Earbuds Round-Up

[fidgeraldo]

so it seems to fit only in one orientation (downward) in my ear.

Have you tried with a different cable with hooks?

Cheers!

 

[Hypops]

Does this how to video help?
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkmygrcP9hq/?igsh=a2hoaWlkYzRzbDhk

Whoa. If that's how they're supposed to fit, then my ears are waaaay too big for earbuds. I've got silicone rings coming, so I'll try using those under foams to see if I can approximate that fit. But as is, I couldn't get anywhere close to a fit that secure.

Have you tried with a different cable with hooks?

Cheers!

I don't have a MMCX cable with ear hooks to try (all my spare cables are 2-pin). And unfortunately with the new Trump tax, my cable options (and budget) are limited for the time being, so that experiment will have to wait until Trump leaves office.

 

[droenald]

Whoa. If that's how they're supposed to fit, then my ears are waaaay too big for earbuds. I've got silicone rings coming, so I'll try using those under foams to see if I can approximate that fit. But as is, I couldn't get anywhere close to a fit that secure.


I don't have a MMCX cable with ear hooks to try (all my spare cables are 2-pin). And unfortunately with the new Trump tax, my cable options (and budget) are limited for the time being, so that experiment will have to wait until Trump leaves office.

In this case you should try these rings, they are quite a bit larger than the generic ones. Expensive for what they are but definitely worth a try!
Edit: oh, I see you are based in the US. In this case Aliexpress is not a good option for you at this time.

 

[fidgeraldo]

And unfortunately with the new Trump tax, my cable options (and budget) are limited for the time being, so that experiment will have to wait until Trump leaves office.

Come on, it's not that bad.
How much would you pay for this cable?

Cheers!

 

[ttorbic]

Whoa. If that's how they're supposed to fit, then my ears are waaaay too big for earbuds. I've got silicone rings coming, so I'll try using those under foams to see if I can approximate that fit. But as is, I couldn't get anywhere close to a fit that secure.


I don't have a MMCX cable with ear hooks to try (all my spare cables are 2-pin). And unfortunately with the new Trump tax, my cable options (and budget) are limited for the time being, so that experiment will have to wait until Trump leaves office.

Hmm, you'd have to be like...6' +++ giant for earbuds to not fit at all! Hopefully you'll find something that works - fitment is a pain but once you figure it out, you will get better bass, staging, and won't have to blast it.

 

[fidgeraldo]

And

Sometimes I use these moldable earplugs. Soft Moldable Silicone Ear Plugs
Shape around the buds and fill the gaps. It holds buds well when I do that.
Solutions, solutions...but you have to accept that you don't compare them with IEMs.
You will always lose some bass compared to when you push the buds deeper.

More important is to find a comfortable fit so they don't fall out, and then adjust (increase) the volume until it feels good to you.

Cheers!

 

[trevdawg94]

Come on, it's not that bad.
How much would you pay for this cable?

Cheers!

I can't even view that listing in the US so I had to use a VPN to view the UK website for AliExpress, that's how bad it is. VPN to the US and try to view pages for items you've bought off of AliExpress before, you'll find that the vast majority are completely unavailable and the few that are cost over double what they did leading up to this insanity.

And unfortunately with the new Trump tax, my cable options (and budget) are limited for the time being, so that experiment will have to wait until Trump leaves office.

You might be better off with a cable such as Fiio's LC-RC that doesn't have as long of a connector and sits higher up on your ear to allow for a longer stem. It's not cheap especially if you don't know how it will fit you but the only cheaper option with the same curved MMCX connectors is no longer purchasable in the US. Also ignore the one-star review, I've used the original and updated version of this cable and have never had any of the issues that reviewer describes.

 

[fidgeraldo]

I can't even view that listing in the US

But can you go and shop on AliExpress at all?
Sometimes links don't work this way. I have a friend in another country, and sometimes I can't open links he sends to me.
Can you open it with the number 1005006059261348 in the AliExpress search field?

