Exercise earphone recommendations

[rojo]

My wife has a birthday coming in up in a week. I'm thinking of buying her a pair of great sounding earphones for when she's doing yoga, playing with her flower beds, or working on her Pinterest projects. I bought her a pair of KEF M500 on-ears a year or two ago for her iPod. She loves them, but she says they slip off her head when she dips her head forward. They've got a pretty neutral sound with solid (but not emphasized) bass response.

I've thought about the iGrado or eGrado, but her playlists are usually full of songs about going to jail and degrading women. Since the iGrado phones are open back, I worry that my 4-year-old daughter will pick up some unfortunate vocabulary from my wife's music. Is that a thing I should worry about from open backs?

I'm also considering the RBH EP1. The back-to-school sale they've got going on makes these an attractive option, but I've never seen her wear in-ears before. I don't know how comfortable she'd be with them.

Any opinions? I'd like to stay within a $150 or so budget. I need something that won't slip off her head with movement, low impedance to use with an iPod without an amplifier, and something I might reasonably expect to receive within a week (so no Massdrops).

 

[slipperybidness]

My wife has a birthday coming in up in a week. I'm thinking of buying her a pair of great sounding earphones for when she's doing yoga, playing with her flower beds, or working on her Pinterest projects. I bought her a pair of KEF M500 on-ears a year or two ago for her iPod. She loves them, but she says they slip off her head when she dips her head forward. They've got a pretty neutral sound with solid (but not emphasized) bass response.

I've thought about the iGrado or eGrado, but her playlists are usually full of songs about going to jail and degrading women. Since the iGrado phones are open back, I worry that my 4-year-old daughter will pick up some unfortunate vocabulary from my wife's music. Is that a thing I should worry about from open backs?

I'm also considering the RBH EP1. The back-to-school sale they've got going on makes these an attractive option, but I've never seen her wear in-ears before. I don't know how comfortable she'd be with them.

Any opinions? I'd like to stay within a $150 or so budget. I need something that won't slip off her head with movement, low impedance to use with an iPod without an amplifier, and something I might reasonably expect to receive within a week (so no Massdrops).

I'm not a fan of on-ears or over-ears for any time I'm doing any serious moving around the house. They make my ears sweat, and they have more weight that tends to make them slip around. However, I do in general prefer the on-ear or over-ear phones, but only when I'm sitting at my work bench doing electronics works or dedicated to listening to the cans (ie, when I'm not really active).

That being said, I have never been a fan of the in-ears either. But, the RBH EP-SB has really changed my mind on that. In general, I still prefer the on-ear design, but when I'm active around the house, it's the wireless RBH all the way! Note--most general cheap in-ears start to hurt me after a while, but I haven't had anything near that type of discomfort at all on these RBH.

IMO--go wireless! It's just so much more convenient.

Again--I was in your situation recently and bought the EP-SB for the GF. Then, RBH started this sale and I went and picked up a pair for myself! When I was in your situation, I went RBH. With the sale going on right now, I really think RBH is a no-brainer.

EDIT--I see now, you need it to work with an iPod, so I guess that takes wireless off the list? But pretty much all phones can stream to BT phones nowadays. I would ask RBH how well those perform with the iPod built in amp, assuming that works fine, I say RBH all the way.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

For physical activities nothing beats these: (no pun intended)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FO0IHMY/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0052YFYFK&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=QC755E6CM7V6RC2XN2BW

They are not best sounding or most long term reliable, but for sport comfort and price nothing touches them imo

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

on sale today: Aukey BT:
http://liliputing.com/2016/07/deals-day-7-29-2016.html
Hard to go wrong for $10 only with free shipping.

 

[afterlife2]

on sale today: Aukey BT:
http://liliputing.com/2016/07/deals-day-7-29-2016.html
Hard to go wrong for $10 only with free shipping.

I have those in another name Mpow for $10 when they were on sale. Fantastic SQ. You will be shocked how great they are:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WUDX250/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[afterlife2]

 

[tyhjaarpa]

Haven't personally used these but they look quite good: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00TRRTO5O/

edit: I think these look even better, as the first ones have bulkier ear buds and those don't fit for every one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DZIQR2Y/

 

[rojo]

@slipperybidness @BoredSysAdmin @afterlife2 I'm sort of a headphone snob. Those Aukey earbuds sort of scream Big Lots / Ross / T.J. Maxx / Marshall's to me. Would they have as good a sound as the RBH EP-SB? Are the RBH Bluetooth earbuds that overpriced? In my experience the cheap-o earphones and earbuds have no compensation for head related transfer function. They require serious EQ to sound good.

