Best iPhone-Compatible Earbuds?

About your only (best?) alternative at this point is to use the Shure headphone adapter cable:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=6B2 FAAD2&fnode=home/shopiphone/iphoneaccessories/headsets&nplm=TN544LL/A

This allows you to plug any earbuds/phones in (obviously Shure wants you to use theirs) and still have a microphone and send/end call capability.

Only drawback seems to be length of cable -- you'll be having some might long cable lengths here, but that doesn't seem avoidable right now.

I tried a bunch and fell in love with the Vibe Duo (the new ones with the built in microphone)..

They are on the apple site. Sound great, comfortable, Iphone compatible and the mike is even reasonable although not as good as the Jawbone bluetooth mike.

Take care...

I'd read all the reviews before I'd buy the Vibe -- many folks think they are crap.

I'd still stick with the Shure system -- you can buy quality phones (not earbuds) if you'd like and you're not stuck with any one ear system. (But this is just IMHO).

V Moda makes an iPhone compatible set of buds. I can't speak to the quality of those, but I have a set of regular earbuds and like them better than any I've used.

I got these, and could not be happier:

http://www.ultimatebuds.com/store/product.php?productid=16133&cat=0&page=1&featu red

I have been a happy Etymotic user for more than six years. The UltimateBuds product made it possible for me to have the etymotic quality with the convenience of the apple microphone/switch cable.

I returned my set of Vibe Duos because of the lack of a clicker to pause, skip, answer calls, etc.

If I have my headphones in, I'm probably doing something where I can't or don't want to pull out the phone to answer a call. The offering from Vibe didn't offer the flexibility that the iPhone headphones did.

The product from Shure seems good, but my concern is that I'd end up with about 40 feet of cable because I believe that the "jack" for your headphones to plug into is on the mic unit itself, which is already up by my neck. Add the length of any headphone cable to that, and it seems a bit annoying.

I saw a new product from Monster, I believe, that basically solves that issue, but you end up with a separate string of wire. it plugs into your iPhone jack, and the bit you plug in there has a female headphone jack to plug your normal headphones into, so you end up plugging them in about an inch above your iphone. Wear headphones as normal. Then, off of the side of that plug, a separate wire that has a mic and the click button on it can be run up and clipped to your shirt or whatever. This also seems like it would give you the option to run your normal headphones behind your head and down your back, while keeping the mic up front. Just a thought!

Thank you for the input. I would like to clarify my specs. I am not as concerned with style, etc., but I do want the best quality sound headset that also gives my phone listen/mic capability. Your suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

I have the new version of the Vibe Duo, they now include a button on the mic and they sound awesome and the button makes so much difference, you can answer calls and pause/next track the music.

I highly recommend these, great deep bass and overall sound.

http://shop.v-moda.com/p-35-vibe-duo-w-control-playback.aspx

Message was edited by: mwhaley99

Also, I had purchased a pair (without the button) from Apple and when V-Moda released the button version, I contacted them and they asked for proof of purchase then emailed me a voucher to buy the new pair at 50% off and I got to keep my orginal ones (which I subsequently sold)

Great customer care.

Thank you very much. I will look into these. Sounds like pretty much what I am looking for.

By "regular earbuds," do you mean the headset that comes standard? They are not truly "buds" if I am correct. If this is the headset you are referring to, have you compared this to the ultimate buds or the vmoda vibe duo? You say you prefer the standard one to any others you have tried and I am curious to know if you have tried the other 2 sets mentioned in this thread (vmoda vibe duo and ulitmate buds).

Anyone else that can comment on this would also be appreciated.

Thank you!

Just hold on for a second!

Have you thought about getting a Phone adapter? I did. I got a Shure adapter that allows for any headphones to be used and it has a speaker and a control button, just like the iPhone earbuds.

In my particular case, I am using it with ER6i Etymotic isolator earphones. Sounds great. And I use it to make/take calls.

The adapter is bit pricey ($40) but I just noticed that another company is coming out with similar setup for less than $20, including volume control.

Mk, you make a good point and I considered doing exactly that, but like another user suggested, it seems there would be so much additional cord that it would be kinda clumsy.

I have narrowed it down to the Vmoda Vibe Duo or the Ultimate Buds Etymotic ER-6i.

I want the clearest, truest sound possible. I do not care about exaggerated bass, but want only what we are supposed to hear from the original recording.

That said, can anyone comment on these 2 headsets??

I have to be honest. I haven't tried the Vmoda. And the UltimateBuds use a cheaper version of the etymotics than the ones I have happily used for many, many years (I think those long-time favorites, which run about $325, are the ER-4P model). The more expensive etymotics apparently can't be connected to the stock iPhone cord because of soldering problems. Finally, I am 60 years old, so my opinion is the LEAST valuable one that you will receive here.

Nevertheless, I can say this. I HATE the "hard" (meaning hard plastic) ear buds that come with the iPhone. They are so painful that they make my ears hurt after 20 minutes or so. I actually purchased some soft cushiony things to add to those stock earbuds (sorry, I can't remember the name of the product--it may have been something like EarJams), to reduce the pain. I am extremely happy with the UltimateBuds because the ear buds are soft and comfortable; if I'm losing any sound quality, my ears are too long gone for me to hear it.

What gives me the greatest pause about the Vmoda is the issue of comfort. Please listen carefully to what other people advise, however, because they will probably be a better source of information on sound quality.

I am so happy with my old etymotics that I continue to search for adapters to use with them--adapters that would allow me to also use the iPhone as a phone. I liked the Shure adapter, but it DOES result in a whole lot of extra cord, so I don't tend to use it. I have ordered both the new Monster adapter and the Helium Digital adapter, because I would like to come up with alternatives to use with my original etymotics and with my Bose noise-canceling headphones.

Good luck on your search for the perfect earphones / earbuds.