Looking for good, cheap, durable headphones for a lady on the go!

June 4, 2019 11:46 AM

I am on a quest for good, cheap, durable headphones that will work with Bluetooth on an Android phone and survive being shoved into a backpack and buried under 3-4 textbooks.

Here are my criteria:

1) Good
I'm actually not too picky about sound quality. I don't need to feel like I'm in the studio with the band, but it would be nice if the band didn't suddenly
take unexplained 2 second rest breaks. In other words, sound that doesn't cut out would be nice. Also, needs to play nice with an Andriod phone either plugged in or
via Bluetooth. In addition, I'm on public transit a lot and I'd rather not force my fellow transit riders to listen to my apocalyptic scream core death metal aka This American Life.


2) Cheap
I don't want to invest a lot of money. My price range is $20-60.


3) Durable
This is actually the most important. I'm tired of investing in a new set of headphones every 3 months. Here's the kicker, thoagh: I don't have an office, and I work in
several different locations that I get to by walking and public transit. Basically, I carry everything in my backpack, including heavy books, writing untensils, and
various other items. In addition, I often have to transition quickly from one site to the next, which means I just don't have time to delicately place my headphones in
a padded case. I have to shove everything into my bag and run out to catch the bus to the next location.
My past headphones have not been able to endure this lifestyle, and they often break.

Here are the headphones I have been using.

In terms of sound quality and price, they're great. They work well with Bluetooth and an Android phone.
In terms of ability to survive being shoved in a backpack under the weight of 3-4 textbooks, they fail miserably.

This pair looks promising. However, my concern with these is that they could easily fall out of my ears while I'm running from place to place and then they're just lost.

Any suggestions? Open to earbuds and over the ear headphones, provided they can survive under the weight of 3-4 textbooks.

posted by firemonkey to Technology (11 answers total)

I have these. They stay in. I like them. I know other people who have them and wear them around all day without incident, but I"m built a little crooked so they do tend to work themselves toward one side (i.e. they could fall off your shoulders when they're not in your ears). I added a little elastic neckalce piece so now it circles all the way around my neck. Perfect. I use them with android.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:03 PM on June 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

Also, unless there's an aesthetic reason you can't, you can just leave those on, but not in your years. Depending on what you're wearing you can tuck them into your clothes. I think they'd do fine in a backpack under textbooks, but just FYI, there could be an even more convenient option.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:20 PM on June 4, 2019

No specific recommendations (mine are over your limit) but I also walk/take public transit to different locations and I strongly prefer earbuds - the over the ear headphones (even pricier ones) just can't survive an abusive relationship (I also just shove them places). I like the kind with a wire between the earbuds so if they do fall out they just land on your shoulders.
posted by Aranquis at 1:07 PM on June 4, 2019

If it doesn't bother you, I'd definitely go for the type of earbuds with a behind the neck strap rather than airpod style individual ones. Far less likely to get lost and also, because they can hide a larger battery in the neck strap, in my experience you can actually get a full day or more of general use without having to stick them back in a charging case every few hours.

The OnePlus Bullets Wireless are generally very well regarded and going for $69 at the moment from OnePlus, I've found them to be reliable.

In terms of in-ear security for any earbuds the real game changer for me has been Comply Foam replacement tips. Made of memory foam which you roll up then let expand in your ear, like a foam earplug, they both provide better traction in the ear and better blocking of external noise. A bit of an ongoing cost since they do wear out, but well worth it for me.
posted by Dext at 1:09 PM on June 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If you are open to earbuds, I like these. Good battery life, works well with my Android, and mine are holding up well after six months of being shoved into similar backpack situations. I have weird ears that earbuds tend to fall out of, but not these!
posted by LeeLanded at 1:21 PM on June 4, 2019

These are the bomb if you don't mind big obvious cans. Very durable, great sound, comfortable, tremendous battery life, good connectivity, etc.
posted by lakersfan1222 at 2:00 PM on June 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

If you would consider earphones, tiso i4's can be had on Ali express for under forty bucks, they are Bluetooth, tiny, tough, and sound quite good.
posted by smoke at 2:13 PM on June 4, 2019

I have a set of Anker Soundbuds Slim. They’re cheap, they work, they don’t fall out.
posted by rodlymight at 3:16 PM on June 4, 2019

I just looked into this, starting with this slightly outdated Wirecutter review. The pair you linked are unusual in that they are cheap ($5), truly wireless, and from a reputable brand (Anker / Soundcore). Mostly for under $100 you have earbuds that have a wire running from one ear to the other, albeit no wire to the phone. It's a compromise but one I can live with, particularly if I get more reliability or battery life.

Wirecutter's first recommendation is Skullcandy Ink'd. I got a pair and liked them right until I couldn't get them to Bluetooth pair to my phone again. So back to Amazon they go.

I dug through the big list at "The notable competition" and landed on a different Anker Soundcore brand, the Spirit. They make three; Spirit vs Spirit X seems mostly to be about the type of ear fit. Spirit Pro are supposed to be nicer sound for higher price, but also weirdly don't do Bluetooth 5.0. Not a big deal, but I went with the base Spirit. Anker has an excellent reputation for reliable accessory electronics; their portable speaker has the best Bluetooth implementation I've ever used.
posted by Nelson at 4:03 PM on June 4, 2019

I've had a pair of the Anker Soundbuds Slim for a couple of years. They sound fine, pair nicely with my Android phone, don't fall out (and you can clip them round your neck with the magnets if you take them out, which is really handy), and they have survived my "throw everything in my bag and run out the door" commute. The battery life is dropping off but that's after two years of near-daily use.
posted by penguinliz at 11:29 PM on June 5, 2019

I just set up my Soundcore Spirit headphones. They seem to work well and sound good. Lots of sizes of little rubber bits to get the right fit. Bluetooth pairing seems to work OK. And impressive range, at that. For $33 you could do worse.
posted by Nelson at 1:06 PM on June 7, 2019