[Closed] PSA: Like Airpods? Own android? Don't want to spend £200?

Glitchy bump, I think.

Or nobody cares 😃

Thanks I may have to look into these to replace the faulty ear buds I have right now.

I'm constantly amazed how high street brands manage to sell stuff life this without getting smacked for design right IP infringement.

Can you use just one?

Can you use just one?

Yes, I only ever use one earphone and it works perfectly.

Ah nice one - I get a rustling / thumping sound with those canal ones too. Ordered.

Any chance you could comment on how these are for VoIP / Skype call duties?

I could do with a pair of lightweight Bluetooth buds to pop in the bag for the few occasions I have to pop into the office.

I tried connecting my cheapie Anker earbuds to my laptop this week and the sound quality was shockingly bad, which meant I had to take my bulky USB headset, and a dongle thing ‘cos Apple in their wisdom don’t put USB-A ports on laptops anymore. I know, first world problems, right?

Do they go so loud that you have to turn them down, or like every other pod I’ve tried, do you have to have them on max volume all the time to just about hear them?

No idea about Voip/Skype, sorry. Just used for personal phone. Not allowed to connect to work kit

And DezB, they were sat happily at mid-volume, with plenty of adjustment either way. I've bought and binned/returned many Amazon/shop purchases, but these are great for the money. The sound isn't as good as the pixel wired earphones that came with the phone, but it's good enough for me to be pleased with the trade-off for wires, for £25!

If that helps 🙂

Cheers! Just ordered a pair as my old wired ones are on the way out, and I'm not a big fan of the pokey inny eary ones.

For those that don't like the in ear ones. I made myself a set of custom earphones the other week from a set of cheap Bluetooth earphones.

https://www.screwfix.eu/stanley-sy330-23db-custom-moulded-corded-ear-plugs.html

Remove any silicone cones/balls/domes from the earbud and wrap tightly in a patch of cling film, mix ear plug goo as per the instructions and poke it in, it doesn't need shoving as deep as for noise blocking (keep poking and it'll go a good 2cm in), just enough that it stays put and blocks noise. Then poke the ear phones in. Leave for 20 minutes. Carefully remove. Then carefully remove the ear phone from the plug and cut/poke/clear the plug from the speaker end.

Result, actual comfortable earphones you can wear on the train and not have to turn the volume up to 11 to drown out the person next to you.

@thisisnotaspoon thanks, I think I'll have a go at that. I've got some inears that I like the sound quality on but they keep falling out and are a bit uncomfortable after listening for a while

On a similar tip - Enacfire E90 earbuds are blimmin ace. Great bass for the price. Also 8 hrs playback vs the 3.5hr of the Aldi ones.

https://techaeris.com/2021/01/23/enacfire-e90-review-satisfactory-affordable-true-wireless-earbuds/

Just to note, I picked up some of these this afternoon and hooked them up to my laptop and the Bluetooth connection seems pretty good for Skype / VoIP shenanigans. The sound quality’s pretty shoddy though. They’re acceptable for what I’m going to use them for but I wouldn’t want to listen to any music on them.

p7eaven - what are the E90s like for making calls? Thanks

^ Duane, never tried that yet sorry but there’re plenty of reviews out there.

No probs with music and touch controls so far, and you can use either just one earbud if desired.

the Bluetooth connection seems pretty good for Skype / VoIP shenanigans

That may be to do with the codec as I understand it - a lot of Bluetooth headphones don't even work with Skype on laptops. Have you actually tried playing some music on it?

Regarding the Enacfire headphones Caveat Emptor

The sound quality’s pretty shoddy though.

Not defending them, but I've found they're very angle sensitive- they can sound tinny but a tiny twist up/down and they sound decent.

There might be better for the money out there, but best by far I've had for the price so far.

@shinton good shout on the fake Amazon reviews, though it’s not necessarily indicative of poor products, sometimes just greedy sellers/resellers .

I wouldn't recommend the E90 buds here if I wasn’t happy tho. Have used them three months now and would agree with The Gadgeteer’s positive review of build, function and sound, with small exception that their bassy sound can *sometimes* get a little muddy with some metal/rock genres. Overall I’m pleased as punch, and they were a nice gift. And for less than £30 I’m amazed. I still use my reference cans for special listening but find the E90s great for most music and nigh on perfect for podcasts etc.

https://the-gadgeteer.com/2021/01/05/enacfire-e90-wireless-earbuds-review/

*Edit - forgot to say they did (as per the single comment @ the above review) frustrate me early as somehow I managed to accidentally unpair them. Drove me bonkers for an hour or so until discovering a generic bluetooth earbud instructional video on YT, recommending disconnecting/forgetting them on your decice. Then turning both buds off.

Then turn them both on, while holding until they flash twice. Then release and reconnect to your device. No probs since.

I got some bone conducting headphones. never going back.

I tried connecting my cheapie Anker earbuds to my laptop this week and the sound quality was shockingly bad,

No such issues with my Anker soundcore p2 which are on the cheaper end. Work well with everything, work & home laptops, phone, TVs etc.

