The Battle of the Buds ⇥ toolsandtoys.net

Stephen Hackett, writing on the Tools and Toys blog:

Using old-school earbuds means I can’t take a call (as they don’t have a mic) nor control my music (no buttons). And since the EarPods aren’t super comfortable to use, I’ve been at a loss.

I was speaking with Shawn about this, and he gave me a challenge: could I find a set of earbuds I love for less than $100?

I use Apple’s in-ear headphones, which I find have absolutely wonderful sound reproduction — Nine Inch Nails’ “Even Deeper” has huge bass, but the trebles are still very delicate. My biggest complaint with these headphones is that the tips fall off far too easily. About a week ago, I lost one of the translucent white tips in the snow after it brushed against my jacket. Apple doesn’t sell replacement tips and, while they used to provide them for free at the Genius Bar, they recently stopped this practice.

I’ve been looking for a new pair of headphones for a while now, and Hackett’s recommendation seems perfect, for $40 cheaper than Apple’s.