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View Full Version : Retired iPod newbie: Counsel, please, in-ear headphones?


Norm Nager
10-02-2008, 05:41 PM
Your counsel, please?

I searched through past iPod Info Center threads on headphones for in-ear models but a couple that people mentioned were discontinued and when I followed active links to recommended brands, I had problems finding information that I could grasp as a newcomer to iPods and, in most cases, whether they were even in-ear or how much they cost.

My criteria for an in-ear headphone that will meet my needs:

1. Most important: I wish to have something that will not cause discomfort when my head rests on a pillow when I lie on my side. I can't find info on which, if any, in-ear brand model will not be uncomfortable to the outer ear when pressed sideways against a pillow.

2. Next--and equally important: I would like to lower, if not mute, the noise of nearby freeway traffic, power tools, and revving motorcycles in the neighborhood. And I'd like to do this without turning up the volume and adding to the tinnitus buzzing/ringing that some of us get in middle age.

3. It would be quite nice to be able to handle headphone controls at night without putting on glasses to look at my iPod display, specifically being able to control volume and playback (such as Apple's yet-to-be-released $79 in-ear model promotion promises.) Please see below quote from the Apple Store.

4. Ideally, in this era, it would be well-made and quality controlled so I wasn't buying something that would fall apart or not function well.

5. I know that people with a good ear for music would say the quality of the sound is the most important consideration. I confess that when I was young a music appreciation teacher told me I had "a tin ear." But I would like to buy headphones with clarity of sound and without scratchy, tinny noise.

What do you think about this model? http://store.apple.com/us/product/MA850G/A?mco=MTIxODk3Mw

"Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic-coming soon"

The following triple feature appeals to me:Control your iPod.

The control capsule located on the cable of the right earpiece includes a microphone and three buttons. Here's what you can do with this convenient remote:*
Adjust volume by pressing the + and - buttons.
Control music and video playback — including play/pause and next/previous — by pressing the center button.
Record voice memos on supported iPod models.

The only other in-ear model that stood out on the Apple Store website was the Bose In-Ear Headphones, which don't come with the Apple model's controls but, for all I know, might be of better quality or comfort. http://store.apple.com/us/product/TQ117VC/A?fnode=MTY1NDA0Ng&mco=Nzk2ODcy

I'd deeply appreciate your counsel.

Respectfully, Norm

Anti
10-03-2008, 01:10 AM
I know that the volume controls of the new in-ear earbuds ONLY WORK with recent iPods. The iPhone 3G isn't included, I believe.

I'd like to know if there's any "Try them before you buy them" on the new in-ears. Because I bought the older ones on a whim and they turned out to sound great but wouldn't stay in my ears.

macosnoob
10-03-2008, 10:40 AM
Dan Frakes at Macworld has some useful information and recommendations on in-ear models:

http://www.macworld.com/article/55152/2007/01/canalphones.html
http://www.macworld.com/article/134182/2008/07/headphones.html

Tomcatpz
10-03-2008, 04:40 PM
Hey there,

I have a pair of Phillips in-ear headphones that I love. No ANR, but
they work well in a server-farm environment (Noisy!). They don't have a volume control, but I may have a solution.
Bose includes a short cable with a volume control for the 'Quiet Comfort' ANR
headphones. Perhaps an email or call to them could score you one?

Have you ever tried the remote for the 3G that Apple sold (sells?).

Norm Nager
10-03-2008, 07:50 PM
Thanks very much. I appreciate all the responses and, especially, macosnoob's posting of the links to Don Frakes articles. I had found one in my search at Macworld but not the valuable thread at http://www.macworld.com/article/134182/2008/07/headphones.html

I've read through that thread and others and visited websites for some of the brands cited but I still can't figure out which--if any--of the "in-ear-canal" or "canal-bud" models would be least uncomfortable when pressure is placed on the ear by the side of the head resting on a bed pillow?

The small projection of my ear between the canal and the sideburn is very uncomfortable when it's pressed between the iPod's own earphone and the pillow. Some of the discomfort also is at the outer edge of the ear canal. Manufacturer specs, photos and graphics on company websites still leave me in the dark on my concern.

I sure would appreciate any insights based on your experience.

Respectfully, Norm