Maybe Apple are punishing you for going off brand? 😉

My wife's tao tronics headphones died this morning whilst out for a run. She's had them a few years after a recommendation on here.

How would either of these buds hold up for running/gym use?

^ I use the E90s for running once and they stayed in. YEMV. IPX8 waterproof rating and apparently nano-coated to guard against sweat. I haven’t put them to the test in that department yet due to injury stopping (my) play but may take them out for a rainy walk and see how they hold up.

Got my (Aldi) ones yesterday. Only tried them briefly, but they're OK. Sound quality is a long way from great, I wouldn't want to sit and listen to them expecting to revel in the depths and intracies of my favourite album, but for pottering round working on the bike or going for a walk or run where they'll be half drowned out by traffic and the sound of an overweight middle aged man huffing up a slight incline they're acceptable. Plus they sit perfectly in my ears (which the rubbery ones never do) and were only 25 quid.

I also got a set of needle files to get over the free delivery threshold. Now I need something to file...

Mine arrived. They're ok. Worth the £25. I've used them for about 6 hours yesterday, mostly in one ear listening to the radio whilst I was working on a site. The fit is pretty good although I wouldn't run in them.

I also did a direct comparison with a genuine set of Apple earpods. Same song etc. Only difference was the Apple ones were being driven by an iPhone 11 and the Aldi ones by my Samsung. No surprise that the Apple one's sounded better, but the Aldi one's aren't as bad as others I've had. Middling I'd say.

So all in all I'm happy.

Lack of bass I guess. But they are pretty neat, fit in my ear nicely, the charging case thing is cool. They'll do me fine for the only use they'll get, watching YouTube/Netflix occasionally on my lunch break at work.

Glad to hear generally good feedback (I started feeling a bit responsible for a PSA that people were then spending money on!).

Will just repeat the fact though they go from tinny to half acceptable with a small twist (downwards in my case) of the earphone - but guess folks know that.

Yep I found ear positioning made a big difference - but then it does with any earbuds.

I should probably qualify my above comments with the fact that my main listening device is currently a wee Google speaker as all the good stereo is packed up ready to move...

I've got 3 pairs of earpods. ranging from £9 horrors that I have in my work bag for watching youtube . Then £30 amazon Mpow30 for my bike which are actually pretty good then Jabra Elite 65's which are about £120 but really uncomfy.
The jabra are great for calls but the Mpows are definately the comfiest and If I lost them I wouldnt be too bothered.

Or nobody cares

My most-used earphones are the EarPods that used to come free with iPhones. I wear mine for most of the day, most days of the week, and I find them to be almost unnoticeable when I using them, I’ve got a load of little clothing clips for the cables, (I’ve got three sets), to stop the cables being dragged down while being worn, and the sound quality is astonishingly good - I’ve got earphones/headphones that cost three-four times as much, and don’t sound much better - I’ve actually used the treble-boost in the EQ settings to add a bit of brightness because the bass is so good! For £20, they’re incredible. And they don't need charging after five hours, which would render them almost useless anyway, I’ve been wearing them for nearly ten hours today.
Even my BT Taotronics headphones get used mostly with a Lightning >3.5mm cable, because I can’t be arsed to keep charging them up. When you can get ten to twelve hours use from one charge with BT earphones like AirPods, then I might be interested, but probably not, when they’re fifteen times the price for no obvious improvement in audio quality.
I’m sure someone will try telling me that actually Apple EarPods are rubbish - don’t bother, because I know it’s not true from personal extended experience and comparison with IEM’s costing the same as AirPods.

Like CZ I’m a big fan of the wired apple earbuds. The fact that the AirPods are precisely the same shape was the biggest driver for adopting wireless. I also have in-ear Klipsch that cost three times the price of AirPods (not buds) and I’m very happy with the Apple experience. Sadly I can’t wear the in-ear monitors any more due to a combination of very small ear canals and psoriasis. But I don’t miss them. If I lost an AirPod, I’d replace them with the same.

In fact I likely will have to, because Son1 seems to have adopted them 😂

Just received some Anker Soundcore Liberty Neo based on this thread.

They Are Good. So nice to wear without any cord at all, it’s like being in a venue again! Fit like a glove in my pigs ears. (Was really worried about that last bit)

£50 on Amazon.

Anyone got the Creative Outlier Air?

I am very happy with my Jabra Elite 65t which cost me £70 (I see stanfree above says theirs cost £120 so not sure if I got a good deal.
I can use one at a time and they work well for calls.

I got a pair of Coioc bluetooth ones and they are alright but nothing special soundwise (although I think I to swap the ear plug for a bigger one) and they seem to be glitchy on mobile data but rock solid on wifi. Do the job but would'nt strong recommend tbh

got a pair of the maginons - good sound, good fit, charging case rather than cables is nice, fine walking, hedgecutting etc. but wore them on the bike briefly yesterday - just felt like the wind resistance, on any descent, was going to rip one or other out

so i will keep hold of the equally cheap, decathlon, wired earphones, snugger fit, for commuting duties most likely.