Apple M9394G/A iPod In-Ear Headphones

Rating:
Summary: Great for me, but I can see why people are critical
Review: I spent a ton of time on Amazon looking at these earphones as a replacement for the ones that came with my 40GB iPod. I found that the standard ear buds weren't great at blocking out sound and tended to come loose when I was running or riding the exercycle at the gym. I wasn't convinced to buy these until I got so sick of the old pair coming loose that I was willing to spend money to try something else. These headphones definitely solve that problem, and provide improved sound as well.

As some of the other reviews have indicated, Apple's In-Ear Headphones aren't as simple to use as standard ear buds. You have to play with them to get a good seal. If you don't, the sound is actually worse than with the standard ear phones. However, once you figure it out (which didn't take me more than 15 minutes or so), the sound is vastly improved, as the seal blocks out extraneous sound. With the old ear buds, my volume was always all the way up, but with these, around 50% gets me plenty of sound.

I wound up trying all of the different ear pieces that come with the In-Ear Earphones, and wound up going with the largest size. For my ears, the seal is best when the earphones are worn upside down in my ear, so that the wire sticks straight out of my ear perpendicular to the ground. They stay in securely when I'm doing active things.

So why 4 stars instead of 5? Well, there are a few issues with these earphones. First, how many sets of earphones do you own that you actually need to learn how to use? Second, there's some resonant noise that comes the wire brushing against things. I got used to it and don't really hear it anymore, but it is an issue. Last, I was kind of hoping that these earphones would be a more compact replacement for the powered Bose Quiet Comfort 2 noise canceling headphones that I use for air travel. That's simply not the case.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good (3.5 stars actually)
Review: The Apple iPod In-ear headphones will not win any awards, but they are not as bad as some reviews here and other places suggest. First off, they are initially extremely uncomfortable. Finding the right fit and size is made more difficult by the cheapie feeling silicon covers. But if you make the investment and take the time to work through it these produce a very nice sound (and become easier to insert over time, too). Nice bass and nice treble.

Initially I was planning on returning these but when I went back to the fontopia earbuds ($10 model) I couldn't stand the flater and more compressed sound. Hey, for $40 these are a decent set of phones. Not the greatest, but not overly bassy like most stuff in this price range either.

Rating:
Summary: Solid Sound
Review: Honestly, after all those previous review, I thought this earphone was crap. But since I didn't like the Sony Earplugs because it makes all type of music heavy bass and blurs the sound, I took a risk and bought a pair of this ipod in-ear.

It does take some time to try different method to make it fit. I had to use the smallest plastic, so I guess my ear is small.

Took me around 10 min to find the right position to fit them. I found that putting it upside down fits the best. Anyway, once it fits, they sound so good that I couldn't take them off.

Conclusion: Very balanced bass, and very clean sound.

... Alan

... Alan

Rating:
Summary: Things to consider....
Review: Ok so.... some of you are hearing mixed reviews on the Apple iPOD in-ear headphones right? If you are picky about sound quality and you are a true audiophile, then these are not for you consider maybe either the (SHURE E2C about a hundred bucks *msrp) or the the (ETYMOTIC ER6I about a hundred fifty bucks *msrp)
**********HOWEVER!!!**********
if you've decided ok i'm gonna buy the Apple iPOD in-ear.... consider before you judge them out of the box... correct fit which is covered in some other comments. Also consider time for whats called (BURN IN) as with any earphone no matter how cheap or expensive there can be considerable burn in time up to 48 hours. Which basically means you gotta break them in, so try plugging them into an audio device maybe overnight and just letting some music pass through them for a few hours at moderate volume levels.

If possible you may want to check a local MAC/APPLE store and ask for any "REFRESHED" pairs of these headphones i got a few pairs out of the REFRESHED stock for 15 bucks... good luck

DONT FORGET, no matter which earphones you buy..... you can judge them out of the box but try putting some BURN IN* time to them and see if theres any changes. ALOHA!!

Rating:
Summary: Exactly what I was looking for
Review: I was looking for some headphones to use at my school library. I'm taking a partially online course and need to watch 2 hours of lectures on the computer so comfort was my top concern. I was also looking for something that could do double duty as a backup for when my siblings take my gaming headphones. I got a pair of these and was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable they were, but initially, the sound was just a little light on the lows. However, like many others have said, once I got them in my ears correctly I was thoroughly satisfied with these. I tried the Sony MDR-EX71SL's before and although they had relatively good bass response, they didn't have the clarity these do and they weren't nearly as comfortable. Don't get the wrong idea here though. Neither of these are two-hundred dollar sets of headphones so don't buy these expecting to be awestruck by the sounds of sonic perfection. But if you want some headphones you'll keep for a while that won't cost you half your paycheck, these deserve a spot on your list.

Rating:
Summary: A little patience is all you need
Review: I have to say that when I first put them in, I was sorely dissapointed. They didn't sound any better than the freebies that came with my iPod mini. BUT, I hopped on Amazon and read a few reviews about how to put them in correctly. (Someone recommended tugging the top of your ear up with one hand and inserting the bud with the other.) Granted, it took some trial and error to get them in right, but once they're in, the sound is pretty darn good for a small pair of headphones. I'd say they're worth the price if you're not incredibly picky about every tiny little sound or you don't mind shoving them way in your ear to get good sound. You just have to try a little bit. It just takes a little patience, and if you have that, you'll find these are worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Boom... That rocks
Review: These earphones are awesome. Once they fit right they have an awesome sound, strong bass and they feel really good in your ear. Just push them far enough in your ear. 4 stars only because it is kind of difficult to fit them.

Rating:
Summary: Great sound, won't stay put!
Review: IF you can get the headphones to stay securely in your ear the sound is pretty phenomenal. Alas, I cannot get the d*mn things to stay securely seated in my ear canal. While they come with three different sized rubber nubs to fit your ear size, the rubber nubs are easily overcome by the weight of the wires and constantly fall out of position. Once out of position in your ear canal the sound quality diminishes greatly and the music is overwhelmed by bass-less treble (reminds me of AM radio). Unless you plan on remaining perfectly stationary while listening through your earphones keep shopping for more reliable headphones. And if you plan on listening at the gym you should forget about these headphones altogether!