Can you help me replace my lost earbud piece?

October 30, 2008 10:14 AM

I lost part of my headphones. Must I replace my beloved earbuds, or can I just replace the lost part?

I have some noise cancelling earbud headphones (similar to these) but somehow lost the squishy noise cancelling earbud thingie - the part that goes over the end of the earbud and into the ear. Searching for noise cancelling earbud thingie has not brought up the best results. Does anyone know if I can just buy and replace the missing part, or do I have to get new headphones? Does anyone know what this piece is actually called? I love these headphones and don't want to replace them if at all possible.

posted by Sheppagus to technology (10 comments total)

Look on ebay - I got that part for my sony in-ear headphones for a couple bucks there.
posted by GuyZero at 10:22 AM on October 30, 2008

The tips of IEMs are designed to be replaced on a regular basis, since they are in your ear and get nasty after a while. So, yes, you can buy new ones. Contact the manufacturer.
posted by kindall at 10:29 AM on October 30, 2008

The thing you are missing is called a "tip". That should help your searching. They look very similar to the tips used on Shure e2c headphones; those may work.
posted by zsazsa at 10:30 AM on October 30, 2008

when i viewed the link your provided i found replacement tips listed in the items that "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought." searching amazon for "earbuds replacement" returned quite a few promising results.
posted by phil at 10:40 AM on October 30, 2008

XSKN sells them.
posted by mkultra at 11:18 AM on October 30, 2008

If you go to the manufacturer's website, you may find that they sell them there. Even if their prices are high, it would give you a way to identify them precisely for your search.
posted by MsElaineous at 11:20 AM on October 30, 2008

As MsElaineous mentioned, go to the source. I ordered a new set for my Sony earbuds directly from the SonyStyle website. I recall paying <$10 and receiving them pretty quickly. In fact, I ended up with a set of all three sizes that, if I lose another, will keep me from having to order again for awhile.
posted by geekyguy at 12:27 PM on October 30, 2008

Yeah, go straight to the source for replacements. You can usually buy several in a pack in case you ever lose them again or they get too gross.
posted by svolix at 3:44 PM on October 30, 2008

FYI, XSKN sells the same replacement earbuds as Sony, cheaper, in multiple colors, in the specific sizes you want.
posted by mkultra at 5:21 PM on October 30, 2008

Thanks. I appreciate the link and will get a couple replacement tips to avoid future mid-flight earbud trauma.
posted by Sheppagus at 12:30 PM on October 31, 2008