High quality buds? (not in-ear)

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killdrith

Gawd
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Jan 8, 2006
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I work in an office and need a pair of quality ear buds for using with my computer. They need to be buds (not in ear) because I have to rip them out 100+ times a day as I listen to physician dictations on my computer, and also deal with patients constantly in person. I do need to wear headphones as HIPAA would eat me alive if I didn't. I listen to music while at work on occasion as well.
I wouldn't call myself an audiophile. At home I use shure's and grados and slew of other mediocre headphones.

Any suggestions?
 
How much can you convince me to spend? :)
More seriously, as long as it's not in the ridiculous audiophile range ($250+ for buds?) I'll consider it.
 
Wow, those Sennheiser MX471's are cheap. The reviews on amazon are good, but there's only 3. I could spend a bit more ; are any other Sennheisers in this family just more expensive/a little better? I tend to be skeptical at low prices!

The PK line.. reviews from different people I've looked at are good. Any personal experiences with the difference of performance between the PK1/2/3's ?

Also, thanks for the quick direct answers.
 
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I have the Sennheiser MX 660, which is the predecessor to the MX 471, and I like them. Much improved bass over their earlier external earbuds, while still having the traditionally good highs.
 
The Senns are built better than the Yuins. Sound is probably about the same. Senns have a longer cord too.
 
I can't speak from personal experience but the consensus seems to be that the Yuin earbuds are as good as it gets with regard to sound. You should moderate your expectations though since no earbuds are going to be as good as IEMs.
 
Mr. B said:
I can't speak from personal experience but the consensus seems to be that the Yuin earbuds are as good as it gets with regard to sound. You should moderate your expectations though since no earbuds are going to be as good as IEMs.
Click to expand...

Not anymore. They have become a bit long in the tooth. Sennheiser is a much larger company with the ability to surpass Yuin. They pretty much have done so. If you want earbuds, the new Senns do it well and cheaply. A more balanced sound signature. Do not think that the price means they are tinny. Quite the opposite.

The yuins I have had all got destroyed in short order. Good sound but short cables and cheapish construction killed them quickly.
 
killdrith said:
Wow, those Sennheiser MX471's are cheap. The reviews on amazon are good, but there's only 3. I could spend a bit more ; are any other Sennheisers in this family just more expensive/a little better? I tend to be skeptical at low prices!
Click to expand...

There's the MX 880, but while most reviews are positive some do complain about the integrated rotary volume control not working very well.

One reviewer even recommends the cheaper MX 580 which also gets great reviews and is likely a step up from the MX 471.

HeadRoom had some mighty praise for the Yuin PK1, but the 90 day warranty is kind of a turnoff at that price (especially compared to Sennheiser's 2 year warranty). If I was going to go with Yuin, I'd probably get the PK2 since it supposedly sounds nearly as good as the PK1, is much easier to drive, and you're out less $$$ if they develop problems.

I'd probably go with the MX 580 myself, just due to the good reviews + cheaper price + longer warranty. They may not sound as fantastic as the PK2s, but I mean they're earbuds...you generally don't use earbuds for critical listening and they are bound to be better than the stock buds that come with most gear.

Too bad you can't use IEMs, as your options would be much more varied & interesting but as someone who has owned IEMs (and also has to deal with HIPAA, lol), I totally understand you wanting something that sounds decent and is easy to put in and take out.
 
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Thanks for all the input guys.

Yeah, I don't have huge expectations, but just getting a decent crisp range on buds that won't crap out on me in a month is my goal. At this price range I might not care all that much though. I'll probably look at ordering a pair of these MX 880's today. I've had bad experiences with volume controls in the past (they tend to be a culprit for failing buds) but I'm willing to give it another shot. I don't mind that the others are feminine but for $10 (and hitting the free shipping range!) I think I'll go for the black ones with possibly better drivers :)

Thanks!
 
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