What in ear phones do people use?

Soldato
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In a cowfield, London, UK
Sony XM4’s. Very comfortable but the memory foam tips don’t last too long and lose their sponginess after a few weeks which affects their noise cancellation abilities somewhat. Third party tips are available at cost.

Quite annoying that Sony don’t sell their own.
 
Soldato
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Sunny Sussex
Beats Fit Pro for the gym. Used to use Powerbeats Pro but they corroded and would no longer charge. It’s because they cheaper out on the material on the contacts.


Thankfully BFP are better. Don’t like the AirPods Pro - they don’t fit well and would frequently fall out my ears.
 
Associate
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9 Mar 2004
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1,591
I have the Gen2 Airpods Pro as well and am more than happy with the sound and ease of use. However, I seem to be allergic to whatever the tips are made from and they make my ears sore/flakey even after an hour's use! Very strange as I've used all manner of in ear buds before this with no problem. I tried some 3rd party tips but they could never replicate the seal of the originals and the ANC always reported the seal as poor.
 
Soldato
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15 Feb 2003
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Europe
Can't you just use some comply tips? Alternatively you can have some custom made as I did with my Shure SE215

I'm actually using Galaxy Buds pro 2 now with my apple products. The sound quality is good especially via the Mac (which beats my android phone). Also good on the iPhone but does seem to require turning up a little more.
 
Soldato
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Bath
@Devrij
had a bad accident with my Between Pro last week, on a hotel balcony and the box fell onto the pavement 4 floors below.
I contacted Status Audio to see if there was anything they could do because my right earphone wouldn't work.
I get an email saying we'll knock you 50% off which I was amazed at.
I asked if they would do the same deal on the Between 3ANC and he came back with a 'yes'.
Just ordered them :)
Oh nice, how do they compare?

Also, having done much back and forth experimentation, I think the memory foam tips weren't for me and have gone back to the smallest silicon ones. The main reason being they just never sounded the same despite much messing around, didn't like the fit, regardless of size, and they got a lot more ear gunk stuck to them compared to the silicon
 
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Man of Honour
Joined
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Stoke on Trent
Oh nice, how do they compare?

Also, having done much back and forth experimentation, I think the memory foam tips weren't for me and have gone back to the smallest silicon ones. The main reason being they just never sounded the same despite much messing around, didn't like the fit, regardless of size, and they got a lot more ear gunk stuck to them compared to the silicon

Ordered on Wednesday and told 2 weeks however RM say tomorrow.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
29 Mar 2003
Posts
56,822
Location
Stoke on Trent
Oh nice, how do they compare?

Also, having done much back and forth experimentation, I think the memory foam tips weren't for me and have gone back to the smallest silicon ones. The main reason being they just never sounded the same despite much messing around, didn't like the fit, regardless of size, and they got a lot more ear gunk stuck to them compared to the silicon

This may interest you, ordered one of these. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235133540047?var=535119875149
Sometime when on my bike and my helmet strap hits the earphone it can dislodge it so hopefully this will help not to lose one.
 
Man of Honour
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56,822
Location
Stoke on Trent
Oh nice, how do they compare?

The Status Audio Between 3ANC came this morning.
I would say the sound is better because of the 3ANC App you can adjust, you can also see the power in each earphone.
I always use Enter Sandman to test headphones and they sound great.
The controls are on the side and not on the top so you just touch them, the buttons on top are for other things.
The difference between foam and silicon is huge for me, I had a really sub standard sound on silicon.
I also like the Ambient Sound Mode, it doesn't ruin the sound but if somebody talks to you, you press the pause button and you can hear them without taking an earphone out.
I'm really happy especially with a 50% discount :)
 
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Soldato
Joined
9 Apr 2007
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13,591
I use my Shure SE535, something from an actual decent brand will be best for music rather than Apple for instance.
 
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Associate
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20 Aug 2020
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South Wales
I use Powerbeats Pro for every device I want to use bluetooth audio on, I prefer them over the Airpods due to the over the ear hook as I haven't go to push them in or adjust them constantly. They are my primary earphones for PC gaming as well and have been for about 3yrs, the audio quality is very good and I have no issues wearing them for many hours at a time as I honestly don't notice them.
 
Soldato
Joined
19 Jun 2009
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London
Sony WF-1000XM5

Couldn't get on with AirPods Pro 2, these blow them out of the water for what I want in earphones.
 
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Permabanned
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13 Sep 2023
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175
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London
I was tempted by the Sony WF1000XM4 as an alternative and they are cheaper than the AirPods Pro.
I’ve had a weird journey through earphones:

1. Bought some 1st gen AirPods Pro. Loved them. Great sound, great ANC, convenient, fit in that weird coin pocket in my jeans. However, I had an allergic reaction to them and - reading online - it seemed pretty common.
2. Replaced them with Sony WF1000XM4. Not quite as convenient but sound quality and ANC were great. Sadly, the battery in one earbud died after 13 months. To send them back to Sony and for them to take a look (not even replace the battery!) was going to cost about £100. I passed.
3. Risked buying the 2nd gen AirPods Pro. No allergic reaction and the fact that they make a loud sound when you ping them in Find My is super useful to a forgetful idiot like me.

Sony make some fantastic products but I’ve been burnt every time that there’s been a problem.
 
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Man of Honour
Joined
29 Jun 2004
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21,543
Location
Oxfordshire
Still using my Sony WF-1000XM3's, coming up to 4 years old now and not missed a beat, but they are a little beaten up from dropping them and just general use over the years.

Keep meaning to switch to some AirPods Pro's so they're a bit easier to use across my various Apple devices, I just worry I'll lose out on some sound quality
 
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