Lend me your earbuds

February 13, 2008 2:36 PM

I just bought my first MP3 player and I need some advice on earbuds and song selection.

I just bought a Sansa e280 and I like it fine. However, now that I am starting to use it there are two issues that I am unable to figure out.

Earbuds: I don't like the included earbuds because they don't feel good in my ears (they feel too big). I have looked at prior threads on what good earbuds there are, but how will I know which ones will fit right in my ears without putting them in my ears? Stores don't let you try them out do they? Seems like a costly trial and error process to buy lots of pairs to find ones that fit right?

Song selection: I read in the NYTimes that listening to music at a specific tempo has been found to help people exercise longer and more intensely. The article mentioned that music that was 125-150 bpm was the most effective. I know which songs I have that are generally uptempo, but is there any way to actually view the specific tempo of a song?

posted by bove to technology (25 comments total)

Tap Tempo: you tap to the beat, it shows you the tempo.
posted by subtle-t at 2:50 PM on February 13

Also, some ear buds come with different sized rubber pieces for different sized ears.
posted by subtle-t at 2:52 PM on February 13

Earbuds: most reasonably-nice ones (Etymotic, Shure, Ultimate Ears, etc.) come with several different sizes of, what do you call those, foam pieces.

Song selection: there are tools (aimed at DJs, mostly) which calculate BPM. The folks who make Mixmeister (a piece of pay mp3-mixing software) have one. Here's a link.
posted by box at 2:53 PM on February 13 [1 favorite]

Some Shure earbuds come with a number of different earbud attachments such as foam, soft plastic, harder plastic. Here's one example - look at the user guide in the Specifications tab for the different types that are included. Other than actually trying different models, this may give you a decent chance of getting a good fit. I have the E3Cs (now discontinued but similar to the linked pair I think) and love them.
posted by valleys at 2:54 PM on February 13

Wow, AskMe is amazing once again. I just installed that MixMeister software and it is exactly what I was looking for.

Also, any other recommendations for cheap earbuds that have different sized rubber pieces? (I can't see spending more on the earbuds than I spent on the player, just to run on the treadmill).
posted by bove at 3:02 PM on February 13

I don't like the hard earbuds either (like the ones that come with the iPod).

You might want to try the JVC Marshmallow type ($25 at my local best buy) or Griffin makes something called "EarJams" (around $10 or so) that is a cap that puts a rubber ear-bud attachment on the hard earbud. I've used both of them -- I prefer the JVC type since my EarJams had a bit of a tendancy to fall off the earbud. However, both are vastly preferable to spending any time with those hard earbuds stuck in my ear.
posted by elmay at 3:24 PM on February 13

There are earbuds - like the phones that come with an iPod, or for that matter most mp3 players, and there are in ear speakers which look like ear buds but form a seal in your ear canal for better bass - like the Etymotics. The latter have better sound, cost a lot more and block out outside noise. They are not so hot for situations where you might actually need to hear sound around you, like cars. Earbuds have crappy sound, every brand, every model, it is a limitation of the design, but they are more comfortable and allow you to hear the sound around you, also by crappy I mean far worse than in ear speakers, but still pretty acceptable. Once you decide which category you are looking for then you can start to narrow things down.
posted by caddis at 3:39 PM on February 13

Are you sure sure sure the Sansa ones didn't come with three sizes of shields? I ask this because I have an older model of Sansa (which I still love and has served me well) and it came with excellent headphones with three sets of translucent rubbery things. I have tiny earholes (it seems) and the small ones were just perfect.
posted by loiseau at 4:05 PM on February 13

I hate most ear buds too, although I don't like to wear anything larger when I'm using a portable. My compromise is the sony over-the-ear earbuds -- they stay in your ear canal by hanging off your ear rather than being jammed in there, so there's no feeling like they're trying to pop or fall out. Additionally they don't have that silly foam, which is a big plus if fall in the demographic of people who listen to music at the gym and perspire easily.

