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Don't enjoy the included earbuds? Try the Apple in-ear headphones...

Hi everyone!

I thought I'd provide some feedback after enjoying the new shuffle for the past couple of days.

I've cast aside the included earbuds in favor of Apple's in-ear headphones. For those that may not yet know, these have the same controls as the included set and are absolutely 100% compatible with the new shuffle. The only difference is that there's also a microphone embedded in the remote but this is simply redundant as far as the shuffle goes (it comes into play with the iPhone, iPod touch and the 4th gen Nano).

The benefit that I've discovered to using the in-ear phones with the shuffle are:

1) You still retain full control over all the functions. At the time of this writing, this is the only alternative set of phones that can do this!

2) They do not fall out while jogging, working out, etc. if this is a problem for you with the existing set.

3) The sound is incredibly detailed and thus you can take complete advantage of one of the main features of the new shuffle - the ability to use lossless tracks. These phones can easily deliver all the extra detail that's available by opting to use lossless tracks. While I admire the ability to re-encode your music to 128k/AAC on the fly for use with the shuffle plus the fact that compression technology is very good for what it is, to my ears lossless is enormously superior to 128k, and I prefer to have 10 albums at amazing quality than 50 albums at so-so quality.

4) Sound isolation is superior, so outdoor listening isn't a problem. I've also tested these on a recent flight, and I found that they hold up extremely well - so much so that I no longer use my active noise cancelling headphones.

So basically, I've discovered that the new shuffle paired with the in-ear phones make a formidable combination. If you are not satisfied with the included phones but still want full control over your shuffle...consider them recommended.

I don't work for Apple - just an enthusiastic customer wishing to share his experiences and help others who may be looking for a solution.

Message was edited by: Michael271

Macbook White 2.4Ghz, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Mar 23, 2009 11:01 AM

Reply
22 replies

Apr 8, 2009 6:27 PM in response to Michael271

they sounded ok. not great, but ok. my etymotic er-6i's are much better. they didn't stay put in my ears as well as i'd hoped. after 30 minutes of exercising, i must have gotten some sweat into the clicker, and they are inoperable. I'm returning them. I know it's been said over and over here, but i can't believe apple wouldn't have found this engineering problem in testing.

Nov 1, 2011 4:54 PM in response to Michael271

I have not found anyone that likes the standard Apple earphones. They're too big for most women's ears and they don't stay in when you run or hike. With my 3rd gen Shuffle, I would set up the playlist and volume with the original earphones, then switch to my Sony earbuds which are comfortable. The included earphones no longer work, so I went directly to the Apple Store and they sold me the LOGITECH Ultimate Ears as a replacement ($39.00 was hefty enough, but I do love the small size of this shuffle, and with 4GB it holds plenty of music.) As I have since found out (I called Logitech when I couldn't get the phones to recognize my playlists.), and is noted here in your web site, the UE's do not have the functionality to play or change playlists. The 3rd generation has you locked in to the original phones or the replacement apple phones ($79.00...ridiculous). That was NOT told to me when I purchased the UE's. I went back to the Apple store, and they confirmed that this functionality was not in the UE's. The result is that I no longer have playlist functionality. I refuse to pay $79.00 to replace earphones which only lasted a couple of years Boo-hiss on Apple for not providing an earbud replacement, that is priced in proportion to the product. Thanks for letting me get this off of my chest, and it has really "soured" my feelings for Apple...pun intended!

Don't enjoy the included earbuds? Try the Apple in-ear headphones...

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