I still think the Earpods were the megaton from Apples events

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FelixOrion said:
I hate shoving these things in my ear. They never stay and just feel bad.

Rigid plastic ones work for me because they just sit there: no hassle, no fuss, no earplugs, no stethoscope-cord-touching-noise. I had some RCA ones that were great and cheap.
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This. I hate in-ear headphones with a passion, they never feel comfortable to me.
 
numble said:
Techradar and Gizmodo were the lowest reviews seen:
http://gdgt.com/apple/earpod/

I think they should be reviewed separately in the context of pack-in buds and separately as for-sale items. As pack-in buds, they are pretty great, as separate for-sale items, they're a bad deal.
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So even the more favorable ones are "Finally not shitty pack-in earbuds." Hardly deserving of the hoopla.
 
You think if they were going to plow 3 years worth of R&D into a headphone they'd actually come up with a really high quality set.

I think I'll stick with my iBeats, not the best in ear headphones but they were free and they fit well. Over the head I use P5's. So yeah, the only pair of these I will get will be free with my iPhone 5 which I will get in February.
 
They researched and developed some new earbuds for 3 years and that is all they could come up with?

Anyone who actually cares about the quality and sound of their music, and the comfort of listening too it will have them a nice pair of headphones anyways.
 
br0ken_shad0w said:
I wish I could use IEMs, but is not worth dealing with the earwax every time I put them in. I had to sell my Shure's because I couldn't stand it anymore (and yes they do use some cheap-ass material at least on my E4c).
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I have used in-ear sennheisers for years, this is the first time I heard that people actually have to deal with earwax. What the fuck?

It's called a Q-tip. Purchase them.
 
xenist said:
So even the more favorable ones are "Finally not shitty pack-in earbuds." Hardly deserving of the hoopla.
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Most reviews essentially say they are the best earbud style headphones you can buy for the price. What more could you possibly want?
 
pxleyes said:
Most reviews essentially say they are the best earbud style headphones you can buy for the price. What more could you possibly want?
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Yeah, it definitely seems that way. And more importantly, most say it's quite comfortable and a snug fit. As much as I like in-ear buds, they can be annoying after a while for me, so this sounds great.

I don't get how anyone could possibly be hating on free quality stock headphones, but ok..
 
Anybody giving them a good review is probably doing so based on the mentality that 1) the earbuds sucked so fucking much that any improvement is worthy of praise and 2) they're cheap so no one should have standards anyway.

Nobody who likes music would even consider using earbuds, and I doubt Apple have managed to change things so massively that these are even close to competent.
 
Holy Wars said:
Anybody giving them a good review is probably doing so based on the mentality that 1) the earbuds sucked so fucking much that any improvement is worthy of praise and 2) they're cheap so no one should have standards anyway.

Nobody who likes music would even consider using earbuds, and I doubt Apple have managed to change things so massively that these are even close to competent.
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Bullshit. I personally despise the feel of IEMs and earbuds are the answer. If I want a good music experience I have my HD555s, but on the go earbuds are where it is at. The whole isolation thing never made sense to me. The absolute last thing I want while walking around is to be completely oblivious to the sounds around me. Earbuds help play that middle ground where I can leave them in and still hear ambient noises. Not to say anything of the inline controls, which far too many pairs are missing.
 
Completely agree, I've yet to find a pair of IEMs that actually remains comfortable as well. If these stay in my ears and stay comfortable for long periods of time while walking/running/etc. then I'm looking forward to them.
 
klipsch-image-one.jpg


They don't look that great, but I'm not all about the Beats (TM). They work exceptionally well, have controls on the wire, and keep my ears warm (useful in Boston during the colder months of the year.

Sorry, Earpods. Unless you're made of soft plastic, you're like to hurt my ears.
 
Man I hate Gizmodo reviews.

Anyways, hearing these are much better than the old pack-ins is great. I didn't expect them to out-do higher priced earbuds.
 
Still a fairly lacklustre design without something softer like typical rubber buds for a better seal. Honestly, the other mobile phone manufacturers have been well ahead of Apple on this front for years now. The Apple buds were the worst, and these one's, whilst a step in the right direction, are still missing half the point.

Sound directly in the ear? Yes. But without a good seal, it's already lost half it's importance.
 
