What is this type of headphone called?

July 13, 2023 9:12 AM

All of Wirecutter's suggested wireless earbuds are the type with the plastic cover that fits tight in your ear and blocks out sound. I much prefer Apple-style headphones, but would prefer something cheaper than Airpods. Is there a search term for this type of earbud that I'm missing? Or, is there a model that you would suggest?
posted by no regrets, coyote to Technology (8 answers total)

Airpods fit tight in your ear with silicone cones similar to those Wirecutter picks (although I find Airpods a lot more comfortable).

If you're looking for something that specifically doesn't block out sound, Sony has an "open" earbud that has a pass-through opening (not cheap); Shokz' whole schtick is that their products don't block your ears (I have a bone-conduction headset from them and it's fine, although nowhere near as good sound quality as high-quality earbuds). Oladance also has non-blocking earphones.

If you're just talking about something like "EarPods"—the earbuds that Apple bundles for free with iPhones, which are hard plastic and sort of perch in your ear—I'm not aware of anything like that you can buy as a standalone product except for the EarPods themselves, which Apple will sell you. These are wired only. You could get a Bluetooth adapter if that was a thing you wanted. They're small and inexpensive.
posted by adamrice at 9:30 AM on July 13, 2023

I think OP is talking about the non-pro version of AirPods, which are a single hard plastic cover like the EarPods.

This person on reddit seemed to be searching for the same thing and ended up with Galaxy Buds Live.

It seems like maybe searching for ear buds without silicon or withour gels may be helpful.
posted by hepta at 9:44 AM on July 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I made a list of the kinds you are looking for on rtings, which categorizes them into "earbuds" and "in-ear": Headphones table (earbuds)

The in-ear ones used to be called "in-ear monitors" (IEMs) but I guess that was too technical sounding, so now both kinds are confusingly called earbuds.
posted by meowzilla at 9:49 AM on July 13, 2023 [4 favorites]

The well-respected laptop company Lenovo makes a line of very inexpensive ($8-18) earbuds in virtually every design style. They were primarily sold overseas, but these days, they're on Temu. We bought some on a whim when buying something else from Temu and they are shockingly decent. We now have like six pairs of them, which is great since my partner temporarily loses them all the time. This pair is like you are describing and $17.99.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:00 AM on July 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

I’ve got two pairs of Anker Soundcore earbuds, both in that “not quite a ‘bud’” form factor with the descending stalks outside the ear. I like them a lot; the newer pair has great sound cancellation and was about €70, which is a great price for this kind of thing.

Both of mine come with various sizes of silicone tips for fitting in the ear. If this isn’t what you want, look away.
posted by macdara at 11:09 AM on July 13, 2023

The "true wireless" buds comes in two types: In-ear (sometimes IEM = in ear monitors), that comes with silicone or memory foam tips, that you have to "stuff" into your ear canal, and "earbuds", that just hangs outside the ear canal relying on your ear shape (or external hook) to hold the buds up near the ear canal.

The problem with earbuds is not that many of them are wireless. Nowadays, they are conflated with wireless IEMs.

The only one in recent months that seems to be any good was the Nothing Ear Stick, $74 on Amazon., and perhaps the Sound PEATs Air 3 Deluxe for $45 (then -15% coupon).
posted by kschang at 5:19 PM on July 13, 2023

I have a pair of these and they're great. They fit snugly into the ear, without being inserted into the ear canal itself. The only problem I have is getting the left and right confused.
posted by gible at 1:00 AM on July 14, 2023

If you don't like things inside your ear (and your ENT will be thrilled if you don't), try ear hooks.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 2:02 PM on July 15, 2023