Apple In-Ear; Worth it?

[MusicManiac]

Are the Apple In-Ear headphones of better quality than the standard iPod ones? PC magazine said they were worse. I need to return my regular ones (they're messed up) and I think now they only send out In-Ears. That's what I read on another forum here.

[gnagel]

I like the sound of the Apple In-Ear phones. If only they would stay in my ears for more than 20 seconds at a time!

[hitcarl]

i'd agree with gnagel...the sound of the phones is surprisingly good for a $40 pair of phones, but the way the earpieces are shaped is not very conducive for a consistent fit. i actually went around this and bought some sony ex71 ear pieces (paid around $10) and stuck them on the apple's, and i love the combination.

i personally think they're much better than the original ones. if you get a free pair of in-ears, i'd consider that quite a lucky turn of events.

[random person]

I returned them within 45 minutes after receiving them -- some kind of record! They don't fit well and I think the sound is worse than mediocre. They are actually more buzzy than the originals in the bass department and in general sound fairly muddy. But if you get them free, try them and see! Then upgrade to decent canalphones (Etymotics or Shure) and be happy!

[Ventro]

hitcarl, what size EX71 cups did you get, and which cups did you use on the apple in-ears before?

[IsaacDawg]

I just recently got some of the in-ear phones and I think they sound great as lokng as you take the time necessary to get them adjusted to the proper fit. Set aside a little time to work on it before you decide whether or not you like the sound. If you pop them in just like the earbuds, they sound like crap. This article from the apple website helped me out a little. Plus, you get to look awesome pulling on your ear before you put your headphones in.

"Insert the iPod In-Ear Headphones so they have a good seal for optimal audio quality.

For optimal sound quality and performance, the Apple In-Ear Headphones need to make a good seal with your ear canal. Simply placing the ear buds in your ear without making a good seal can result in less than desirable audio quality.

To aid in the proper positioning of the ear bud, open your ear canal a little wider when you insert the ear bud. Everyone's ears are different, but you can usually do this by grasping either the upper or lower part of your ear and pulling gently away from your head with one hand while slowly inserting the tip of the ear bud into the ear canal with the other hand. In some cases, wiggling the ear bud into place can also help. Let go of your ear when you feel a good seal . The ear bud should remain securely in place when there's a good seal. Repeat the process until the desired fit is achieved.

If you've inserted the ear bud as far as is comfortable, but can't get a good seal, try a larger ear cap size. If you get a good seal with a larger ear cap size, but it is uncomfortable, try a smaller ear cap size."

[Spencer04]

The Eytmotics ER-6, the bottom of the line Etymotics, and the least expensive...is so awesome. Great fit, sound quality, bass, plus the added vibe that you are experiencing better sound than most others. :-)

[IsaacDawg]

Just an update on this - I was hearing a lot of complaints about the in-ears slipping out, which I have noticed as well. They don't slip all the way out of your ear, just out enough that you lose the sound quality of the best fit.

Observations:
1) they tend to do this more when you're walking around
2) changing to a different size cap hasn't really helped
3) talking to your friends with them on (even if your music is paused) is really hard

So, lately I've been using the regular ear-buds for when I'm walking around and the in-ears for when I'm not and I want my music to sound better and don't mind appearing very anti-social.

[hitcarl]

ventro...

i used the medium sized caps with the apple buds, so i ordered the medium replacement caps for the sony and they've worked out just fine for me.