maybe your ears are different than everyone else’s. So yes it's a fact, from my perspective. Do I really have to preface each statement that is clearly my personal experience with "in my opinion" or "I think" to avoid this type of semantic nonsense? Yes, when you make a declarative statement about a very mainstream and successful product calling them “junk”, you should preface it - or how about just saying “I don’t care for them, I think the sound is muddy, take a look at Sennheiser”.
The semantic nonsense is a self inflicted wound.
chuckb84
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by chuckb84 »

It isn't at the price point most people are interested in, but since there are a few Etymotic fans on this thread, you can make newer Ety's wireless with this:

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Etymoti ... 029&sr=8-1

Pair it with the ER4XR, and it works very nicely ! With my iPhone, it won't play quite as loudly as I'd like, but you get the Ety isolation, sound and wireless. Pretty nice.

The total here is about $270, which for the sound you get is, IMHO, a bargain.
stoptothink
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by stoptothink »

waltman300 wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 12:26 pm
liksah wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 7:41 am The Soundcore Q30s are absolutely incredible for their price point. Raving reviews all around (check youtube). They're ~$65 active noise cancelling headphones that sound like $300 bose headphones.. or close enough. I bought them in January this year and personally was blown away by the quality, battery life, active noise canceling, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Soundcore-Cancel ... 970&sr=8-3

I really love these headphones because they're such a value for money kind of buy. 90% as good as $300 headphones at a $65 price point? Hell yeah! The battery life has been great too, get about 35 hours of listen time.. takes months to drain for my usage pattern but YMMV.

Okay i took a look at it and seem to be good reviews. But whats the difference between the one you posted vs the one i posted? Is yours that much better than the one i posted?

Yea i cant imagine paying $300 for bose headphones. I cant imagine paying 200 dollar for apple earpods. To me that is just ridiculous.
"Budget" headphones are very good these days. I have Treblab Z2s (over the ear, ANC) that I got for $40 on sale (plus Rakuten) and they are very close to as good as Bose QC and I have Treblab X3 pros for exercising (~$45 on sale plus Rakuten) and they are fantastic (IMO they sound better then airpods - I have no experience with the pros). I have had sennheisers and etymotics in the past, but there are so many options today pretty close in performance for a fraction of the cost that I'd never pay that kind of money again. Unless you are a true audiophile, start with the cheapest thing that may be able to meet your needs and then upgrade if you are disappointed.
detroitbabu
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by detroitbabu »

stoptothink wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 2:27 pm
waltman300 wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 12:26 pm
liksah wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 7:41 am The Soundcore Q30s are absolutely incredible for their price point. Raving reviews all around (check youtube). They're ~$65 active noise cancelling headphones that sound like $300 bose headphones.. or close enough. I bought them in January this year and personally was blown away by the quality, battery life, active noise canceling, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Soundcore-Cancel ... 970&sr=8-3

I really love these headphones because they're such a value for money kind of buy. 90% as good as $300 headphones at a $65 price point? Hell yeah! The battery life has been great too, get about 35 hours of listen time.. takes months to drain for my usage pattern but YMMV.

Okay i took a look at it and seem to be good reviews. But whats the difference between the one you posted vs the one i posted? Is yours that much better than the one i posted?

Yea i cant imagine paying $300 for bose headphones. I cant imagine paying 200 dollar for apple earpods. To me that is just ridiculous.
"Budget" headphones are very good these days. I have Treblab Z2s (over the ear, ANC) that I got for $40 on sale (plus Rakuten) and they are very close to as good as Bose QC and I have Treblab X3 pros for exercising (~$45 on sale plus Rakuten) and they are fantastic (IMO they sound better then airpods - I have no experience with the pros). I have had sennheisers and etymotics in the past, but there are so many options today pretty close in performance for a fraction of the cost that I'd never pay that kind of money again. Unless you are a true audiophile, start with the cheapest thing that may be able to meet your needs and then upgrade if you are disappointed.

If you want over the ear, ANC headphones, hold off on the Q30s. Anker is coming out with a new one with many additional features and better sound next week - rumored to be for $129.

https://us.soundcore.com/pages/newlife
furikake
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by furikake »

I only bought Airpods Pro because my earbud for talking on the phone quit working. I was surprised how well Airpods Pro work, and how good they sound! If you don't care about talking on the phone (I'm on the phone a lot for work), then any cheap set would work. I also like Galaxy Bud+, I think they're probably the second best pair I have for talking on the phone as well as for listening to music/watching TV. I do not like Anker anything sound related at all, I think they excel in powerbanks and cables, they fail at earbuds/headsets. I've given them quite a few tries, all of the ones I got were crap, I will not buy their headphones/earbuds again. There's no comparison between Anker and Bose. For headphones, I like Bose and Shure.

I got a couple of pairs of Boltune earbuds from Amazon, I use a pair for workout for over 1.5 years now, they still work great, they don't fall out at all no matter how much I move. I use another pair to watch TV. They don't sound good at all to the other party when you talk on the phone, but they work well if you don't need them to talk on the phone.
calwatch
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by calwatch »

The Beats Flex will pair just as nicely to an Apple device since Beats is owned by Apple: https://www.costco.com/beats-flex-wirel ... 29779.html
WolfgangPauli
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Re: Wireless Earbuds/Headphones Recommendations?

Post by WolfgangPauli »

In my mind, they are apples and oranges. If you need something for a walk or exercise I use Bose quietcomfort earbuds. Yes, a bit expensive but the sound is incredible, they stay in my ear nicely and I trust Bose technology.

If you are listening while sitting and are alone there is nothing better than over the ear, open back headphones playing through a digital audio converter and an amp. I use a Dragonfly Cobalt DAC that goes to a Drop THX AAA 789 desktop amp then to my headphones which are open back Sennheiser HD650.

If you are on a plane or somewhere you cannot disturb people then the best I think out there is the Sony WH1000xm4. Great noise cancellation and fantastic sound.

IMHO, nothing beats an open back over the ear headphone for sound quality. Closed backs have to be that way to stop ambient sound from bothering those around you but it closes in the music and it echoes. Trust me, for quality, you want open back.

I know you did not ask but right now the best music streaming is Amazon HD music. Right now I am streaming at 24bit / 96kHZ.. better than CD quality. Costs a bit more and you definitely want high speed internet if you are doing this but it is as close to being in the arena as you can get.
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