Those remind me of the old clip-on Grado’s. Nice!
Just by way of update. The (not really) 7p Tesco Value Sony earbuds arrived today.
Popped them in to my blower via a USBC to 3.5mm adapter, fired up the Kiwi SDR app and tuned a couple of CW spots from DX Watch. Works like a charm.
CW seems to come through nicely along with SSB too - all conditions dependent on the SDR node location of course, but it’s as good a test as going outside with your gear for the real thing. Also tried a bit of BBC Radio 4 on LW, just to see what AM is like. There’s a few nodes with some really juicy reception. Also 252 Chaine 3 from Algeria on LW sounds crisp and clean too.
For what these things cost - about 9 EUR - they do a great job. They’re super lightweight, and yes, pale in comparison to other more premium products. Then again, the use case for these things isn’t the same as, say, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones I have.
The only thing I am not so keen on is the cord is a bit on the thin side after the microphone junction point up to each earbud. They could probably take a fair aul bit of roughness but I think they would break a bit easier than others on the market with thicker cord. Then again, you’d get louder mnemonics from them. Aside from the build, I’d wonder how they fare with different radios. I can’t imagine they would be a pain to drive, but would they sound quieter on certain radios? I’m unsure, maybe someone else could verify in future.
In essence, I think these Sony MDR-EX15AP earbuds are a lot of sound for little money. You wouldn’t be overly cross if you lost them or had an accident with them out in the field. They are cheap and fairly plentiful in stock at many outlets, you can get them in different colours and also, oddly, in multipacks!
Hope it’s an option for someone else reading this too.
I am another one of those that repurposes the freebie airlines headphones. The sound quality is not the best for sure, and if it’s windy they are hard to hear with, but they get the job done and are lightweight.