Standard vs. accessory headphones

[Scott549]

I have a new 4g iPod. It came with the standard in-ear headphones. They were in a little plastic pouch with the headphones separated from the foam pads.

I noticed a buzz in the left side with certain music, so I called Apple to ask for a replacement. However, the replacement I got was a set of the in-ear headphones that Apple sells as an accessory for $39.

I think the quality of the ones that came with the iPod is pretty good. Has anyone compared them with the ones sold as an accessory? I haven't opened the new ones yet because I want the option of getting a new set like the ones that came with the iPod if those are better.

Thanks.
Scott

[MuzakMan]

Okay. The one's that come with the iPod are earBUDS. The ones that they sell as an accessory, are IN-EAR. The IN-EARS, are MUCH better. The stock apple buds suck. Maybe they thought you had the in-ears, and sent you those.

Obviously you put them all in your ears, but the buds aren't considered in ear.

You got lucky. I wish that happened to me. Now with my Shure e2's though, I don't mind... :D

[Scott549]

Here's an update.

I am probably a borderline audiophile. I am pretty picky about sound quality. Last evening I did a direct comparison between the original earbuds that came with my 4g iPod (which has a minor defect causing a buzzing sound on certain tracks) and the accessory in-ear headphones. I also included a set of Sennheiser MX-500 earbuds in the comparison. Here's the ranking:

1. Original iPod earbuds, by a wide margin.
2. Sennheiser MX-500.
3. Apple in-ear headphones.

The most dramatic difference is that the bass response in the Apple earbuds is FAR superior to the other two.

This makes me wonder whether the earbuds Apple is including in the current iPods are an upgrade from what they used to include.

Scott

[dmon313]

Scott,

If you prefer the stock earbuds because of the poor bass response of the Apple In-Ear phones, chances are that you are not inserting the In-Ear phones correctly. There is a "sticky" message at the beginning of this forum that discusses how to wear canal phones this in great detail.

BTW, thanks to person who suggested that the In-Ear phones should be inserted upside down. I find that this is the easiest and best way to use the In-Ear phones.

- Dan

[kauffee]

dmon is right. Canalphones require a good seal in order to get the proper sound. Otherwise they will sound thin and tinny with no bass. That's probably what you're hearing with the in-ears you got.

Due to the shape of the Apple in-ears, though, a lot of people have trouble getting a good seal. There's a chance you could be one of them. Still, play around with them more to make sure you've tried everything to get that seal. You can't just hang them on your ear like a normal earbud... you gotta shove em in.