Thanks to @slipperybidness I was considering maybe a pair of the RBH EP-SB, plus a $20 AptX transmitter of some sort from Amazon. That way if she wanted to load music onto her phone, she could. She's got a Nexus 6P 64gb. Not sure why she hangs onto that iPod. It's the old school 5th gen iPod with a 30-gig 1.8" platter drive. It's bound to start developing bad sectors any time now.

@tyhjaarpa Those looked promising for a minute until I saw the top review expressing strong discomfort when wearing them.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

@slipperybidness @BoredSysAdmin @afterlife2 I'm sort of a headphone snob. Those Aukey earbuds sort of scream Big Lots / Ross / T.J. Maxx / Marshall's to me. Would they have as good a sound as the RBH EP-SB? Are the RBH Bluetooth earbuds that overpriced? In my experience the cheap-o earphones and earbuds have no compensation for head related transfer function. They require serious EQ to sound good.

Thanks to @slipperybidness I was considering maybe a pair of the RBH EP-SB, plus a $20 AptX transmitter of some sort from Amazon. That way if she wanted to load music onto her phone, she could. She's got a Nexus 6P 64gb. Not sure why she hangs onto that iPod. It's the old school 5th gen iPod with a 30-gig 1.8" platter drive. It's bound to start developing bad sectors any time now.

@tyhjaarpa Those looked promising for a minute until I saw the top review expressing strong discomfort when wearing them.

Ya, added the another pair that is safer bet as the shape of first pair doesn't fit for everyone. How ever if those fit they should be good call, if not..

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

@slipperybidness @BoredSysAdmin @afterlife2 I'm sort of a headphone snob. Those Aukey earbuds sort of scream Big Lots / Ross / T.J. Maxx / Marshall's to me. Would they have as good a sound as the RBH EP-SB? Are the RBH Bluetooth earbuds that overpriced? In my experience the cheap-o earphones and earbuds have no compensation for head related transfer function. They require serious EQ to sound good.

Thanks to @slipperybidness I was considering maybe a pair of the RBH EP-SB, plus a $20 AptX transmitter of some sort from Amazon. That way if she wanted to load music onto her phone, she could. She's got a Nexus 6P 64gb. Not sure why she hangs onto that iPod. It's the old school 5th gen iPod with a 30-gig 1.8" platter drive. It's bound to start developing bad sectors any time now.

@tyhjaarpa Those looked promising for a minute until I saw the top review expressing strong discomfort when wearing them.

Aukey are generic indeed, but during sports SQ is not most important factor. Do consider these LG strongly.

 

[afterlife2]

@slipperybidness @BoredSysAdmin @afterlife2 I'm sort of a headphone snob. Those Aukey earbuds sort of scream Big Lots / Ross / T.J. Maxx / Marshall's to me. Would they have as good a sound as the RBH EP-SB? Are the RBH Bluetooth earbuds that overpriced? In my experience the cheap-o earphones and earbuds have no compensation for head related transfer function. They require serious EQ to sound good.

Thanks to @slipperybidness I was considering maybe a pair of the RBH EP-SB, plus a $20 AptX transmitter of some sort from Amazon. That way if she wanted to load music onto her phone, she could. She's got a Nexus 6P 64gb. Not sure why she hangs onto that iPod. It's the old school 5th gen iPod with a 30-gig 1.8" platter drive. It's bound to start developing bad sectors any time now.

@tyhjaarpa Those looked promising for a minute until I saw the top review expressing strong discomfort when wearing them.

I'm telling you those Mpow are great. Nice build too in person. If someone told me these were $50 or more I'd believe them after hearing them. Try them you can always return them. I trust you will keep them and buy a pair for your wife too.

 

[rojo]

Debating between @tyhjaarpa's 2nd recommendation Sennheiser and the Bluetooth RBH. @slipperybidness do the RBH earbuds have a jack for optional wired connection, or are they Bluetooth only? My Parrot Zik work both wired and wireless, but I didn't see any documentation for such a feature on the RBH site.

@BoredSysAdmin I've spoiled her with her KEF headphones, and she's been very patient and indulgent with my out-of-our-budget home theater purchases. I need to nurture her audiophilia, so SQ is an important factor.

@afterlife2 I've no doubt the Mpow are capable, but I'm interested in a reasonably flat response with HRTF compensation. If you happen to come across measurements I might take a second look, but I find it very difficult to believe that these would employ the same sort of conscious tuning employed by non-entry-level earphones.

Anyone know of any other audiophile-ish behind-the-neck / street-style on-ears like the Grados I first linked, but are close-backed? I personally find on-ears much more comfortable than in-ears.

 

[afterlife2]

No graphs, but review goes into details: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2015/04/29/mpow-swift-bluetooth-4-0-headphones-review/
Why not take a chance and try them like I said amazon will take them back as you know.

