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The
The HalfDork
7/3/14 7:48 a.m.

what are the best earbuds, i were them sleeping and on airplanes so they have to be the kind that go into your ear, you see them from 3 bucks to 300.........i want the best, the ones that drown out every other sound.......

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/3/14 8:04 a.m.

For use on an airplane you want some with noise-cancelling capability. Don't spend more than $80 for sure. I'll have a look and recommend something.

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/3/14 8:07 a.m.

Buy these:

http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Enhanced-Active-Cancelling-Earphones/dp/B00IACJ6FU/

Flight Service
Flight Service MegaDork
7/3/14 8:12 a.m.

The Apple iPhone ear buds perform as well as any set I have had in my ears. They perform far better than SkullCandy and sound, IMHO, close to Bose. Ear buds can cause bacteria to start to build up in your ear if not cleaned properly. Also, every review that I have read about noise canceling ear buds says that they perform no better than ear plugs. So a don't waste your money on "noise canceling" ear buds.

That being said if you are using them for sleeping on long plane rides, I would go with the Bose Noise Cancelling headphones. They work.

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/3/14 8:16 a.m.
Flight Service wrote: Also, every review that I have read about noise canceling ear buds says that they perform no better than ear plugs. So a don't waste your money on "noise canceling" ear buds.

It's true that noise canceling earbuds are not as good as ear plugs for blocking out all outside noise, if that's your goal. If you want to hear music or something while reducing outside noise on the other hand, they're worlds better than earplugs.

bigdaddylee82
bigdaddylee82 Dork
7/3/14 8:34 a.m.

Sennheiser!

I got a smoking deal for a set of OCX 880 a few years ago, they were a "Shell Shocker" on Newegg. I LOVED them, the over the ear/ear bud hybrid design was great. They come with 3 different size buds for different sized ear canals, they form to your ear canal like a ear plug, and are great at blocking ambient noise with out any "fancy technology" that Bose tries to sell you on.

Sadly my dumb ass left them on a plane somewhere between St. Louis & Columbus. I searched and searched, but couldn't find any where close to as good of a deal as I originally bought them for, there's no way I was going to pay the $110+ for another set I'd potentially leave on another airplane.

Eventually I got the Sennheiser CX 280, they were about $30, don't have the over the ear design, but have the same style, multi sized ear buds, and I've managed to keep up with them for about 3 years now.

  • Lee
Duke
Duke UltimaDork
7/3/14 8:40 a.m.

I've had good luck with Sonys in the $40-$50 range. Decent sound quality, and they come with 3 different sizes of silicone surrounds so you can choose the best fit for good background reduction.

Something like these: Sony MDR-EX210

Tom_Spangler
Tom_Spangler GRM+ Memberand Dork
7/3/14 9:05 a.m.
Flight Service wrote: The Apple iPhone ear buds perform as well as any set I have had in my ears. They perform far better than SkullCandy and sound, IMHO, close to Bose. Ear buds can cause bacteria to start to build up in your ear if not cleaned properly. Also, every review that I have read about noise canceling ear buds says that they perform no better than ear plugs. So a don't waste your money on "noise canceling" ear buds. That being said if you are using them for sleeping on long plane rides, I would go with the Bose Noise Cancelling headphones. They work.

I know Apple updated their earbuds a few iPhone versions ago, and I haven't tried the new ones, but the old ones were garbage, IMO.

I also disagree about noise-cancelling earbuds being useless. I recently picked up a pair of theseand used them on a couple of flights. There was a significant drop in the ambient noise when I turned them on. And they sounded pretty good, too, though I was mostly listening to podcasts, no music.

For cheap earbuds, it's essentially impossible to beat these. They sound great and are under $10. Look at the reviews on Amazon. I have like 4 pairs of them lying around.

szeis4cookie
szeis4cookie HalfDork
7/3/14 9:21 a.m.

Can't beat the Etymotics ER-6 for this purpose. Around $100, blocks out a whole bunch of outside noise.

SilverFleet
SilverFleet SuperDork
7/3/14 9:24 a.m.