Holy Wars said:
Anybody giving them a good review is probably doing so based on the mentality that 1) the earbuds sucked so fucking much that any improvement is worthy of praise and 2) they're cheap so no one should have standards anyway.

Nobody who likes music would even consider using earbuds, and I doubt Apple have managed to change things so massively that these are even close to competent.
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this is not correct. I love music and have had several wonderful speaker and headphone setups. I had been looking for a long time for good earbuds because IEMs make my head feel all congested and heavy. I can't deal with them for more than an hour. I've owned Westone 3, triple fi 10 and Grado GR10.

It's true that most earbuds are crap but it's a good design goal to make an earbud that doesn't suck.

Till now, I have found that the hisoundaudio PAA-1 pro are the best, affordable earbuds that I have used. Those earbuds reminded me, in a good way, of the grado SR60.

So I bought the earpods today at lunch and am using them now. I am comparing them directly to the PAA-1 Pro.

I prefer the earpods to the PAA-1 pro for three reasons. less glare with lower treble sounds, better comfort (the PAA-1 pro have huge 16mm drivers) and the built in volume controls.

first up - sibilance/ shout test. Loreena McKennitt, Blacksmith. the PAA-1 pro has some glare with the vocals. again, similar to the grados. But the earpods are more smooth here, without giving up clarity, speed or the soundstage (limited for an earbud, but still good. imaging is fairly precise and that's about all I can ask for a bud)

Bass is nice and even with some decent texture. it's present and gives some drive to music, but it's not overbearing. The PAA-1 pro had very good bass for an earbud. the bass on the earpod isn't quite as impressive as it is on the PAA-1 pro but it's fairly close. I like to use brown Bird's Bilgewater as a test for natural acoustic bass.

vocals and acoustic guitar on the earpods sound very good. quick check with Nils Lofgren's Live "Keith Don't Go" sounds good. the guitar isn't as lively as higher end phones like the MrSpeakers Mad Dogs but it's about on par with the PAA-1 pro, which is a good thing. this is also a decent test for imaging as the audience clapping is distinct and slightly behind and below the plane of the musicians. earpods do OK here, too.

For more imaging tests I'm using Fiona Apple's "Hot Knife" as the overlapping vocals can sound muddled on cheaper, slower, mushier headphones. the earpods do OK here, too. imaging is not as good as the Mad Dogs but I don't feel like there's a mush of vocals that I'm unable to parse.

So, yes, I would say the earpods are a big improvement over previous apple buds and now provide a competent baseline for users who do not wish to purchase third party headphones. IEMs will give you more isolation and something high end from Westone or UE will definitely sound better (bigger soundstage, better bass balance and texture, etc). But at least now there's a pack in option that matches the best third party bud for under 100 that I've used. I think that's a good thing, no?
 
BakedPigeon said:
They researched and developed some new earbuds for 3 years and that is all they could come up with?

Anyone who actually cares about the quality and sound of their music, and the comfort of listening too it will have them a nice pair of headphones anyways.
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Trick is they have to make them quick and cheap to manufacture. By the end of the year they will have given away 10s of millions of these already. And as you pointed out anyone who cares would actually have to seek out a pair that they like the sound of and fit of. There is no way Apple could provide that, their goal as always is to hit the middle, and this product seems to hit that mark.
 
Holy Wars said:
Anybody giving them a good review is probably doing so based on the mentality that 1) the earbuds sucked so fucking much that any improvement is worthy of praise and 2) they're cheap so no one should have standards anyway.

Nobody who likes music would even consider using earbuds, and I doubt Apple have managed to change things so massively that these are even close to competent.
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Fuck and here I thought I liked music.
 
Sentry said:
Yeah, lol at linking to gizmodo anyway.


