Earphones / Headphones: Where to try, what to buy?

Can anyone recommend some bone conductors for running?

Are there any with memory that can store a podcast or some tunes so I don’t have to Jake a “device” to pair with while I run?

AfterShokz do a set that holds audio, but they’re pricy at £139ish.

I’ve got a set of their Titanium ones and they’re okay...they’re alright but definitely feel a bit odd when you first use them and if you turn them up too much they definitely leak out.

Have also got a mono earpod which works relatively well and is a far cheaper solution, but does give you the bouncer/secret service look... :-)

I have some bone conduction and my feeling is they leak quite a lot of sound. I'll have to try them with someone stood nearby and see what they say.

some headphones/earphones have pass-through for outside sounds, I think the new Airpods do, the Jabra Elite Sport do, Sony MDR-1000X do

Interesting. I have some headphones that do this but they just stop the music rather than blend it. Looks like some of the Jabra ones could be affordable but I doubt I'll be able to try any out to see how it works.

That's weird. I've only tried it once, it's a bit odd as it amplifies noises from further away than you'd otherwise be able to hear but that may have just been a shitty implementation of it.

The headphones I have it in are 10 years old so not the most modern of implementations.

I doubt I'll be able to try any out to see how it works.

Maybe not right now cos of the virus but you can usually go to places like John Lewis or Currys and try on the headphones. The Sony ones call it 'ambient sound'.

Yes, thinking more of covid restrictions. I can't imagine trying on headphones is something shops are doing at the moment.

my wife would like a pair of airpods but would rather not spend £150. mostly she listens to podcasts with one ear in while cycling to work. her phone doesn't have a headphone port. If I wanted to spend under £40 for wireless separate in ear headphones what should I buy?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SAVFY-Wireless-Mini-Earphone-Earbud/dp/B071XBY6SV/ref=pd_sbs_107_1/259-7654822-6582961

Okay friends need a pair of Bluetooth wrap around headphones that stay put during exercise. Battery life is important for road rides and such. Would like to be able to answer my phone and use Google Assistant.

They need to sound acceptable. They don't have to be perfect. But sound pleasurable. This is not an audiophile endeavor

I'd like them to be fairly isolating.

Fairly standard request I know but want to get an up-to-date recommendation.

In the end I got some Sony WF-1000XM3 from Amazon Warehouse for under £100. I told myself they'll also be useful when work trips start again and I'm spending time on planes and trains (ignoring that this may not happen for a long time).

For £100 they're decent. Sound better than the cheaper wireless in-ears I have and the noise cancellation is very good. Also play nicely with just connecting with one earphone, lots of others seem very picky about that.

Not quite figured out which tips to use though. Not fully happy with any of the supplied ones. Tempted to go Comply but they're not cheap. What are the options between Comply and the cheapo AliExpress jobbas?

Any other suggestions for a decent seal but not feeling like I've crammed too large a tip in my ear?

I'm away form the UK and have no home audio in my new place yet. I want to buy some in-ear phones for lounging around with and also work, travelling and commuting etc. I seem to easily damage/break cheap apple earphones and the quality fo the sound is a bit poor. I'm not a fan of wireless so have been researching the best in ear phones for your money in 2020. I have come to the conclusion to buy some 1more triple drivers? Any reason why I shouldn't?

I lost my Bose QC35 II earphones a while ago, luckily they were covered by my travel insurance so now I have €240 to spend on something new. I'm contemplating getting the same thing again, I tried the 700 but found the cups too shallow for my ears, but I wouldn't mind something less bulky. Which got me thinking about the AirPods Pro, but my laptop is a Windows one so I'm not sure if it'll play nicely. Anyone with experience on that? The alternative in-ears with ANC don't look great, couldn't find anything apart from the Sony WF-1000XM3 and it's hard to look past their looks. Would anyone happen to have them?

Yes (two posts above yours).

Very impressed by them. Noise cancelling is very, very good and the connection is rock solid. Good but not spectacular for music. Really good for TV, podcasts, etc

(two posts above yours)

oops

Would you wear them while sporting / outside when it rains?

Longer term update on my OneOdio A9's. They've been working perfectly until I charged them a couple of days ago and now the right ear is much quieter than the left ear. Still useable and for £30 I can't complain for the amount of hours they've been on.

Quick update. I bought a pair of aftershokz.

The Aftershokz are great! I use them on the bike so I'm still aware of my surroundings. Music 'conducts' fine.

Battery doesn't last the longest, so needs to be charged every couple rides.

Fits well with a helmet and sunglasses.

I had the Sony WF-1000XM3 and eventually returned them. The sound was very good, but they're awkward to jam in the ear. More importantly, they had an unreliable BT connection and would often 'crash' to the extent that they'd stop playing and responding to controls, needing a hard reset.

I switched to AirPods Pro and couldn't be happier. Other than the simple macOS/iOS pairing process, I can't see why using them with Windows would be an issue, but I have no experience of that.

Thanks, saves me a lot of hassle!

I'd wear them in the rain (and have). I find that for me in-ears generally fall out during sport but I wouldn't have an issue other than that. Getting them for under £100 rather than full retail may mean I'm a bit less precious about them.

@adlopa I'm surprised by that. For me one of the best things is how good the bluetooth connection is. Although if the whole thing is crashing it sounds more like generally faulty than just poor connection.

The new aeropex ones?
I had the old (Trekz Titanium) version which were good, but they broke. However, they were good enough to warrant replacing. The newest design (Aeropex) are simply excellent, much better than the previous!

I got the aeroplex! It's great. Real pleasure to wear and works great!

Sub-£100 headphones for listening to records at home. Is open-back THAT much better sounding, and will the noise wake up my family after they go to bed? Will a cable make it sound noticeably better compared to Bluetooth? And should I consider just getting a Bluetooth transmitter that sends from my amp to my earbuds?
Any help appreciated. I’ve done some thread searching but there’s not been much for quite a few years.