Hi, recommend me some wireless earbuds please, cheers

[The Mollusk]

Google is shite for showing any articles other than ones posted in the last 3 days, and I don't have the capacity to trawl through endless Amazon search parameters and reviewers whom I suspect have sustained lasting head injuries i.e. putting head in a vice for a laugh or getting kicked in head by horse.

Please help, smart and fair people of this forum.

For the last 5+ years I've been using Audio Technica ATH-M50x and while I'm sure wireless earbuds aren't able to provide the same studio quality levels of balance I would essentially like something which is as close as possible to this sort of thing and not some fucking clod hopping bass boosted shit for cunts.

Noise cancelling would be great if possible. I know drowning out the sound of the tube is probably impossible but I use a very noisy line daily and would like to try and at least cut some of it out. I know there's a good market for this feature now.

Touch controls seem cool but this is not essential, I've lived without this gimmick until now, so... Uhh yeah obvs durability, decent enough battery life and comfort are all essential. I listen to music for at least an hour at a time, often much longer on bigger journeys. One of my reasons for switching is that my over-ears are getting uncomfortable against my glasses.

Ideally I'd like not to go over £150 but can be flexible ;);););)

Aaaand go

[Crabwalk]

I've been using Cambridge Audio Melomania 1s for the past year or so and am very happy with them. Sound fantastic, decent touch controls, sturdy, and good battery life. No noise cancelling, but I've put on slightly larger foam tips which fit my ears better and I can't hear much else when playing music.

Mine have been superseded by the new '1+' which are meant to be an improvement:

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/cambridge-audio-melomania-1-plus

[Magnum Valentino]

For the last 5+ years I've been using Audio Technica ATH-M50x

Yassssssssss samesies

[studpuppet]

I've been using Cambridge Audio Melomania 1s for the past year or so and am very happy with them. Sound fantastic, decent touch controls, sturdy, and good battery life. No noise cancelling, but I've put on slightly larger foam tips which fit my ears better and I can't hear much else when playing music.

Mine have been superseded by the new '1+' which are meant to be an improvement:

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/cambridge-audio-melomania-1-plus

I have the 1+ -
Pros: yes nice sound, big range of buds (memory foam and rubber), proper push button operation (rather than touch-sensitive ones that activate when you unthinkingly re-position them). The 1+ also have an app that allows you to update firmware, change EQ slightly and prioritise high-quality sound or battery life, depending on your circumstance.
Cons: they do seem to drop connection quite a lot compared to other less expensive buds I've had. I've had two sets (first totalled after a drop) and both similar - not sure if I got unlucky, or if their bluetooth isn't all that powerful.

[The Mollusk]

Cons: they do seem to drop connection quite a lot compared to other less expensive buds I've had. I've had two sets (first totalled after a drop) and both similar - not sure if I got unlucky, or if their bluetooth isn't all that powerful.

What sort of distance or interference are we talking? I'm tragically glued to my phone so it's basically never out of my hand or pocket or any other distance beyond about 1m. I am on crowded tube trains in rush hour a lot however and between jobs I'm often walking about in central London, though I'm not sure if dense crowds affect Bluetooth?

[studpuppet]

What sort of distance or interference are we talking? I'm tragically glued to my phone so it's basically never out of my hand or pocket or any other distance beyond about 1m. I am on crowded tube trains in rush hour a lot however and between jobs I'm often walking about in central London, though I'm not sure if dense crowds affect Bluetooth?

It's close - I cycle to work, sometimes with my phone as the source, sometimes with a Fiio DAP, either in my back pocket or the rear pockets of a cycling jersey. It happens loads in the centre of London where the traffic lights/intersections interfere, but also out in the suburbs. I'll be cycling along merrily and then stop-pause-"Melomania connected"-reconnection.
I've also got some TruPeats Air 3s which don't lose connection at all on the same journeys. Sound is marginally worse, and they're annoyingly touch-sensitive, but they don't drop out.

