Decent Headphones (Earbuds) - My Lifelong Quest

CrankyCarrot on 17/11/2017 - 14:30
Last edited 17/11/2017 - 14:56

I must go through about 6+ pairs of earbuds a year just simply because after a couple of months they get all scratchy and lose sound in one ear owing to wear around where the wire meets the jack. I take pretty good care of them, but if I so much as put them in my hip pocket ONE TIME, they're stuffed.

My solution thus far has been to stockpile cheap but great sounding (clear, with solid bass) Rizz brand headphones when I'm in Thailand where they're sold for about $8 aud in 7/11. Unfortunately Rizz is extremely inconsistent between models - some versions sound awesome with great bass, others are p-weak, and they tend to discontinue lines all the time making it an ongoing guessing game. Also I'm not in the Land of Smiles just now.

Usually similarly cheap headphones (sub $20 from Coles, K-mart or JB etc) available in Aus ALWAYS sound tinny and have appallingly weak bass, unlike the aforementioned Thai counterparts that cost less than half as much.

I'd not be averse to upping my budget to something like $50-$80 (Those $200 Beats seem to be ridiculously overpriced) if I could have some assurance the same flimsy build quality that causes my cheap but great sounding Thai headphones to wear and break at the jack after 2-3 months wasn't going to plague the more expensive locally sourced ones.

Does this losing sound in one ear issue after a few months not affect the $50+ range of headphones available at places like JB HiFi or similar? Can I get the thumping bass I crave at this price also? Just don't want to waste the better part of a hundred bucks on something that's going to sounds cruddy and/or break within a year.

Also, I swear you can never predict the sound quality from all those confusing measurements the put on the pack. 20hz/80DB etc. I may have a great sounding pair go bad on me and then I find a new pair with the same/similar specs and they do not sound the same at all.

TLDR: Where do people here source decent sounding in-ear headphones at a reasonable price and how long do they normally last you?

My ears need this style: https://goo.gl/images/TQ3BND

PS Ones that come with play/pause buttons etc that work on an Android phone would be ideal.

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • dcep on 17/11/2017 - 14:34
    +1

    hand in your ozb badge please ?

    where are you all these while ?

    go for KZ ZS3 or ZS5 .

    example of past deals,

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/336681

    don't go for xiaomi - they won't lasts long

    • CrankyCarrot on 17/11/2017 - 14:37

      Let me check it out. I'm needing something kind of ASAP… have a feeling most deals on hear are mail order/ie weeks of no podcasts and music :(

      • dcep on 17/11/2017 - 14:50

        if you want to splash on something better & lasting from local,

        then try sens ie80

        previous deals posted here for $229 from minidisc & $279 from addictedaudio

        no current deals though, so you'll have to pay $3XX if you're wanting it right now.

        • CrankyCarrot on 17/11/2017 - 14:52

          That's such an insane amount of money to spend on earbuds. I'm sure some well-heeled audiophiles wouldn't blink twice at it but for me even $100 would be splurging. Thanks though.

      • Slippery Fish on 19/11/2017 - 00:17

        My old $30 senheisers (9 years old) are still going strong, even with putting in pockets ect.

        • CrankyCarrot on 19/11/2017 - 00:34

          Wish I had those ones before. With how frequent use?

        • Slippery Fish on 19/11/2017 - 00:45

          @crankycarrot: for the first 4 years very frequent, like every day. Now they travel with my ds :)

  • pantsparty on 17/11/2017 - 14:47

    I am sure there are much better earbuds out there sound quality wise but I have never had any wear and tear issues with the Apple headphones which came with my iPhones. They have all lasted for years - they also come with a warranty and you can exchange for a new pair at an Apple store within warranty period if they have issues. Let the Apple vs Samsung bashing begin!

  • CrankyCarrot on 17/11/2017 - 15:16

    Is there anything worth buying from JB HiFi, at least until I can get a Gearbeast delivery or whatever?

    I can't think of any other places to get an immediate replacement, unless.. Harvey Norman?

    • djsweet on 17/11/2017 - 16:17
      +1

      The Senheisser CX300 II are one of my go-to earphones. They sound great, and are less than $100. JB definitely used to sell them, but now I can't see them on their website (only the CX500?) Maybe they're superseded, but if you can still get them go for it. They were a gem. As someone below has mentioned, Audiofly are also great. I have the AF56s, which are pretty good and tough. Only complaint is they get a bit uncomfortable after wearing for an couple of hours.

      • djsweet on 17/11/2017 - 16:24

        Seems the CX 3.00 supersedes the CX 300s. Haven't tried them but they have good reviews and JB has them in stock.

        • CrankyCarrot on 18/11/2017 - 22:48

          Addictedtoaudio in Newtown had some CX200s I think.

  • yoonibear on 17/11/2017 - 15:35

    I use Audiofly from JB - they're not bad

    • CrankyCarrot on 18/11/2017 - 16:42

      Do you know which model they are? Seems there's a few at different prices and with dif specs on the JB site.

