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A Tale Of 4 Earbuds (Well 8 actually)


On 02/07/2020 at 07:39 PM by mothman

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... because they come in pairs.

After I posted about the bluetooth adapter I got for my Switch, I thought I'd make mention of the earbuds I'll managed to acquire over the last couple of years.

One of the nice things about all of the earbuds I'll talk about today is the fact that you can keep listening for 4 or 5 hours without having to return them to the case for recharging and the cases usually hold enough of a charge to get the earbuds to 100% a couple of times before it needs recharging. That should be more than enough for anyone in terms of play time.

My first foray into decent earbuds were these from Jabra. The 65t Elites (new 75t just released)

Jabras

They cost me $179 Canadian and for the price I don't think you can touch them as far as sound goes. They are the ones I'm currently using with my Switch.

My second pair were the Sennheiser Momentum TWs. Considerably more expensive at $329 Canadian but they sound great. The biggest issue I have with them is that the case does not hold a charge for very long and then the earbuds drain out as well. You can charge the case up fully and even if you don't use the earbuds they will be dead in 3 or 4 days.

However knowing that allows you to prepare for it and if you are travelling you can always use them on the plane for 5 hours and charge the case up again as needed.

sennies

They aren't the most comfortable to wear though but they aren't too bad.

My third pair came with my Galaxy Note 11+ and are of course the Samsung Galaxy Buds

They would have cost $199 Canadian if I had to pay for them but I didn't so that's a plus.

They are my least favourite but they still sound alright and are very easy to pair and use if you have a Samsung phone.

Galaxy Buds

The final pair in my stable are the Apple Airpod Pros.

Like the Sennheisers these aren't cheap at over $300 Canadian but they are a huge improvement over standard airpods, and if you are already in the Apple ecosystem they are a doddle to setup.

You just open the case near an iPhone or iPad and it recognizes them and pairs instantly.

They will also show up on your other iDevices and your Mac.

airpod pro

They are the only ones of the 4 that have active noise cancelling and I found that very useful on my flight to California. You can also switch on transparent mode which allows you to hear the flight attendant when she comes by with another drink.

So which do I like best. Like a good mother I love all my children for different reasons,

The airpod pros are comfortable (you can forget your are wearing them), the noise cancelling is excellent and the sound quality is quite good. Just make sure your using the right size ear condoms (this applies to all of them. Sound quality and noise cancelling will suffer if they are too big or too small)

The Sennheisers sound wonderful. Better than any Bluetooth earbud has any right to. They aren't the most comfortable and you always know you have them in. Then there's the charging thing I mentioned but that shouldn't pose a problem for most people.

The Galaxy buds are fine and offer decent sound quality but I wouldn't pay $200 bucks for them. They are reasonably comfortable once you get them fitted properly.

Out of the bunch the best overall value are the Jabras. They punch well above their weight class and while they can look a little ugly they are very satisfying to listen to.

As I mentioned earlier, with all of these you must, must, must use the right size ear tips to get the best seal. It makes a huge difference.

Well hope you found this useful. Can't be arsed to add a panda tonight. Maybe I'll retrofit one later.


 

Comments

KnightDriver

02/08/2020 at 06:25 PM

I remember getting big old cans for my head years ago. Seems it's all about the ear buds now. Amazing the technology in those things. 

Matt Snee Staff Writer

02/08/2020 at 06:31 PM

I'm thinking of getting the AirPods pro. I use apple products and I've heard they're great. 

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