[Pete23]

Got some Sony Linkbud S's and the sounds great, they're nice and small and stay in my ears (mostly). I do have a Sony phone though so they are, quite literally, made for each other. Seem to keep their signal pretty well and have decent noise cancellation. Don't really use the touch controls much, apart from pause/start (one tap right) and turn noise cancellation on/off (one tap left) - about as much as I can remember.

[The Mollusk]

Yeah the signal drop out thing would drive me mental. I get irritable if I have to pause/stop a song for any reason so that is a major no for me.

[Crabwalk]

Just for balance, I've never faced that problem with my Melomanias in London or at home, where quite frequently I'm not even in the same room as my phone. Probably not worth the risk for you though, if studpuppet has had that a lot and is using the newer model. It would drive me mad.

[Proactive]

I've got the Sony WF 1000 MK3s and the sound is great, but the battery life is absolute toilet (probably about 3-4 hours.)

I previously had a pair of Jaybird Vistas and only replaced them because they were getting a bit dog-eared after a couple of years (paint peeling off) but conversely the batteries on them used to last a whole working day with an hour or more either side, they sound really good, and they stay in the ear beautifully so good for sports, commuting etc.

[Steven88]

I've got the Melomania 1+, they're absolute dogshit. Constant connection dropping from my phone (both my Pixel and old Samsung) and laptop, they randomly turn themselves off and are totally unreliable.
They replaced them for me with a new pair and they're exactly the same.
Fucked them off for a pair of Anker ones for £20 as a stopgap, they're totally the opposite, work fine every time but obviously the sound quality isn't there.

[studpuppet]

Just for balance, I've never faced that problem with my Melomanias in London or at home, where quite frequently I'm not even in the same room as my phone. Probably not worth the risk for you though, if studpuppet has had that a lot and is using the newer model. It would drive me mad.

I'm tempted to try a set of 1s just to see if it's the extra gubbins that's causing the issues.

[studpuppet]

I'm tempted to try a set of 1s just to see if it's the extra gubbins that's causing the issues.

Although this sounds more like the issue I have:

https://casupport.cambridgeaudio.com/en/product/8202940-Melomania-11+/message/98os33w0dz1pi9t2-Why-do-my-earphones-disconnect-and-then-reconnect-during-use

Please note that this feature cannot be switched off.

[Crabwalk]

Fucking hell, I won't be 'upgrading' to the new model any time soon then! Never had anything like that with my MkIs.

[thelittlemango]

I previously had a pair of Jaybird Vistas and only replaced them because they were getting a bit dog-eared after a couple of years (paint peeling off) but conversely the batteries on them used to last a whole working day with an hour or more either side, they sound really good, and they stay in the ear beautifully so good for sports, commuting etc.

These are what I have, they're great and I love them but the case/charging connection always ends up getting fucked. I got a replacement case and that worked for a while but then that stopped and so now I have one case which somehow still charges the left one and the other case charges the right one. Shame as the sound and fit is great, they released the Jaybird Vista 2 which I tried but they were dogshit and shortly after that another company bought them and that was that...

[The Mollusk]

So I couldn't make a decision based on the above posts as there seemed to be flaws that I wouldn't get along with. Instead I got a pair of JBL Live 2 Pros as the reviews said they were the best all-arounders with the best sound for the price range (£100). I got them today. They're fucking shit. The bass was so unbearably high and completely trashed the sound of anything I listened to (except, predictably, hard dance/drum 'n' bass). I tweaked - nay, absolutely ragged to fuck - the in-app EQ so the bass levels were almost totally flat and the treble was peaked way up and even then it still wasn't right. A very high bass response all the time which cannot be quashed and muddies the overall sound. Also the half a second of lag when using any media player controls was annoying.

