[SpinDoctor15]

Hello all,
 
That's it... I've HAD IT with the crappy basic white Apple earbuds.  They are just terrible and they fall out all the time.  I'm looking for decent athletic/workout headphones without an in-line mic.  My workplace doesn't allow recording devices, so it's definitely a no-go on the mic!
 
I will be using these headphones with an iPod shuffle 2GB (4th gen), so a very basic setup.  I'm probably most interested in in-ear buds, but am open to opinions on others.
 
Things I'm looking for/desired features:
- overall decent sound quality (my main cans at home are Senny HD600s, so I'm spoiled
- stable ear fit, I don't want them falling out when I'm running on a treadmill or outside
- cannot have in-line microphone, nor any BlueTooth capability, just need sound directly wired from iPod to ear
- lower end of price spectrum (sub $100 would be great)
 
Research I've done:
- a lot of reading on Crutchfield's website and some cursory browsing on Head-Fi
- too many models have in-line mics...
 
I appreciate any feedback you can offer, thanks!

 

[sperho]

I very much enjoy my Klipsch X10 buds for when I'm active and I want to be wired and have sound isolated.  I bought them for $90 about 1 year ago, but I now see that they have went up to $150 from Amazon.  That's nuts.  You can find them on eBay for cheaper, but there were some counterfeits out there at one point.  Others will weigh in for sure, but keep the X10s in mind...  (note that they make a microphone version, but also the plain janes sans mic, which I have).  They are very light, easy to insert, work with Comply foamies (T100, I believe), and isolate well.  The cables are very thin, but I've not had a problem with mine breaking.  I use them when I'm on the mower and on airplanes and they've been accidently jerked out of my ears more than once without damage to them...
 
edit: here's a link to the Head-Fi review page:  http://www.head-fi.org/products/klipsch-image-x10-noise-isolating-earphone

 

[SpinDoctor15]

Thanks for the response.  So sound-isolated is different than noise-cancelling I take it?  Is it just a really tight seal of the earbud to ear?

 

[sperho]

Yes, noise isolating is like they put the ear bud in an ear plug body.  External sound is blocked instead of being canceled with an external microphone and opposing waveform applied to the drivers.

 

[SpinDoctor15]

Thanks again. Others' suggestions?

 

[SpinDoctor15]

This was a while ago... but any new suggestions?  So far I've heard Klipsch X10.  What about Shure IEMs?  I'm not a huge fan of Bose products, but are the SiE2s decent?  And what about other brands I may not be aware of?  Thanks again in advance!

 

[thundrcatz]

I really like the Sennheiser PMX 680. They aren't earbuds, they wrap around the back of your head, but are actually really comfortable. They are sweat resistant, don't move at all when I'm running, and have decent sound while still letting you hear whats going on around you.

 

[SpinDoctor15]

I looked up those PMX 680s, and saw okay but not great reviews. Most commenters enjoyed the build quality and fit but were not overly impressed with sound quality. Any specifics about SQ that you can offer? Thanks for the reply!

 

[thundrcatz]

They don't have the best SQ thats true. I got them more for the comfort, the fact that they don't budge at all,and that I could still hear my surrounding while I was running. They do leave a lot to be desired for as far as bass goes, but for work out headphones they were exaclty what I was looking for. I also have the Monster iSport Livestrong's, which do sound quite a bit better. They were not nearly as comfortable though.