Basically, I wanted to know if different covers (or no cover at all) would improve the sound of iBuds. So I decided to experiment.
My iBuds currently (and at the time of the test) have about 10 hours of use on them - if you believe in "burn in", the bass should be staring to improve at this point. My personal opinion is that the bass has improved a bit since my first listen. If you don't beleive in burn-in (and you know who you are), keep your flames to yourself.
Test Methodology:
Not terribly scientific - since sound quality is pretty subjective. I use a selection of about 20 songs, ranging from country, pop, rock, techno and alternative (gregorian chants and synthesizers) - my tastes are wildly eclectic.
iPod was full charged up at the start, no AC power was used during the test - I tried to keep the volume at my normal listening level and not fiddle with it too much (some adjustment was necessary owing to variations in the recordings). EQ was off, as was Sound Leveling. All songs were either ripped MP3 or AAC at 128K. Most of them were rips that I did myself - although one or two came from iTunes.
The iBuds were plugged straight in to the iPod - no remotes or extension cords. Background noise was minimal (ie. Room was quiet).
The Candidates:
No cover (ie. Naked iBuds)
Radio Shack Silicon Earbud covers
Radio Shack "Foamies"
Stock Apple "Foamies"
Test Results:
No Cover - UGH! This was downright painful to listen to. Without foamies, there is NO bass and the sound is quite shrill. After a few minutes, I gave up on this option.
R/S Silicon covers - If you haven't seen these, they look like a plastic doughnut. They leave the face of the iBuds naked, but (I assume) are supposed to cushion the fit. Sound was similar to naked iBuds. Still shrill, although some bass returned. I "discovered" that the silicon was covering the holes in the backside of the buds. Moving the silicon off these holes increased the bass further - but the sound still sucked. In the long run this discovery proved useful (see below). Sound was so bad I bagged this test after about 2 songs.
R/S foamies - They are thicker and firmer than the stock foamies. They also cover much more of the back of the buds. I found them less comfortable than the stock foamies. Probably because they are so much stiffer and a tad larger. In particular, my left ear never felt quite right. Presumably, with use, these would become softer and fit better. Sound was similar to the stock foamies, but with more bass (yeah, baby, yeah!) I was really starting to dig the sound, then I found the downside. It took me a good while (and some A/B testing) to identify it, but on the vocals of "There She Goes" by Sixpence None the Richer, it became obvious that the bass was increased at the expense of detail in the high end. Even though my recording is an older MP3 (and it's not the best recording ever made, your can hear tape hiss before the song starts, and people talking in the studio after the end of the song) - the vocal is crystal clear. The girl has a beautiful voice. I swear I can hear her smile while singing some of the verses. With the R/S foamies, the details were gone. I couldn't hear her smile. That - and the lack of comfort I felt with these pretty much killed them in my evaluation. I'd use them in a pinch - and maybe if they could be softend up (stick 'em in your pants pocket and run 'em thru the wash?) they would both feel and sound better.
Stock Apple Foamies - And after this evaluation, I'm convinced that the stock foamies sound the best (at least for me). The details in "There She Goes" came back. It's certainly not a evident as on my big rig (which isn't even close to portable) - but I can hear her smile again. I then recalled the change in the bass with the silicon covering the holes in the back of the bud. When I looked, I had put the foamies on covering the holes - so I scrunched them around a bit and uncoverd the holes and gave it another listen. It took a good bit of A/B testing, but I could just detect an improvement in the bass if the holes are uncovered. It's REALLY subtle and in normal listening, I doubt I could pick it out without A/B testing and the right source material - but it's there.
So my recomendations for making iBuds sound as good as possible: Use the stock foamies. Cherish them like they were gold. Keep the foamies off the holes on the backside of the buds if possible. Use the R/S foamies only as a last resort. Skip the silicon rings altogether and don't even try naked iBuds.
My iBuds currently (and at the time of the test) have about 10 hours of use on them - if you believe in "burn in", the bass should be staring to improve at this point. My personal opinion is that the bass has improved a bit since my first listen. If you don't beleive in burn-in (and you know who you are), keep your flames to yourself.
Test Methodology:
Not terribly scientific - since sound quality is pretty subjective. I use a selection of about 20 songs, ranging from country, pop, rock, techno and alternative (gregorian chants and synthesizers) - my tastes are wildly eclectic.
iPod was full charged up at the start, no AC power was used during the test - I tried to keep the volume at my normal listening level and not fiddle with it too much (some adjustment was necessary owing to variations in the recordings). EQ was off, as was Sound Leveling. All songs were either ripped MP3 or AAC at 128K. Most of them were rips that I did myself - although one or two came from iTunes.
The iBuds were plugged straight in to the iPod - no remotes or extension cords. Background noise was minimal (ie. Room was quiet).
The Candidates:
No cover (ie. Naked iBuds)
Radio Shack Silicon Earbud covers
Radio Shack "Foamies"
Stock Apple "Foamies"
Test Results:
No Cover - UGH! This was downright painful to listen to. Without foamies, there is NO bass and the sound is quite shrill. After a few minutes, I gave up on this option.
R/S Silicon covers - If you haven't seen these, they look like a plastic doughnut. They leave the face of the iBuds naked, but (I assume) are supposed to cushion the fit. Sound was similar to naked iBuds. Still shrill, although some bass returned. I "discovered" that the silicon was covering the holes in the backside of the buds. Moving the silicon off these holes increased the bass further - but the sound still sucked. In the long run this discovery proved useful (see below). Sound was so bad I bagged this test after about 2 songs.
R/S foamies - They are thicker and firmer than the stock foamies. They also cover much more of the back of the buds. I found them less comfortable than the stock foamies. Probably because they are so much stiffer and a tad larger. In particular, my left ear never felt quite right. Presumably, with use, these would become softer and fit better. Sound was similar to the stock foamies, but with more bass (yeah, baby, yeah!) I was really starting to dig the sound, then I found the downside. It took me a good while (and some A/B testing) to identify it, but on the vocals of "There She Goes" by Sixpence None the Richer, it became obvious that the bass was increased at the expense of detail in the high end. Even though my recording is an older MP3 (and it's not the best recording ever made, your can hear tape hiss before the song starts, and people talking in the studio after the end of the song) - the vocal is crystal clear. The girl has a beautiful voice. I swear I can hear her smile while singing some of the verses. With the R/S foamies, the details were gone. I couldn't hear her smile. That - and the lack of comfort I felt with these pretty much killed them in my evaluation. I'd use them in a pinch - and maybe if they could be softend up (stick 'em in your pants pocket and run 'em thru the wash?) they would both feel and sound better.
Stock Apple Foamies - And after this evaluation, I'm convinced that the stock foamies sound the best (at least for me). The details in "There She Goes" came back. It's certainly not a evident as on my big rig (which isn't even close to portable) - but I can hear her smile again. I then recalled the change in the bass with the silicon covering the holes in the back of the bud. When I looked, I had put the foamies on covering the holes - so I scrunched them around a bit and uncoverd the holes and gave it another listen. It took a good bit of A/B testing, but I could just detect an improvement in the bass if the holes are uncovered. It's REALLY subtle and in normal listening, I doubt I could pick it out without A/B testing and the right source material - but it's there.
So my recomendations for making iBuds sound as good as possible: Use the stock foamies. Cherish them like they were gold. Keep the foamies off the holes on the backside of the buds if possible. Use the R/S foamies only as a last resort. Skip the silicon rings altogether and don't even try naked iBuds.
