# In Ear Headphones...???



## Faded_Butters (Jan 22, 2017)

I have been using Skullcandy and Apple ear pod headphones for the longest. They are pretty CRAPPY when it comes to sound quality and comfort. I really hate them and I am wanting to upgrade to something much better.

Does anyone have any experience with these...

1. Shure SE215 in ear
2. Bose Soundsport in ear
3. JBL Yurbud in ear
4. Outdoor Tech Orca in ear

I am a bit of an audiophile because I also DJ and produce music as another hobby of mine when I am not snowboarding. 

Concerns/Criterias:

A. Sound Quality (i.e. Can be cranked to a high volume with little to no distortion. Good Bass response for bass heavy genres/music)

B. Comfort (i.e. Foam inserts. Light Weight)

C. In-Line controls for play/pause/forward/skip/back (i.e. I hate having to go to my ipod/iphone for music controls, its really inconvenient and takes away from riding.) 

I don't wear a helmet (I really should though) when I ride, so helmet compatibility isn't a major criteria in a headphone for me.


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## Bataleon85 (Apr 29, 2017)

I'm not familiar with any of those you posted, but I'm currently rocking Brain Farm brainpods. They sound ridiculously good for $60. Tons of bass, excellent noise cancelation and amazing depth of clarity and detail you would normally find in much pricier buds. Hell, they even sound as good as a lot of high end over ears I've listened to. The only drawback I can think of is they're not always available. The guy behind them is just starting out in the business world and he gets back ordered sometimes. I would definitely check them out if you get a chance though. 

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


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## Faded_Butters (Jan 22, 2017)

Bataleon85 said:


> I'm not familiar with any of those you posted, but I'm currently rocking Brain Farm brainpods. They sound ridiculously good for $60. Tons of bass, excellent noise cancelation and amazing depth of clarity and detail you would normally find in much pricier buds. Hell, they even sound as good as a lot of high end over ears I've listened to. The only drawback I can think of is they're not always available. The guy behind them is just starting out in the business world and he gets back ordered sometimes. I would definitely check them out if you get a chance though.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


Just checked out these in ear headphones at their website. Man...these LOOK SICK!!! Wireless for only $60...?!?! Man thats a good deal. 

Wireless is definitely a plus in a new headphone for me. 

Just one question/caveat: 

How long does the battery/headphone last on one/a full charge...? Website says approximately 6 hours on a full charge but I was wondering what the real world numbers/actual usage was like.

These look sick and at a great price too. Definitely gonna have to put these Brain Farm Brainpods at the top of my list.


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## Oldman (Mar 7, 2012)

+1 for the Bose Soundsport

Most comfortable in ear I have ever worn and I don't really like anything in my ears. I can wear them all day long and have found the sound quality really solid. They have inline controls that are compatible with iPhone. :2cents:


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## Faded_Butters (Jan 22, 2017)

Oldman said:


> +1 for the Bose Soundsport
> 
> Most comfortable in ear I have ever worn and I don't really like anything in my ears. I can wear them all day long and have found the sound quality really solid. They have inline controls that are compatible with iPhone. :2cents:


Does it have enough bass for EDM and hiphop/rap music...? 

Because I DJ...I really like headphones that have slightly more bass response. I figured since JBL makes quality gear for DJ's and music producers...that there in ear headphones might be of the same quality also. So I decided to look into the JBL Yurbuds. I know that BOSE makes some quality music gear and home audio gear so I would have no doubts the soundsports would have great sound quality. 

Although skullcandy does have bass...I feel like the bass is too much for my liking. I have also found that with skullcandy, the overall experience is a lot of distortion at even low volumes with mids and highs that are really muddy or 'tinny'.


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## Bataleon85 (Apr 29, 2017)

The brainpods have more bass than most skullcandies I've heard, including over ears, but it's clean bass and not obnoxious. Very well balanced buds. If they're too much you can always adjust the EQ on your phone. What really stands out with the brainpods is how clear and detailed they are. I hear nuances to many of my songs that I've never noticed before and I've been through a lot of different headphones. I'm a musician/producer myself and I can't rave enough about these things.

As for battery life, I'd say they're pretty accurate around 6 hours. I haven't used them all the way through a charge, but I don't have to charge them more than any other buds I've had. For being such a small package, they have a pretty good battery. 6 hours is about all you're gonna pack into buds this compact. I've never needed more than that for a day of riding. If you're like me, you're gonna have them on standby a significant chunk of the day anyway. 

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


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## sam_crisp (Sep 8, 2017)

Oldman said:


> +1 for the Bose Soundsport
> 
> Most comfortable in ear I have ever worn and I don't really like anything in my ears. I can wear them all day long and have found the sound quality really solid. They have inline controls that are compatible with iPhone. :2cents:


My GF and a couple friends rock these and swear by them. They use them for the gym/jogging without issue, so I think they would work well for riding. I've popped them in and they are super comfortable and the sound was good, but I'm no sound expert.


