If you are like me, you probably carry your IPod/IPhone with you every where. You have probably also given up on the earbuds that have come with your IPod. Don’t get me wrong. The earbuds aren’t that bad. But it seems that you have to pretty much crank up the volume to hear anything. Plus, they get very uncomfortable after a while. Well I am here to let you know that there is hope! Yes, I have sacrificed my ears on a few different sets of headphones so I can get you what you need for a decent price and with great quality.
When starting this project, I set my spending limit at $30 USD. I wanted to stay away from Bose as well. Now, I am not saying that Bose is bad. I am just saying they are expensive, and unless you have 100 bucks to drop on headphones, I would stay away.
I tried out 3 Brands of earbuds: Apple (Of Course), JVC, and SkullCandy.
First up, Apple brand Earbuds. There is a saying “You get what you pay for” and this really holds true for the free earbuds you get with every Ipod. Sure, to your casual music listener these earbuds are fine. Plus they are free. But if you love to listen to music and/or music is your life then you won’t be able to get past the “Tinny” sound. Plus, they are uncomfortable. If you have these earbuds in for a long period of time, the cartilage on your ear will be aching when you take them out. And if you decide not to use the foam covers, these puppies will slip right out of your ear. That isn’t allowing you to enjoy your music if you are constantly putting the earbuds back in. So we move on.
Next up is JVC Marshmallow Earbuds. These can be purchased at Wal-Mart or at Amazon.com. I have to say, I loved this pair. They are noise canceling, fit snug, and the don’t fall out. Now you may be wondering about the marshmallow part. Well the actual insert is made of memory foam, like earplugs you would use on a shooting range or construction site. You squish the foam down and insert in the ear, and it cancels everything except the music coming through them. Very nice sound quality to them as well. Very crisp. The best part is they retail between $15 – $20 USD . Which makes them good quality and affordable.
Moving on though, I finally tried out Skull Candy Earbuds. For the longest time I had seen them in my local target store and wondered about them. So on a whim I bought a pair of the Ink’d style that they make. Right out of the package they come with 3 different sizes of inserts, so you are bound to get a good fit. Now, unlike the JVC marshmallows, these are a rubber insert. They cancel out noise, but not all of it, which is a lot better if you are going for a walk or jog. This way you will hear the car horn before you get hit. We don’t want surprises! I was actually amazed by these earbuds though. I had to turn my Ipod down because they projected the sound so well. Very crisp and clean sounding, super comfortable, and you forget that you even have them in. Well at least I forgot that I had them in. The best part about the Ink’d line is they are only $15 USD. But after using these for a week, I decided to go up a notch to the Skull Candy Smokin’ Buds line. These were even more amazing, more sharpness and crispness to the sound. They also came with the different sized inserts, but came with a bag to store your earbuds in. These Retail for $30 USD. Skull Candy Headphones are available from skullcandy.com, bestbuy, target, Nebraska Furniture Mart, and many more places.
So whats my recommendation? If you want the comfort and a great quality, I would say definitely go with Skull Candy. Their prices range from $15 for their “Low” end earbuds and go well over $100 USD. If you are iffy on the whole thing, start with the Ink’d line, you wont regret it.
