• towerful@programming.dev
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    5 months ago

    Ear buds where the cost goes to quality and isolation as opposed to gimmicks/Bluetooth/functionality.
    Airpods are amazing for casual use.
    IEMs (with a cable, of course) are amazing for music.

    It’s what musicians use on stage to hear what everyone is doing (iems and individual mixes are so accessible these days, used to be super $$$$ per iem mix).
    They range from budget (1 driver per bud) to decent (3-5 drivers per bud) to esoteric (like 16 drivers per bud).
    Most have modular cables that disconnect at the earbud (so when the cable breaks you are paying thousands for a new set. Or to get custom cable lengths).
    And all decent brands can be custom moulded to your ear, so you go to a hearing specialist, they will cast your ear, and you send that to the manufacturers and they will send you moulded IEMs. They are very comfy.
    Some brands have a DIY moulding process, but I wouldn’t trust myself!

    If you are into live music & loud gigs, even loud clubs, I really strongly recommend you get a moulded set of earplugs with 10db attenuation. They are for musicians and have as flat a response as is possible, and will take the edge off any hearing damage.