Cheers!

 

[sapporo444]

Hey all. Seems to be some heat around newbies in this corner of the hobby, so I've been reluctant to post to this thread (but I've been lurking for a while).

Quickly wanted to say I've finally pulled the trigger on my first "big boy" set of flatheads with the Aful PolarNight. I've had them for a few days now. Since I am new to flatheads, I'm in no position to comment on how they sound yet and would only be able to compare them (unfairly) to full-size headphones and IEMs.

That said, getting the fit right is a bit of a beast. I imagine it gets easier with time and experience. I've got some additional foams and a set of silicone rings on their way to play with. For now, I've noticed just how ridiculously sensitive these are to subtle shifts in position, direction, and depth. And switching between the included donut foams and no foams is like two completely different headphones. Any pointers for getting fit right for a newcomer?

The sooner you stop caring about positional variance, the better!

If you push them into your ears, of course the lower frequencies will get louder. So, in my opinion, just put them in your ears without so much thought and stop caring so much about if they sound a little bit different than before; as long as they don't fall off your ears when you move your neck, then the fit is as good as it'll get. Yes, if you twist them 45 degrees counterclockwise, then 180 clockwise, then back 30 degrees counterclockwise when they are in your ears, they might sound better, but that's just such an annoyance to do every single time and in my case, hurts.

 

[Hypops]

In this case you should try these rings, they are quite a bit larger than the generic ones. Expensive for what they are but definitely worth a try!
Edit: oh, I see you are based in the US. In this case Aliexpress is not a good option for you at this time.

Bezos bent the knee and knew to stockpile Chinese goods before the tariffs were announced, so I bought these exact rings off of Amazon. Should be arriving in a day or two. Good to know I chose wisely.

Come on, it's not that bad.
How much would you pay for this cable?

Cheers!

I'm particular about my cable choices and have my favorites, none of which is currently available for purchase in the US. Many Chinese manufacturers sell direct without the additional charges that show up in AliEx. I think they're hoping they're too small to get noticed. I'm just not sure I want to risk getting charged on my end in order to release the package. Sure, it's the least of our concerns in the US at the moment under our new leadership, but it is one of the more obnoxious consequences of our Spoiled-Brat-in-Chief.

Hmm, you'd have to be like...6' +++ giant for earbuds to not fit at all! Hopefully you'll find something that works - fitment is a pain but once you figure it out, you will get better bass, staging, and won't have to blast it.

It was definitely strange learning that I've got large ear holes since I'm not an unusually large human (5'9"). And my ears don't look unusual. Just a quirk of my physiology. But it's the same with IEMs. I have to go extra large with eartips (>14mm). Apparently the same principle applies to earbuds!

Sometimes I use these moldable earplugs. Soft Moldable Silicone Ear Plugs
Shape around the buds and fill the gaps. It holds buds well when I do that.
Solutions, solutions...but you have to accept that you don't compare them with IEMs.
You will always lose some bass compared to when you push the buds deeper.

More important is to find a comfortable fit so they don't fall out, and then adjust (increase) the volume until it feels good to you.

Cheers!

Ha. Blu-tack for my ear holes! Love it.

I can't even view that listing in the US so I had to use a VPN to view the UK website for AliExpress, that's how bad it is. VPN to the US and try to view pages for items you've bought off of AliExpress before, you'll find that the vast majority are completely unavailable and the few that are cost over double what they did leading up to this insanity.

Yup. Same for me. I have to use a foreign VPN server just to view most of my go-to AliEx stores now.

The sooner you stop caring about positional variance, the better!

If you push them into your ears, of course the lower frequencies will get louder. So, in my opinion, just put them in your ears without so much thought and stop caring so much about if they sound a little bit different than before; as long as they don't fall off your ears when you move your neck, then the fit is as good as it'll get. Yes, if you twist them 45 degrees counterclockwise, then 180 clockwise, then back 30 degrees counterclockwise when they are in your ears, they might sound better, but that's just such an annoyance to do every single time and in my case, hurts.