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

Another for the Bose, not sure what model I have but it's the $100 pair not the $300 one. That shark fin looking thing makes it the most comfortable in ear thing I have ever used, and believe me I have gone through a lot. You should know Bose makes the best sounding shit, and really in this case you should be putting comfort over bass response or else be the guy wearing cans on the hill. I'm am almost certain the bass will be good enough for you, plus I'm sure you can squeeze more out of it with your apps EQ.

Normal buds or apple ones inevitably shift and pop out for me, and on a good day of staying put my ears kill be uncomfortable and in pain in an hour. The Bose ones never move, never get painful and I can play tunes till I'm sick of them in comfort. Use them biking and running and stuff too.


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## LALUNE (Feb 23, 2017)

freshy said:


> Another for the Bose, not sure what model I have but it's the $100 pair not the $300 one. That shark fin looking thing makes it the most comfortable in ear thing I have ever used, and believe me I have gone through a lot. You should know Bose makes the best sounding shit, and really in this case you should be putting comfort over bass response or else be the guy wearing cans on the hill. I'm am almost certain the bass will be good enough for you, plus I'm sure you can squeeze more out of it with your apps EQ.
> 
> Normal buds or apple ones inevitably shift and pop out for me, and on a good day of staying put my ears kill be uncomfortable and in pain in an hour. The Bose ones never move, never get painful and I can play tunes till I'm sick of them in comfort. Use them biking and running and stuff too.


Very keen in getting a pair, but under its website review section, it seems to be a lot of complaints about the quality and durability. How does it hold up in frigid weather? And does its battery die fast?

I mean the wireless version.


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

LALUNE said:


> Very keen in getting a pair, but under its website review section, it seems to be a lot of complaints about the quality and durability. How does it hold up in frigid weather? And does its battery die fast?
> 
> I mean the wireless version.


Mines wired...But I have had them for over 3 years using them at construction sites, snowboarding and such and the quality and durability are fine.

It's probably the same as any other battery operated device in the cold, dies fast if it is exposed. My phone and gopro both suffer from this.


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## Bataleon85 (Apr 29, 2017)

I've never had any Bluetooth buds or my phone die on me and I've ridden open to close many times. As I said before, one would expect you're gonna turn your music off when you go inside to take a leak, eat, get a beer, what have you. I pause my music many times throughout the day and that 6 hour battery doesn't start talking to me until well toward the end or after I leave so... All up to the user really. If you need a ridiculously long battery life, just take an extra charger or use wireds or something. Personally, I hate riding with wired headphones because the cord gets yanked when I go hard, even if I keep my phone in a breast pocket, it's annoying. Much rather just have Bluetooth but that's just me. 

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


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## htfu (Mar 18, 2015)

my sennheiser ie80 iems are pretty damn good, they have survived 6 years of everything, including a lot of snowboarding and travel. the sound is really good and the bass really solid (can be turned up too). replaceable cables are really nice, i've gone through a fair few and there are aftermarket ones as well as originals from the oem. big plus for me is that they are tough, even when i did break the one driver (where the earpiece connects to the main driver) i was able to glue it .. that was almost 3 years ago and it is still good. i've used sennheiser earphones and headsets for a long time (2 headsets and 5 pairs of iems over 12 years ... 3 pairs being the cheaper ones that were still pretty good, just not great), their top of the range stuff is truly worth it imo.


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

Bataleon85 said:


> I've never had any Bluetooth buds or my phone die on me and I've ridden open to close many times. As I said before, one would expect you're gonna turn your music off when you go inside to take a leak, eat, get a beer, what have you. I pause my music many times throughout the day and that 6 hour battery doesn't start talking to me until well toward the end or after I leave so... All up to the user really. If you need a ridiculously long battery life, just take an extra charger or use wireds or something. Personally, I hate riding with wired headphones because the cord gets yanked when I go hard, even if I keep my phone in a breast pocket, it's annoying. Much rather just have Bluetooth but that's just me.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


My issue is I can't keep the phone warm enough, it's either in my pants pocket or breast pocket of my jacket but it sits right against the outer layer of my gear. I sometimes need to warm up the phone with my hands and breath to skip a track. Mind you this is usually when it's like -15 -20C.


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## LALUNE (Feb 23, 2017)

Bataleon85 said:


> I've never had any Bluetooth buds or my phone die on me and I've ridden open to close many times. As I said before, one would expect you're gonna turn your music off when you go inside to take a leak, eat, get a beer, what have you. I pause my music many times throughout the day and that 6 hour battery doesn't start talking to me until well toward the end or after I leave so... All up to the user really. If you need a ridiculously long battery life, just take an extra charger or use wireds or something. Personally, I hate riding with wired headphones because the cord gets yanked when I go hard, even if I keep my phone in a breast pocket, it's annoying. Much rather just have Bluetooth but that's just me.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


I personally prefer bluetooth headphones with control panel in activities like running, work out and snowboarding, otherwise my wired apple headphones would suffice. 

It's just that all popular wireless choices, like Bose Soundsport etc, seem to have somewhat level of quality issues when I check the reviews on Amazon.


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## emt.elikahan (Mar 12, 2014)

freshy said:


> My issue is I can't keep the phone warm enough, it's either in my pants pocket or breast pocket of my jacket but it sits right against the outer layer of my gear. I sometimes need to warm up the phone with my hands and breath to skip a track. Mind you this is usually when it's like -15 -20C.