This has sort of lead me to believe that all earbuds are like this and cunts are walking about everywhere with heavy bass and not hearing music the way it's supposed to be heard at all. Now I might be quite biased here, since as I said before I've been using ATH-M50x for the last 6 years and their totally balanced studio sound means everything I've ever listened to has been fine with zero EQ tweaking whatsoever. Literally never. Switching to something typically mass-marketed at cunts who don't know shit about music has been a horrible shock and I don't like it.

So, I'm thinking I should get some in-ear monitors instead. Is this a good decision? I can live without wireless as long as I have something more snug, discreet and more importantly delivering a properly balanced sound across the extremely wide range of genres I listen to, and it seems like because they're placed in the ear canal it will do an okay job of keeping exterior sound out without the need for noise-cancelling technology.

Sorry for tagging people but hoping I can get a pro opinion from the likes of @NoSleep or maybe @buzby please! These are within my price range and if it's the right move to make I'll give them a shot:

https://www.shure.com/en-GB/products/earphones/se215?variant=SE215-CL-EFS

[bgmnts]

MPOW S16 magnetic wireless ones, I've been using them happily for ages.

[buzby]

Sorry for tagging people but hoping I can get a pro opinion from the likes of @NoSleep or maybe @buzby please! These are within my price range and if it's the right move to make I'll give them a shot:

https://www.shure.com/en-GB/products/earphones/se215?variant=SE215-CL-EFS

The DankPods bloke on youtube does headphone reviews, and yes, most modern 'consumer' grade headphones do have a massively boosted bass response, mostly because the young people they have these days who are the target market are used to listening to massively over-compressed music where the bass boom cuts out everything else

The only in ear headphones I have for when I'm out and about are an old pair of Sony ones I got with a Discman in the early 90s which have a relatively flat frequency response. Any newer ones I've tried since have always sounded too bassy or muffled with too little top end. My normal listening headphones at home are a pair of AKG K240s that I've had for years (I had Sennheiser ones before that, but one of the drivers went and the newer ones I tried had gone down the 'too much bass' route on everything but their top of the range professional models).

Regarding the Shure ones you posted the link to, here's a review of the non-Pro version (not 'shure' what he difference is, hahaha) and they do have a relatively neutral frequency curve (which is what you want for monitoring headphones). The bass has a slight cut and the treble rolls off at the top and the midrange has a slight boost:

I imagine that would make them comfortable to use for long periods of listening - I always find that anything with too much bass or treble gets tiring rather quickly, but I am approaching old duffer status.

[The Mollusk]

Nice, thanks! I'm gonna consider those or something similar.

[El Unicornio, mang]

ATH-M50x for the last 6 years

I've been using those same ones as my main headphones for the past couple of years for listening to music and mixing audio (the Iron Man coloured ones because I'm a twat). I recently switched to wireless earbuds for when I'm out and got these, which I find are a good equivalent, really decent sound, good bass. Currently a third off the £90 RRP so that'd a fair bit of change left over from your budget

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09FKGJ1CB/ref=pe_27063361_485629781_TE_item?th=1

[touchingcloth]

Bass is the best. Why would you want headphones that gave you less than maximum bass? Ideally I'd have a pair that cut out all of the mids and trebles and annoying things like hi hats and triangles and singers Andy ears would just get to enjoy what Evelyn Glennie's feet do.

A lot of IEMs are modular so you can buy cables of your own choice to go with them, or turn them into a wireless set with Bluetooth adapters, whether ones that are designed to have a 3.5mm Jack plugged in, or ones that sit around behind the neck, or ones which hang over each ear. I've never tried this latter type but they always look like oversized hearing aids and I suspect they would piss me off or rip my ears off my head if I got them tangled in a bush, but you might have stronger ears or a less cackhanded walk than me.

[AngryGazelle]

Sony wf-1000xm4 -- I have had these for over a year now, and they are really solid. I love the noise cancelling, the Bluetooth is pretty rock solid (weirdly it seems worse when using Audible) and they're easy to charge with a standard USB. Sound quality is top notch and they're very comfortable.

