Does anyone actually like those silicone tips vs a solid body?
I personally cannot wear the silicone ones. they either fallout, or don’t fit/hurt my ears.
it’s just a royal pain finding the non silicone ones for cheap. it’s just for dog walking. I also don’t do wireless because well… they fall out.
photo examples.
Yep, I massively prefer the soft silicone ones over the hard ones. The harder ones fall out of my ears constantly, any slight tug on the cable and they’re gone. They form a better seal so I can hear what I’m listening to more clearly which I prefer as well
I accidentally put my earbuds though a wash cycle and borrowed some airpods for the gym while waiting for replacements. I don’t understand how a solid one-size-fits all approach can be so popular. With silicone tips you can have different sizes. I actually use a different size for each ear.
I prefer anything that doesn’t go in my ear first, so over the ear or bone conduction style. But after that I prefer the soft silicone in ear buds because both styles hurt my ears but those I can wear for a longer period before they start hurting.
I physically cannot wear the hard plastic ones. I can tilt my head to one side and they will fall out immediately.
That said, i also have super waxy ears as well so any ear tips (silicone or foam) get disgusting quickly, and its also wet wax so they degrade and also fall out (much slower than the plastic though).
I also struggle with over-ears being too clampy because giant head, so im kinda just fucked on the entire non-speaker audio front. I’ve found sennheisers to be fairly comfy. Beyerdynamic DT-770 are waaaay too clampy and slide around a lot.
Yes, I mean who doesn’t?
clearly me. lol
they don’t fit, get extra dirty, the tips get lost making you pay more later.
I was just curious about the general consensus and it feels like it’s near 40/40/10. with the 10 being those that detest all earbuds
Interesting to hear (hehe).
I do. The soft silicone ones are much more comfortable in the long run, provided you’re using a size that is right for you.
I have never found an in-ear style design that both fits and is comfortable. I have, however, found what works perfectly for me. It stays outside the canal, but remains in the ear because of a slight pressure caused by the silicone wing tips. The brand I buy is “Bose Soundsport Wired”. Cheap, sound fine, never fall out.
I got the same ones they came with my cheapie Dime 3 earbuds
I have met a single digit number of people who prefer hard plastic earbuds over the soft tips. There’s a reason why they’re pretty much the only thing you see in “nice” earbuds.
Have you tried different tips? Apple offers like 5 different sizes because it’s so important to have the right fit. Initially they didn’t fit my ear well, but after a while of trying my ear adapted and now they fit perfectly. Foam is also worth a shot, but they get gross fast.
Holy shit I didnt think it was biologically possible to not hate hard plastic earbuds like they raped your mother infront of you.
Yea, those fuckers have always hurt my ears. I didn’t think it was possible for someone to find them more comfortable somehow.
I have a pair of backup headphones like that that I keep for emergencies that I have literally never used for like the 10 years I have had them. Because even when I lose my good headphones, I would rather go without headphones than wear the plastic ones or just not listen to anything at all.
Silicone, 100%.
Silicone tipped are so much better. They’re easier to clean, they’re more comfortable, and they block out outside noise much better.
I don’t understand how the silicone ones can stay in the ear but apparently they do for most people. The top example from the left side in the silicone photo is the only one I can actually wear. Maybe our ears just have a weird shape.
Have you tried any differently-sized tips? Or aftermarket memory foam ones? The latter basically gives you an absolutely perfect seal, as the foam will softly expand to meet the dimensions of your ear canal.
Yeah different sizes don’t seem to make a difference, they still fall off. I haven’t tried the foam tips, maybe they’ll work better. Having to buy them extra just to try is a pretty hard sell.
Yeah, I get that - but you can find some pretty cheap iirc, and if it’s a thing that prevents you from using an otherwise perfectly fine pair of earbuds, it might be worth a shot, especially if it’s just an extra $10 or so.
It depends on the shape of your ears. I use the medium silicone tips (most normally ship with S, M, and L) and they fit comfortably. I can wear them for hours without issue. On the other hand, no size will fit my wife’s ears. They either pop out or hurt her ears. Regardless, they are uncomfortable for her.
I like IEMs with a wrap around design like KZ EDX pro
I hate silicon tips usually but these are my preference too. I have ccx brand ones though.
I think it’s 50/50. Reading the comments pretty much confirms this. Interesting question!
I can’t stand the solid ones and highly prefer the silicone tipped. The amount of low frequencies and all around sound fidelity lost when using solids makes them a non starter for me.