      • yoonibear on 20/11/2017 - 13:56

        The ones I use are the AF56 - I bought them about 3 years ago and they're still working fine; they get the job done

  • PAOK11 on 17/11/2017 - 16:18

    +1 for shure 215s earphones. Yes the the way you wear them is a little unconventional but they can be detached from the cord & they sound great. If the cord stuffs up all is not lost $15 will get you a new cord from china. I got the whole package for $100 extremely happy, sleep with in my ears every second day

    • CrankyCarrot on 18/11/2017 - 22:49

      Why every second day?

      • PAOK11 on 18/11/2017 - 23:02

        Lol sometimes i can sleep without the sound of rain lol

        • CrankyCarrot on 19/11/2017 - 00:17
          +1

          Aha. I use rain for naps and earplugs for general sleep. But then again I think I have stupidly sensitive hearing. Love my rain MP3s though. Unless they have birds tweeting or unexpectedly loud bolts of thunder.

  • PAOK11 on 17/11/2017 - 16:20

    sorry should have clicked that link try sennheiser momentum although can't offer +1 because I have never owned them

  • [Deactivated] on 17/11/2017 - 16:37

    My go to cheap earbuds are the Philips SHE3590. They also sound great and are clear and bassy

    I use them for working out and general stuff everyday and they last from around 6months - 1 year for me so you should check them out
    You can get them fairly cheap in Australis ~$10-15.
    $9 + shipping at Dick Smith but not sure if available in store
    $10 here if you like pink

    if you want good expensive ones I love my Shure SE215. They have replaceable EVERYTHING so if one side dies you just buy a part or if the cord fails you just buy the cord. Everything is detachable (and no problems with it falling apart)
    Just be very sure you are buying from a reputable seller when getting SE215 as there are lots of fake replicas out there (those $80 ones on ebay are fake!!!)
    Here for $113 with P5OZZIE code
    Here for $119

    • Youfah Mizzum on 17/11/2017 - 18:11
      • 1 to the SE215.
        I use them as in-ear monitors when playing with my band. They are awesome.
        Have never heard as good from any headphones, in-ears, even expensive speakers when plugged into my MP3 player (phone).
        For $113, can't go wrong.
    • CrankyCarrot on 18/11/2017 - 16:28

      They 'Shure sound' good from what people here are saying. I just wish they had play/pause/skip/mic in 'em also. Then I think it'd be a lock.

      EDIT: I see they have some called the SE215 M+ that appear to basically be the same thing with volume and mic controls for $139 at addictedtoaudio (extra $20). I may splurge.

      DOUBLE EDIT: I see they sell replacement cables at that shop for …$149?! That's more than the entire unit. What gives?

      • [Deactivated] on 18/11/2017 - 18:31

        yeah the replacement cables are very expensive (I think they may be marketed towards the more expensive Shure SE425, 535 and 846)

        You can get much cheaper ones that aren't genuine but still work in the $15 price range
        I dont have experience with these since I've never had to replace anything on my pair but its just a cable so how bad can it be.

        • CrankyCarrot on 18/11/2017 - 18:46

          How long have you had yours?

        • [Deactivated] on 18/11/2017 - 19:01

          @crankycarrot: almost a year now and they are still great. But I dont use them for anything crazy like working out or sleeping with them in (that job goes to the cheap phillips ones)

        • CrankyCarrot on 18/11/2017 - 22:51

          @Sock:

          I'm going to do everything in mine. At least so long as they're under warranty.

          Is it normal for people to switch em up depending on activity?

        • [Deactivated] on 19/11/2017 - 00:08

          @crankycarrot: They make very sport specific headphones that clip onto your ear and dont fall out so some people prefer that when working out. But asides from that theres no reason why the se215 cant be used for everything, they are a quality iem like any other.

        • CrankyCarrot on 19/11/2017 - 00:19

          @Sock:

          Sure. Anything with the rubber plug seems to stay in for me, but I guess every ear cavity is different.

  • Youfah Mizzum on 17/11/2017 - 18:08

    Go down to your local Jaycar.
    Get yourself a replacement 3.5mm plug and a soldering iron & solder.
    Watch a few Youtubes on how to solder.

    Snip off the busted end on your headphones & solder on a new one.

    • CrankyCarrot on 18/11/2017 - 16:30

      I was close to trying that years ago. Do you even need a replacement plug if it's just the little wires that need re-fusing together?

      • Slippery Fish on 19/11/2017 - 00:44

        I'd think a desoldering station would be usefully as you should remove the old solder then do new one, but the plug wouldn't be expensive either way?

        • CrankyCarrot on 19/11/2017 - 00:52

          I could fix up about 15 old pairs if I did do this. But then I just dropped $100+ on the SE215's so I wouldn't have to solder.

