I picked up a pair of budget buds off Amazon last week, the Soundpeats Air4 maybe? The listing said 6.5 hours per charge, but after tracking my actual listening time through my phone's Bluetooth log, I got 8 hours and change before the low battery warning hit. That's like 20% more than advertised, which never happens with tech specs. I checked a few reviewer tests on YouTube after that and a couple of folks in London mentioned the same thing, so I guess the company underrates them on purpose. Anyone else ever had a product outperform its stated battery life that much?
I was testing my new open-backs on the MAX line and this guy next to me heard my music, tapped my shoulder, and said 'you know everyone can hear that, right?' so I switched to my old closed-backs and realized I'd been annoying strangers for two weeks, has anyone else had that awkward wake-up call?
Been using the same pair of earbuds for about 2 years now, always with the foam tips that came in the box. Last week I dug out the silicone ones that were sitting in the drawer since day one and popped them on just to see. The difference was night and day, the low end actually punches now instead of just being this muffled thump in the background. I think the foam was absorbing a lot of the energy or maybe just not seating right in my ear canal anymore after they got compressed. My commute on the 7 train is way more enjoyable now, but the silicone ones don't stay locked in as tight when I'm walking fast. Anyone else notice a big shift like this just from swapping tips, or is it all in my head? Thinking about grabbing a mixed pack to experiment with different sizes but not sure if it's worth the $15.
I lost sixty bucks on those Comply tips because I didn't realize my ear canals are too narrow for foam to hold still, has anyone else had that problem?
I grabbed a pair of $40 KZ ZS10 Pro off Amazon based on hype and the cymbal crashes sounded like shattered glass after 20 minutes of listening. Has anyone else had a budget earbud ruin a playlist because of harsh high frequencies?
I was at my kitchen sink in St. Paul last Tuesday, had my KZ ZSN Pros in my shirt pocket while I was washing up. One slipped out and plopped right into the warm soapy water. I panicked and fished it out in like 2 seconds. Stuck it in a bag of rice for 24 hours and it worked fine after that. No static or weirdness. Anyone else have a near death experience with wet earbuds?
I was reading some random blog post about lithium ion batteries and it said most true wireless earbuds lose about 20% of their battery capacity after 300 charge cycles. I did the math on my two year old pair of cheap buds and realized they probably have way less than the advertised 5 hours now. So I timed them this morning while listening to a podcast at my desk. They died at exactly 3 hours and 42 minutes. Has anyone else actually measured their old earbuds battery life vs what they used to get?
Had these old Audio-Technica ATH-M50s that always sounded hollow on the low end. Read a forum post about using acoustic dampening, so I grabbed some cotton balls from the bathroom and stuffed a few into each earcup behind the driver. Tested it with some electronic tracks and the bass got punchier without being muddy. Anyone else tried this kind of cheap mod for tuning headphones?
I was at a busy coffee shop in Denver last weekend trying to work. My over-ears (closed back) blocked out all the chatter and blender noise, but I couldn't hear when the barista called my name. Switched to some on-ears I had in my bag and could hear everything around me, but the soundstage felt way smaller. Now I'm stuck choosing between isolation and awareness for public spaces. Which side do you guys lean more in crowded places like that?
Last month my right earbud started sounding all muffled and quiet. Figured it was dying. Then I actually looked at the speaker grills with my phone flashlight and they were packed with pocket lint. Spent 20 minutes picking it out with a toothpick and a piece of tape and they sound brand new again. Like nobody ever told me that was a thing. Has anyone else had this happen or am I the only one who treated their earbuds like junk?
I finally got a pair of over-ear headphones last week and the clamping force was absolutely killing my ears after 30 minutes. Tried bending the metal band a tiny bit, nope. Tried stretching them over a stack of books overnight, still nope. It took me like 4 separate sessions over 3 days before I realized I had to heat the band up with a hair dryer first then bend it. Went from vice grip to barely there in like 5 minutes. Anyone else struggle more than they should with getting headband fit right?
Tbh I have tried foam tips from three different brands over the last 6 months and they all lose their shape after a week. Everyone online says they block noise better but my silicone tips isolate just as good and last for months. I swapped back to my old silicone pair last Tuesday and my left ear canal actually feels less sore now. Has anyone else had issues with foam tips wearing out that fast or is it just me?
