Clip+ earbud weirdness

[Astrogoth]

Okay, we all use earbuds. The stock buds aren't very good. So, I ordered a pair of the highly rated S4's off eBay for the sale price of $49. They came. I expected nirvana. Nope. Little highs and a distorted mid. I was ticked. Then I stuck in a pair of cheap $9 Skullcandy Riot's. Shazam! With one tick up on bass and treb from flat they sound 100% better than the S4's.

So what earbuds have you tried and how'd they sound?

[CrowdAds]

[FreeZ5]

That's not weirdness. Everybody has different ears (so they fit differently) and different tastes. I'm probably not that picky about my earphones.

I really like my V-Moda Vibes. Best comfort of the ones I own. Sound wise I like the sound from V-Moda Bass Freqs, and JVC FX-66 Air Cushions. The JVC FX-33 Air Cushions with Ultimate Ears tips are also fine. I also have some SONY MDR-EX35LP that I haven't used much, but I think they were OK.

BTW, all cost me less than your S4 earphones.

Steve

[epithetless]

Originally Posted by FreeZ5

BTW, all cost me less than your S4 earphones.

Combined?

[skip252]

S4 + eBay=possible fakes. If you google "fake s4 headphones" you'll see what I mean. The most common symptom is what you experienced, they don't sound very good. You may want to check into that. I'm not saying yours are fake. I don't know one way or the other, I am pointing out anything not from an authorized dealer and sound bad is suspect.

I have the S4 and I've heard a few Skullcandy IEMs. There's no comparison to my ears. The SC I've heard are a boomy, muddy mess with no detail compared to the S4. At that the S4 aren't anything to write home about.

The S4 are over priced at the MSRP of $79 IMO and I wouldn't ordinarily pay that for them now that I've experienced them. I'd pay that if the only alternative was any of the SC I've heard.

I'd be sure to get them from an authorized dealer of course.

BTW, we don't all use earbuds. I use full size cans much more than IEMs with my Clip+ and never use earbuds.

[WalkGood]

Good point skip

Originally Posted by Astrogoth

... So what earbuds have you tried and how'd they sound?

I've tried more than I care to admit, probably the best places to test out universal IEMs and headphones is at canjam, headphone meets and some stores that offer/allow testing them. I've owned/own CX300, JVC, Sony, Phillips, Crossroads XB & X3, SE530s, MEE M31, M16, A151, UE11 and others. Some sound better than others but the one's I've cared about I've written about in abi forums ...

[FreeZ5]

Originally Posted by epithetless

Combined?

Naaah, individually. Most expensive was one of the pairs of Vibes were $40 at Costco. I've got two pairs of Vibes, and my wife has one pair.

Steve

[IDvsEGO]

check here for user impressions of what we have tried...

http://anythingbutipod.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=102

S4 are decent, I still have mine but dont use them much. tons of better options out there.

[musichound]

Originally Posted by FreeZ5

That's not weirdness. Everybody has different ears (so they fit differently) and different tastes. I'm probably not that picky about my earphones.

I really like my V-Moda Vibes. Best comfort of the ones I own. Sound wise I like the sound from V-Moda Bass Freqs, and JVC FX-66 Air Cushions. The JVC FX-33 Air Cushions with Ultimate Ears tips are also fine. I also have some SONY MDR-EX35LP that I haven't used much, but I think they were OK.

BTW, all cost me less than your S4 earphones.

Steve

I've had both the bass frequencies and the FX-66 air cushions. But, in addition, I also own the Denon AH-C360. Let me tell you IMO they flat out sound better in all aspects than the other two. The bass is just as deep as the bass frequencies, but more refined, and the mid range sounds just as good or even better than the air cushions. Plus, they stay in my ears better than the other two, and they are also within the same price range.