• Earphones that are comfortable for wearing in bed?

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  • I'm looking for earphones that are comfortable when worn in bed. Specifically, comfortable when worn while laying on my side, so the earphones can't protrude much from the ear canal. These would be used for listening to relaxation audios on an mp3 player to help me fall asleep. Sound quality is a consideration, of course, but comfort is more important. Wired earphones would be okay, though, wireless would be better if not too bulky or costly. I'd like to keep this under $150, but can go higher if necessary. Thanks in advance for your help.

    16 0
    Question by srb2017
    12/29/2016

These aren’t out yet and they’re about $80 above your desired price with preorder, but disregarding for a moment those two disqualifications, they’re supposed to be amazing.

Answer by sass
12/31/2016

These aren’t out yet and they’re about $80 above your desired price with preorder, but disregarding for a moment those two disqualifications, they’re supposed to be amazing.

Answer by sass
12/31/2016

I’ve been using MeeAudio M6Pro with the soft/no button wire, I believe any M6 will do tho. They are not as compact as the Audio-Technica ATH-CKM50A I’ve used before, but the wire on AudioTec has gone frail and that model is no longer available, so I switched.

You may also want to consider either bluetooth or wired ”pillow speaker” — you tuck it under the pillow and depending on the volume setting it might be barely audible if you put your ear down to a specific spot on the pillow, so when you fall asleep/roll you won’t be disturbed by it. The cheap wired ones can be had for as little as $1 shipped from AliExpress.

Answer by stangri
12/31/2016

Sleephones are pretty good. My daughter uses them. AcousticSheep SleepPhones

Answer by la3541
12/31/2016

I’ve been using sleepphones and a knockoff called Cozyphones. Yes, you can sleep on your side. No, the quality isn’t perfect. But it’s been what I”ve been using for guided meditation at night for a couple of years now. Have a second set in my travel kit. 

Answer by filmgeek
12/31/2016

I use Koss Fitclips connected to an iPod Shuffle that I clip to my t-shirt.  They stay in my ear when I roll over.  The sound quality is good, but not exceptional.  I use it to listen to audiobooks.

Answer by Zoot
01/01/2017

I use ”bob Marley  House of Marley collection ” they are made of wood and have a rounded back so you don’t even feel them if you sleep on your side . The sound quality is great for the price I paid under $30 for mine , nice  rich full sounding good bass

 https://store.bfridaystore.com/products/house-of-marley-smile-jamaica-earbud-headphones-black-brown?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=28091779336

 

Answer by itsme
01/01/2017

I use wired Skullcandy earbuds while sleeping, with a nature sounds audio track looping. I simply tuck the phone, with the USB charger plugged in, under the pillow. I can lie on one side with them on but it does get uncomfortable after many hours, so I usually just take that side’s bud out. The pillow against the ear deadens sound anyway. I will try using memory foam earbud tips | eBay for more comfort. 

They are well-made earbuds and reasonably priced, especially if you can find them at Ross or Marshall’s. They are not really Hi Fi but you don’t really need that while you sleep. They also have bluetooth versions.

Answer by laral
01/03/2017

I’ve been using a pair of these JVC Marshmallow earbuds forever. Comfortable, and really durable: I broke the cords of many others rolling around at night until I found these. Not sure if the current model is as comfortable or durable, but they are more readily available.

Answer by spinkham
01/03/2017

I live in the city and once lived above two nightclubs where the ’music’ didn’t die down until after 3 AM every night. The best headphones I have found for sleeping are the new Apple wireless Airpods. They are a little pricey, but very comfortable especially when sleeping on your side. They fit exactly like the regular Apple Earpods (around $30), but no cord attached to your phone! Which means your phone does not have to be in bed beside you, draining your battery all night! You can put your phone on your nightstand, plug it into your charger so it’s fully charged in the morning, turn on bluetooth and you’re good to go! (I use Brian Eno’s ambient music on Spotify to help me fall asleep. He also has an app for iPhone that creates continuous original music!). This paired with a white noise machine on your floor (get at Amazon or Bed Bath & Beyond with a 20% coupon) is the way to better sleep!

Answer by mnmedia
01/06/2017

A-Jays One are $25 on Amazon. They have a ”backless” earphone design that works perfectly for your situation. No pressure on the ear at all when lying on your side. They also have a flat 5mm tanglefree cord and a right-angle jack.

There’s also an A-Jays 4 which includes a microphone and volume buttons.

Answer by ffarkle
01/07/2017

I’ve used the following different headsets for listening to podcasts in bed, on my way to sleep. 

  • Apple standard earphones (the old style, no longer available) — leaked audio, so my wife could hear it.
  • Apple standard EarPods (the new, current style) — works OK. No leaked audio, but hard, not that comfortable.
  • Apple In-Ear Headphones (the old ”deluxe” option from Apple, ~$80) — best wired choice I’ve used. Small earbud was very comfortable when sleeping on side. Cat chewed through cable.
  • Shure SE315 in-ear headphones ($$$) — great audio, but they stick out too far outside my ears to be comfortable when sleeping on my side. But _great_ sound when that matters.
  • a-Jays Four for iPhone (the ”full controls” version of the a-Jays One recommended by ffarkle) — really liked these, nearly as comfortable as the Apple in-ear. Cat chewed through cable.
  • SleepPhones from AcousticSheep (wireless ”cat proof” version) — royal PITA to get them adjusted each time I put them on. The speakers lay very flat, so it’s quite comfortable, but they slide around inside the headband, and they have to be perfectly positioned over your ears to have good volume. And maybe it’s the shape of my head, location of ears, etc., but the band always tries to become a blindfold. I don’t like these, but it’s because they’re fussy, not because they’re bad. With a better band design, they’d be awesome.
  • Current choice: Brightech Pure Lightning Earphones (currently $40 on Amazon). Like the Apple In-Ear and the a-Jays, the earbuds are small, and don’t stick out very far, so they’re OK to sleep on. Good, not great. There’s also a weird effect where if I press too hard at a specific angle, the ear cup folds over or something, and audio in that ear is blocked. But the other side keeps playing. Fine for spoken word, not so great for music. I just lift up a bit and resettle my head to fix it. So far, the cable (flat, wide, thicker than average) has resisted my cat’s…attentions.

For what it’s worth, I live on a block with five actual bars, and a number of restaurants that also serve booze. It’s _loud_ at night on party nights. All but the old Apple basics and the SleepPhones block extra noise even when not playing audio. If they can handle Haight Street, they can probably handle your ambient noise.

Answer by Alderete
01/10/2017

I clicked on the posting by Sass re earbuds not yet available. The page says I am not authorized to view. What is the problem? I am logged in.

Answer by russ
01/13/2017

I use SleepPhones from Acoustic Sheep and have done for several years. They aren’t perfect but they’re the best I’ve found yet. I use the wired version and I have two sets. Yes, they do slide around, but by the time that happens I’m usually already asleep.

Answer by bryan
02/04/2017

@russ: here’s the fixed link: https://kokoon.io/

Answer by simon
02/06/2017

You can check out some headphones at audio speaker world. They have headphones for just about everything. 

Answer by tooonyg
02/18/2017
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