Apple Earpods

[chebby]

Almost universally well rated by actual customers ...

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/1166321.htm (4.8 out of 5 from 48 people)

http://www.tesco.com/direct/apple-md827zma-earpods-with-remotemic/609-1215.prd (4.5 out of 5 from 95 people)

http://www.engadget.com/products/apple/earpod/ (7.9 out of 10 from 76 user reviews)

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MD827ZM/B/apple-earpods-with-remote-and-mic (4 out of 5 from 382 people)

http://www.johnlewis.com/apple-earpods-with-remote-and-mic/p231827805#tabinfo-ratings (4.2 out of 5 from 10 people)

(I have not included Amazon links because there are too many 3rd party sellers and too many separate ratings but mostly very good.)

Why - given all the positive feedback from actual users - are the Apple Earpods so 'hammered' by the professional hi-fi press?

I haven't spent much time with my pair (included with my old iPhone 5) but it's been a pretty enjoyable experience and they are an excellent shape, very comfortable over long periods and easy to keep clean with just a disposable sterile wipe.

How many competing earphones (with mics) are significantly better for the same cost? (£24 - £25)

 

[Paul.]

I always found Senheisers budget in ears such as the CX300 II to be better, but the Apple headphones don't fall out of my ears. I rather like using the ear pods whilst im out walking, their complete lack of isolation means you get a sence of whats going on around you, like you have a soundtrack over day to day life.

As a freebie, they are amazing. As a £25 pair of headphones, not so much

 

[chebby]

... their complete lack of isolation means you get a sence of whats going on around you, like you have a soundtrack over day to day life.

Maybe that's another reason I like them. I have never owned any closed headphones. They have all been open backed going back to my first Sennheiser HD 414s when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth

 

[dalethorn]

Here's an EQ correction I did on my Earpods (I have 6 - 3 of them came with devices, and 3 I bought from Apple).

http://dalethorn.com/Photos/Audioforge/Apple_Earpods.jpg

Dirac did their EQ, which helped a lot, but I went a little further...

 

[JoelSim]

Like you said Chebby, there is little point in buying £25 earphones. Typically they don't sound much better than the supplied Apple buds but when you consider the cost price to make a pair of £25 earphones is less than a fiver. I would say the benefits are apparent from £30 upwards and when you get to £70/£80 you are moving into audiophile territory.

 

[MajorFubar]

they are an excellent shape, very comfortable over long periods

Maybe it's just me but I find them absolutely impossible to wear. Same with every other earpod/earbud which doesn't truly fit in the ear canal. Barely move a facial muscle and they drop out on the deck. I too got them with my iPhone 5S and for the literally several seconds that I was able to keep them in my ears, I agree the sound is much better than they are typically credited with. Pefectly adequte for general listening. Largely irrelevant though as clearly I have completely and utterly the wrong shaped lugholes to wear them.

 

[Marsbardark]

They're ****. The minimum you should spend earphones/headphones is £80 on something from Grado or Shure.