I basically listen to music constantly, and when I’m on holiday or riding my bike I generally use USB-C earbuds. I’ve had way too many wireless buds break and I’m sick of them, but these aren’t fairing much better tbh.
Problem is that the cables always eventually stop working, often from my phone being in my pocket while I’m walking or cycling. I’ve been able to partly extend their life by keeping my phone in the thigh pocket on my cargo pants but it often just falls over and bends the cable more sharply than my hip pocket.
I’m looking for either a pair of highly durable earbuds either USB-C or 3.5mm with a USB-C DAC recommendation, or even better a DSP cable that I could use with IEMs with a 0.78mm connector.
I’m also open to any other suggestions at all.
KZ ES4 were recommended by DankPods as great cheap wired headphones, in the UK they’re £20 and a replacement cable is £10. They’re 3.5mm so you’d also need a USB-C dongle. Not exactly BIFL but I liked them, although I daily drive AirPods now because the convenience factor is just so much higher.
Moondrop makes quality portable audio gear for very reasonable prices.
And a variety of IEMs at different price points.
I use the CHU IIs which are their entry level option and I’m more than satisfied.
I’ve been looking at moondrop for a while and I’m probably going to end up getting something from them. Thanks for the suggestion, I hadn’t seen anyone discussing the CHUs!
Maybe you’ll like them, but moondrops are definitely not bifl. I have a set of CHUs and Arias and I have had serious quality issues with both. The arias have issues with one of the channels drastically dropping in volume intermittently. Swapping the cable and cleaning the eartips did nothing. The Chus have fixed cables that aren’t replaceable.
the only cable lasted on me is trn 8 core cable, i have them now for like 6 years, not sure with the quality of their current cables tho because a lot of things happened and shrinkflation does also affect cheap stuff too
ps: i rarely go out so im not sure if they would also last with being sun blasted and i use but not abuse my cables(ie: pulling them via the connector and not the cable, etc).
Also avoid those super cheap “8 cores” like jcally or qkz, they’re literally trash and would last only for a several months.
🙏
I too always listen to tunes or audiobooks, and have for some years. I always get Sony stuff. You don’t have to spend a lot for their top line stuff, their lower tiers are quite affordable.
I’ve been through countless earphones over the years. And Sony has been the only name that’s consistent for build quality and durability.
I know you asked for wired USB c headphones, but I’m using the Sony WF-C500 model. I also got tip replacements made out of earplugs material.
Forget all the noise cancelling nonsense, it’s no good without full earmuff style headphones. And go Sony. I promise I have no financial stake in the company, they just make good headphones.
Happy listening bro
I’ve been keeping an eye on sony buds recently, my stores only have 3.5mm ones which I could go with. My only problem using the 3.5s in the past has been that my USB DAC broke instead, usually for exactly the same reason the earbud cable normally breaks 😑
FWIW. For me Beats Flex work for me. They are Bluetooth, but they have a cord between the earbuds. So unlike AirPods I can hang them around my neck,
USB corded headphones get too caught on my stuff as I move around…
Many brands offer IEMs that have detachable cables, so this is a non-issue. I’ve got a pair of fairly high-end Shure earbuds/IEMs that use options for USB-C, Bluetooth, 3.5mm and more… just be swapping the cable out directly from the back of the earbud.
Granted, I would STRONGLY suggest using bone conductive headphones if you want to listen to music while bike riding, but that’s another topic.
I have bone conduction for riding when needed, not every situation requires them.
It’s not a non-issue because I don’t want the cables to become a consumable, I want a tough cable I can rely on for as long as physically possible. My main interest in BIFL is to reduce my waste tbh.
I would consider cables for IEMs to be consumable, because they are a high-wear item. That’s one reason why they make them to be replaceable, just like ear tips, or foam padding on larger headphones.
How long they last will depend entirely on how you use them, how many bends they take, temperature extremes, are they exposed to sunlight, how many times are they plugged in, do they ever get yanked, etc.
Not that I go through a ton of cables, but they can be recycled (through an electronics recycling place) since the wiring is metal that can be reclaimed. That might be worth keeping in mind.
Use wired earbuds and a player with a 3.5mm jack. BIFL for that stuff is kind of difficult though. Just buy cheap and replace now and then.
I have been considering that, but I’m not keen on carrying a second brick around with me like I used to in the past.
A friend has just put me onto a USB DAC though, so I might look into that as an alternative. If I get it I can probably create a small pocket for it in my pants to keep all the cables safer.
SanDisk Sansa Clip is the size of a matchbook. Not fancy but not a brick. Get the model with the micro SD slot and you have unlimited storage. With Rockbox it might even support sdxc so you can use a 2tb card. Otherwise 32gb limit.
It still has an internal battery (I hate those) but people have managed to replace it.
I’ll take a look, but I’m probably going to need android because I often stream my own music from my personal server.
Oh I see. The Sansa Clip is an old school device where you transfer files by USB. There are certainly Android phones with 3.5mm jacks though.
There are what I’d call BIFL blueotooth headphones but they are full sized cans, not earbuds. I wouldn’t want to ride a bike wearing them.
Yeah, I’ve got a couple of pairs of cans I love and use around the house and when walking.
Believe me I really tried to get a phone with a 3.5mm, but I had a few other requirements and losing that was the extremely painful tradeoff, I hate the direction modern smartphones have gone.
Even with a 3.5mm I’ll still have the issue of the cable breaking so it doesn’t solve much for me.
You can get right angle 3.5mm connectors that help with the cable durability, but yeah, serious full sized wired cans use 1/4" or XLR connectors still, I think. There are some lightweight bluetooth headphones that might not be BIFL but could hold up pretty well, especially compared to those silly airpod-like buds. You probably have more experience with those than I do though.
Oh yeah, fair point! I did used to use the angled ones when I was in highschool.
My desktop cans have a nice chunky 1/4" plug and it’s fantastic.
The most durable Bluetooth “earbuds” I’ve had so far are my bone conduction ones, but they’re not great quality and don’t offer any isolation. 10/10 for background music when hanging with people though.
Fairphone has repairable Bluetooth earbuds. Well. The battery can be replaced, so I’m assuming they’re repairable.
Beyerdynamic Free Byrd true wireless earbids
True wireless will never ever be BIFL because it has a battery and requires software and thus periodic updates and bugs.
