apple in-ear earbuds died after 7 days!

[peacefroggyac]

strangely, on the bus this morning, I found that the left earbud of my BRAND NEW apple in ear's was no longer working. anyway, I'm going to return them to the apple store, but I don't want to buy another pair of the apple's (they fit my ears weird). The store sells other types of earphones, and I was wondering which ones were the best. I'm leaning towards the ex-71's, but I've heard some complaints about the cord's length and the way it wraps around the back of your head rather than the traditional Y shape. any opinions? (I'd rather not spend more than $50) thanks!!

[kauffee]

Yeah, I really hate that EX71 cord design, but some people like it so I guess it's just a personal thing. For under $50, your options are pretty limited. If you want earbuds, Sennheiser MX500s are good options. For the best sound in that price range, take a look at the Koss KSC 35, 50, or 55 (or porta/sporta pros). All those Koss models use the same driver.

[urbanlegend]

I thought I would dislike the varied cord lengths but I find I really like it. I drape the longer cord behind my neck and then when I don't have the buds in my ears, they just hang around my neck. With equal-length cords, I had to put them in a pocket or something.

I think they sound really good, too, and they block out a lot of background noise. Especially good since I use my iPod on the subway trip to and from work.