Here's what a simple google search turns up;

PCMag — 4/5 [excellent]

CNET — 3.5/5 [very good]

iLounge — A- [highly recommended]

Cult of Mac — 4/5

Pocket-lint — 4/5

TechNewsDaily — 3.5/5

And that's not selectively seeking out the worst reviews and saying 'as expected'. :p
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The Wirecutter:
TL;DR: The bottom line is that if you get these with an iPod or an iPhone, you don't have to throw them out or replace them. They're good. they're ok. They're better than the old earbuds by Apple. But they are about the same quality as our $9 dollar cheap headphone pick (albeit with a mic and remote.) But you should't go out and buy them because they're not quite worth $30 compared to high value/quality picks on our leaderboard. More like $20. And when it comes to $100 headphones, our favorite is much better, despite Apple's claims to they can best headphones that cost $100s. Maybe some. But not these.
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Ars:
have been using Apple's new EarPods since the iPhone event last week. Up front: I am no audiophile. Still, I have to agree with the Wirecutter's assessment that while they do seem better than Apple's old earbuds, I wouldn't necessarily go out and drop $30 on a new pair. (EarPods will come with all new iPods or iPhones automatically, though). I have a pair of $10 earbuds with a mic for phone calls that I bought from Target, which appear to provide me roughly the same level of audio performance, so I'm not itching to replace every earbud set I own with EarPods.
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My problem with this is indicative of my major problem with Apple. They have been offering a substandard accessory for years. Now they have something that you don't have to throw away the minute you open the box. A less conceited and arrogant company would say "Oh, by the way our new heaphones are good too." It's a small painless jab at themselves and a nice safe joke for their presentation. But not Apple. Their products have been graced by genius. They are unimpeachable. So every change must be because years and billions have been spent revolutionizing them. Because they have done it again. They once again innovated and changed the landscape.

There is not a single molecule of measure or humility in the entirety of the company.
 
xenist said:
My problem with this is indicative of my major problem with Apple. They have been offering a substandard accessory for years. Now they have something that you don't have to throw away the minute you open the box. A less conceited and arrogant company would say "Oh, by the way our new heaphones are good too." It's a small painless jab at themselves and a nice safe joke for their presentation. But not Apple. Their products have been graced by genius. They are unimpeachable. So every change must be because years and billions have been spent revolutionizing them. Because they have done it again. They once again innovated and changed the landscape.

There is not a single molecule of measure or humility in the entirety of the company.
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It is called marketing. Get over it.
 
xenist said:
My problem with this is indicative of my major problem with Apple. They have been offering a substandard accessory for years. Now they have something that you don't have to throw away the minute you open the box. A less conceited and arrogant company would say "Oh, by the way our new heaphones are good too." It's a small painless jab at themselves and a nice safe joke for their presentation. But not Apple. Their products have been graced by genius. They are unimpeachable. So every change must be because years and billions have been spent revolutionizing them. Because they have done it again. They once again innovated and changed the landscape.

There is not a single molecule of measure or humility in the entirety of the company.
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How is that different than any other company's claims about their product?
 
LyleLanley said:
Seriously, what did he expect from them? "These are our new headphones, I guess they're ok but you'll probably still want to replace them."
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Yes. I expect tiny improvements, turning crap into adequate, which should have been made years ago not to be turned into some sort of triumph of design and technology.

Deal with it.
 
Omegasquash said:
klipsch-image-one.jpg


They don't look that great, but I'm not all about the Beats (TM). They work exceptionally well, have controls on the wire, and keep my ears warm (useful in Boston during the colder months of the year.

Sorry, Earpods. Unless you're made of soft plastic, you're like to hurt my ears.
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I'm a big fan of these:

1RRJ4.jpg


They're really comfy and the sound is good, but what sets it apart is how extremely durable they are. I'm pretty clumsy with my headphones/earbuds, so these are ideal for me.
 
gblues said:
AppleCare: Thank you for calling Apple, my name is _____, how can I help you?
Customer: I've lost the bleeps, I've lost the sweeps, and I've lost the creeps!
AC: The what, what, and the what?
Customer: You know, the bleeps [bleeping noise], the sweeps [sweeping noise] and the creeps! [creeping noise]
AC (quietly): That's not all you've lost...
Customer: Hold on! The Ear Pods! They seem to have been... jammed!
AC: Taste the jam for me. What flavor is it?
Customer: Raspberry.
AC: Raspberry.. only one man would dare give us the raspberry.. Ballmer! BALLMER!!!
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Win. This post is made of it.
 
Omegasquash said:
klipsch-image-one.jpg


They don't look that great, but I'm not all about the Beats (TM). They work exceptionally well, have controls on the wire, and keep my ears warm (useful in Boston during the colder months of the year.

Sorry, Earpods. Unless you're made of soft plastic, you're like to hurt my ears.
Click to expand...

This is what I use. Awesome

But the fucking cable is an absolute joke!
 
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