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Add to SafariWhen comparing Sennheiser IE 800 vs GrizzlyBuds, the Slant community recommends Sennheiser IE 800 for most people. In the question“What are the best rugged and durable earbuds & IEMs that last?” Sennheiser IE 800 is ranked 6th while GrizzlyBuds is ranked 18th. The most important reason people chose Sennheiser IE 800 is:
The IE 800s allow some ambient sound to pass, but not enough to be bothersome.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Good noise isolation
The IE 800s allow some ambient sound to pass, but not enough to be bothersome.
Pro No bass distortion at any volume
Precisely engineered pressure vents behind a single dynamic driver leave no opportunity for distortion to occur.
Pro Ear tips provide a good seal
The ear tips are a step up from the common silicone ear tips on the market today. The part that comes into contact with your ear is made out of soft, flexible, high quality silicone. The inside canal of the ear tips however is made out of a firmer plastic material, with a metal mesh in the middle.
This combination allows the ear tips to create a very good seal when worn, reducing sound leakage/bleed while also ensuring optimal sound delivery.
Pro Fantastic listening experience
Sennheiser is known for audiophile gear, and these earphones qualify. Their frequency response, dynamic range, and clarity of definition do justice to their price tag.
Pro Good durability with scratch resistance
Instead of using metal or plastic in the construction of the earpieces, Sennheiser has used a special ceramic material on the IE 800 which is scratch resistant. This helps to keep the weight of the in-ears down, yet can still withstand use and abuse pretty well.
The cable on the other hand is very high quality and covered with Kevlar reinforcement for added durability.
Pro Oxygen-free, kevlar-reinforced copper cable
Wrapped and sealed in an oxygen-free environment, these cables are immune to corrosion so long as their tough kevlar shielding remains intact.
Pro Sustainable design
GrizzlyBuds are committed to reducing consumer waste. Each part can be individually replaced, meaning that no working parts need to be thrown away if just one piece breaks.
Pro Replacement parts are cheap
If one of the speakers goes out, it costs $14 to replace. If the cable goes out, it costs $11. Note that the assembled product is only $2 less than building it from parts.
Pro Good sound with excellent bass response
GrizzlyBuds' sound quality exceeds expectations for their price range.
Pro Extremely durable
Replaceable parts aside, GrizzlyBuds are built not to break in the first place. Earphone components are housed in aluminum cylinders, and the cable is reinforced with kevlar.
Cons
Con Cable noise
Touching the cable or rubbing it against clothing makes a rustling sound that transmits into the earpiece.
Con Y-split connection can pull down the earpieces
The detachable cable after the Y-Split cable adds a bit of weight to the earpieces. This can pull them down and cause them to dislodge at times.
Con Does not come with an in-line microphone/remote
While not really a CON, this omission can make or break your purchase decision for these headphones. Sennheiser offers an add-on cable which features the mic and remote, but is quite expensive.
Con Headphone cable is not completely removable
While the headphone cable can be attached/detached via a 2.5mm connection from the Y-split down, the cable cannot be removed from the earpieces themselves. This can make replacing the fixed cables very difficult and potentially expensive.
Con Sketchy company
These originally appeared on Kickstarter as "IRONBuds", for which the company never delivered on their promised product. What they did deliver suffered from poor construction quality, and looks exactly like what is pictured here. The custom components that allow the parts to be swappable might have more value if they could be sourced from other companies or were held together with enough glue to keep them from falling apart in the first place.
Con No option for controls or mic
Despite a replaceable cable, GrizzlyBuds does not offer anything beyond basic headphone function.
