Good evening, all. Tonight's curiosity has to do with wired earbuds and Bluetooth headsets for cell phones.

A friend I talk to by phone routinely has convinced me that earbuds are the way to go for hands-free phone use. Typically, I'll use the speakerphone option, but a few discussions convinced me to try earbuds. I'm used to using ear buds with my iPod when mowing, but hadn't really put them to use with the phone. So... I bought a set of Skull Candy Ink'd 2 buds. Twenty bucks? Seemed reasonable, and I've had good luck with the brand before. Done! Right?

Well... not so much. It seems now that when we're talking and I attach the earbuds, she complains of getting some feedback on her end. It took us a while to narrow it down, but after some experimenting with and without them, we're pretty sure the earbuds (or maybe my phone) are the culprit. She has recently gotten a new phone, and experiences the same effect with it. So it seems the issue is at this end.

Her new phone brings on a new twist -- there's no headphone jack. She's essentially being forced to use a Bluetooth headset. I have my grouches about that (new equipment to buy, one more item to keep charged, etc), but it's not mine to grouch about. (Yet... evidently new phones are phasing out the 3.5mm jack, and I'll have to upgrade eventually.)

So I've got questions.
* First, what buds do you wired cell phone earbud users recommend? It seems the $20 solution wasn't a good solution, but I'm not "funds unlimited," either.
* Second: what could be causing the feedback / interference she's hearing? (Cheap earbuds, haha...?)
* Third: is there a wireless earbud solution you'd recommend?

Thanks, SF!

If on an iphone, i highly recommend apple’s air pods.

^^^

Thank you. I neglected to mention the phone types. Hers is a Google Pixel 2, and I've got a Samsung S4 Mine.

Myself and the misses both use Bluetooth LG headsets. $30-$50, work perfectly.

I was lucky enough to get an early set of the Apple AirPods and have been very happy with the performance and convenience. They recharge when you put them back in the case and are very handy at the gym as the cords do not get caught in the Nautilus machines and get jerked out of your ears. I have read the sound is not as good as some others but really haven't noticed anything lacking. They are pricy (like all Apple devices) but I am satisfied with my purchase. If I recall they will work with other bluetooth phones but with my iPhone7 all the Siri capabilities are functional which is handy.

Wireless ear buds are expensive but that's probably because when it comes to ear buds, I will only use Bose.

If you're going to use it for hands free phone use, a $30-40 Motorola or Plantronics bluetooth ear piece will do. Dealing with cords is a hassle. You have the weight on your ear pulling down and you can get it tangled up and plucked out.

For talking I have a dedicated bluetooth headset. Plantronics Voyager.

For buds, Klipsch makes some decent wired ones in the $40-100 range, some have mics

Skull Candy is garbage. You'd be better off buying Beats earbuds. I won't bother recommending what I use, since it is $200.

I have used wired and wireless phone headsets since I started in the cellular industry in '98. I hate holding phones and of course headsets are much safer when driving. The wired headsets that come with phones these days work ok.

For bluetooth I have used Plantronics for over a decade but they are what I would call consumables. I spend 4-6 hours a day on the headset and they last normally a year or so.

For music I am still trying to find my go to brand, I mainly use them for outdoor house work and flying so they need to be sweat proof with a battery life of 3+ hours.

I had my ears opened up by attending an audio fest here in CO. I've gone twice now to the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest and have enjoyed demoing music on various headphones and listening to speakers as well. Depending on your needs and budget it might be worth checking out an audio fest near you. Sample some cutting edge headphones. I was demoing some crazy setups. Portable tube amps for headphones! Molded to fit your ear designs. A dozen speakers inside the ear bud kind of stuff. If you're into tech stuff and music and such it's an exceptional day to be spent. Some of it is very pricey but other stuff is surprisingly reasonable.

Appears the Capital Audiofest is one out on the EC that could be cool. Not familiar with it but maybe check something like that out.

for wired earbuds I use Senheizer https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 these come with an adapter to convert the standard plug to fit the recharging port on the phone (my phone doesn't have a headphone jack).

For wireless I use the LG waterproof Bluetooth headphones (ear buds).

Dave

I only use wired earbuds. Have a set of Klipsch I picked up a few years ago and they are very good.
Can't remember what I paid for them but it didn't break the bank.

I use LG Bluetooth earbuds, the kind where the receiver wraps behind neck and then has wires going up to the earbuds.
I use it mowing, running, working around the house... all without issue. If the wife calls, she says it's usually clearer sounding than when I'm talking normally.

I've tried cheap wired buds in the past, but tif the cable isn't shielded, it can cause feedback issues, as well as the mic picking up the sounds of it brushing against the clothing. My wife would get very frustrated at that.

I will say that we use the speakerphone as infrequently as possible. She has a Galaxy S6, I have the 7. I find that the speakerphone mic will pick up high frequencies (like crumpling paper or clinking dishes) and it kills my ears if I'm on the receiving end.

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
For buds, Klipsch makes some decent wired ones in the $40-100 range, some have mics

I've had a set of Klipsch's lower end buds for a few years (they also make some very high end ones, up to $300 or so). Mine are the R6 model (there are a couple). I think mine are the original R6, which is now the R6 II. $59 at Amazon right now. Pretty amazing sound for the price. No mic in this model.

Thanks, friends! I had forgotten about Plantronics, and I had no idea Klipsch and Sennheiser had offerings.

quote:

Originally posted by Gibb:
I've tried cheap wired buds in the past, but if the cable isn't shielded, it can cause feedback issues,

A-ha! That makes good sense. My cheap Skull Candy earbuds may be unshielded.

ISO Tunes pro

JBL, anyone?
( Crutchfield link.)

I'm not really sure I want the Bluetooth version (E25BT, just something else to keep charged), but I'd consider it if it were really well recommended.

I purchased three Google official USB-C to 3.5mm adapters, and use
1. Apple hard plastic wired phones
2. Moshi buds with silicone canal seals (very effective for $35)
3. Shure SE215 entry-level audiophile in-ear monitors for $115 (again, with silicone canal seals)

I regularly purchase cheap BT headphones off Amazon when they are on sale. I just tried the Taotronics over-the-ear noise canceling ($30 or so) on an airplane trip. I also use the Anker BT ($25).

The Google adapter is $9. No other adapter will work (I tried).

I looked at both the Beats X and Air Buds and ended up going with the Beats out of personal preference.

I also recent discovered these after putting the wrong size tips on when I went on vacation:

https://www.amazon.com/Comply-...ds=earbud+tips&psc=1

Total game changer....super comfortable, better sound and amazing noise isolation

I've used these since I got them in my stocking at Christmas. They do the job. The only problem I see with them is when I am watching video on the phone with these (vs the wired ones) I do catch a bit of a lag in audio, just enough to bother me.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZYX6Y1T?