This is good to hear. I figure a lot of my "issues" are really just a matter of getting used to them. Weird for now, but not with time.

 

[ttorbic]

Bezos bent the knee and knew to stockpile Chinese goods before the tariffs were announced, so I bought these exact rings off of Amazon. Should be arriving in a day or two. Good to know I chose wisely.


I'm particular about my cable choices and have my favorites, none of which is currently available for purchase in the US. Many Chinese manufacturers sell direct without the additional charges that show up in AliEx. I think they're hoping they're too small to get noticed. I'm just not sure I want to risk getting charged on my end in order to release the package. Sure, it's the least of our concerns in the US at the moment under our new leadership, but it is one of the more obnoxious consequences of our Spoiled-Brat-in-Chief.


It was definitely strange learning that I've got large ear holes since I'm not an unusually large human (5'9"). And my ears don't look unusual. Just a quirk of my physiology. But it's the same with IEMs. I have to go extra large with eartips (>14mm). Apparently the same principle applies to earbuds!


Ha. Blu-tack for my ear holes! Love it.


Yup. Same for me. I have to use a foreign VPN server just to view most of my go-to AliEx stores now.


This is good to hear. I figure a lot of my "issues" are really just a matter of getting used to them. Weird for now, but not with time.

Best of luck, and keep us updated! I've heard mostly very good things about the PolarNight!

And if you use discord and wanna chat more about earbuds, consider joining the Flathead Sanctuary!
https://discord.gg/SmhSJCzW

 

[trevdawg94]

But can you go and shop on AliExpress at all?
Sometimes links don't work this way. I have a friend in another country, and sometimes I can't open links he sends to me.

Yes, the link wasn't the issue as this is the page I get when not using a VPN:

The same message pops up when trying to view most items in the app but if you open that link using a VPN and replace the .us TLD with .com as well as removing the redirect string appended to the product page URL that sends you to the US site then it works fine.

Can you open it with the number 1005006059261348 in the AliExpress search field?

Cheers!

Tried that and got this error message instead:

At least I know how to work around this so I can know what people are talking about but it's really frustrating that they would completely geo-block the listing page instead of just marking the item as unavailable to be shipped to your location. The only reason I can think of as to why they're doing it this way is so they don't show any price at all so if they do end up shipping to the US again they can include the cost of tariffs into the item price instead of charging a really high shipping fee. Either way it's really frustrating.

 

[Stevehamny]

I was putting together some supplies today to give away (on account of the whole hobby being essentially shut down, at least in America) and I noticed that I had lost the slider bead from an open-ended cable. So I showed the cable to my wife and asked if she could find something to do the job.

Five minutes later, she came back with the most beautiful slider I've personally ever seen and asked me if it was okay. (Because this is how she does just about everything in life.)

 

[droenald]

This is good to hear. I figure a lot of my "issues" are really just a matter of getting used to them. Weird for now, but not with time.

I guess the main question is how do they sound if you wear them "normally"? Balanced? Very thin? Warm? If they sound balanced or warm or something in between then your good, as I believe they're meant to sound warm balances with relaxed treble from what I've read so far.
The silicone rings and the shirt clip will then take care of the rest!

 

[Hypops]

I guess the main question is how do they sound if you wear them "normally"? Balanced? Very thin? Warm? If they sound balanced or warm or something in between then your good, as I believe they're meant to sound warm balances with relaxed treble from what I've read so far.
The silicone rings and the shirt clip will then take care of the rest!

Unfortunately I can only compare them to my full-size headphones and IEMs, so it just doesn't feel like a fair or correct comparison IMO. They simply sound too different in too many ways. But if I do judge them in a vacuum, then with the stock donut foams, they sound warm and mid-bass centric with a contrasting peak in the upper-mids. Without any foams, the upper-mid peak goes away, but so does the bass. I'm hoping that silicone rings will let me combine the best qualities of both.