No Stupid Questions

Thank you for asking this, you just reminded me of an adjacent question I have.

As for silicone ones vs. plastic: I can never get the plastic ones to stay in, and they also have just about 0 bass since they don't seal, so in that sense I prefer silicone ones.

However I don't get how people can do any movement with them in and not get annoyed by the very loud rumbling noise they make since they seal up the ears. Walking, and even touching the wires... any slight movement of the earbuds against the ear is very loud.

My ideal solution are not fully sealing silicone buds so they stay in but don't do that very loud rumbling. Unfortunately that's nigh impossible to get.

Anyone else have trouble with that?

I love wearing IEMs, but I know people struggle with them. Some people's ears are interestingly shaped which makes iems difficult to use unless you find more specialized eartips. Some people also react almost allergically (or actually allergically, with swelling and all) to silicone eartips, though some also react poorly to hard plastic buds. There are different grades and types of silicone that might cause less of a reaction in your ears, it depends on the kind of aftermarket eartips you get. For me the first few weeks with IEMs caused some amount of pain as my ears adjusted to having something inside, and I don't think there's a way to tell when pain is no good and when pain means you can still adjust, but I adjusted and now they're perfectly comfy. I also got wireless earbuds with silicone eartips late last year, and those still cause some amount of pressure regardless of how they're inserted into my ears. The plastic housing just doesn't fit my ears very well, and the nozzle is very shallow compared to wired IEMs. I had a similar thing going on with the airpods pro 2 and another set of chinese wireless buds, so I think that's a curse that applies to me with a wide variety of wireless earbuds. Just my 2 cents.

I don't like silicone tips but prefer them over outside noise sometimes, so I still use them.

Does anyone actually like those silicone tips vs a solid body?

I am sure it is the other way. Hard body is fucking terrible at everything. Many report it struggling to hold in the ear canal. They do not have any good noise blocking abilities besides ANC. They hurt some people.

I have not heard from anyone that rubber/foam tips hurt, or have poor noise isolation, or barely hold in ear canal.

Yep, I massively prefer the soft silicone ones over the hard ones. The harder ones fall out of my ears constantly, any slight tug on the cable and they're gone. They form a better seal so I can hear what I'm listening to more clearly which I prefer as well

I like to run and the plastic only ones fly out of my ears. Why would one shape fit in every person's ear? Engineers are designing for the average person. Silicone and elastics can better fit to an ear and hold. That's why metal tubes are connected with elastic gaskets and clamps. The silicone or whatever elastomer helps seal.

Yes, I mean who doesn't?

Holy shit I didnt think it was biologically possible to not hate hard plastic earbuds like they raped your mother infront of you.

I accidentally put my earbuds though a wash cycle and borrowed some airpods for the gym while waiting for replacements. I don't understand how a solid one-size-fits all approach can be so popular. With silicone tips you can have different sizes. I actually use a different size for each ear.

I would recommend you try actual good In-Ear Monitors, something like the 7hz Zero 2 to name a cheap and popular option. Feel free to do your research of course, but generally I'd point you in the direction of IEMs. Get something where the cable rolls over the ear. If you get the right ones for your ears they will never fall off. And these come with a variety of silicone or foam eartips for you to choose from. Not to mention that what is called Chi-fi has far surpassed everything else in quality of sound compared to price. For $30 you get the kind of sound you'd have to pay hundreds for. Other popular alternatives:

Moondrop Chu 2: $

Kiwi Ears Cadenza: $$

Truthear Pure: $$$

I didn't know they still made the hard plastic ones! They always make my ears hurt within like 20 minutes. The silicone ones aren't perfect by any means but I've never had any major problems with them.

I have a very strong preference to the silicone triple-flange ear tips. They help block outside noise and fit comfortably. Unfortunately, they also don't work with many ear buds. Shure is one of the few brands that they work with for certain.

I do. The soft silicone ones are much more comfortable in the long run, provided you're using a size that is right for you.

Silicone, 100%.

I physically cannot wear the hard plastic ones. I can tilt my head to one side and they will fall out immediately.

That said, i also have super waxy ears as well so any ear tips (silicone or foam) get disgusting quickly, and its also wet wax so they degrade and also fall out (much slower than the plastic though).

I also struggle with over-ears being too clampy because giant head, so im kinda just fucked on the entire non-speaker audio front. I've found sennheisers to be fairly comfy. Beyerdynamic DT-770 are waaaay too clampy and slide around a lot.

Silicone tipped are so much better. They're easier to clean, they're more comfortable, and they block out outside noise much better.

The hard plastic ones tend to hurt my ears

I prefer anything that doesn't go in my ear first, so over the ear or bone conduction style. But after that I prefer the soft silicone in ear buds because both styles hurt my ears but those I can wear for a longer period before they start hurting.

One of the best investments I ever made was replacing the silicone with memory foam tips. Highly recommend trying it.

Comfy and excellent sound isolation.

While I'm lucky that the Apple earpods fit my ears so well that I'd say it's the best earphones for me to sleep on my side (don't sleep with wired earphones it's a choking hazard), it's only Apple's.

I prefer in ear silicone tips. There are plenty of shapes and brands to find one that fits

I have never found an in-ear style design that both fits and is comfortable. I have, however, found what works perfectly for me. It stays outside the canal, but remains in the ear because of a slight pressure caused by the silicone wing tips. The brand I buy is “Bose Soundsport Wired”. Cheap, sound fine, never fall out.

I have met a single digit number of people who prefer hard plastic earbuds over the soft tips. There's a reason why they're pretty much the only thing you see in "nice" earbuds.

Have you tried different tips? Apple offers like 5 different sizes because it's so important to have the right fit. Initially they didn't fit my ear well, but after a while of trying my ear adapted and now they fit perfectly. Foam is also worth a shot, but they get gross fast.

I'd sooner have someone piss in my ear than wear solid ones. They hurt and don't stay in.

I guess I’m in the minority. The in ear buds hurt my ear. Idk how the hell y’all are jamming that shit in your ear for longer than 5 minutes. The plastic ones feel great. They stay in the ear much better than the silicon tips.

I have the opposite problem. I have a little fold in my ear that pops up like a cartridge eject, rubber molds to it while hard just pops out. Literally unusable

I can't stand the solid ones and highly prefer the silicone tipped. The amount of low frequencies and all around sound fidelity lost when using solids makes them a non starter for me.

I like the ones with memory foam tips. The rubber mushroom tip ones make distracting noises when you move around while wearing them. They amplify noise from the cable rubbing on stuff so they're really only good when you're sitting still.

But if im sitting still I'd rather wear over the ear headphones

I like IEMs with a wrap around design like KZ EDX pro

I think it’s 50/50. Reading the comments pretty much confirms this. Interesting question!

I feel like I get a better, more comfortable fit with the silicone tipped earbuds I have compared to the hard plastic ones I have

I don't understand how the silicone ones can stay in the ear but apparently they do for most people. The top example from the left side in the silicone photo is the only one I can actually wear. Maybe our ears just have a weird shape.

I like the silicone ones when they fit. I have some round the ear ones for jogging and they’re great. Never budge.