Boston Back Bay/Camberville filter: earbuds with mic needed ASAP

September 26, 2014 6:51 PM

I'll be in Boston tomorrow for a little bit, but without a car. That makes Microcenter hard-ish to get to, so I'm looking to the hive mind to steer me to someplace between South Station, Government Center, and the Back Bay that would have decent options for about $100 (preferably less).

So my beloved earbuds/microphone that came with my Samsung Galaxy Nexus died the other day. I ordered a pair of Bose MIE2s from Amazon, with two day shipping, and I opened the box only to discover they didn't work. I am now in need of a headset for my phone with reasonable sound quality (I'm not an audiophile) and reasonable voice quality.

I can voyage out to areas in Camberville near the red line, but I don't recall any place in that area - other than Microcenter - that might have what I need. Am I stuck going to Best Buy in the Cambridgeside Galleria or Landmark Center?

Thanks for any help!

posted by metarkest to Technology (9 answers total)

There is a radio shack on the corner of Commonwealth ave and St Mary' s street. It is accessible by MBTA green line B line. Get off at BU Central.
posted by Jewel98 at 6:57 PM on September 26, 2014

Why don't you want to go to CambridgeSide Galleria? You know there's a red-line option to get there, right? Get off at Kendall and take the free shuttle. I've also red-lined with no car to MicroCenter (that's the place by Trader Joe's a little ways from Central Square, right?). It's not that much of a walk and it's not like you're buying something heavy.

I guess I don't understand why you've come up with two options on the red line but dismiss them both. Can you clarify what's wrong with those that you're hoping will be improved upon with new suggestions?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:58 PM on September 26, 2014

Define "decent"? You can get "earbuds with mic" at literally any CVS or Walgreens.
posted by dmd at 7:02 PM on September 26, 2014

The standard Apple earbuds have a mic and you can get them at the Apple Store in the Prudential Center.
posted by telegraph at 7:14 PM on September 26, 2014

There is the apple store and another RadioShack on Boylston, too.
posted by Jewel98 at 7:33 PM on September 26, 2014

There used to be a Best Buy vending machine right in South Station but I'm not sure if it's still there. Worth a look if you're going through there anyway.
You say your current headset died and the new one you bought didn't work, but have you made sure it's not the headphone jack that stopped working?
posted by FreezBoy at 7:37 PM on September 26, 2014

FreezeBoy is correct, there is a Best Buy vending machine at South Station right near the subway turnstiles. There is also one at Back Bay station and one at Downtown Crossing on the concourse near the Charlie card store.
posted by Sal and Richard at 8:30 PM on September 26, 2014

I'm pretty sure the Best Buy kiosk is still there in South Station; there's also a Radio Shack further up Summer Street towards downtown crossing, and there's definitely a best buy kiosk in the Downtown Crossing T station.

There's also an ATT store and a T Mobile on Washington Street in Downtown Crossing.

There are a million places to get earbuds in Boston without a car.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:31 PM on September 26, 2014

Thanks for the responses!

I've plugged in other headsets and had no problems, and the issues are different: shorting out where the cable meets the plug in the Samsung Galaxy headset, and the Bose has nothing coming out of the left ear at all. Other headsets (belonging to others, so I can't keep them) work great, so it's not the phone.

I have about two hours total from the time I get to Boston to get my hands on something. I probably should have specified "a little bit" more clearly. If I had more time, I would be able to be more flexible. (Such a bummer to spend all my time schlepping to the Cambridgeside Galleria rather than meandering the streets of downtown...)

Things like BestBuy vending machines and the locations of some of those cell phone stores are the kinds of things that I'm looking for. Normally those aren't on my radar at all, since I would buy something online!

As for the CVS recommendation, I need something a little better sounding, and hopefully more durable than a $10 pair from the drugstore. (If you've found something there that's good, though, please do share!)

Lastly, I don't like the white-only iPhone earbuds option, but the price isn't bad. Has the fit improved with the newer models?
posted by metarkest at 4:04 AM on September 27, 2014