I need to replace some cheapo earphones which came with an old Nokia phone. They have a 3.5mm jack and inline volume control. They’re the type which simply plop in the outside ear. I think they used to have a cloth cover, but they kept falling off, so I’ve been using them with just the bare plastic body, which can be a bit uncomfortable at times, and it doesn’t provide as good a seal.

I’ve bought a couple of pairs of more expensive types in the past which are meant to be inserted into the ear canal, but I could never get them to fit no matter what size of ‘custom fit’ ear piece I used. They were a total waste of money as I was unable to use them. I’ve since been to an audiologist for an impression for some custom ear phones, and I think I must have pretty small and strangely shaped ear canals – judging by his remarks!

I don’t want to make another mistake of buying something which doesn’t fit, so I’d appreciate some suggestions for basic ear phones similar to the ones I’m using, but which sound fairly decent. Alternatively, are there ones with more secure fittings which don’t actually need to be inserted into the ear canal?

I really just use them for listening to the radio when in bed or at work, and often only have one earpiece in place. I do need an inline volume control.

Thanks very much!

I’ve just checked and realised the ones I’m using aren’t Nokia, but Sennheiser MX-something-or-other.

Cx100 mk2 are £16 at Argos.

I just bought some Sennheiser CX-300 II’s, and thus far sound is great, but rendered almost completely unusable by the microphonics through the cables. Even slight winds will send a howl down the cables.

Currently looking for some way of relieving the problem beyond using a clip…

Apple EarPods, sit in the ear like the old Sennheisers, which were only slightly better than the original Apple EarBuds.
The EarPods sit more inside the ear, are very comfy, although some people’s ears don’t really cope with them.
The sound quality is outstanding for free ‘phones, really good bass and quite detailed, cost around £19 new.
Be careful, there are lots of cheap knock-offs on fleabay, described as genuine.
They don’t completely block background noise, but it’s well subdued, and there isn’t too much microphony through the cable.
I use mine a lot, despite having Shure SE215’s, Etymotic ER2i’s with custom eartips, UE SuperFi 3 Pro and UE TripleFi 10 Studio phones; the EarPods are great if you’re out and about, you can hear traffic, they’re dead easy to take out if you need to talk to someone, whereas all the others have flanged eartips that sit right inside the ear canal, sealing it really well, but they’re a bugger to get out quickly, there’s a real risk of leaving the eartip in the ear…

Still like my Shures. In ear, but the key is to use the old yellow foam things. They shape to the ear, but you do have to rotate them to get the bass to work right. Shure stopped doing them and use the washable rubber ones, which while more reusable are no where near as good. The foam ones need replacing after a while, but long ago I got a cheap bag of 100 of them on ebay (official places only sold them in 10s for crazy prices). Lasting me years. Great for use on planes as they cut out a lot of noise, and also in an office, especially if someone is blabbing on at you while you blissfully ignore them.

Thanks very much. My old ones are MX-581 which apparently are for small ears! I popped into Maplin this morning and they had MX-585 for £15 so I’ve ended up buying them. The cables were very flexible on my old ones, and these seem to be the same type. They also have an inline volume control. The downside is that they’re pearlescent white. I haven’t tried them yet, but hopefully they’ll be fine for what I want. They seem to be the most expensive ear bud Sennheiser make (£30 on their website).

I have Sennheiser CX300i which are great,also couple of pairs of JVC Gumy which for around £5-£6 are great. Just got a pair of Griffin Tunebuds which are good too (£3 in TK Maxx bargain). I need several pairs as I’m always leaving them behind at home,work etc!….. 🙂

Something by soundmagic

Soundmagic E10s

http://www.whathifi.com/soundmagic/e10s/review

Sennheiser for me everytime. The right balance of bass for Trance and Orchestral music I listen to. And can hear every single Synth, string etc perfectly. Very comfy also.

Just replaced a set of CX300’s with IE 60’s excellent sound quality, just very pricey £160