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

On ear might be okay, though I find my Momentum ll to be uncomfortable.

I've got the Momentum 3 over ear, which have ben really good. I got them direct from the Sennheiser Outlet for £169 which are supposed to be B-grade, but were indistinguishable from new for me. Even the box was unopened and still had the security sticker on.

I think it was Stonehedge that recommended mpow flame to me. I’ve been using mine most days for 10months and they are pretty good. Not audiophile approved and Bluetooth drops out momentarily occasionally but otherwise I’ve worn them in the heavy rain (running and cycling) and they have been fine. Cheap as chips @ £20

Yeah definitely looking at these.

do airpod pros still work well with windows computers ? is it easy to flick between using them for laptop and then moving to iphone? i am also thinking about getting some to replace my dying AKG N60 NCs.... i just have this strange aversion to them / love the sound of my AKGs

You have to disconnect them from the iPhone/Windows machine before connecting to the iPhone/Windows machine but yes, it's very easy to bounce between devices. Takes seconds.

just seen they only have 5hr battery life (albeit more if you put them in the case for a bit). the sound can also lag a bit when viewing videos... how noticeable is the latter?

Battery lasts for longer if you turn off ANC, which I don't have on all of the time - for example when walking in a quiet area. And they charge so quickly in the case that it hasn't mattered to me. I really thought I'd be affected by the 5 hour battery but it's been fine. I haven't experienced the latter and I am incredibly sensitive to it.

well then - i trust your opinion. might have to get some :-)

Be someone

Still quite happy with my Sennheiser HD-25's, yet now it's getting colder I'm not so happy how they sound when worn over a merino wool hat - so have been using the good old apple ear pods lately, which are not high fidelity for sure, but I think they sound just fine - plus I can actually make calls with them which is nice 🙂
Sadly my hears have become super sensitive to wind and cold, and while the ear pods fit my ears well when I'm cycling there's draft in my ears which I don't like.

Long story short: what I'm looking for is some low budget in ears which protect from wind, sound decent, and ideally with the option to use as a headset.
Any suggestions?

I had some Sure SE215's a while ago and they were ok (pretty good sound, fit my ears ok) but I remember them being quite a faff to get in / out of the ear - maybe an issue with all those in-ears that sit "tight"?
I remember it being annoing to fumble them in and out everytime I went in a shop as dampened outside noise so well I couldn't really have a conversation without getting at least one of them out of my ears 😅

I wonder if AirPod Pros would be tight enough to keep wind out (while cycling)? They're over my budget but might consider saving up if they're really worth it..

Ever since Bluetooth 5.0 has arrived most reviews seem to imply that 4.2 is not even worth looking at. Any real life experiences here? I’m looking at headphones and some wireless units that I’m interested in are only available in the older codec. Thanks!

For what it's worth I got some Sony MDR-EX650AP's..

..new but cheap (via a small ad), and they pretty much do what I want -
fit my ears well (sit snug / don't fall out)
super easy to get in / out of ears without fumbling around too much
don't let any wind in at all
sound decent

..they actually sound as I remember sony earbuds sounding back in the day, when you had the MEGA BASS setting on, it's a tad much really, but as I enjoy listening to techno a lot these days it all right 😅

So I'm returning and getting a refund on my replacement pair of Jaybird Tarah Pros.
For an "athletes" ear/headphone, they don't seem to handle sweat very well, and this is the second time they've become faulty. They power up, but don't play any media off my phone. As I said, this is the second pair I'm returning and I'm opting for a refund.
I found the jaybird app and how it links to the earphones pretty good though, with the adjustment of personalised sound with bass, mid etc. and other sound presets, but maybe all Bluetooth earphones do this nowadays?
Anyway, refund will be coming in within a few days, any recommendations for 'active lifestyle' earphones?

Anyway, refund will be coming in within a few days, any recommendations for 'active lifestyle' earphones?

Airpods have been the best for me, assuming you're an Apple user.

Also recently got some Aftershokz bone conduction earphones. Only run with them once and the sound quality is nothing to write home about, but having them not block out the rest of the world is nice.

Doesn't the "transparency mode" of the airpods do this as well?

Haven’t tried AirPods specifically but transparency mode on sennheisers/shures is still much lower awareness than bone conduction. It’s good for not missing your bus stop but I wouldn’t cycle with them.

Kind of, but you lose the awareness of which direction things are coming from that you'd have if your ears weren't covered.
Transparency mode also does a good job of amplifying the wind and making what's playing on the phone inaudible.

..this basically means AirPods with transparency mode are shit for cycling in your opinion?

@h2o thanks for your feedback as well!

Yep, imo.

I run with AirPods Pro in normal/non-transparency mode.
I wouldn't cycle with them either in normal or transparency mode.

I've never tried it but bone conduction seems to be the most sensible solution for cycling.

No, android and everything else

I find the standard AirPods pretty good for cycling if they fit in your ears well enough to not be at risk of falling out when hit by wind.

I've never tried it but bone conduction seems to be the most sensible solution for cycling.

In my experience, OK for running on quiet roads but not great on the bike. The sound gets drowned out very easily & I don't like the idea of using them at full volume for extended periods.

What about Mifo?

https://mifo.co.uk/collections/mifo-o5-true-wireless-earbuds/products/mifo-o5-plus-true-wireless-earbuds ?

Has anyone come across these? They look good, the reviews look consistently solid.
I'm thinking it's my treadmill intervals that have caused two of my jaybird sets to pack in due to sweat. Mifo seem to have a better IPX rating, if not similar.

Anyone got any spare horns (the plastic loops to hold the earbud in place) that come with beats X?