I have eventually decided to upgrade from the nasty "buds". All I can say is that they don't seem to last long (the old apple premium IEMs lasted an even shorter time!).

Anyway I have decided that considering my needs and my budget that the Phonak Audéo PFEs are the best choice. Also luckily one of the few retailers in the UK is very near where I live (and I live in what many would call the middle of nowhere).

To the point of this thread! I don't know whether to buy the ones with a microphone or not. The small extra cost isn't a problem.

1. I know pressing the microphone button pauses the music, which in itself I would love to be able to do, so is it worth getting the mic just for that.

1. Also, I might get the Nokia N97 when it comes out. Does anyone know if the microphone could possibly work with it.

1. Will the microphone work with my laptop (an Asus F3sr)?

1. How do they compare to the HP-FX500s? A link to a comparison, if there is one will do.

1. Finally, does having the microphone make the cable unnecessarily bulky? I'm mainly thinking about wrapping the cable around my iPod (if that isn't a sin), as will the microphone make the cable wrap less well.

Thanks in advance.

it probably won't work on your laptop. headphone jacks in laptops generally don't support a microphone


of course i could be wrong

Thanks. Of course, silly me. I completely forgot about my laptop also having a microphone jack (like most laptops).

Bump.

The button/mic is made for an iPod Touch or iPhone, won't work with anything else. Should make your decision easy.

You could try using an adapter like the one from this site (scroll to the bottom or search the site for iphone):
3.5mm Audio Adapters | ShowMeCables

The Mic should work with the Nuforce Icon Mobile USB amp, as it accepts 4-contact 3.5" mic/heapdhones for telephony and chat.