A lot of one-size-fits-all earbuds just won’t stay in place. Even the ones with interchangeable tips can sometimes wobble themselves out, depending on your activity. But you don’t need to move up to on-ear or over-the-ear headphones just to make sure they stay put.
Audio-Technica’s ATH-CKX5iS SonicFuel™ In-ear Headphones with In-line Mic & Control come with four sizes of earbud tips and three sizes of C-tips. Additionally, the earbuds swivel to keep everything in line and secure.
It took me a few tries to get the proper combination of earbud tips and C-tips to fit me. The C-tips were very easy to trade out, but the earbud tips took a little bit of wrangling. But as I wore the headphones during my workout, they were extremely secure, the sound was fantastic, and I didn’t worry about them working their way out when I turned my head or moved around. They are quite sound-isolating, though, so don’t wear them if you need to hear what’s going on around you. They’re perfect for losing yourself in your music, podcast, or audiobook, however.
These headphones are available in a variety of colors, come with a durable drawstring bag for storage and transport, and have extensive controls and a microphone on one of the cords. You can use these controls to answer or end phone calls, control music or video playback, and change the volume. You can get more specifics at the Audio-Technica website.
At first, I thought the odd C-tips would bother me and that I wouldn’t be able to stand having something wedged into my ear contours. But when I fitted the headphones with the proper size accessories and installed them correctly in my ears, I hardly noticed the extra piece holding the headphones in place. They were extremely comfortable, and the C-tips are very rubbery and flexible. They look like hard plastic, but they are definitely not.
If you’re looking for noise-isolating earbuds that hold in place well and can be customized to your particular ear topography, give Audio-Technica’s ATH-CKX5iS SonicFuel™ In-ear Headphones with In-line Mic & Control a try. They will fit the bill for an affordable price.
Note: I received a pair of headphones for review purposes.
