My Apple earbuds died shortly after the warranty went out on them a while back, and I never replaced them. I don't want to spend that kind of money on any again, but I need some to work with now. I have the old style apple wired versions which are pretty great but a bit cumbersome.

I do not want the kind that 'plug up' my ears. I want to be able to hear ambient noises, like while I'm driving, or if someone calls me from the other room. I also feel like those kind that seal off make me talk loud like Im screaming, so a regular style with good audio quality would be great. I feel like I am getting hard of hearing so crisp, clean, audio is preferred.

Does anyone make anything that would be good? If i need to bump up my budget, then so be it, but i'd rather not. The Chinese knockoffs that my kids buy for 15 bucks are a little tinny to me.

I can't stand earbuds. I use bone conduction headphones when I bike so I can hear cars, etc. Not the best bass quality but its acceptable. I use SHOKZ OpenRun Pro and can easily recommend them if you want something that isn't in the ear.

AfterShokz is what you're looking for. Bone conductive so they have no part over or under the ear. Several affordable models and a few with better sound that will stretch the proce range a bit.

Bose and Anker have come out with Bluetooth earbuds that you don't have to insert in your ear. They sit either on your ear or just in front. They also have ones that "clip" on your ear lobe.

Haven't used Bose anything. Use Anker for just about everything when listening to music on the iPad or iPhone. Currently have the Anker VR earbuds and really like them a lot. Anker's sweet spot in price and sound quality is in the 80-100$ range

Thanks! I still like the regular earbud style stuff, just without the 'sealing' things that block off all the outside noise. The old style gen 1 airpods were plenty good for my purposes. I may have to try the bone conduction stuff. That's interesting.

Man I'd say original AirPods are money well-spent! I use them constantly and they work almost seamlessly with Apple devices. I can't imagine wanting to mess with something different. I'd think the connectivity wouldn't be nearly as easy.

What made me mad was that i had TWO pairs and both, after 2 years, stopped working. They would work for 10 minutes, and then one would drop out. Both sets did it.

I have a cheap pair of skullcandy bluetooth earbuds for mowing the yard or where I don't want to use my more expensive airpod pros.

Yeah that's aggravating, but I'd still be hard-pressed to not buy another pair.

I'll give a few a stab and see what works. I just needed a little direction. Thanks!!

This may be my old man showing, but I still like the wireless ones that go around your neck over actual ear buds. I am too afraid of losing one if they aren't connected by something. To that point, the Beats Flex's are something like $70 ea now at target.

Jason_InfinityRoofer said:

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What made me mad was that i had TWO pairs and both, after 2 years, stopped working. They would work for 10 minutes, and then one would drop out. Both sets did it.

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Buy from Costco. They don't fall under the typical 90 day return policy, just keep the box and accessories.

bam02 said:

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Man I'd say original AirPods are money well-spent! I use them constantly and they work almost seamlessly with Apple devices. I can't imagine wanting to mess with something different. I'd think the connectivity wouldn't be nearly as easy.

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I've tried several other pairs and I always come back. Yes, they do give out after a few years, but I use them for hours a day almost every day so I'm getting my money's worth.

My only complaint is that they changed the design of the standard model Airpods with the last gen and they don't sit in my ears well anymore. Bought a pair of 2nd gen and they still fit great and love my Airpod Pros.

Good info. I don't know what all the different generations are , but I think I have my second set of gen 1. First ones lasted about 3 years with hard use (workouts and phone calls) and a dunk or two (oops!). I am shocked at how comfortable and secure they are in my ear for being hard smooth plastic. I can jump and run, etc and they stay put.

When they finally crapped out of gladly paid to replace them. I talk a lot on the phone for work and despise holding the phone up to my head to talk. I'd be miserable without them.

I'm trying out the bone conductive style. I like the concept. My ears are completely open and that's exactly what I'm after. But, these aren't suitable for in car use or anywhere that has much ambient noise. I can't get them to go up enough in volume to be able to hear a caller on the other end. When you do, it vibrates on my head. In a quiet office, these are pretty slick. They are easy to grab real quick and throw on your head without fiddling with two pieces that have to be dropped into each ear. I like that a lot and that's a huge benefit.

I'm playing the the Shokz version.


I'll try a few more. I appreciate all the advice, folks.

https://www.amazon.com/JVC-Marshmallow-Canceling-Headphones-Neodymium/dp/B0C2JF1B5H/ref=sr_1_4_pp?crid=21CH55DZ4RK4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dh6Na9ZBmKSwqA8BmTmR-LmQI3FaP-Os0t_Njg24HY8KWMevVEBALC8BTik24TWMqlOrVnQUBD4oBDM8pkiDoTN6FJCM3gIskoOSMJ76hjRhr1qWIcqli-ix9U-Mk0DwJ5SK-SC7J63KA9WlGsuqhFmZVQ11w3W1Qb_akt0SkYr31bQkC7Qg5wmtrnUR3HV6HRqmihW4zR1nGxPD7hZbnxDxEvjZiVcEDcTI7hPaws0.ZJRs93-otq78Tdfu6W6XUjBYW3LWY9yyugS1b_hbsfI&dib_tag=se&keywords=jvc%2Bmarshmallow%2Bearbuds&qid=1717025125&sprefix=jvc%2Bmar%2Caps%2C290&sr=8-4&th=1

These are the ones I use and I really like them. I hate Apple ear buds, always have, they've never been comfortable to me. These are comfortable, noise cancelling, have had good battery life, decent sound quality, and they're currently only $48 on amazon. A couple years ago my wife bought me some Beats ear buds and they stopped pairing after a short time and were quite pricey. I've had these for 6 months now and haven't had any issues.