 

[slipperybidness]

@slipperybidness @BoredSysAdmin @afterlife2 I'm sort of a headphone snob. Those Aukey earbuds sort of scream Big Lots / Ross / T.J. Maxx / Marshall's to me. Would they have as good a sound as the RBH EP-SB? Are the RBH Bluetooth earbuds that overpriced? In my experience the cheap-o earphones and earbuds have no compensation for head related transfer function. They require serious EQ to sound good.

Thanks to @slipperybidness I was considering maybe a pair of the RBH EP-SB, plus a $20 AptX transmitter of some sort from Amazon. That way if she wanted to load music onto her phone, she could. She's got a Nexus 6P 64gb. Not sure why she hangs onto that iPod. It's the old school 5th gen iPod with a 30-gig 1.8" platter drive. It's bound to start developing bad sectors any time now.

@tyhjaarpa Those looked promising for a minute until I saw the top review expressing strong discomfort when wearing them.

No, the EP-SP won't do a wire, they are BT only. The other RBH on-ear phones can be used wired or wirelessly.

Be sure to read the AH review on both!
http://www.audioholics.com/headphone-reviews/rbh-ep-sb-earphone-review
http://www.audioholics.com/headphone-reviews/rbh-hp-1b


At the sale price, I don't really think the RBH are over priced, at least not over priced by too much. At the normal price, I do have a hard time paying that.

But, Here's my story on the EP-SB and the phones leading up to that purchase. The GF prefers the in-ear phones, and SQ isn't her top concern. She went through countless cheapie wired buds like you buy at the gas station. She went through 2 pairs of decent Bluedio BT in-ears at ~$15 a pair. So, I moved her up to the MPow Magneto for ~$30. She really liked those and she really loved the built in magnets. Got maybe 6 months out of those. I don't think she is really abusing these things either!

So, at that point, I decided to bump her up to the EP-SB for $149. Yes, pricey, but I was tired of replacing these every few months. She really does like them all around. As I mentioned, I'm not a fan of in-ears. But, after listening to hers for a while, and realizing that these things are small enough to shove in your pocket with your phone, I started thinking about a pair for myself. I went and looked at the EMP website, and they have the BTS sale for $109.......sold! But, I also contacted RBH customer service, by simply replying to the email confirmation, and asked if there was any chance they might refund the $40 since I had just purchased my first pair 2 weeks before the sale. They agreed to refund the $40, responded to me within a day!

So, I'm a pretty happy camper, even if the physical product may seem a bit over priced. These come with a 2 year warranty, everything I've read about RBH says they will make it right, and you can get reasonably quick responses from CS via email. The only thing right now, we haven't had these long enough yet to really tell you the durability on them--but that 2 year warranty.

 

[rojo]

Think I'm about to pull the trigger on the eGrado. The more I think about it, the more I dislike in-ears. In-ears feel like a violation of my bodily orifices, and wearing them for an hour or more makes my ears feel snotty. I think my wife might feel the same way. Besides, she might appreciate a little less outside noise isolation so she can hear and respond if my daughter starts treating her bed like a diving board (which sometimes happens). And it's only $49 shipped, which, yay. Measurements look pretty decent for $49 earphones, and I've been interested in trying some open backs for a long time anyway. Regarding the unfortunate vocabulary absorption, she'll just have to make sure only to use them when my daughter's not around, at least until she's older.

Anyway, thank you guys for all your hard work. I know it seems like I asked you to scour the web for me then completely ignored your efforts, but I really didn't. Y'all found some worthwhile options and gave me a lot to consider. You also helped me to confirm that I haven't overlooked any deals of the century. @slipperybidness @BoredSysAdmin @tyhjaarpa @afterlife2 You guys are the best.

Edit: order placed from B&H Photo Video. It should arrive on Friday.

 

[rojo]

Received the eGrado headphones in the mail today. I went ahead and gave them to my wife so I could give them a listen.

They definitely throw a wider soundstage than her KEFs. I see the appeal of open back phones now.

Tuning is... nothing special. They're thin on the low end and forward on the highs. Thick bass makes the highs struggle sometimes, but they're pleasant enough for most songs.

All in all they're worth 50 bucks and not much more I think. Wife especially likes that they fit securely over her ears, and they'll be perfect for her vampire slaying activities. She says ear buds have never stayed in her ears, and she's glad what I got her are on-ears. The KEFs will stick around for her couch listening.

 

[Cos]

Apple does not support AptX, unless that has changed recently?

 

[Cos]

Apple does not support AptX, unless that has changed recently?

That being said I would also avoid the Jaybird X2 earbuds, I could never get them to fit comfortably

 

[afterlife2]

Was pointing out aptx to rojo since he likes that feature. I dont think they own apple phones.

 

[rojo]

Android ftw!