I've decided I'm going to give some cheaper ones another go - I'll up to 2 more - and if the problems I see are common I'll try something higher price since I can return easily.
It seems that general build/quality issues aside, the problem is maintaining decent connectivity between the buds. On the cheaper units (maybe all units?) one bug pairs with the phone and then the two buds link using some protocol. The most annoying thing I experience is one bud dropping out for a moment, and I believe it is always the secondary/slave one.
Makes me think it is technologically quite hard to do whatever they are doing, making one bud split the signal and beam a channel to the other one? Perhaps more expensive ones use a more powerful chip or something - does anyone here know more about the technical side?
To those with more up-market products, do you experience this issue at all? And do you still have a master bud or are the two identical?
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Reply to: Airpods or similar
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Previously on "Airpods or similar"
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Airpods fit the majority of western ears, but it is indeed a flaw that they don't offer multiple fitment shape options.
The most important thing with bluetooth audio is the supported stream codecs. The older default bluetooth option was SBC, horrendous for music.
The only codec, originally by apple but now open, is AAC. aptX is also the backup option if AAC is not supported by the source device. Most android handsets and obviously iphones support AAC. aptX is good enough too.
Connect your bluetooth headphones to your laptop/mac and use advanced options to see just what streaming codec is being used. On a mac play audio, hold the left-alt button and then click on the bluetooth icon in the system tray, find your device and the codec will be shown.
Those who have bad hearing will be quite happy with SBC, but the quality is truly dire. I personally have not seen any tiny headphones come up to the quality of the apple earpods but would advise to buy any from the internet, rather than a shop, as you can send them back with spurious technical complaints rather than haggle to return them if they aren't good enough for you.
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Originally posted by RyanDS View PostTried the airpods and they are rubbish. Uncomfortable and branding over form. Designed to look like apple stuff, and not designed to actually fit your ear.
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Originally posted by d000hg View PostOr I could compromise on a wireless earphone set - a wire between the ear pieces but still BT to the phone. I use them out gardening and stuff mostly.
Interesting to know that proper noise cancelling is appearing though - now that I would expect to pay a lot for because it always has been expensive.
I can't stand the hard plastic earbuds of either the earpods or airpods by Apple, so not really an option for me.
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Tried the airpods and they are rubbish. Uncomfortable and branding over form. Designed to look like apple stuff, and not designed to actually fit your ear.
Galaxy buds on the other hand are fantastic, fit well, comfortable, good sound and can go for a run and not worry about them falling out.
Saying that, my brothers Anker ones £40 sound as good as most high end stuff, so money is not everything.
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I have Bose soundsport earbuds - which are great, I tend to run/cycle with Aftershokz bone conduction headphones though which might also be worth a look - I just got a set you can even swim with. Depends on whether you want to hear ambient noise or not I guess.
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Or I could compromise on a wireless earphone set - a wire between the ear pieces but still BT to the phone. I use them out gardening and stuff mostly.
Interesting to know that proper noise cancelling is appearing though - now that I would expect to pay a lot for because it always has been expensive.
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Originally posted by KinooOrKinog View PostIf price isn't an issue why don't you just buy the real ones? I assume what you get with the Apple ones is that they don't break. And if they do, you take them back & have them replaced under your gaurantee. You've already proved the cheap ones aren't as good.
When people say the cheaper ones are junk, would they say cheap wired ones are junk too? I would never spend more than £20 on earphones (proper headphones are different) but that's dumb tech. £20 for a wired earphone VS £30 for someone cramming all that BT stuff into wireless ones, they must be having to scrimp and save like crazy!
There doesn't seem to be much middle ground between £30 no-name Chinese ones and the pro range starting closer to £150 to compete with Airpods. Well, apart from a bunch of Kickstarter things but those are hardly reliable. Jabra is the only mid-range one I know but in the UK they are on the higher end - I saw a set £108 on Amazon deals this morning.
Maybe Santa might have to get involved!
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Originally posted by SteelyDan View PostYep, the iconx ones have 'ambient sound' function which you can have on or off...it enables you to choose to either listen to, or block off, the outside world.
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Originally posted by SimonMac View PostThe top of the range ones will have some noise cancelling, better experience but will impact the battery life.
I'd recommend the Libratone Track Air+
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Originally posted by d000hg View Post
Has anyone got recommendations... At whatever price point... Of ones that work well? What do you get spending the extra £100 over the innumerable Chinese ones on Amazon? Or are cheap ones as good for normal use?
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Chap at work swears by his Airpods. Expensive but he used to work for Dixons and says the cheapest way to get them is to use their price promise against them.
Essentially, they will give you double the difference off if you find a product cheaper elsewhere.
Recently, Amazon had an offer on Airpods and he took that into Dixons in T5 and got double the difference discounted off their in store price. Saved a good £50+ quid.
He had to buy a new pair because he left his on the desk in the office and someone walked off with them...
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Originally posted by d000hg View PostI was hugely skeptical of these when they came out, but I tried some cheapo £30 ones on my phone and was impressed with the concept. Until they broke.
Has anyone got recommendations... At whatever price point... Of ones that work well? What do you get spending the extra £100 over the innumerable Chinese ones on Amazon? Or are cheap ones as good for normal use?
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
The iconx 2018 (originally c. £199) are brilliant to be honest, especially when out walking or even mowing the lawn, and include 4gb onboard storage, although I've not used that, I just operate it from my phone music player. Good sound quality which you can adjust via their 'gear' or 'wear' app.
Limited availability on these though now, but I've read that there are plans to bring out new iconx 2019 with 8gb storage, but can't find any up to date info on that so they may have cancelled them. If they appear, I'll definitely get a pair.
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No, get real ones
Sent from my iPhone using Contractor UK Forum
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