Airpods Alternatives

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scotta
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Airpods Alternatives

Post by scotta »

The boy has asked for a set for his birthday but i refuse to pay apple tax for a set for a 9 year old.

Anybody got alternative suggestions from around £40-50 ?
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ZedLeg
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by ZedLeg »

I'm not sure if there are any good ones at that price, I think sony have decent ones at around £80.

I've been looking at the RHA ones but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.
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Simon
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by Simon »

ZedLeg wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 4:17 pm I'm not sure if there are any good ones at that price, I think sony have decent ones at around £80.

I've been looking at the RHA ones but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.
Stop that.
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scotta
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by scotta »

These look like a possibility



Ive got other Anker stuff and their aftercare has been excellent.
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ZedLeg
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by ZedLeg »

Simon wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 4:21 pm
ZedLeg wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 4:17 pm I'm not sure if there are any good ones at that price, I think sony have decent ones at around £80.

I've been looking at the RHA ones but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.
Stop that.
:lol:
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by IanF »

Buy cheap, buy twice. I predict you’ll end up with the shit ones and he’ll end up with AirPods 😂
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Beany
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by Beany »

IanF wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 5:13 pm Buy cheap, buy twice. I predict you’ll end up with the shit ones and he’ll end up with AirPods 😂
Which he'll then lose anyway ;)
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scotta
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by scotta »

IanF wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 5:13 pm Buy cheap, buy twice. I predict you’ll end up with the shit ones and he’ll end up with AirPods 😂
Absolutely not happening! I’ve got a set of bose soundlink noise cancelling ones and a pair of RHA in ears. He ain’t getting either of them!
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Simon
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by Simon »

Funnily enough this was the subject of conversation in the office yesterday. An iPhone owning colleague had opted for these over the AirPod Pros. They sound really good and the noise cancelling is amazing.

Probably doesn't help you out much though does it? ;)
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DaveE
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by DaveE »

I just ordered a pair of 1more (the brand name) 'stylish' (the model name)

Awful on both counts above, but they appear well regarded and they were about £50

I'm a sucker for these cheap wireless earbuds...
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by IanF »

I have those Simon. They’re great!

My wife bought two pairs of a cheap wireless, she now has the latest AirPods. I was looking at the Pro or Dr. Dre’s for my next set though; the additional functionality is useful.
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Ascender
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by Ascender »

I got a pair of the Pros last week and they're brilliant. The original AirPods just don't fit my ears very well and I"ve said from the start that I'd pay double the price for a set which were in-ear and they've finally done it.

How about just a cheap set of the flavour of the month 3rd party ones from Amazon?

https://www.amazon.com/ZST-Banlance-Arm ... verge02-20
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NotoriousREV
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by NotoriousREV »

I have tiny ear holes, something I’d never realised until I bought some ear plugs for motorbiking. I use Flare Audio plugs, but I had to buy their smallest size and use the smallest silicon tips. No wonder I can’t hear what people say half the time. Anyway, I’d like a set of wireless buds but I’d need to know they fit people with pinholes for ears (which rules out the non-Pro Apple ones for starters).
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by Jobbo »

Rev, if you're trying to fit the original Airpods into your ear holes, you're DIW.
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NotoriousREV
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by NotoriousREV »

Jobbo wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:05 am Rev, if you're trying to fit the original Airpods into your ear holes, you're DIW.
They just don’t fit my ears, full stop. They fall out. Same with normal Apple ear buds.
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by ZedLeg »

I've always found Apple earpieces uncomfortable, couldn't imagine spending £160 on them even if they were technically amazing.

I assume they sound better than the basic wired headphones you get?
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by Ascender »

I think the standard AirPods are the same drivers as are found in the wired ones you get with phones, the Pros are new drivers and the sound quality is much, much improved - some of that is down to fit and some is down to the tech.

Put the Apple headphones in your ears, hold them in and push that flappy bit of skin on the ear down to get a really good fit - that's how music should sound through them, but only will if they happen to fit your ears properly.

The noise canceling is pretty damn good on the Pros and the other modes are useful for when you need to be more aware of your surroundings.
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Rich B
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by Rich B »

I hate the proper in ear ones - thankfully I’ve always liked the shape of the apple ones so I have a set of normal AirPods. I did once experiment with the mega cheap copies and found them to be useless. They were too big, awkward to set up (where as AirPods and genuinely amazing at seamlessly connecting) and more importantly, the sound was delayed!
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by Nic »

IanF wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 6:54 pm I have those Simon. They’re great!
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Re: Airpods Alternatives

Post by DaveE »

These 1more "Stylish" arrived this morning, and I've been listening for about 30 minutes.

Initial impressions:
- the box and general presentation is very nice - they'd make a nice present - feels quite posh/expensive
- the case is nice and small, matt/rubbery finish, only micro-USB which is a shame
- the buds are pretty small, stick out a little, fit well and feel secure
- there's a pretty good amount of passive isolation from the rubber tips
- the sound if good - quite warm in the bass, good mids/highs - they're not "hifi" but they were only £40
- I guess id' describe the sounds as "quite Bose-like" - not in a bad way I hasten to add (and I'm not really a massive fan of Bose)
- I wonder if the sound will "open up" over the coming days (as often happens)?

They're not bad at all for £40 - yes, you can do much better if you spend much more

But for cheap, fully-wireless earbuds that I can just sling in my bag and have to hand, I reckon they'll do nicely
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