I recommend and App called Wavelet, to get the most out of your headphones.

[The Mollusk]

Sony wf-1000xm4 -- I have had these for over a year now, and they are really solid. I love the noise cancelling, the Bluetooth is pretty rock solid (weirdly it seems worse when using Audible) and they're easy to charge with a standard USB. Sound quality is top notch and they're very comfortable.

I recommend and App called Wavelet, to get the most out of your headphones.

I was eyeing these up but they're outta my budget. Well I mean they're probably within my budget tbh but I've spunked so much money on music this month already and I need to reign in my impulsivity. Spending loads of money to make yourself happy when you're hella depressed is a dangerous game.

[AngryGazelle]

Spending loads of money to make yourself happy when you're hella depressed is a dangerous game.

I've played that game and it's not fun. Hope you're ok.

I reckon wait for a sale on whichever ones you want the most. Will be worth it in the long run as you'll get years outta them.

Give Wavelet a go too, it's free, which is a bonus.

[The Mollusk]

Will do, and cheers for the support.

I'm still considering grabbing the Shure IEMs I linked above, reviews seem to indicate a nice neutral but powerful sound.

I gave some further tests to the JBLs I bought this afternoon. I'll concede the noise cancelling is amazing - on the Victoria line the brutal howling of the train between Seven Sisters and Finsbury Park was reduced to a very thin tone, and I was listening to some fairly delicate music which wasn't impeded at all. However even after plummeting the left side of the EQ to an almost flat line there's still way too much low end when I'm listening to more clattery rumbly stuff like Deerhunter's Weird Era album. They're clearly made for people who listen to strongly defined and polished pop music or bass heavy dance stuff. Even hip hop feels compromised, so much sibilance lost in the vocals if you aren't cranking the treble way up. Dunno how the fuck people listen to music like this, it's horrible.

[touchingcloth]

I was in London this week for the first time since tweaking my headphones to limit output to 85dB and save my poor ears. Even with the buds pressed deep into my ears and the volume set to the full 85dB, the screeching of the train made what I was listening to inaudible.

How is that allowed? People's commutes exposing them to the kind of sound levels that pneumatic drill users need to be careful of.

[steveh]

Got some Sony Linkbud S's and the sounds great, they're nice and small and stay in my ears (mostly).

Have a pair of these too which came with the phone and am really happy with them. They have similar tech to the WF-1000XM4 ones including the same V1 Integrated Processor so might be a good cheaper option.

[NoSleep]

Sorry, I have no experience of earbuds, Mollusk. The nearest to that that I own is the (cheap) Ulix USB earbud/headphone/mic set I got for my cheap-assed phone because it doesn't work well if the speaker is live during a conversation. Looking after my ears at my advanced age is essential for my job so I don't casually blast them with music for fun (well, not anymore). One thing I have noticed about the Ulix's is that "securing" the earbuds "firmly" in the ear canal does boost the bass considerably and that they're probably not meant to be crammed that tightly in; there needs to be a modicum of free air movement. That's how I adjust the bass on them. Not a big fan of noise cancellation, either (I like to be aware of my surroundings when outside, especially what's out of view).

[The Mollusk]

That's fair, cheers for your advice regardless!

[Sebastian Cobb]

Big fan of cheap Chinese IEMS myself, probably not as good as reputable brands but they're *very* good for the price (I think the iems and the bluetooth deely came to about £40) apparently owing to the fact that a lot of them are churned out by an ex-audio technica employee who realised they could just buy the components AT were using wholesale and put them in cheapo plastic enclosures. Even went to the hassle of getting custom moulded tips, which is surprisingly hard work. Although this meant I had to buy slightly different IEMS that I like a little less because the only company that'd make tips for those ones were in the US and wouldn't send to the UK (they advised seeing if I could have them sent to any European friends instead, thanks brexit!) and also wouldn't be in warranty anyway.

Still, got some moulds and shit.