"RichD" wrote in message
...
I have the standard earpod set, which came with my
armband MP3 player. It pops out every 2 minutes.
How did these things become the standard design?
They suck.
I suspect you are talking about "ear buds" which sit inside the pinnae, but
do not have tips that insert into the ear canal.
So now i'm looking for the earbud style, i.e. inside the
ear.
Those aren't ear buds, those are earphones, or more technically IEMs for
in-ear-monitors.
They range from $8 to $40, and Shure offers a set, over $100?!?
Shure offers about 5 different kinds, and the top of the line run close to
$600. And, they are not alone. I suspect there are some really golden IEM's
that run up to $1 large, and beyond.
For something so small, how can there be such a range?
For you today I have the usual answers: quality and hype.
Is there really such quality difference?
Yes and no. Surprisingly, IEMs are a bit like speakers in that in all honest
truth, we don't know what quality *really* means.
They are all sealed in blister packs, there's no chance
to compare.
It is worse than that - local stores as a rule don't even cary the really
good ones. And, they are personal items like toothbrushes. After you stuck
them into your ears I don't want to buy them.
Even if there were, differences in environment, time of day, etc. swamp
perceptual
discernment.
Yes and no.
How would you go about testing these things, in the lab?
The standard tools include a measurement microphone (small diameter, omni,
very flat and wide response) and an acoustical coupler.
Here's an example, for headphones:
http://www.bksv.com/products/transdu...lers/4157.aspx