Expert’s Rating

Our Verdict

in the first place this week , I separate you about an inexpensive accessory for wee Apple ’s breed earbuds more comfortable and secure . To stay on on that subject , today ’s gemstone is an accessory for enhancing many third - political party headphones .

A popular audio upgrade for the iPod or iPhone is a set of in - capitulum - epithelial duct headphones : I that fit inside your pinna channel ( thus the nicknamecanalphones ) , much like earplug . Because they seal out external noise , these earpiece let you revel your music at lower book than traditional earphone and earbuds . In increase , most true in - capitulum - canal headphones come from vendors that focus on healthy quality ; ripe ones can be high-priced , but they also provide great sound quality .

But one drawback to canalphones is comfort . As we excuse in our primer on in - ear - canal earpiece :

Comply Foam Tips

Because you ’re sticking in - ear - canal earpiece down into your spike canals , and using eartips designed to press tightly enough against the wall of your ear canal to get a good sealing wax , canalphones can palpate quite uncomfortable when you first start using them … to make it easier to get a comfortable fit , most canalphones include a excerpt of eartips — the actual “ plug ” ” that report the headphone - driver enclosure and that stick in your ear … It ’s common for this selection to include several size of silicone / rubber tips , each of which usually sport two or three ridge or flanges , as well as a set of one - sizing - fits - all foam tips which expand to match whichever ears they find themselves in .

I take note in that same clause that I find out it well-to-do to get a near seal of approval with foam gratuity , since the foam expands to fit your ear epithelial duct . But for many hoi polloi , solace is an even handsome consequence with foam tips than silicone : the froth tips that ship with most canalphones tend to be made of a stiff , fractious material .

A slap-up option is Comply’sComply Foam Tips , which I ’ve chance to be much more well-heeled , and easier to get a good sealing wax with , than the stock tips provided by most headphone seller . A few canalphone vender , includingUltimate Ears , have even started including Comply Foam Tips with some of their example .

The rationality Comply ’s tips are better is the cloth . The company describes that cloth as “ viscoelastic polyurethane froth technology ” that ’s breathable and soften with body heat . Whatever the selling blurbiage , I ’m a fan . Like other froth point , after installing them on your canalphones , you roam the point between your fingers to compress them and then insert your canalphones into your capitulum epithelial duct ; the tips then expand to fit , seal out external noise . But in my ear , the Comply tips are much more comfortable — much softer and less techy — than stock foam and silicone polymer baksheesh . And because they ’re more pliant than stiff froth , I ’m able-bodied to get a better seal . ( On the other hand , I ’ve heard from a few users that the Comply tip are n’t quite thick enough for those with heavy - than - average pinna canals . )

Comply makes four Foam Tips models designed for in - ear - epithelial duct headphones : the T-100 , T-200 , T-400 , and P Series ; each work out with specific phone example . To facilitate you count on out which ones to purchase , themain Web page for the Foam Tipsprovides a product selector : just choose the brand of your headphones , and then the model , and you ’ll see which tips suit .

Comply Foam Tips are $ 15 to $ 18 for three brace , or $ 20 to $ 23 for five span , depending on the model . ( Why would you buy multiple pairs ? Like all foam tips , the Comply versions will wear out over prison term . ) This is only a bit more than you ’d make up for “ official ” foam tips from each canalphone vendor ; most sell alternate for $ 15 for five pairs . And take the context : If you ’ve already expend $ 100 , $ 200 , or even $ 500 for good in - ear - epithelial duct headphones , another $ 15 to $ 23 seems sensible to get the most out of them .