I need durable earbuds

JakeNome

JakeNome

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I need a good pair of earbuds that are durable and wont die on me. I use them everyday, with the roughest activity being running for an hour.
In 8ish years, Ive gone through 3 pairs of earbuds. First, 2 pairs of Sony MDR-EX71SL. The wire covering on those was very delicate and eventually split open. I tried to cover it with electrical tape, but the sound quality declined and they didnt last long after that.
I then got a pair of possibly bootleg Sennheiser CX400 (for $5 on ebay). It actually lasted for about 2 years. But now, it does this weird thing where it filters out the vocals from any song I listen to unless Im holding the cord in a very specific position. So, its time to replace em.

Ive been doing some searching online, and I'm attracted to the Klipsch-S4i.
However, they seem to excel in every department except durability. People complain that it doesnt have a L-shaped connector, which makes it a easy target for quick wear-and-tear. Also, the wire is very thin apparently.

Some people have recommended the Skullcandy-S2FMBZ-BZ-Metal-Jacket-Earbuds for durability because of the mesh cords.

The Shure SE420 sounds really good too because it has modular cables. But thats way too expensive for me right now. I dont wanna pay any more than $40 or $50.

But of course, for every product, there are so many mixed reviews, it makes it impossible to frikin decide what to goddamn get. If you have any expertise in this subject, help me find the right earbuds.
 
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I wish I could help, but I only run with headphones (the kind with the thin, bendy plastic band). And I usually only pay ten bucks for them, so I don't worry too much about what happens to them. Maybe try a running forum? You can't be the only one with this problem.
 
they look like garbage trash, but hey, 1 dollar with free shipping. I ordered 2. At least they can hold me off until I decide what real pair of buds to buy. Its actually just what I need, cuz I dont feel like spending 50 bucks on buds right now. Thanks montilla.
Ill post a review for them once I get em, not that anyone would care, but itll make me feel better.
 
Skullcandy, with out a doubt is the best I have ever owned. Even the cheap ink'd ones deliver great sound and comfort. You cannot go wrong with them.
 
I have some Skullcandy buds too, similar to the ones in the op but the $50 version. I use them every day at work and they sound great. I've had them for about 8 months and they don't have any signs of wear.
 
Don't spend money on earbuds. I collect/horde them and use them inconsistently and just buy the $5-9 JVCs at Wal*Mart or dollar stores and they work for me just fine. IF you loose them, no big deal - you're only out $5-9.
 
[quote name='JakeNome']they look like garbage trash, but hey, 1 dollar with free shipping. I ordered 2. At least they can hold me off until I decide what real pair of buds to buy. Its actually just what I need, cuz I dont feel like spending 50 bucks on buds right now. Thanks montilla.
Ill post a review for them once I get em, not that anyone would care, but itll make me feel better.[/QUOTE]

I'll save you the trouble. Bought 3 pairs, gave one away and opened one to "test". The third pair would probably be best suited for the dog to chew on.

Like you, I use them for running and the gym so I thought they'd hold me over until I found a better quality pair. That being said, you really get what you pay for with these. The sound quality is utter garbage. Sounds muddy and just horrible. I'm no audiophile by any means, but don't let that statement fool you. The sound quality alone makes me feel like I was "ripped off" (even though it was only a dollar) and I'm embarrassed as a musician whenever I am forced to use them. That combined with the flimsy ear buds and cheap wire = no thank you for me.

Bottom line is yes, they are only $1 but even at that price I could not justify buying them for ANYONE (not just musicians) due to them being utter trash. I'm not complaining...after all, I only spent one dollar but don't think you're getting a "steal" with these headphones. They're pretty much useless.
 
I bought the metal jacket Skullcandy ones before I left for my deployment to Afghanistan waaay back in nov. , & there still working!!! I use them for missions & the gym over here .... still sound crisp like the 1st day I bought them. I was mainly looking for some that had some kind of protective coating on the wires. One of my buddies recommended them so I tried them out. Now at my half-way mark & about to go on some R&R ... Im pretty sure theyll last the rest of the deployment. Anyways thats my opinion ...
 
