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The 5 Best Earbud Replacement Tips That Are Actually Comfortable
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If you’re struggling with your current earbud tips or you’ve misplaced them, the best earbud replacement tips fit your ears and earbuds comfortably. You’re the expert when it comes to what feels best in your ears, but the material the tips are made from can seriously factor into your comfort. Silicone is one of the most common materials and is super durable. However, it's not great for smaller or oval-shaped ear canals. Foam and memory foam are also common materials for being malleable to get a better fit, but it's also harder to clean.
Silicone tips are generally easy to clean and likely to last a long time. That said, it can be difficult to find silicone tips that fit if you have smaller ears or oval-shaped ear canals. Tips with a multi-flange design (which has up to three different layers of silicone sitting on top of a usually round tip) might be a good choice if you like silicone but have a hard time having them stay in your ear, as these extra layers sit further in the inner ear and offer a snugger fit. If you have compatible earbuds, you could also try silicone earbuds with a fin (or wing) that sits inside the contours of the upper ear, which is another way to achieve a stay-put fit.
Foam or memory foam is most commonly used in round or spherical tips, and can be extra comfortable because they’re soft and highly malleable. This material could be preferable for those with smaller or oval-shaped ear canals. That said, all ear shapes and sizes can benefit from foam’s ability to expand and create a strong seal for noise cancellation, sound quality, and overall comfort. The only downside is that foam isn’t as easy to clean as silicone, which means you end up having to replace them more frequently. Some manufacturers recommend doing that every few months or so. If you’re not quite sure whether you have small or large ear canals, consider looking for a product that comes in multiple sizes to experiment with.
Finally, not all replacement tip styles fit all earbuds, so be sure to check what the manufacturer says about compatibility to ensure you’re getting the right replacement for the best comfort and overall performance. Ready to find the best earbud replacement tips for you? Scroll on for five options that work with many of the major headphone brands.
1. These Inexpensive Silicone Tips In A Range Of Sizes
These silicone earbuds — backed by over 1,200 Amazon reviews with a 4.4-star overall rating — are affordable and widely compatible thanks to the eight pairs in the set. The set comes with black and white tips in sizes Small, Medium, and Large, as well as in a double flange design, and should fit most earphone and headphone models from major brands including Skullcandy, Sony, Sharp, and Beats. Many happy Amazon reviewers report that the color options help them differentiate their earbuds (left from right) and that the variety of sizes is helpful for more than one user in the family or for different-sized ear canals. For just a few dollars more, you can double your earbud replacement tip stash by opting for the 32-pack.
According to one Amazon reviewer: “These are fantastic! I wanted two different colors of earbud tips so at a glance I could tell which ear each went into. With the clear/white and the black, I have that (clear for the right/black for the left) and plus extra tips. They fit perfectly on my MPOW earbuds. These tips are incredibly comfortable and while I use the small size, with multiple sizes in the same package, my husband can also use the earbuds simply by switching out the tips so they fit him perfectly as well. Highly recommend!”
2. These Memory Foam Tips In Multiple Sizes
If you're looking for comfy memory foam earbud replacements, these popular Comply foam tips have racked up over 1,700 Amazon reviews with an overall rating of 4.2 stars across the range. The set shown above comes with three pairs of spherical foam tips in sizes Small, Medium, and Large (Comply suggests that Medium should be right for most users). Each earbud replacement is made from heat-activated memory foam that the manufacturer suggests helps create a better seal in the ear. A better seal helps isolate noise, keeping distractions out and enhancing what you're listening to, but another benefit of the foam construction is that it should be exceptionally comfortable.
Another reason to invest in these cushy replacements? These foam tips are compatible with over 80 brands including JBL, Jabra, Philips, and Ultimate Ears. If you'd prefer a different model of these tips for different compatibility, or if you know your size and aren't interested in a multipack, these tips are available in Small, Medium, and Large sizes. Choose from a bunch of other Comply earbud tip models, too, including TSX-100, TSX-200, or TSX-400.
According to one Amazon reviewer: “Game-changer for my earbuds! I hate those silicone buds, so I replaced them with these and it not only feels more comfortable, the sound quality increased dramatically because of the noise cancelation. They also mold to the inside of your ear like ear plugs, so you can keep them in for long periods of time without them making your ears hurt.”
3. A Variety Pack Of Memory Foam Tips
If you're sold on foam but you'd also like to experiment with slightly different shapes, try the Comply SmartCore Variety Pack 500. This assortment includes three pairs of foam tips in two styles: Sport Pro and Audio Pro. Both are generally round, but the Audio Pro style is more spherical and intended to keep your ears cozy for extended listening sessions while the Sport Pro is a bit thinner and taller and designed to stay put while you move. Like all foam tips from the Comply brand, these replacements are heat-activated and expand in the ear canal for a close fit. Available in Medium and Large sizes, these foam replacements also work with major brands such as Skullcandy, Sennheiser, Beats, and Bang & Olufsen. And if you know you prefer the Sport Pro or Audio Pro and would rather not purchase a variety pack, Comply also sells them in separate 6-piece packs.
According to one Amazon reviewer: “These do exactly what I wanted/needed: they give my earbuds a better, tighter fit while providing expanded sound definition and suppressing outside noise. These keep the bud sealed deep in my ear without allowing it to eventually slide loose (common problem for me with silicone bud tips) so I hear more detail in my music. Basically they sort of turn normal earbuds into pseudo noise cancelling earbuds. For me, the tighter fit also eliminates the need for earhooks or other stabilizers needed to keep the buds in-ear.”
4. A Bose-Compatible Silicone Earbud Tips With Fins
When it's time to replace your Bose earbud tips, these Bose-compatible silicone earbud tips work specifically with models that use silicone earbud tips with a fin. Specifically, that means these replacements are compatible with models such as the Bose QC20, QC30, SIE2i, IE2, IE3, and SoundSport wireless headphones. Each multipack comes with a pair of Small, Medium, and Large tips in black or transparent. As with Bose's original tips, these replacements are made of silicone that's soft and easy to clean. These earbud tips have more than 600 Amazon reviews with an overall 4.5-star rating. Many Amazon reviewers report that these are almost the same as their original Bose-made tips.
According to one Amazon reviewer: “you can tell these are not manufactured by BOSE, but they are almost exactly like the originals, fit nicely (a bit more snug than the original BOSE ear tips), comfortable, and same great noise cancellation. these are perfect for the price and do the job, will buy more when I run out”
5. A Noise-Canceling Earbud Tips For AirPods Pro
For Apple AirPods Pro users, these Comply Foam Tips 2.0 could also be just the comfort and performance upgrade you've been looking for. Made specifically for AirPods Pro, these tips can be left on the earbuds in the charging case without interfering in the charging process. And thanks to the heat-activated memory foam, these replacements should be easy to shape and place in your ear for strong noise-canceling and a close fit. Finding the right size for your ears shouldn't be difficult either as these earbud tips come in a variety of sizes — buy them in a multipack with a Small, Medium, and Large pair, or in separate packs of Small, Medium, and Large sizes, each of which comes with three pairs of tips.
According to one Amazon reviewer: “These are the tips you want. Buy them. They are supremely comfortable, easy to attach onto the AirPods and to place into your ear, and they offer the same/better passive noise cancellation as the original Apple tips and the same/slightly bassier sound quality. Most importantly to me, they stay in place without almost any shifting once they are in. I have taken the AirPods Pro from 100% to 0% with them in my ears the entire time and with literally no movement - I am blown away.”