I've had a few sets of the Skullcandy ones that I use at work and doing Heavy Metal Lawn Mowing. I usually pay about $10/pair, and when they wear out I get a new set. I have these ones right now:

http://www.amazon.com/Skullcandy-S2IKDY-003-Earbud-Headphones-Black/dp/B007136EDG/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1404397281&sr=1-1&keywords=skullcandy+headphones

The current pair I have just got used on a recent trip I had to take that involved flying, and they were great and kept the tunes in and the plane noise out.

Also, the factory Samsung ones that came with my Galaxy S3 phone are great as well.

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/3/14 9:28 a.m.
bigdaddylee82 wrote: Sennheiser!

I used to be a big Sennheiser fan until they were caught sabotaging a model and selling it for less as a different model. They do make good stuff, but...I can't feel good supporting them after that.

02Pilot
02Pilot HalfDork
7/3/14 9:45 a.m.

This thread is relevant to my interests.

I don't normally listen to music or anything else, but as humanity seems to be bent on annoying the living E36 M3 out of me every time I'm in contact with it, I'm finding myself running white noise through my phone just to drown out the noise of others. For those with experience of these active noise-canceling ear buds, how do they manage with killing things like loud voices, screaming children, and dull thudding crappy electronic music bleeding out of other people's headphones (not actually killing them, though if that were an option...)?

Fueled by Caffeine
Fueled by Caffeine MegaDork
7/3/14 9:47 a.m.

http://www.amazon.com/GOgroove-Isolating-Earphones-Handsfree-Microphone/dp/B009PRW8AY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404398776&sr=8-2&keywords=audiohm

I have these and they work great. I use them daily for bus commuting and haven't destroyed them yet. 6 Months and counting. Other lesser headphones died after 2-3 weeks.

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
7/3/14 10:36 a.m.

About 10 years ago I bit the bullet and had a set of these made for me:

http://www.bigearinc.com/

Working for GRM / CMS I travel very frequently, so I use headphones / earbuds all the time. These are made by making a mold of your inner ear-- so they are completely comfortable for hours at a time. ( I never found earbuds that didn't hurt after a while) The sound is fantastic, they are durable, and have worked perfectly for the last decade.

I get on the plane, put these in---- and I could care less if there is a screaming baby in the seat next to me, or behind me. When the music is on---you don't hear anything else. Music off---you can pick up the pilot's P/A announcements.

They weren't cheap---- but they've lasted a long time, and are far better (and more compact) than anything else I found out there. They come with a carry-case that lives permanently in my travel bag. I never fly without them.

They also work great inside a helmet when on a motorcycle. Since they fit flush in your ear-- they don't interfere with the helmet at all.

donalson
donalson PowerDork
7/3/14 9:10 p.m.

I picked up a pair of Sennheiser cx150 about a year and 1/2 ago to complement my AKG open headphones... I wanted something for laying down and reading to block out noise or just around town... they where like $80msrp but blowing them out for $17 or something like that... I honestly use them more then my AKG monitors (that tend to stay connected to the computer) but I had to add some comply foam tips http://www.complyfoam.com/ the stock tips just slipped out of my ear all the time and didn't do much for blocking noise :-/

something similar might work on an jet... but if I was flying all the time I'd splurge on some active noise canceling type so might look at this http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-noise-cancelling-in-ear-headphones-so-far/

you might check out Head-Fi.org for some guys that really know their stuff and they have some high support of some surprisingly cheap models (like $10-15ish as I recall)

Kenny_McCormic
Kenny_McCormic UberDork
7/3/14 9:15 p.m.

Cheapest I'd recommend going is these. http://www.amazon.com/MEElectronics-Sport-Fi-Noise-Isolating-In-Ear-Headphones/dp/B0038W0K2U

Strike_Zero
Strike_Zero SuperDork
7/4/14 12:38 a.m.

In for SkullCandy. I paid less than $20 for a pair (buy one, get one free). I wore them in Cubeville, doing the lawn, drowning out reality shows. They seem to do fine for $$ I paid.

smog7
smog7 Dork
7/4/14 1:02 a.m.

Anyone else have aching ears after using models that go in your ears?

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/4/14 8:50 a.m.
smog7 wrote: Anyone else have aching ears after using models that go in your ears?

Me. Aching and waxy. I only use "earbuds" that go in your ears a tiny bit. If you get form-fitted ones like those ones Joe Gearin was talking about there won't be any aching...but I still don't like them.

92dxman
92dxman Dork
7/4/14 8:53 a.m.

