Earphone tips

[manicm]

This. I cannot fathom why foam tips are not standard rather than horrid silicone ones. It's one reason I don't use in-ears anymore.

You could be spoiling the sound of your wireless earbuds and not even know it

Do you go off the menu for your eartips?

www.whathifi.com

 

[Al ears]

This. I cannot fathom why foam tips are not standard rather than horrid silicone ones. It's one reason I don't use in-ears anymore.

You could be spoiling the sound of your wireless earbuds and not even know it

Do you go off the menu for your eartips?

www.whathifi.com

Simple reason is economics. They provide tips to suit most people and do the job. To include decent memory foam type tips as well would significantly up the initial cost of the earphones themselves.
For what it is worth I don't use any of the standard tips that have come with any of my in ear phones, and I have a few.....

 

[Fatboy]

Third party foam tips transformed the sound of my wireless earbuds, tightening up the bass, improving sound isolation and giving a secure fit, I wish manufacturers would ditch the silicon ones and just supply foam ones.
A lot of the time the supplied silicon tips would detach from the earbuds and be left in my ear, after I had selected the correct size for my ears, and made sure that they were properly attached to the earbuds.

 

[My2Cents]

Earbuds essentially suck. The sound is constantly changing ever so slightly as they loosen slightly over time, especially when working out. I find myself constantly having to re adjust them. They are also hard on your hearing, more so than over the ears.
I’ve tried just about every after market tips that are out there, which can improve things a little. Also, as you adjust them, you end up activating various ‘touch’ functions, which is really annoying.
I personally prefer a good pair of over the ears for just about every listening situation.
The only buds that are worth considering are custom fit pro ‘in ears’ that have been moulded for your personal ear canal and also typically gets secured via a hook that wraps around your ear lobe to secure the bud in place. Even then… have you ever noticed how many artists end up removing one of their ‘in ears’ during a show?

 

[Rodolfo]

A lot of generalization here...

I also much prefer wired headphones and earphones, and over- vs. in-ear. But, I can enjoy my music with all my keepers in their various forms. There are so MANY options out there, along with SO-flexible and accessible purchasing and trialing; plus, I'm patient-enough that I've been able to find good-for-me in-ears, as I have with over types over the decades. Most have sucked for me as well, but mine don't. The sound they reproduce may not match that of my preferred options, but they are still capable of pleasing me, expanding the options for listening to Miles, Ronstadt, Segovia, Toots and many other great artists and their instruments.

Fit is primary for earbuds or in-ears. My wired Fiio FH3s came with 11 pairs of tips in various sizes, in both foam and silicone. My right ear prefers one of the larger foam ones included; my left requires one of the smaller silicone ones. The FH3 design also happens to fit and sit just right in both of my ears, and in part they sit fit because the over-the-ear wire is formed and probably weighed just right for both my ears and skull.

My Soundcore A40 wireless in-ears came with foam options in 5 sizes; alas, none fit just right. I simply dipped into the device drawer and found some plastic-bagged silicone options that did. I've always found that silicone tips, in their various designs, provide better fits for me than any kind of foam ones, although there are differences within each type. (And generally, I believe foam is cheaper than silicone. )The key though is that the A40s are tiny and thus fit and sit in my ears very securely. I'm a side-sleeper and I can even lullaby myself to sleep with these on.

When I "work out", bike, hike, etc., I don't listen to music nor anything else; like conversely, when I am listening to, enjoying nice music, I don't work out either. Thus, I have no test results or fit claims for such applications.

As for touch functions, they are more irritating to me than useful for just listening to music, so I just turn these functions off. BTW, I also do this for over the ear wireless headphones, plus I use models that have buttons for controls I require such as ANC and volume. By the way 2, the Soundcore app is the best in the business, I believe, or the best of the bunch that I've tried.