Thanks for the input guys. Im going to combine everyones' advice and not pay too much for my real pair when I buy it. $30 is decent for the skullcandy buds. Since I got $60 in amazon gift cards, itll be free anyway (thanks swagbucks!). if they lasted for you ninja, they should last for me too. Ill order them after I see how unbearably bad the $1 buds are.
 
[quote name='JakeNome']Thanks for the input guys. Im going to combine everyones' advice and not pay too much for my real pair when I buy it. $30 is decent for the skullcandy buds. Since I got $60 in amazon gift cards, itll be free anyway (thanks swagbucks!). if they lasted for you ninja, they should last for me too. Ill order them after I see how unbearably bad the $1 buds are.[/QUOTE]

Good choice on going with cheaper buds. I honestly go through about 8 pairs of ear buds a year between the gym and my lawn service and no ear buds can withstand getting snagged on sharp equipment or yanked out of your ears repeatedly. I roll with the $10 JVC gummy's now. Ear buds can't touch over the ear in sound quality anyway.
 
If you have a Blockbuster video with Koss earbuds in stock there, they should be around $1.75 a pair starting tomorrow. The one local one has around 30-50 pairs and if they do ring up under $2 a pair I'll grab a buttload of them.

I personally can't stand the earbuds(or the Bluetooth in-ear headsets), but they'll make some nice cheap Christmas presents.;)

So if you have a BBV in your area, you might wanna check it out tomorrow starting around 10am when the usually open.;)
 
And if Blockbuster doesn't pan out (like Cheapest pointed out. I grabbed myself a pair of Koss's today), TJ Maxx usually has Skullcandies for ~$10. I've seen the ones you listed and several other types at my store and I have heard from several other people that they have TJ Maxx's that carry them for cheap. I bought a pair there months ago and they are pretty good. Durable and nice bass.
 
Skullcandy often does promos on their ebay store to get rid of overstock stuff. I've grabbed a couple pairs of earbuds there for like $5-$10.

Also, maybe look into JVC marshmallows. They are pretty cheap, around $10 and sound decent, and seem to have a thicker covering on the cord.
 
Go to DealExtreme.com and find the cheapest pair. If you order ten or more at a time they're $0.90 per pair. I use them while exercising for 3+ hours daily, so I just order 10 pair at a time so I can throw them away for a new pair every other week. Shipping is from China so expect 2-3 weeks delivery time, it blows, but it's free.

Personally, I don't care about sound quality when I'm running or lifting weights. They definitely don't sound as good as my Sennheiser over ear headphones, but they get the job done.
 
I have the Klipsch S4's ($80) not the iPhone version, and they are amazing. They sound awesome. I tried a pair of Etymotic (or whatever they're called) and was disappointed by the lack of bass, the Klipsch have great bass and overall a clean sound. They do have the flimsiest wire, though. I shudder to think that if they get caught I'll have to replace them, though, I've not had that problem yet and they've just popped out of my ear the times they have gotten snagged. I probably wouldn't advise them for running.

The thing to keep in mind when asking for advice is a frame of reference, if you've never heard good, you don't know what to listen for or what you're missing. I've heard good, I threw mine on a headphone amp and they sounded warmer, but I didn't feel like I was missing much.

Also I had a pair of some earphones with the mesh cord and I hated every second of them because you get to hear all the noise when they rub together and that's what you'll get when you run. Skullcandy's are popular, but I would never buy a pair for myself unless it was to snowboard with knowing that they have lifetime warranties, so they'll replace them not if, but when they break.

The other pair I was real close to buying was the Zagg Smart Buds, there's also a water resistant set. The good thing is that they're treated with Invisible Shield, so they may be more quiet than your typical mesh and highly rugged. You can also find frequent discounts up to 50% off, which would be valid on a set and bring them down to $25.

Edit: Too late, you posted as I was replying.
 
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