Maybe just throw a hand warmer in the pocket with your phone...?


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

emt.elikahan said:


> Maybe just throw a hand warmer in the pocket with your phone...?


Or a different phone... some are more cold resistant than others.


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## griffin1324 (Mar 10, 2016)

I've had 2 pairs of Skullcandy earpod-like headphones (1st pair went thru the washer/drier & still worked but the cable has exposed wires) and thought the sound quality was good. This was coming from the headphones that came Apple/Samsung though.

My helmet has built in speakers and controls, so I rarely use my Skullcandys while riding anymore.


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## Bataleon85 (Apr 29, 2017)

Well yeah, anything is better than stock phone headphones. Skullcandies aren't bad for the money. I really can't knock them. You get what you pay for. Although so far, the Brain Farms I got totally outclass everything in their price range and then some. Remains to be seen how durable they are though as they're a relatively new product. 

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


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## griffin1324 (Mar 10, 2016)

Bataleon85 said:


> Well yeah, anything is better than stock phone headphones. Skullcandies aren't bad for the money. I really can't knock them. You get what you pay for. Although so far, the Brain Farms I got totally outclass everything in their price range and then some. Remains to be seen how durable they are though as they're a relatively new product.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


The fact that they went through the washer and drier and still in worked, definitely made me want to get another pair. Another fact is I was at the airport and forgot my headphones at home haha


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## Bataleon85 (Apr 29, 2017)

Faded_Butters said:


> Does it have enough bass for EDM and hiphop/rap music...?
> 
> Because I DJ...I really like headphones that have slightly more bass response. I figured since JBL makes quality gear for DJ's and music producers...that there in ear headphones might be of the same quality also. So I decided to look into the JBL Yurbuds. I know that BOSE makes some quality music gear and home audio gear so I would have no doubts the soundsports would have great sound quality.
> 
> Although skullcandy does have bass...I feel like the bass is too much for my liking. I have also found that with skullcandy, the overall experience is a lot of distortion at even low volumes with mids and highs that are really muddy or 'tinny'.


Just went over this thread again. You say your skullcandies are muddy and tinny? What model are you using? I haven't experienced anything like that in the skullcandies I've had except like maybe way back when they were just starting. Everything they make now has reasonably good sound depending on the price point. 

With that said, I tend to be of the persuasion that it's foolish to spend too terribly much on headphones for an activity like snowboarding since they're going to be exposed to harsh conditions and probably get trashed in short order, which is why I keep raving about brainpods because they sound so unreal for $60. Buuuuut I mean, if you have the disposable income, go for it.

As for JBLs, the ones I've listened to always sound really good; they're just a tad pricey. But hey, just about anything is cheaper than beats by Dre and they don't even sound that good. 

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


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## Bataleon85 (Apr 29, 2017)

griffin1324 said:


> The fact that they went through the washer and drier and still in worked, definitely made me want to get another pair. Another fact is I was at the airport and forgot my headphones at home haha


I've never been blown away by any skullcandy products as far as sound goes, but for poor guy headphones, they're definitely solid. Only issue I've ever had with any of them over the years is I had a pair of hesh 2 wireless need to be sent in for repair because they were stuck in diagnostic mode and I couldn't troubleshoot. Workmanship and reliability is fine though. 

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


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## Bataleon85 (Apr 29, 2017)

Small update... Currently mowing my lawn with my brain farm brainpods and the noise canceling is better than I previously thought. On about 60% volume listening to DJ Tiesto, I barely hear my mower. Food for thought. [emoji16]

Edit: only hear it on breakdowns and quiet parts.


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## MMSlasher (Mar 18, 2016)

I saw that Outdoor Tech Orcas were mentioned earlier and while the sound is great, they don't always stay in my ear. For the record, I am not picky about quality as long as I can have music. They also aren't that comfortable and I have used all four of the foam pieces they came with.


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## Fiddsy (Jul 12, 2015)

Plantronics backbeat fit..
Not quite as comfortable as the bose which to this day is the most comfortable i have ever worn.. the bose absolutely THUMPS and cancels out all noise...
But i have worn the plantronics backbeat fit since..
I actually prefer it as well, still comfortable, 8hrs of charge, wireless, easier use with gloves or mitts on, waterproof up to like 5m or someshit but i think the thing i like about it is that it doesn't completely block out all noise, i can have it turned down and still hear people talk to me and hear my turns n wind when im hammering down.. 
For me its a happy medium yet if i turn it up, it still thumps with good quality..
Have worn in ears for 10hrs n no pain.
Is kinda cool as well, I've had the missus and kids call me before and spoken to them while boarding!
Some may hate that but i dont mind it...


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## SGboarder (Jun 24, 2012)

Faded_Butters said:


> Does anyone have any experience with these...
> 
> 1. Shure SE215 in ear
> 2. Bose Soundsport in ear
> ...


If BOSE and (to a slightly lesser extent) JBL are under consideration then audiophile sound quality can't be much of a concern/criteria...


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