Cheap & Durable Earbuds?

Hi all,

I'm looking to spend around $20 for a new pair of earbuds since my old ones broke - willing to spend more for DURABILITY. I'm not a big audiophile and have been content to listen to no-name earphones I had lying around the house (don't even remember when they were bought) - I can even stand listening to music on my laptop speakers to give you an idea of how unpicky I am.

So with that in mind, I want earphones that are durable (especially the cord & the connections) and comfortable (I like to sleep with my earbuds in listening to music). Does anyone have any recommendations for these? I headed over to the head-fi forums, and they recommended the Sennheiser CX 300 or the JVC HAFX33 Marshmallow for budget earphones - but how is the quality/durability or comfort of either of these? The main problem I'm having is with the cords. I guess I move around too much or something, but they always end up fraying or the sound will go out in one of my earbuds. My earbuds currently still work, but the right earbud is now broken and I can see all the wiring.

Is there any particular design that accounts for this, or would I just be better off buying as cheap as possible since my horrible habits break so many of my earbuds?

Suggestions much appreciated!

 

There are several on sale at amazon right now:

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/145...iser-MX55-Twish-to-fit-Earphones-13--and-more

 

Yeah, I saw those, but are they durable? That's really more important to me than price at this point and I would be willing to shell out more money for earbuds that last longer than a few months.

 

I have the FX33 that I got at Circuit City for $10 and I bought them as cheap throw-arounds. I've had them for over a year now and they definitely are not babied. I had them yanked out of my ears or out of players accidentally tons of times (long cord catches on things), crushed in bookbags, crumpled into a pocket, etc. No issues at all (yet). The main cord is thick compared to other cheapies, though not as thick as my UE/Shures, but hey, they were $10.

Con: the fit. It will take some getting used to if you have smallish ears. They don't go in your ear canal like IEMs, but the FX33 do sit in your ear opening. The supplied foam tips are pretty hard so you might get some soreness around your ear hole. If you get the FX33, buy some Shure foamies (like $3 online). Increases the comfort factor by a lot. Some people on Head-Fi wear theirs the "Shure/UE" way, but I find it doesn't make a difference.

I owned the CX300 for a few weeks and the cord is pretty thin. Also, the cord is not "Y" but "J" style (which I prefer) so be prepared for that. I had trouble with the fit (kept falling out) even with the different-sized tips that are supplied, so I gave them away.

If you're looking at the Sennheisers, you could see if they have another trade-in promo. Their most recent ended Sept. 30 - trade in any old earphones (I think you could even trade in broken ones) for $15 off CX300. At least you'd get something in return for those broken earphones.

 

I use the CX300's at work, I work construction and sometimes when they're not in my ears then one of the ear buds will get caught on my hammer claw, and then I swing again, but they still work fine. I'm actually VERY impressed with how well they've held up.

 

Yeah, I do hear good things about the CX 300. I'm especially curious about its durability/strength at the cord connecting to the earbuds, though. I don't know what it is about my specific pattern of use, but every couple of months, the earphones I get end up having the wires bent/frayed (once, the wire even broke) and I end up losing sound in one of the earbuds. Maybe because I roll up/bend the wires a lot when I carry them around.

I think I might swing into circuit city to take a look at the earphones in person before deciding. Otherwise, I guess my strategy of buying cheapo earphones and replacing them every couple of months works just as well.

 

Open your eyes lads

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/soundmagic-pl-30-20-00-shipped-366687/

 

How long have you been waiting for your delivery? The last few pages of the thread kind of concern me.

 

Well, I didn't read through the entire giant thread - but FocalPrice is basically a competitor of DealExtreme - both Hong Kong based outfits selling extremely cheap electronics. I've never ordered from FP before, but I know DE is pretty reliable (reliably slow, that is! LOL But yeah, they do deliver). I also know that everything on DE is a knock-off - they'll come in very authentic looking packages, but will not be the real thing. (I actually order most of my headphones from there - about $1-$2 each if I'm willing to wait a couple of weeks for them to arrive).

Anyway, if FP is anything like DE, they'll take at least 3 weeks to ship anything in stock, more if they're backordered.

 

I got a shipping notification on Oct. 15. I'm still waiting for them to arrive. But waiting is not a problem for me, as long as I get them

Yeah that's why I waited for so long so someone could evaluate the 20$ PL-30's. One of the members who initially bought a PL-30 from a reliable E-bay seller for 42$+10$ shipping, received the 20$ PL-30's and compared them to the authentic ones. He said that they are absolutely the same, sound wise, look wise, and feel wise. Anyways... how can you go wrong for 20$

 

Is he sure the ones he got from eBay were authentic? :laugh: But seriously, let us know what you think once you get the PL-30. I'm curious about the quality/durablity.

 

I use a pair of Skull Candy headphones:
http://www.amazon.com/Skull-Candy-S...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1224361937&sr=8-1
Personally, I don't see the quality being rather over rated- just the same as most head phones, but they are VERY durable, since they're made out of aluminum I think(though not as cold). Though, the actual earbuds take a bit of getting use too, but I can guarantee, do not hurt at all, unlike most, this is because it comes with several different configurations of earbuds for you. Search for a YT review. I recommend them, but they go right into your ear, so if you're moving around a lot(i.e running) with them, then you can hear the movement...
I fail at explaining.
EMZ=P

 

Koss Plug !! Awesome sound!