Thanks for all the recommendations… At some point I’ll purchase something good and long lasting but for now I want something cheap with good sound quality.
Thanks to links and a bit of research I’ve found a great cheap solution, going to purchase a compatible bluetooth cable to use it with my current Shure SE215 earbuds.
Cheapest one was the £11.99 KZ Waterproof Aptx with compatible MMCX connectors, will update post when I’ve tried them out etc…
48 hours in: Work very well with my Shure 215 earbuds. Great sound quality, can not hear any back ground noise when nothing being broadcast. So far thumbs up.
Two weeks in Due to the amount of sweat I don’t want to destroy my “expensive” shure 215e’s so I now just use this setup at work at my desk. I’ve replaced them with my old Koss porta pro over head earphones. These I’ve now plugged into a mpow bluetooth receiver, all tie wrapped to the over head band. The sound quality and bass is great with this cheap setup. They also don’t press on your ears as the koss have pads that press against your head above the ear. Overall you could do this setup for £40, I paid more than that originally for my Koss Porta pros, they’ve come down so much! I also purchased a while back replacement foam earphone covers as they don’t last forever!
Getting my wife AirPod Pros for Christmas since she wants them, but I personally think there are better options out there for the money. Got me thinking I want to get some better headphones for myself
I wear them mostly on the trainer but would like something that I could also wear while riding MTB so retention in the ears is critical. I like how Bose sound but don’t like the form factor of the “free” model and worry that if one should fall out on a trail I will never find it.
Anyone have experience with the regular SoundSports that are tethered together? I also get some discounts for Beats at work, so would be interested in those as well if they have a tethered model. Sound quality is important, there’s a lot of expensive stuff out there that doesn’t really sound that great
My Jaybird Vistas have been great for running and cycling so far. I just ran with them several times on a trip to Hawaii where I sweat as much as humanly possible and they performed flawlessly. Also used them to listen to music/podcasts on the beach
I use Apple AirPods on the trainer and for audax. No issues with sweat. Love the sound.
And I use Beats X at work (gardener) No issues either. Sometimes I think these would be better on the road as they have a band around the nape of your neck so you can’t drop them.
So apparently factory refurbished Beats X (old style with the tether) can be had for $30-50, anyone have experience with these compared to some other non brand cheap alternatives. Looking to get some better quality audio for my workouts.
I’m willing to spend up to $150 for a pair of good ones but the little in the ear retention hooks are basically a must have for me since they help hold the bud in my ear and I don’t have to jam the thing deep inside to get it to stay.
Furthermore, how would one go about testing earbuds? I’ve never seen in-ear earbuds on display for testing in stores so how does someone try them before they buy them?
I love apple products but I can basically guarantee there are better options on the market for the same price or less, who don’t upcharge for their name.
Liking the Powerbeats pro especially cause they’re available for $140 refurbished. Anyone have connection problems with theirs? I’ve heard of some issues but nothing definitive
I read this thread, and ended up buying a cheap Mpow BT adapter - just plug my old trusted wired in-ear thing, the one that has survived since years, and off to the races I go.
I seem to have narrowed down options but still cannot decide since everything has some kind of “flaw” IMO
Bose Soundsport Free: no apparent noise isolation, but I hear the sound is great, too goofy looking for public wear
Powerbeats Pro: pricy, intermittent connectivity issues and charging issues reported by some, case is huge for travel
Jabra t65t: no ear hooks, I feel like this design would cause more pressure on/in my ear
Sony WH1000xm3: price, no ear hooks, no sweatproofing
Kind of at a loss here, considering going to over ears for better sound quality at home and just not wearing them out on MTB rides but using my cheapo ones.
Am I missing anything? Any upcoming black friday deals perhaps? The Powerbeats Pro seem to be my #1 right now but the apparent connection problems worry me, and if signal does drop, you can’t pair them again without having the case, so going out somewhere and wearing them, leavin the case at home, is a no no, and frankly the case is massive
I have the Jabra Elite 65t. Love 'em. I did order up some replacement tips though. I wasn’t keen on the silicone ones they came with so I ordered foam ones from their site (“Comply foam tips”) that after some research I learned would fit. Very sound isolating and they stay in nicely for me, even during runs etc.
They are cheap(ish) now as they are at the end of their product cycle, can probably find a great deal on them,
Have you ever tried them with a helmet? I don’t wear buds on the road, but I do like to wear them time to time when riding MTB trails and just wondering if the hoops would interfere with helmet straps or anything like that
I ride with one in my right ear a lot…it definitely doesn’t get in the way of helmet straps, but it’s not perfect with the arms on my sunglasses - the earhook and the arm sort of want to sit in the same place so it’s not perfect, but it works well enough - and better than any other right-earbud-with-helmet-and-sunglasses setup I’ve tried.
I also use these. The sound quality is decent and they are inexpensive. Battery life isn’t great, but I just make sure to recharge them after every workout and they can go for over 4 hours.
For the price everyone looking for headphones in this thread should have a pair. Mine have been bulletproof and it won’t be long until I’m at $.10 per ride on them
I was pretty much set on the Powerbeats Pro but still can’t pull the trigger, I had a feeling my wife was going to get me a set for Christmas so told her not to. Still can’t justify them even for $200, they definitely sounded better than my $30 pair but not $170 better, and the reports of connection problems really put me off. I don’t think I can get the sound quality I want in an airbud, I’m sure there are some cheap ones out there that sound outright bad but I don’t think mine fall into that category so spending $170-$220 to get marginally better sound just seems dumb.
I was considering the Airpod Pro for a bit but still don’t like the idea of no ear hook, and looking like one of “those guys” with a white stick hanging out of my ear. While they are convenient, they also are not serviceable, so if I end up using them for day to day tasks (not just excersize) and looking ridiculous, they will also not be able to hold a charge after a few years, and having $250 disposable headphones is a no-no.
So back to square one, using my Soundpeats Q30, while I wait for something worthwhile to come out.
