I have a very strong preference to the silicone triple-flange ear tips. They help block outside noise and fit comfortably. Unfortunately, they also don't work with many ear buds. Shure is one of the few brands that they work with for certain.
Does anyone actually like those silicone tips vs a solid body?
I am sure it is the other way. Hard body is fucking terrible at everything. Many report it struggling to hold in the ear canal. They do not have any good noise blocking abilities besides ANC. They hurt some people.
I have not heard from anyone that rubber/foam tips hurt, or have poor noise isolation, or barely hold in ear canal.
I would recommend you try actual good In-Ear Monitors, something like the 7hz Zero 2 to name a cheap and popular option. Feel free to do your research of course, but generally I'd point you in the direction of IEMs. Get something where the cable rolls over the ear. If you get the right ones for your ears they will never fall off. And these come with a variety of silicone or foam eartips for you to choose from. Not to mention that what is called Chi-fi has far surpassed everything else in quality of sound compared to price. For $30 you get the kind of sound you'd have to pay hundreds for. Other popular alternatives:
Moondrop Chu 2: $
Kiwi Ears Cadenza: $$
Truthear Pure: $$$
While I'm lucky that the Apple earpods fit my ears so well that I'd say it's the best earphones for me to sleep on my side (don't sleep with wired earphones it's a choking hazard), it's only Apple's.
I prefer in ear silicone tips. There are plenty of shapes and brands to find one that fits
I like to run and the plastic only ones fly out of my ears. Why would one shape fit in every person's ear? Engineers are designing for the average person. Silicone and elastics can better fit to an ear and hold. That's why metal tubes are connected with elastic gaskets and clamps. The silicone or whatever elastomer helps seal.
I like the ones with memory foam tips. The rubber mushroom tip ones make distracting noises when you move around while wearing them. They amplify noise from the cable rubbing on stuff so they're really only good when you're sitting still.
But if im sitting still I'd rather wear over the ear headphones
There was a company that did hybrid tips. Memory foam but with silicone outer shell. This made them stay clean, while also blocking sound and great fit. But the ones I bought are no longer available and I have not yet found a replacement.
I second this hard but actually prefer a kind of hybrid type. just looked at the one's I'm using now and they are by diofit. They make a silicone foam option that's literally like it sounds and mixes the benefits of each type together. (The pure memory foam can be a little too form fitting so they are hard to remove and over-isolating)
I didn't know they still made the hard plastic ones! They always make my ears hurt within like 20 minutes. The silicone ones aren't perfect by any means but I've never had any major problems with them.
What do you mean you didn't know they still make them. Apple rapids are like version 4, still hard plastic. And I hate apple products, but they fit well, just dangle there and work decent enough for their size.
With the exception of a few shows on Apple TV I try to mostly ignore whatever Apple is doing these days
I guess I’m in the minority. The in ear buds hurt my ear. Idk how the hell y’all are jamming that shit in your ear for longer than 5 minutes. The plastic ones feel great. They stay in the ear much better than the silicon tips.
The hard plastic ones tend to hurt my ears
Holy shit I didnt think it was biologically possible to not hate hard plastic earbuds like they raped your mother infront of you.
Yea, those fuckers have always hurt my ears. I didn't think it was possible for someone to find them more comfortable somehow.
I have a pair of backup headphones like that that I keep for emergencies that I have literally never used for like the 10 years I have had them. Because even when I lose my good headphones, I would rather go without headphones than wear the plastic ones or just not listen to anything at all.
Yes, I mean who doesn't?
Yep, I massively prefer the soft silicone ones over the hard ones. The harder ones fall out of my ears constantly, any slight tug on the cable and they're gone. They form a better seal so I can hear what I'm listening to more clearly which I prefer as well
I'd sooner have someone piss in my ear than wear solid ones. They hurt and don't stay in.
I accidentally put my earbuds though a wash cycle and borrowed some airpods for the gym while waiting for replacements. I don't understand how a solid one-size-fits all approach can be so popular. With silicone tips you can have different sizes. I actually use a different size for each ear.
One of the best investments I ever made was replacing the silicone with memory foam tips. Highly recommend trying it.
Comfy and excellent sound isolation.
Note you can be allergic to memory foam, which will make those earbuds hurt like hell (ask me how I know)
Agreed. Though I find for someone like myself with.. extra ear wax production foam tips get annoying to clean.
In any case, comply is a decent brand, dekoni I find to be better and more comfortable, except they have trouble staying ON the ear bud, so they end up in my ear. I've heard the same from a reviewer who I found out about dekoni from.
I've been using a hybrid type that's a silicone foam instead because I had the same complaints. The comfort and useability is peak. The bass boost from foam might be a little less (I don't care about that aspect), but I strongly recommend the one's from diofit. I ran through every size in my pack over the years with my galaxy buds 2 to avoid buying more. Somehow they all just fit anyways.
I feel like I get a better, more comfortable fit with the silicone tipped earbuds I have compared to the hard plastic ones I have
I do. The soft silicone ones are much more comfortable in the long run, provided you're using a size that is right for you.
I physically cannot wear the hard plastic ones. I can tilt my head to one side and they will fall out immediately.
That said, i also have super waxy ears as well so any ear tips (silicone or foam) get disgusting quickly, and its also wet wax so they degrade and also fall out (much slower than the plastic though).
I also struggle with over-ears being too clampy because giant head, so im kinda just fucked on the entire non-speaker audio front. I've found sennheisers to be fairly comfy. Beyerdynamic DT-770 are waaaay too clampy and slide around a lot.
I have the opposite problem. I have a little fold in my ear that pops up like a cartridge eject, rubber molds to it while hard just pops out. Literally unusable
Silicone, 100%.
I have never found an in-ear style design that both fits and is comfortable. I have, however, found what works perfectly for me. It stays outside the canal, but remains in the ear because of a slight pressure caused by the silicone wing tips. The brand I buy is “Bose Soundsport Wired”. Cheap, sound fine, never fall out.
I prefer anything that doesn't go in my ear first, so over the ear or bone conduction style. But after that I prefer the soft silicone in ear buds because both styles hurt my ears but those I can wear for a longer period before they start hurting.
Silicone tipped are so much better. They're easier to clean, they're more comfortable, and they block out outside noise much better.
I have met a single digit number of people who prefer hard plastic earbuds over the soft tips. There's a reason why they're pretty much the only thing you see in "nice" earbuds.
Have you tried different tips? Apple offers like 5 different sizes because it's so important to have the right fit. Initially they didn't fit my ear well, but after a while of trying my ear adapted and now they fit perfectly. Foam is also worth a shot, but they get gross fast.
I'm a FAM of silicone eartips for sure. Better seal, better fit, more comfortable.
I can't stand the hard plastic earbuds man. Hurts my ears and they dont fit as well.
I like the silicone ones when they fit. I have some round the ear ones for jogging and they’re great. Never budge.
I like IEMs with a wrap around design like KZ EDX pro

They both belong in the trash. Actual headphones all the way.
Yes... Obviously, although I do prefer the foam ones over silicone
I only like the old style earphones that sit in the ear. Those bottom ones look way too bulky to be comfortable or not fall out, and the silicone tip ones - sod stuffing something like that in my ear.
I currently own the Sennheiser MX365 (looks like the MX375 is the updated and still available version) and they are great!
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