Re:Airpods Max Sucked for Me
by camgunz on Monday January 25, 2021 @01:37PM
(#25906877)
I've messed with this a lot, and the best setup I've come up with is:
- Etymotic ER4SR earbuds
- Laptop mic(s)
- Do some weird thing for my iPhone (Airpods, Earpods, dongle to my Etymotics)
I've never had noise cancellation be anywhere near as effective as a good ear seal, and I absolutely do not trust it to not malfunction and damage my hearing. Noise cancellation and high quality sounds are essentially orthogonal anyway so, it's an easy choice.
Unfortunately sound quality almost always means giving up a mic and wireless too. Etymotic has a neckbuds adapter but you can't replace the cables, which means its lifespan is something around a year. There are some great Bluetooth converters, but since they're almost exactly like plugging into a phone I don't really see the point.
There are some aftermarket cables you can buy that have mics built in. I messed with this a little but, it turned out that the mics on my laptop were actually pretty good.
So, yeah my setup now is I carry two sets of earbuds around, which actually all things considered is coming away pretty cheap. Can wholeheartedly recommend the ER4SRs too (they make a version w/ a bass boost but, don't crack), replaceable cable, replaceable filters, insanely good sound quality, great support. The immediate feeling of IEMs is pretty uncomfortable, but spend 3-4 months getting tips that are right for your ears and getting used to them. It's been extremely worth it for me, I can focus and do real work in pretty bonkers environments. Plus your battery will never die ;)
- Etymotic ER4SR earbuds
- Laptop mic(s)
- Do some weird thing for my iPhone (Airpods, Earpods, dongle to my Etymotics)
I've never had noise cancellation be anywhere near as effective as a good ear seal, and I absolutely do not trust it to not malfunction and damage my hearing. Noise cancellation and high quality sounds are essentially orthogonal anyway so, it's an easy choice.
Unfortunately sound quality almost always means giving up a mic and wireless too. Etymotic has a neckbuds adapter but you can't replace the cables, which means its lifespan is something around a year. There are some great Bluetooth converters, but since they're almost exactly like plugging into a phone I don't really see the point.
There are some aftermarket cables you can buy that have mics built in. I messed with this a little but, it turned out that the mics on my laptop were actually pretty good.
So, yeah my setup now is I carry two sets of earbuds around, which actually all things considered is coming away pretty cheap. Can wholeheartedly recommend the ER4SRs too (they make a version w/ a bass boost but, don't crack), replaceable cable, replaceable filters, insanely good sound quality, great support. The immediate feeling of IEMs is pretty uncomfortable, but spend 3-4 months getting tips that are right for your ears and getting used to them. It's been extremely worth it for me, I can focus and do real work in pretty bonkers environments. Plus your battery will never die ;)