  • [Deactivated] on 17/11/2017 - 18:15

    AKG 3003i

    • CrankyCarrot on 18/11/2017 - 16:38

      RRP: $649. Damn, I hope those last a little longer than 6-12 months… like 'til the end of time.

      • [Deactivated] on 18/11/2017 - 17:15

        lol i used mine for around 4 years until i sold them

        • CrankyCarrot on 18/11/2017 - 18:46

          Definitely decent.

        • CrankyCarrot on 18/11/2017 - 22:52

          Wait, why sell em if they were so great?

        • [Deactivated] on 18/11/2017 - 23:30

          @crankycarrot:
          Got a set of qc35 needed wireless

        • CrankyCarrot on 19/11/2017 - 00:20

          @tuzii:

          Cool. Guy in the ata shop was trying to sell me on Bluetooth but I hate the idea of charging peripherals all the time. I think.

        • NobalaKoba on 15/03/2018 - 18:02

          @crankycarrot: I'm a bit late chiming in here, but the QC35 take about 2-3 hours to charge and give 20 hour playback time so that's not usually an issue. Same with the Sony WH1000XM2, which also have superior sound quality, codec support etc but aren't as comfortable. They fixed the cracking issue in the xm2 version as well, so the only reason to buy Bose is comfort now, especially with the connection issues and audio delays a lot of people have been having with the QC35s.

          Also, my opinion isn't skewed, as I'm actually a QC35 V1 owner (bought before the V2 and XM2) and I'm happy with them, although if XM2 were out when I got the QC35 I would have bought them instead.

        • CrankyCarrot on 16/03/2018 - 17:49

          @BradleyDS2:

          I went with the Shure SE215's already, but maybe that info will help someone else out, or me, when it comes time to upgrade.

        • NobalaKoba on 16/03/2018 - 18:11

          @crankycarrot: Yep, I read that but thought I'd let you know for future reference or other people reading in future. I also thought that Bluetooth headphones would need constant charging but find them rarely needing to be charged, most use BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) so battery usage is even lower.

  • CrankyCarrot on 18/11/2017 - 23:02
    +1

    Ok, I decided to throw a bit of cash at the SE215M+ from addictedtoaudio in Newtown.

    The staff there, especially Arthur, could not have been more accommodating, letting me try stuff out before buying, answering all my silly questions and keeping the store open late. Hell the guy even offered me a ride home when it started raining (in a non suss way), so 11/10 for customer service from that place.

    Headphones seem pretty good too.

    Only small issue is the volume buttons don't work (play/pause and mic do), but I knew that going in as it's made clear by Shure that they don't support Android. It wasn't a deal breaker and there's likely some root hack or something that can get them going.

    • PAOK11 on 18/11/2017 - 23:15

      Good choice man. Buying it from a store was a good idea. If th earphone stops working they will give you a new one. How are you finding the length of the cord

      • CrankyCarrot on 19/11/2017 - 00:23

        It's maybe very slightly too short. I'm 6'3" so maybe my torso is longer than average?

        It's acceptable. I've had cables that were too long and a pain to stuff in my pocket. That was way worse.

        It took some experimenting to get the right buds on. At first I couldn't hear any real bass, but it came in eventually when I tried the less fancy plugs. I think the spongy ones must aid with noise cancellation but they didn't sound as good to me.

        • PAOK11 on 20/11/2017 - 10:21

          I read they too short & freaked out for second because they are too long for most. I think i'm using the less fancy plugs as well because they fit my ears best

        • CrankyCarrot on 20/11/2017 - 23:00

          @PAOK11:

          I just ordered a replacement cable, just in case, from China for about $6.95. I'm curious, but fairly sure the sound quality will be identical, if not the build quality, but I can't see getting any less out of them than the 3-6 months I'm used to for those Thai Rizz jobs I've been dealing with forever.

          The cord specs on there are 1.2m, which I think is the standard I'm also used to, and that may be slightly longer than the one that comes with it.

        • PAOK11 on 21/11/2017 - 09:36

          @crankycarrot: Nah the cord is 1.6m that comes with the standard SE215e not sure about your ones but I assume it's the sames

        • CrankyCarrot on 21/11/2017 - 21:19

          @PAOK11: Oh, they felt longer. Have to double check. I feel like just a few cm more would feel so much better. No double entendre intended. Well, maybe a little bit.

        • CrankyCarrot on 16/03/2018 - 17:38

          @crankycarrot:

          After getting and testing the cheap Chinese wire replacement set, I can confirm the buds sound exactly the same and the volume up/down buttons actually work with Android phones (unlike with the set it came with, where only play/pause works). The replacement wires do 'feel' cheaper though.

  • Bombei on 22/03/2018 - 16:15

    I have had this pair for over a year. Sound great and feel great, bought them for $19, but found them for half the price:

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Awei-ES-900I-In-Ear-Stereo-Headp…

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