ear buds that don't fall out

[bmccasland]

I've used various [cheap] ear buds - sometimes bought after "help" from the feline members of the household - but have always had trouble with them falling out. The usual one size fits all just doesn't fit.

So does anyone have any recommendations? Something for smaller ears, and please, NOT pink.

I've searched the forums and didn't see much. I'm looking for something comfortable to wear while on exercise machines, or tuning out the noise at the office. Won't be wearing them while riding, as I know better.:rolleyes:


(yes, a returning old TE member. did you miss me? :o)

[ny biker]

Hello Beth!!

Definitely not cheap, but I like these very much and they definitely stay in my ears. http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/in_ear_headphones/soundtrue_ie/index.jsp#currentState=soundtrue_ie_headphones_audio

They are not noise-blocking so I can still hear other sounds, especially with the music on low volume. It looks like Bose has other models that do block other noises.

I tried these but they had poor sound quality, I think because they didn't fit in my ears right. http://t.store.sony.com/products/27-MDREX10LP~

[Catrin]

Good topic. I only wear them for indoor rowing (I row 10K-15K meters at a time, which takes some time), and one side of my current buds stopped working. Using my fancy earphones that came with my Galaxy S5, but I want to find something else as those are quite nice - and I've noted my gym earphones don't seem to last very long for some reason.

NY Biker, did the Sony come with different size bud covers? I've found I usually need the smallest I can find.

[Eden]

I'm guessing I probably have small ears - the standard earbuds that come with apple products don't work for me at all - they are so big I have to wedge them part of the way in and they eventually make my ears hurt quite badly. If I try to not put them actually into my ear canal, they just fall out.

I have a different brand, but they have the same design as the Sony ones the NY linked to and I like them. They come with several different sizes of soft silicone tips so you can customize them a little bit. You have to get them in right for the sound to be good, but when they are it's just fine - though I'm probably not as discriminating as some… They are pretty cheap, which is also good for me, as I tend to destroy them with a bit of regularity (and have lost some to a bit of feline help too). I get them at my local drug store when I need a new pair. I think most I've spent is $12, but they are often on sale.

[lph]

Hi Bmc! I apparently have huge ear canals, so I can't recommend a certain brand. But I do recommend the ear buds that have a soft cone (or torus) made to be inserted into the ear, they're way better than the cheap wedge-in type. I go through about one set a year :-o and all the ones I buy come with three different sizes for the "cone", to customize. I think the Koss ones were my favourite, but I think they're discontinued. I had some exercise ones with a curly thingy over the ear, that helped them stay in place.

[OakLeaf]

The ones I have are an earlier version of these (http://www.usa.philips.com/c-p/SHE6000_28/-). I've had problems with earbuds falling out too, but not these, and for inexpensive buds they have great sound. They have two or three sizes of silicone inserts. Caveat though, I use them for traveling and transcribing, and I don't think they're water/sweat proof.

The ones I use in the pool are these (http://www.underwateraudio.com/waterproof-headphones-short-cord-swimbuds/), that came with my waterproof iPod. They stay on reasonably well, good enough for pool running.

[Becky]

I switch the ear tips on my headphones to Comply Active foam tips. They're comfortable and grippy, and stay in even when running. Their website has a fit finder, depending on the specific model of headphones that you own, and they come in multiple ear canal sizes.

[OakLeaf]

:D The compatibility chart is for the headphones, not for the ears. They assume that people buying those tips already have experience with silicone tips.

FWIW, since we're kind of roundaboutly on the subject, I can't really recommend custom earplugs/earbuds. IME, corded earplugs of any kind - which would include earbuds, even if they're wireless they'll be connected physically to some kind of external structure - the cord picks up vibration not only from extrinsic sounds, but from any time it brushes or presses against clothes, hair, or helmet and carries it right into the ear. Uncorded earplugs for noise blocking only, IME are nice for air travel (since they don't seal pressure inside the ear canal) and if you sleep on your back. But since they work by covering the ear canal, not by sealing it, if the outer surface comes in contact with anything, like if you sleep on your side, it both puts pressure on your ear canal and carries noise inside. Walking around, for some reason the noise of my own footfalls is deafening, which I don't have that experience with foam plugs.

[Becky]

I bought a set of tips to fit my specific headphones and they came with three sizes (S, M, L). Next time around, I'll just order the 3 pairs of my size. Comply tips come in both different styles (Active, Comfort, etc.) and different sizes for the specific headphones you have. So yeah, it takes some research to get the right product.