I use some pink pair of earphones I got on clearance at Walgreens for 5 bucks. I use them to watch things on my notebook and while mowing the lawn and have no complaints.

secretariata
secretariata GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
7/9/14 11:09 p.m.
Joe Gearin wrote: About 10 years ago I bit the bullet and had a set of these made for me: http://www.bigearinc.com/ Working for GRM / CMS I travel very frequently, so I use headphones / earbuds all the time. These are made by making a mold of your inner ear-- so they are completely comfortable for hours at a time. ( I never found earbuds that didn't hurt after a while) The sound is fantastic, they are durable, and have worked perfectly for the last decade. I get on the plane, put these in---- and I could care less if there is a screaming baby in the seat next to me, or behind me. When the music is on---you don't hear anything else. Music off---you can pick up the pilot's P/A announcements. They weren't cheap---- but they've lasted a long time, and are far better (and more compact) than anything else I found out there. They come with a carry-case that lives permanently in my travel bag. I never fly without them. They also work great inside a helmet when on a motorcycle. Since they fit flush in your ear-- they don't interfere with the helmet at all.

I'll add a +1000 for Big Ear. Not a canoe, not affiliated, just a satisfied customer!

Comfortable, shut out external noise, save batteries on portable devices as you can keep the volume lower than with other earbuds (I usually am at 1/2 the volume level with my Big Ears vs. any other earbuds). They have great customer service and have been very responsive and reasonable in my experience. I've had 3 sets so far. First set the right ear died at about 14 months (12 month warranty) and I sent them in expecting to have to pay for repairs, but there was no charge. After another 5-6 years I figured I'd get a second set for when the first set died. A couple of years later the first set died and a few weeks later I got an email that they were having an upgrade sale to the BE-2 model. I sent in my dead set and got the upgraded BE-2's for the same price as a replacement BE-1 model. I wasn't impressed with the BE-2's, and didn't use them much initially. The company president was in town at an event a few weeks ago and I dropped by and discussed my disappointment with the BE-2's. He sat with me and diagnosed them, determined that the fit wasn't right, made new molds of my ear canals, took the new molds with the BE-2's and told me they would look into it an get back to me. Two days ago I got an email that my redone BE-2's were being shipped to me. They were in the mailbox today and I'm currently listening to them. WOW, they are an improvement over the BE-1's and I was not charged a penny for them to redo the body. They also now have a new model with replaceable cords that plug into the in-ear transducer/body. If you don't need to wear them under a helmet, this might be the way to go.

As with all things YMMV...

Grizz
Grizz UltraDork
7/9/14 11:27 p.m.

http://support.jvc.com/consumer/product.jsp?archive=true&pathId=162&modelId=MODL028951

I get these. Way more comfortable than any other brand I've had, since they're squishy like ear plugs. Sound really good as well, and I've been grabbing them at walmart for 10 bucks.

Flight Service
Flight Service MegaDork
7/10/14 2:16 p.m.
GameboyRMH wrote:
smog7 wrote: Anyone else have aching ears after using models that go in your ears?
Me. Aching and waxy. I only use "earbuds" that go in your ears a tiny bit. If you get form-fitted ones like those ones Joe Gearin was talking about there won't be any aching...but I still don't like them.

I do with skullcandies after about 30 seconds.

donalson
donalson PowerDork
7/10/14 2:26 p.m.
GameboyRMH wrote:
smog7 wrote: Anyone else have aching ears after using models that go in your ears?
Me. Aching and waxy. I only use "earbuds" that go in your ears a tiny bit. If you get form-fitted ones like those ones Joe Gearin was talking about there won't be any aching...but I still don't like them.

the aching is why I use the comply foam tips... I ordered the assortment size pack the first time around... I ended up preferring the smallest tips... they sit further in my ears but they ended up being the most comfortable with the last amount of pressure all while staying in while sweating (mowing the lawn or at the gym)... took a bit of trial to figure out what size I preferred... I didn't like the small ones at first as I thought I had to insert them to far but with a bit of time they where great.

KatieSuddard
KatieSuddard DaughterDork
7/11/14 9:00 a.m.

I love Skullcandy ear buds. They have the little rubber covers that they give you 3 sizes of and I've found that they work great on airplanes and are comfortable for 6-7 hours at a time. And they're $20 for a good pair.

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