The Included Creative Earbuds Suck

Original post: I thought my XPS M1530 had sound output issues as the sound just plain sounded really weird listening to the included Creative earbuds but sounded fine on the integrated speakers. I just decided to try another pair of earbuds, and I grabbed the cheap pair of no name earbuds that came with my 30GB Zune, and man they sound a lot better the Creative earbuds that come with the XPS M1530. So either I got a faulty pair of Creative earbuds or they just plain suck. They sound good with vocals, but bass sounds like crap. The cheap earbuds that came with my iPod and my Zune are much better at handling bass then the Creatives. It's kinda disappointing too because I had a pair of Creative headphones years ago with my Jukebox 3 which sounded excellent.

EDIT: Issue solved...read the post by trwrt

After following the instructions by trwrt, I was able to get much better bass out of these earbuds. You really do have to have these shoved far into your ear or you will not get any bass. Now, I get good quality sound from these EP-630s, and they now clearly sound superior the earbuds that came with my Zune 30GB and 3rd Gen iPod. When connected to my 30GB Zune or my XPS M1530 they do deliver some really good sound. They aren't the best, but they sound as good as you'd expect for a $30 pair of earbuds that are thrown in.

 

that's quite strange. i would also assume that the earbuds would be better. call dell and request anew pair. if it also sucks then well . all is fine. the earbuds just suck.

 

I love my creative earbuds. I think they sound great and find that the sound is far superior to the integrated speakers, which were, for me, the biggest disappointment. Maybe you did get a defective pair. Mine sound crystal clear.

 

Well mine do sound clear, but when you listen to any music with any little bit of bass such as rock they go to hell and sound like crap. With vocals though they sound excellent.

Personally I think the speakers built in the laptop are pretty good. They are better then the speakers in my dad's Inspiron 1720, and better then I expected.

 

Are the earbuds still included with XPS purchases? I've heard that some people aren't receiving them with their units anymore...

 

Are those the ones with the rubber pads that fit all the way inside your ear? If so, it's really important that the rubber makes a tight seal inside your ear or the bass will totally vanish. Once you get the right fit, though, I love that type of headphone because it totally blocks outside noise. If they came with different sized pads, try a larger size and see if that makes a difference.

 

Thanks I'll have to give that a try...as I'm thinking you might be right about this.

 

I didn't my ear bud and XPS cloth with my XPS, I have emailed them about it.

 

I got a the creative earbuds with my purchase and they sounded really good to me. I use to use the $40 Sony High Performance earbuds with my ipod and I think they sound on par with those. I'm no audiophile though so I may be happy with mediocrity.

 

I really didn't find them to bad at all...... Though, I only use them when I need to when in certain places

Cin'

 

It would be a bummer if they stopped shipping them. A friend of mine got his XPS a bit before I got mine and I was so jealous of all the fun extras they give you. I also respect that they don't try to use it as a selling point. Getting stuff like the earbuds, the binder, the cloth, and sleeve (which i use all of the time) really showed some quality customer service. It's a nice gesture. Hope they're continuing it.

 

I hope so too, it's not that big of a deal but these extras are still nice to have.

 

I was told as of May 08, if you want them you have to pay for them.

 

Indeed, it is nice to have all the *extras* included! I hope everyone who has ordered recently still gets these! It should just be part of a *package deal*

 

Exactly that's one of the things that makes the xps stand out from the crowd.

 

Right! And for that very reason...Dell should continue ~ going foward with this

 

I ordered mine on June 7, 2008 and got all the extra goodies.

 

Sounds good, I ordered mine a couple weeks after you so hopefully i'll get all the extra's as well

 

Yep, this guy is right. I was not familiar with this type of earbuds, so I did not know. These sound much better when they are tight in your ear. Better bass, and louder sound, but a little less comfortable.

 

I take it you're not in the UK though? It sounds like those of us in the UK are getting hard done by!

 

I'm over here in the colonies.

 

Some folks think that they did not get the buds or the cloth, but they also did not take the plastic off of the faux leather notebook with the manual and look inside.

Make sure that you check inside the black pleather notebook for your earbuds and cleaning cloth.

 

I like them. I have never found a pair of ear buds I liked...but these are comfortable and block out a lot of noise. I use them when I am cutting the grasss

 

I didn't expect much of the earbuds especially with the annoying "hiss" when plugged in the headphone jack. (This doesn't happen with the Senns PX100)
But it does a good job blocking background noise.

 

Agreed! They are great *noise blockers*, and I really don't mind them at all. Though, they are not the only earbuds that I use. But they serve their purpose, and thats all that matters

 

Strange, The Creative EP-630s are much loved ear buds in the audiophile community. Mostly because they are cheap and they sound great for the given price.

 

How much does a pair go for? I have a spare set still in plastic.

 

I saw them at the TigerDirect outlet store here for $30 a couple months ago.

 

there a good pair of ear phones however I already have a pair of these so there a good second pair to have... fyi I didn't spend $150 for a pair of earphones -_-

 

The Creative buds are on par with the buds I got with my 80GB Zune. Both passive noise cancellation if inserted properly. The buds that come with the 30GB Zune are rubbish.

Glad it worked out for ya.

Enjoy the tunes!

-Funk