Rugged earbuds for overnight listening?

bfotk

bfotk
I'm outing myself here as an OTR (Old Time Radio) junkie. It kicked in real hard various years ago while recovering from nasty rotator cuff repair...months of not being able to sleep in a bed. I had to use a recliner and still experienced a LOT of discomfort. Vicodin helped a bit. Oxycontin made me crazy and I threw it all out.

I found that Jack Benny, Dragnet, and all sorts of other things were better than opioids...except that they have proven equally addictive and I still fire up a few every night as a sort of soporific.

Anyway, I go through earbuds. I've sort of settled on the Koss IL100 as being not too costly, decent enough sound for this application, and they hold up fairly well...but I do destroy a set annually and end up sending a $9 to Koss for a new pair under terms of their lifetime warranty. The last time, they send a set of IL200 and I'm thinking that I might have come to the end of getting something close to the same of what I'm used to.

So I started thinking about changing to another brand and/or model.

I need ones that can survive my sleeping on them. That means not only rugged buds, but rugged plug. I need ones that do not cause discomfort when they are pressed between my ear and the pillow. I need ones that have smooth, but not necessarily extended frequency response. I want similar ongoing cost.

By that I mean about $9 a year. For instance, if I spend $30, I'd want a set with a projected lifespan of 3 years. A $10 set that would last a year and could be replaced quickly and easily would make me happy, too. I see a Panasonic set on Amazon in about that range.

I've gone through Audio-Technica models fairly quickly and that's what led me to Koss (aside from various years of dining at John Koss's press dinners at CES). The gap between sending back a dead set and the arrival of the replacement is unwelcome.

Finally I'd greatly prefer personal experience suggestions rather than spec based or what someone else may have told you.
 
I've been using some cheap ($14) Maxrock sleeping earbuds. Nothing special about the sound, but fine for podcasts or music as I'm falling asleep.
They are by far the most comfortable earbuds I've ever had. You can leave them in the ear that's on the pillow with relative comfort.
 
You could order something via Amazon and add on the extra warranty for a couple $$$.

For me, I don't get on with the type of the Edifier shown above. I use some 1More Triple Drivers. They are plenty rugged and sound fantastic but the may be a bit big for falling asleep on a pillow.

They are close to $80 but there is a VERY similar model for about $35.
 
You could order something via Amazon and add on the extra warranty for a couple $$$.

For me, I don't get on with the type of the Edifier shown above. I use some 1More Triple Drivers. They are plenty rugged and sound fantastic but the may be a bit big for falling asleep on a pillow.

They are close to $80 but there is a VERY similar model for about $35.

1More are IEM. The OP asked for buds.
 
Sony MDRE9LP

Very happy with the Sonys. They last a long time, sound good, and are relatively inexpensive.

I’ve stepped on them too many times, haven’t broken them yet.

I listen to only one earbud at a time, ziptie the other to the earbud cord. Eventually the cord will detach from the earbud from the constant use; I clip off the dead earbud and then use the remaining one.

Used to love the radio dramas until the local radio station stopped airing them, then discovered Art Bell.
Been using earbuds for many years.
 
Mrv8q:
Thanks. I'll look into the Sony model. I find I need both earbuds working for best audibility-intelligibility by the way.
 
I've solved the problem, possibly only temporarily but then life is temporary anyway.
I grabbed a set of JBUD2 Signature earbuds. $7.99 brand new delivered via eBay. I needed to touch up the EQ on my Sansa Clip Sport to match. No big deal. I also had to install the larger rubber buds. Without them, any semblance of bass leaked out and landed on the pillow.

They're small and very comfortable. I barely know they're there overnight.

I have no idea how long they'll survive. The wire is chintzy for one thing...kind of like rubberized dental floss. The plug is L-shaped. That's good. As I flop around in bed, there's less strain than on one sticking straight out.

Thanks for all the help.

I'll direct your attention now to a posting in the Speakers section which I hope will bring about a similar discussion on a small powered speaker with SPDIF input and controllable volume.

(There's probably a way to put a link to it here, but I'm not yet that well oriented to forum features.)
 
These are easily the best buds I've ever used. Rugged, and the sonic quality is outstanding. And yes I've fallen asleep with them on.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016AY6CB0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've been shopping for a new set of buds, the old SANSA buds that came w/ my SANSA Clip player are deteriorating at, well, a quick clip. These Edifiers look pretty good. I'll of course read the reviews first but @ $12.98 one sure can't piss about the cost, can one?

P.S. Where are my manners? Thanks for posting the link!
 
1More are IEM. The OP asked for buds.

I didn't realize there was a difference. Thought it meant the same thing. Please explain.

I guess the ones I've tried are ear-buds and I've never found anything that didn't hurt my ears on a pillow, or fit right anytime, anywhere, for that matter.
 
I too am an OTR junkie, and listener of audiobooks in bed overnight. My go to choice is the Anker Soundbuds Curve Bluetooth. They have a 14 hour battery so they will go all night with out needing a recharge. Best of all the price is right. They come in several colors I have 3 of them in different colors so I can tell them apart so I can keep track of which ones are charged something which takes about 45 minutes.
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To all OTR junkies go to the Internet Archives there you will find numerous old Radio shows, Gunsmoke, Frontier Gentleman, Ft Laramie, Six Shooter, Boston Blackie, etc.

https://archive.org/
 
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