As for the vibration thing, that's exactly I sprung for Bluebuds X bluetooth headphones. Because of the way the cord wraps behind my head, there's no vibration when running. Worth every penny.

[GLC1968]

I have tiny ear canals and I've never been able to wear ear buds that either don't fall out, or don't hurt because I've jammed them in there. I think for me, it's not just the size, but the shape of my ear because even the smallest versions fall out.

I have good luck with Yurbuds. They are silicone things that slip on over a regular earbud. The smallest size they carry does fit comfortably in my ears and even better, stays put when I run. I have the ones they are now calling 'inspire' but they have other versions as well (over the ear, bluetooth, etc). http://goo.gl/fbrDya

[Wasp]

I gave up wearing earbud type headphones. I tried a few different brands/styles and all of them caused me ear pain/discomfort after I wore them longer than an hr. Now I wear the smaller over ear style headphones. Currently I use a pair of Sennheiser Bluetooth headphones. I've used them on the treadmill and had no issues with them falling off. They also have the added bonus of noise cancelation. I personally would like to be able to wear the smaller, less obvious type headphones but it's just not worth the following 3 days of inner ear discomfort I've experienced in the past.

[bmccasland]

The thing that slays me is that long long ago, in an fire department alarm room far far away, I wore an in-ear piece for an entire 8-hour shift without pain. So if the technology existed 30+ (cough cough, has it been THAT long? :eek:) years ago, why oh why is it so hard now!!!

[OakLeaf]

It isn't necessarily the products, though. I've had to keep switching to softer and softer earplugs as my ear canals get sensitized. I wore Hearos Ultimate Softness for several years, now I can't wear them through the night without the pain waking me up. Before that I could wear the orange foam plugs, and before that, pretty much any were okay.

So far I'm doing well with the small Moldex plugs, don't know what they call the model, but if those start getting painful I don't know what's next. :(

[Blueberry]

And on a related note, I just got these noise cancelling phones from Audio Technica (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002HWJT1A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). Not appropriate for exercise, but I like them to be able to concentrate in noisy areas. They may work a little too well, I feel kind of 'off' after removing them. Not sure they are going to work. Anyone use these?

DH has these: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-ANC23-QuietPoint-Noise-Cancelling-Headphones/dp/B004K09H32/ref=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1417789259&sr=1-12

Neither of us does well with over the ear noise canceling headphones - the pressure makes us feel off. These help (but less) with outside noises, but they don't produce that odd feeling for us.

[bmccasland]

I have ringing in my ears, so unfortunately noise cancelling head phones only make me more aware of the squeel.

I would give almost anything if someone could quiet the ring.

Please?

[Catrin]

I have ringing in my ears, so unfortunately noise cancelling head phones only make me more aware of the squeel.

I would give almost anything if someone could quiet the ring.

Please?

Nothing helps I am afraid to say :( I WILL say, however, this. I've tinnitus related to nerve damage in both ears. For the past 18 years both of my ears have been making at least 3 different sounds for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You DO adjust to it! Am I still aware of it? Yes. Does it drive me batty like it once did? Nope. It used to affect my sleep and I just hated it. My hearing is still good, as long as the sound isn't in the same register/range as the noise in my years. I have noted that if I get a head cold then the range/tone/loudness changes. I do get my hearing tested more often than some to keep an eye on my overall hearing.

If you find a way to quiet the ring please let me know, but I thought it might help to hear that eventually it becomes ignorable.

[OakLeaf]

As I understand it there are different hypotheses about tinnitus, and none of them have been proved, but one is that it's not the ear at all, it's the brain misinterpreting signals, and so you can train yourself not to have tinnitus.

I've actually had reasonable success with an app called Tinnitus Tamer. I do have to be diligent about using it, and it hasn't been a permanent cure, but when I devote the time (10 minutes a day) my tinnitus is much better and often absent. Basically it plays tones intermittently, and you set it up so that some of the tones are the same frequency as your tinnitus sounds, so it teaches you to distinguish between the tones and the silence in between.

Another hypothesis is that tinnitus is caused by inflammation, but no treatment I've tried that's targeted inflammation (acupuncture, herbs, pharmaceuticals) has helped at all.

[Catrin]

I am sure there are different causes, I remember several lengthy discussions with specialists when this all came up. Mine came from a VERY bad ear infection that caused nerve damage in both ears. That app sounds interesting.