5 Questions about wireless earbuds

My wired Sennheiser in-earphones must be well over 10yrs old and they’re a bit worn out. Because of progress, my new phone doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack socket (yes I could buy an adapter for the USB-C socket but I dont want to). So going to take the opportunity to buy some new ones.

Because you can’t try before you buy, my concern is that bass will be weak, and they will fall out of my ears when walking, land in a turd, and then get trodden on by the person walking behind me.
Seems odd to spend good money when the 2 key aspects for me can’t be test driven (sound quality and fit).

So, I have 5 questions…

Do they stay in your ears?

Do they all sound roughly the same (premium, sony, samsung, technics, sennheiser etc) so I can buy on looks / gut feeling?

Do they sound as good as premium wired ones?

Ta

Considering the number that we have to recover from the tracks, the answer would appear to be NO.

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I’m really liking the Sennheiser Momentum TW3 - they stay put (I use them in the gym and walking) and sound great.

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Good to know, thanks.

Whether they fit or not depend on the shape/size of your ear. They are all pretty much one size, so will probably be fine, but unless you went to the expense of having ear moulds made, it cannot be guaranteed.

They usually stay in your ear, although the occasions they fall out are the ones to be concerned about! It depends on your ear shape and the type you get. My kids have not lost any; my wife has flushed a fairly nice pair down the loo. If you’re concerned, you could get ones with a connecting cable between the two.

They can sound great. Modern Bluetooth seems to work well. If you want the best sound, a dedicated USB-C DAC headphone amp is the way, and run it wired. But really BT buds are for when you’re mobile, and sound quality isn’t paramount. For most use cases they are fine.

Cheap ones sound shit - that’s what I buy for the kids and wife! The £30 ones sound actually odd; ok for voice at best (that’s what the wife listens to). If you want reasonable sound quality I suggest that you spend money. The Sony ones are meant to be great. The Google ones that Claire flushed were fine as well.

Might be worth checking if your local water authority sell the ones they have collected off cheap. Seriously though they must get 100’s a day.

four members of the family have Sony WF-1000XM3 they sound very good, and nobody has lost one yet

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Worth nothing that this very pair survived me machine washing them too…

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I’ve got the XM4 variant and love them. The noise cancellation is mad, especially on aircraft.

XM5 has just come out too.

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I’m willing to spend £2- £300.

Never going to use an external dac, will be Spotify - BT - earbuds for walking, bus and train journeys and shorthall fights. Noise cancelling is important.
In general l dont lose or break stuff.

I have a pair of sony xm3 headphones and theyre good at NC, but too bulky for an hour’s use here and there. For long haul flights theyre a godsend.

I’ve used my Sony WF-1000XM3 almost daily for the last 4 years for both commuting and pottering around the house / garden duties. Great piece of kit.

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The Sony XM in all its generations is extremely good. I’ve tested…some… true wireless models and for out and out sound quality the Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 is the best I’ve heard…

…but…

…the ones I actually use all the time are the JBL Tour Pro 2. Do they sound as good? No. When listening to Spotify on the move it doesn’t matter. The JBL is comfy, has outstanding noise cancelling and the display MEANS YOU CAN SEE HOW MUCH FUCKING BATTERY THEY HAVE BEFORE YOU WALTZ OUT THE FUCKING HOUSE WITH THEM. Having now lived with this feature, I don’t care if a newly launched rival cures cancer and makes you two billion times more attractive to the opposite sex, it won’t be as easy to live with.

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I have a set of Sony WF1000XM4s going for £80 Inc postage if you fancy those?

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I’d snap these up, I have some for travel use and have found I am more than happy to use them for Spotify/YouTube etc.

Sound quality lags behind £1000 units but that’s not really the point. Also, the app has superb EQ.

I am happy with the the new price, so these are a steal. Hygiene wise you can just replace the tips as needed, the rest of the armature is really well made, so easy to clean.

Obvs meant for the op

Thank you, thats a good deal. But will politely decline, not sure what to buy yet, and tbh I’d just prefer new ones.

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I’ll take them if ok Grandsons birthday

Sorry Micky, Adam has bought them.

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Ok no problem!

As an aside, can anyone recommend any that just sit in the outer ear rather than in the ear canal?