# Apple in-ear headphones - Actually good?! Anyone have any experience with them?



## Runefox (Mar 31, 2011)

So I'm looking into replacing my broken Sony MDR-EX85LP earphones with something a little less crap, and while I've been looking at the Etymotic HF5 and the new Shure SE215, I've never really been quite able to spring for them. So out of boredom, I was browsing Apple's store to see how ridiculously overpriced most of their accessories were.

Then I found their unattractively-named in-ear headphones with in-line remote+mic. $89 with free shipping. That's not the surprising part, though. This is:







What. Let's compare that to the Ety HF5:






Does anyone have any experience with these things? I mean, they aren't too far off the price of Shure SE215's, but I don't think a frequency response chart has been made for those yet. But seriously, if they're as good in terms of frequency response as Ety HF5's and come with an in-line controller and microphone, that's essentially a set of Ety MC5's (HF5's with remote+mic) for half the asking price.

Is Apple blowing smoke or is that graph accurate? Do they actually sound good or are they overpriced Skullcandies?


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## Leafblower29 (Mar 31, 2011)

No, they suck. $10 ear buds are better than the Apple ones. They put a high price on them and people think they are automatically good because Apple and the FÃ¼hrer Steve Jobs said so.


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## Aden (Mar 31, 2011)

Leafblower29 said:


> No, they suck. $10 ear buds are better than the Apple ones. They put a high price on them and people think they are automatically good because Apple and the FÃ¼hrer Steve Jobs said so.


 
I detect no bias here

Unfortunately I have no experience with them. I've had a few pairs but they were never used.


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## Kivaari (Mar 31, 2011)

Leafblower29 said:


> No, they suck. $10 ear buds are better than the Apple ones. They put a high price on them and people think they are automatically good because Apple and the FÃ¼hrer Steve Jobs said so.


 
Not necessarily, it doesn't always mean that just because they have the Apple name on them. These are more expensive than the average earbuds they sell. I remember someone saying that some pair of earbuds they sell are rebranded Shure's, I'd guess that's probably these if it's true.

I also realized that the iPod Classic is the cheapest MP3 player with a hard drive now. I never thought I'd be buying an iPod, but I guess now it's probably the best choice since aftermarket Zune batteries have very shitty life.


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## Captain Howdy (Mar 31, 2011)

They test poor dynamically, as they are bottom-of-the-barrel stock ear buds - As versus brands like Sennheiser. I'm not a huge headphone snob, but stock earbuds are shit, Apple is no exception.


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## Runefox (Apr 1, 2011)

Leafblower29 said:


> No, they suck. $10 ear buds are better than the Apple ones. They put a high price on them and people think they are automatically good because Apple and the FÃ¼hrer Steve Jobs said so.





Lastdirewolf said:


> They test poor dynamically, as they are  bottom-of-the-barrel stock ear buds - As versus brands like Sennheiser.  I'm not a huge headphone snob, but stock earbuds are shit, Apple is no  exception.


 
These aren't the stock earbuds; These are higher-end in-ear earphones that Apple sells from their store. According to the graphs, they have extremely good frequency response, which indicates that, well, they're extremely good. They also get good reviews on Apple's site, though I tend to ignore that because there's a lot of bias on there. Which is why I'm asking here, because frankly, I don't really want to believe much of what Apple says about these, but if someone can vouch for them, colour me surprised.


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## Bobskunk (Apr 1, 2011)

Runefox said:


> These aren't the stock earbuds; These are higher-end in-ear earphones that Apple sells from their store. According to the graphs, they have extremely good frequency response, which indicates that, well, they're extremely good. They also get good reviews on Apple's site, though I tend to ignore that because there's a lot of bias on there. Which is why I'm asking here, because frankly, I don't really want to believe much of what Apple says about these, but if someone can vouch for them, colour me surprised.


 
I can't vouch for them either, since I don't have a pair, but that graph is incredibly surprising, especially from Apple- they took the "people with awful earbuds and 128kbps MP3 collection" group and made it absolutely explode by injecting a bit of white plastic consumer fashion into the mix.  I would not have expected them to have made earphones with that kind of response, if everything else is also good.  Then again, I think the Klipsch S4i are about the same price and sound even better- you just have to be more careful about the cable.  S4 is cheaper- it's the S4i without the mic, so if you don't need that, that's an option.  The S5i is more expensive but with a better cord, though by that point you're getting in 120bux territory when the In-Ears are around 80.

also wow, little under half the posters in this thread already are dumb as bricks

EDIT: whoops looks like the S4 is very bright to compensate for the goobers that are fine with highly compressed audio (yet are still dumb enough to spend 80+bux  on earphones with which to listen to them) and the S5 is nice + rugged + waterproof and has a better signature.  having trouble finding graphs for them, though


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## Aden (Apr 1, 2011)

Bobskunk said:


> I would not have expected them to have made earphones with that kind of response, if everything else is also good.


 
You know the earbuds with microphones on them that come with the iPhone? That mic's response is surprisingly flat as well for what it is. I tuned my room with it and a spectrum analyzer app.


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## Bobskunk (Apr 1, 2011)

Aden said:


> You know the earbuds with microphones on them that come with the iPhone? That mic's response is surprisingly flat as well for what it is. I tuned my room with it and a spectrum analyzer app.


 
I've heard the mic was good too, yeah.  It's REALLY surprising, considering that the audience for iPhones/iPods aren't people who would appreciate that sorta thing.  They'd either go "OH HEY IT LOOKS GOOD AND PLAYS 128KBPS MP3" or "NOT ENOUGH BASS."

apple in-ear = mclobster, if the mclobster was an actual, traditional lobster meal


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