[JuncoParner]

I work in a filthy, wet ceramics factory full of noise and magnetic dust. Most of the day I listen to music on koss or sony earbuds run directly from my old ipod. Full sized headphones are not practical for the environment, and in-ear buds help to block out some of the noise.

My problem is that the cables always fray after a few months and I'm left with only one working bud. Can you guys help me?

I'm looking for modestly priced (less than $60) earbuds that are as durable as possible. Sound quality would also be nice, but my ipod touch is hardly hi-fidelity anyway. Price is also a big issue because there's a pretty good chance these buds will be destroyed within a year no matter how well they are made. My job is practically designed to terrorize electronic equipment.

 

[SteveHiFi]

The Shure SE112 is a good one, 2 year warranty, solid build and good isolation.

 

[JuncoParner]

Thanks for the advice, Steve. Those Shures look really solid from what I can read of them. My only hesitation is the wires look really thin. It's the wires that kill my earbuds 90% of the time, I try to avoid bunch them up or pulling on them, but it's a physical job in a lot of cramped spaces, so eventually they fray. I'm really looking for something with beefy wires (braided cover, extra-wide insulation, etc.).

 

[Chancho2]

Where on the wire does the break happen?

 

[JuncoParner]

Usually around the jack, or the buds, or the split, or the microphone/pause-button-thingy. It depends on the model. Most common would be around the buds and the jack.

 

[Chancho2]

The Marshall Mode EQ looks like it's got a good quality cable and it has a remote, although it's a bit over what you want to pay. If you don't need a remote take a look at the MEElectronics M6 Pro.

 

[JuncoParner]

Thanks! I'll check them out. Remotes are convenient but I'm not a fan of them, it's just one more thing that can break. You know?

 

[JuncoParner]

Chancho, those M6's look pretty amazing.

 

[Jupe]

I'm in a similar situation, seeking the same solution you are Junco, so I have two thoughts:

For detachable cables like in the case of the M6 Pro's, is it possible to purchase the cables without the earbuds? I would hope it is a cheaper solution to the constant fraying than buying new sets altogether, but I haven't been able to find any place that sells them.

Alternatively, have you considered bluetooth earbuds? I understand the old iPods don't support bluetooth, but depending on how much money you're going to spend on new earbuds each year, it could possibly be cheaper in the long-run to upgrade the device too (though you'd then have the issue of charging them every day).

 

[JuncoParner]

Hey Jupe, interesting idea. To be honest, I haven't really considered bluetooth buds because I figured the price would be high. My headphones get wet and covered in magnetic dust, so I try to avoid bringing anything to work that I'm not willing to part with.

I use an ipod touch, so I do have bluetooth capability. I'm going to run some google searches for bluetooth buds, see what I can dig up.

-EDIT- I ran some searches, there are some pretty decent blue tooth earbuds on the market, but I'm not so sure they'd work out so well with the conditions at my job. Starting to think I need a change of scenery.