Had a chat with my chiropractor last week after a long day of listening and she pointed out that my heavy over-ear cans are probably why my traps are always tight. Honestly, it hit different because I never even thought about weight distribution until she showed me the strain on a diagram. Has anyone else dealt with soreness from heavier sets, or am I just being dramatic about 8 ounces?
I bought a 10 pack of those super cheap memory foam tips off Amazon last month... they felt okay at first but by week two the foam was already flaking off. By week three they were basically useless, crumbling in my ears. Tried to return them but the seller ghosted me. Anyone else get burned by those bargain bin eartips?
I grabbed a set of refurbished earbuds from an online deal back in October. Last Tuesday I was walking my dog and the left side just went silent, no warning or anything. I tried resetting them, checked the charging contacts, even cleaned the mesh with a toothpick. Nothing worked, so I emailed the seller and they said the warranty was only 30 days. Now I'm stuck with a single earbud and I'm wondering if anyone else has had luck fixing this kind of issue yourself?
I literally laughed out loud. Tried his Anker buds for a day and the treble was so harsh I got a headache after 30 minutes. Anyone else find that cheap buds ruin spoken word with sibilance?
Used to think more bass meant better sound until I put on my old mixes with the new Sennheisers and heard a cello part I literally didn't know existed in a song I've listened to 200 times, so has anyone else had a pair of headphones completely ruin a favorite album for them?
I bought a pair of Moondrop Chus last Saturday because everyone raves about the sound, but after 2 hours of listening I got this dull ache behind my ears that wouldn't quit. I finally checked the nozzle size and realized they're 6mm wider than my old earbuds, which was pushing on the wrong part of my ear canal. Has anyone else had new headphones hurt at first and then break in fine, or did I just buy the wrong size?
He said the silence from noise cancelling was just making my ears focus on the ringing, so I switched to open backs for 3 days of background noise and now I can actually sleep without that static buzz - has anyone else had their audiologist tell them the same thing?
I saw all the buzz about foam tips for better isolation so I grabbed a pack of Comply ones at Best Buy for $60. They killed the bass on my ATH-M50x and felt like stuffing marshmallows in my ears after 20 minutes. Anyone else find silicone tips just work better for certain headphones?
Last Tuesday I was waiting for the 42 bus downtown when this older dude sits next to me and immediately asks what I'm listening to. I told him some random podcast and he just goes 'but what ear tips are you using?' I laughed thinking he was joking, but he pulled a little case out of his pocket with like 10 different sizes of silicone and foam tips. He spent the next 15 minutes explaining how the wrong tip can 'ruin your bass response and waste your battery life' because you crank the volume up. I was late for work but honestly I learned my small ear canals have been robbing me of low end this whole time. Anyone else ever get ambushed by a tip enthusiast in public?
I was waiting for the 6:45 bus near my place in Reno last Tuesday, just chilling with my Moondrop Arias in. This older dude sits next to me and asks what I'm listening to. I said a podcast about weird historical deaths, and he laughed and said 'you know those are $80 earphones right? That's like using a racing bike to go get milk.' He wasn't being mean or anything, just super confused. Has anyone else gotten weird comments about their gear in public?
I was waiting for the 42 bus last Tuesday and this older guy noticed I kept pulling my earbuds out in frustration. He asked what was up, so I told him the audio on my new wireless buds was always a half second behind video. He just said 'swap your codec to aptX if your phone supports it' and walked off (I almost missed my stop looking it up). That tiny tweak fixed everything for zero dollars. Anyone else have a random stranger solve their audio headache?
Honestly, I see people all the time saying you need to run your new headphones for 50+ hours on pink noise before they sound right. I've tested this on three different pairs over the last two years - a set of closed backs, open backs, and some cheap IEMs. I did blind A/B tests with fresh out of box vs 100 hour burn in samples. Couldn't tell a difference on any of them. My buddy Mike swears his LCD-X changed after 80 hours, but I think it's just your brain getting used to the sound. Does anyone here actually have proof or is it just placebo?