Another bit of obsolescence creeps in

[dvandom]

Last week, the foam covers on the headphones I wear with my iPod started to fray, so I looked to see if I could find replacements. But not only does no one sell just the foam covers around here, it turned out to be an oddball size that I couldn't cannibalize dollar store headphones for (and I tried that). I finally broke down and bought a new pair, even though the actual working bits of the old pair are still fine.

Unfortunately, I find earbuds very uncomfortable. Even the good ones become an irritant after twenty minutes or so, and the cheap ones hurt immediately. Non-standard ears, I suppose. And while $50 silicone uber-buds might do the trick, I'm reluctant to drop that much money just on the hope. But I also prefer the convenience of headphones that don't have a band between them, which drops me into a very narrow product range: over-ear clip-on headphones. Target has two brands, some Walmarts have a single brand, K-Mart none (and I didn't get around to checking Best Buy).

Eventually, I might end up having to order headphones from online specialty shops, the way things are trending. Unless some health scare erupts over earbuds and clip-overs regain popularity.

Comments

[dewline.livejournal.com]

I swear: headphone design is being steered in a Very Annoying Direction.

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

To be fair, if I didn't have a discomfort issue with earbuds, they certainly do the job better than ear-hangers. More compact, sound quality as good or better. The only way to get significantly better sound is to use big earmuff-style headphones that require a physical band of some sort.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

I'm just old enough to find all of the newer gear just a little unnerving, I suppose. The classic "earmuff" headphones are what I grew up with, and they still have their useful moments.

[grant-p.livejournal.com]

I don't know...I've seen earbuds custom molded for $300, which set a new bar for insanity in audio technology for me. I tend to get whatever works, but I hardly ever wear them long enough to get discomfort. I refuse to wear them out wandering or biking, as often I've had to avoid the car I hear behind me when the driver is blissfully ignorant of anything on the road smaller than a tractor trailer.

[liabrown]

I won't wear earbuds either, they're awful. And far too loud to go in my sensitive ears.

[thandrak.livejournal.com]

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/m250/

I got these off Woot a few years back. They're very nice.

[viscous.livejournal.com]

For whatever reason, I find that my outer ears are really sensitive to pressure, so I can't wear most anything that goes over them. For many years I had a pair of Sony earbuds that were great, but they eventually fell apart. Recently I've actually found decent luck with the cheapest Magnavox ear buds that Target sells.

I'm not sure how my ears compare to most so this isn't necessarily a suggestion for you to try, but I was impressed at how the least expensive option worked for me.