They're fairly inexpensive: I usually pay between $10-20 for them at at walgreen's or target type store. They make a ton of different models, but I usually buy this type.
posted by fishfucker at 4:11 PM on February 13

Best Buy will let you return earbuds (or most products I think) after they've been opened, if you're really afraid of getting stuck with something you don't like. I did this with a pair once, and my only regret was waiting until I got home to try them...as soon as I put them in my ears, I knew they'd have to go back.
posted by gueneverey at 4:50 PM on February 13

earbuds can be uncomfortable.
I love my sennheiser px200s.
posted by seanyboy at 4:52 PM on February 13 [1 favorite]

That should be...
sennheiser
posted by seanyboy at 4:52 PM on February 13

My 2 cents, I have a pair of Shure E2Cs and they sound great and do a good job of isolating surrounding noise, they are in ear. But after an hour or so they begin to hurt some, and for the 2 years I've had them, I've had to send them in twice because the rubber shielding on the wire cracked and one of the buds gave out (although their customer service is very good). So buyer beware, I would probably look elsewhere next time.
posted by Large Marge at 5:09 PM on February 13

I like the Skullcandy earbuds they sell at Target - $15. It comes with three different sized rubber thingies.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 6:06 PM on February 13

I've owned a couple pairs of Koss 'Plug' 'phones - cheap, sound pretty good, and the soft foam lets you customize to your ear pretty well...
posted by pupdog at 6:08 PM on February 13

Seconding seanyboy... They're the best headphones I've ever owned. (In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, it's nice to be able to put on a toque, then the headphones, then a hoodie; earbuds would freeze if you had to take them out to talk to somebody.)
posted by acro at 6:35 PM on February 13

I have the Sony's that subtle-t linked above. Great quality, about $25. Three sizes of plugs and the smallest really is small. Mrs. Advicepig swears by the smalls. I use the mediums.

If you do try these, avoid the white ones. Tons of people, including my sister-in-law, have reported that the plastic just rots right off. It's gross. No such problem with our black ones.
posted by advicepig at 7:08 PM on February 13

As sweetie darling says---I bought the $15 skull candies at Target based on a previous AskMe recommendation. THEY ARE AWESOME. Spending $100 on earphones for a $40 player is......uhm...dumb, especially because you're not playing lossless sound files anyway. (most likely, anyway.) The $15 skull candies are inexpensive, offer an amazing amount of sound cancellation, and really sound GREAT. I got myself and my GF a pair to match her Sansa and my Zen Vision:M, and we couldn't be happier.

I generally used to run my Vision at about a 15 or 20 volume with the stock earphones, and at max volume I couldn't hear them in an airplane. Since I've gotten my skull candies, I rarely ever turn the volume above 5 to 8, and I can't hear my GF when she's 3 feet away from me and I've got the volume on 5 or so. <3
posted by TomMelee at 7:40 PM on February 13

n^thing the Sony '71s linked by subtle-t linked and loved by advicepig. They're probably not as nice as those Senn's, though.
posted by so at 8:05 PM on February 13

I second what caddis said.

I recently bought a new mp3 player and decided to upgrade the included earbuds. I managed to get a pair for half price. They have better sound (I think), do a far superior job of blocking out external noise (which may be a pro or con depending on what you're using it for), and are comfortable to wear. They also allow me to listen to music at a lower volume but still hear it, which is better for my long term ear quality.
posted by sinical at 8:35 PM on February 13

There are no earbuds better than Shures. I have the E2Cs and have had them for a year and a half and I recommend in every single MeFi thread that comes up about this. I believe Shure has phased them out for the SE110s which a friend of mine has, and which he swears by.
posted by Phire at 12:24 AM on February 14

There is no need for software to determine bpm. Just clap your hands to the music for 15 seconds and count the number of claps. Multiply by four and you have a good estimate.
posted by ilike at 5:13 AM on February 14

I bought a pair of cheap earbuds when I bust the headphones that came with my mp3 player and they kept coming out, with the all the different size fittings. Then I managed to bust them as well. Then I bought a more (but not stupidly) expensive pair and they fitted really well, and they see a damn sight more robust (ie I've not bust them yet)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:47 PM on February 14

If you plan on buying online, ebay seems to have a LOT of earbuds that may or may not be fakes. (Prices 1/5 of reputable online stores, huge lots of one brand across different dealers, etc.) It might be worthwhile to deal with a larger retailer, or one you have experience with.
posted by acro at 4:54 AM on February 15

acro, more like STOLEN. I got a motorola h700 bluetooth headset that I was pretty sure was going to be counterfit because of the price. Didn't really care so long as it worked. It works, and it's real, and it cost me $15 new shipped. You know what they say about morals...speedbumps on the road of life and all.
posted by TomMelee at 7:06 PM on February 15