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submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by Bluegrass_Addict@lemmy.ca to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world

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

I personally cannot wear the silicone ones. they either fallout, or don't fit/hurt my ears.

it's just a royal pain finding the non silicone ones for cheap. it's just for dog walking. I also don't do wireless because well.. they fall out.

photo examples.

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[-] Yesbutnotquite@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

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

[-] Lemming6969@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

The silicone jackets that lock them inside your ear are far superior for them not falling out. Locking in the sound for quality is also much better with silicone plugs.

[-] OldChicoAle@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

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.

[-] 11111one11111@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

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

[-] RedAggroBest@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

Yea, those fuckers have always hurt my ears. I didn't think it was possible for someone to find them more comfortable somehow.

[-] NachBarcelona@piefed.social 4 points 2 months ago
[-] Bluegrass_Addict@lemmy.ca 0 points 2 months ago

clearly me. lol

they don't fit, get extra dirty, the tips get lost making you pay more later.

I was just curious about the general consensus and it feels like it's near 40/40/10. with the 10 being those that detest all earbuds

[-] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago
[-] 3abas@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

Clearly deaf.

[-] Baylahoo@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago

You should try a type called silicone foam ear tips. They are like a hybrid of memory foam and silicone. They seal way better but not too much and are more comfortable than either option to me. I used a brand called diofit, but I would guess more brands make them. I ended up using every size in the set just to avoid going back to regular silicone and they all worked pretty well. I should just buy a new set, but I kept thinking these headphones would die soon with how much I use them.

[-] Dearth@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

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

[-] Baylahoo@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago

I second this hard but actually prefer a kind of hybrid type. just looked at the one's I'm using now and they are by diofit. They make a silicone foam option that's literally like it sounds and mixes the benefits of each type together. (The pure memory foam can be a little too form fitting so they are hard to remove and over-isolating)

[-] albbi@piefed.ca 3 points 2 months ago

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.

[-] MrJameGumb@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

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.

[-] thermal_shock@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

What do you mean you didn't know they still make them. Apple rapids are like version 4, still hard plastic. And I hate apple products, but they fit well, just dangle there and work decent enough for their size.

[-] MrJameGumb@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

With the exception of a few shows on Apple TV I try to mostly ignore whatever Apple is doing these days

[-] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

The hard plastic ones tend to hurt my ears

[-] YetAnotherNerd@sopuli.xyz 2 points 2 months ago

Silicone, 100%.

[-] slippyferret@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 months ago

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.Bose Soundsport Wired ear buds

[-] i_am_not_a_robot@feddit.uk 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I only like the old style earphones that sit in the ear. Those bottom ones look way too bulky to be comfortable or not fall out, and the silicone tip ones - sod stuffing something like that in my ear.

I currently own the Sennheiser MX365 (looks like the MX375 is the updated and still available version) and they are great!

[-] stopforgettingit@piefed.social 2 points 2 months ago

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.

[-] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 1 points 2 months ago

They both belong in the trash. Actual headphones all the way.

[-] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

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.

[-] twinnie@feddit.uk 1 points 2 months ago

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

[-] Pacattack57@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

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.

[-] edgemaster72@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

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

[-] Cupcake@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 months ago

I like IEMs with a wrap around design like KZ EDX pro Mk6bZ0AmotUd1Bc.png

[-] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 months ago

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.

[-] IronBird@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

ear clips are better than both

[-] sudoMakeUser@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago

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

[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 months ago

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.

[-] imetators@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 months ago

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.

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.

[-] khannie@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

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.

[-] Bongles@lemmy.zip 0 points 2 months ago

Agreed. Though I find for someone like myself with.. extra ear wax production foam tips get annoying to clean.

In any case, comply is a decent brand, dekoni I find to be better and more comfortable, except they have trouble staying ON the ear bud, so they end up in my ear. I've heard the same from a reviewer who I found out about dekoni from.

[-] Baylahoo@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago

I've been using a hybrid type that's a silicone foam instead because I had the same complaints. The comfort and useability is peak. The bass boost from foam might be a little less (I don't care about that aspect), but I strongly recommend the one's from diofit. I ran through every size in my pack over the years with my galaxy buds 2 to avoid buying more. Somehow they all just fit anyways.

[-] Bluefruit@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

I'm a FAM of silicone eartips for sure. Better seal, better fit, more comfortable.

I can't stand the hard plastic earbuds man. Hurts my ears and they dont fit as well.

[-] finalarbiter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I don't really wear earbuds because I don't actually like either style. The hard plastic ones are uncomfortable after 10-20 minutes for me and don't stay in my ears. The soft tip ones get really gross and are difficult to clean well, but a decent pair comes with different sizes of tips to better fit my ears.

I have over-ear headphones that I like, but many of them tend to be uncomfortable after a few hours. I've actually come to really like my bone conduction earbuds for general listening because it just rests on my temples with minimal pressure and there's nothing in my ears. They have pretty solid quality, but not audiophile-grade or anything like that.

Edit: I a word

[-] finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

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

[-] litchralee@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 months ago

I too have issues with silicone earbuds, and also with them falling out. Which is why I was over the moon when I discovered wireless clip-on earbuds. They meet my criteria of being convenient (because wireless) while also not falling off (because clip-on). The specific ones I bought (Anker Soundcore c30i) are not noise-cancelling, but I found that I can adjust their position up or down my ears to meet conditions. For example, I wear them high up when out in public, to hear wayward automobiles that might run me down.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Came here to mention clip ons. I recently got a cheap pair and it's like the best of both worlds.

Edit: I bought them on a whim but now that I know I like the concept and form factor I would invest more in another pair

[-] mhzawadi@lemmy.horwood.cloud 0 points 2 months ago

I have swapped from inear to clip style buds and don't look back, the soundcore aeroclips are amazing

[-] LeapSecond@lemmy.zip 0 points 2 months ago

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.

Have you tried any differently-sized tips? Or aftermarket memory foam ones? The latter basically gives you an absolutely perfect seal, as the foam will softly expand to meet the dimensions of your ear canal.

this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2026
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