Very small ears, please help!

[perkins22]

I LOVE my ipod but hate the headphone choices that seem to be available, as I have very, very tiny ears (the canal and just outside the canal - really really small) and all of the in-ear phones I've tried bother me a lot.

All of the over-ear are either too cumbersome or allow too much sound to leak.

Can anyone who's solved this problem drop me a line? I think what I need is kid-sized earbuds! but I've never seen such a thing. I've tried the mac/ipod ones of course, and a couple of pair of non-canal ones in the $20 range. I'm willing to spend up to $50 or $60 to solve the problem but don't want to have to buy more and more of them (as I've been doing lately).

thanks!
s.

[Doug Gilmour]

Which in-ears have you tried? Many include small eartips, are those not small enough? Perhaps you should try the Sony's. The Sony MDR-EX71SLs from Amazon for $29.71 with free shipping, here.

Good luck,

-Dan

[perkins22]

Thanks, Doug, put them in my Amazon cart but then read the reviews which are all negative about the cord length (too long w/ extension, too short without).

What about the sister set - the 51s? Is the cord length better on those?

[xluben]

The 51's are the earlier model and have the standard length, y-shaped cord. They have the same drivers so they sound similar, and have a normal cord, but they don't look as cool ;-)

[perkins22]

And the size of the earbuds? Do the 51s also have three sizes to choose from?

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by perkins22
And the size of the earbuds? Do the 51s also have three sizes to choose from?

The two models are the exact same except for some aesthetic differences. As for the "too short cord" feedback, that would be because they aren't using the extension cable. Why they would give bad feedback without even using the extension is beyond me.

-Dan

[Joshdude]

Um, Dan, the idea is that it sucks to use the extension cord at all. All it does is add weight and make the cord too long. They are saying that the cord is too short without the extension, and too long and heavy with it. Did you read the reviews?

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Joshdude
Um, Dan, the idea is that it sucks to use the extension cord at all. All it does is add weight and make the cord too long. They are saying that the cord is too short without the extension, and too long and heavy with it. Did you read the reviews?

I read a few of them, and they mentioned how it was too short, but didn't mention the extension, which does not add very much weight, and only adds ~6" to the total length anyways.. My Shure E3c's are 4-5" longer than the EX71s and ~10" longer than my EX51s. I have no problem with the length whatsoever. An extra 6 inches is not very much. Just scrunch it in your pocket or use the provided hard case if it matters to you. The EX51s are a good choice though if you don't want the extras.

-Dan

[Joshdude]

6 inches? The ones I got have a 1 meter extension cord. And that is FAR too long.
Yes, you read right. I finally broke down and bought them to try them out. I must say, besides comfort, I'm not impressed. I've decided I will just use the very comfortable sleeves on my better-sounding Apple in-ears.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Joshdude
6 inches? The ones I got have a 1 meter extension cord. And that is FAR too long.
Yes, you read right. I finally broke down and bought them to try them out. I must say, besides comfort, I'm not impressed. I've decided I will just use the very comfortable sleeves on my better-sounding Apple in-ears.

No, the 71s w/ extension are 6 inches longer than the 51s. I should have been a bit clearer on that.

-Dan