Finding the worst ever earbuds.

[@bobbybob5182]

That last earbud was intended for a low power radio. It’s built to use minimal electricity for listening to an off-grid radio for as long as possible. They can come in handy if you are hiking, camping or in any situation where you have preserve your batteries. edit: the small amount of power would be used by a channel scanner

[@plkrtn]

@@stevencurtis7157 Quite the opposite. Crystal radio sets have no power source. They use the power of the signal, so need a long cable to act as the antenna, usually. Some come with an extra wire and a crocodile clip, but many just use the earpiece cable itself.

[@potatoheadhaoy]

Ohhh, so that's what they're for. That's really informative!

[@SockyNoob]

@@plkrtn interesting

[@Jordan-rb28]

@@stevencurtis7157 higher the impedance* but honestly a very slight lowering in volume would balance that out so it's very negligible.

[@plkrtn]

@@stevencurtis7157 again, and not to label the point - the cable IS the source of power.

[@BTFong]

I'm no audiophile, never bought an apple product, or have ever been within a mile of a kangaroo but I've been watching this man since covid hit cause he is so entertaining

[@_auser_]

100 likes but no comments lol

[@clintonharvey2384]

and now you know way more about Apple products than you ever wanted to hahahaha

[@_auser_]

@@clintonharvey2384 well, apple products are very limited to the real world when android has more likw its own features. Of course facetime and camera is very high quality but android could install apks, mod the base version so you could make your OS, and modding apps is easier, while on iphone you need to like jailbreak to do stuff

[@O0O0O0OO00-C]

@@_auser_ We're gonna reach 400 likes and only 4 comments

[@braxabnewest]

That’s just me but on an iPad 9

[@Dee_Just_Dee]

9:20 Oh, I know exactly what this earphone was meant for. Right up until the mid 1990s, you could buy cheap compact black-and-white TV sets to "enjoy" the absolute bare minimum experience of watching broadcast TV. There were also still plenty of cheap mono radios on the market. So, if your living situation was absolute crap and your electrical outlet placement was absolute crap, you could still use one of these earphones to listen to your TV or radio shows across a small bedroom without bothering your roommates. I'm not gonna lie, I actually used one of these things for a few months back in like 1997.

[@reedman0780]

Sheesh this thing so long you can use it on some BDSM play

[@qweebey]

I’ve seen those funny thing is that in my country we still have VHF broadcasting

[@james_schneiderwind]

I remember getting one of those in a build your own radio kit. It sounded awful

[@Rainbow0015]

Was it a pain to untangle?

[@james_schneiderwind]

@@Rainbow0015 yes, 100% was. Only ever tried to use it once

[@ferrandanael2958]

I've actually seen the last headphone included in a metronome a long time ago, the sound was awful but it was enough to hear the click and effectively make you deaf because you couldn't change the volume of it and it was BLASTING that click into your soul, mate you'd never be out of tempo with these

[@Wyrdrock]

To be perfectly honest that single "worst" earbud actually has a purpose. They're often shipped with metronomes for musicians, for which they're actually quite useful. That's also why there's only one and why the cable is so long, so it doesn't get in the way. Audio quality doesn't matter when it's just for the tick tick of a metronome. For what they are for I actually quite like it, especially since they're usually free.

[@amarujuancoiz4287]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[@binky_bun]

They're also used with crystal radio sets. A regular dynamic driver needs too much power to be driven by a radio powered by nothing more than the energy of the received radio transmission

[@darrenthetuber743]

a cable so long it doesn't get in the way? What lol?

[@metamusic64]

@@darrenthetuber743 So you can do something like running it off the side of a piano before it gets to you, rather than having to have the cable floating over the keys

[@olivercharles2930]

what

[@jacksong6226]

For those wondering why the last one even existed, It is likely a piezo electric speaker these were used with shoebox cassette recorders for dictation but was designed in the 1920s for old school crystal radios, it was used up till the end of the 2000s when we stopped using shoebox cassette decks for dictation. Since they were designed to be ran at extremely low power that would come from an AM radio station, and because of the piezo electric system they can only reproduce a tiny portion of the audio spectrum, to me a really fascinating thing

[@johnruschmeyer5769]

That earphone should also be super high impedance, like 1K ohms.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

I figured it was the early version of what would later develop into a bluetooth earpiece (wow, I now feel old for remembering when you had to buy a separate earpiece for bluetooth and now, ever pair of earbuds and headphones can just be used for calls, no need to buy a dedicated earpiece). That "headphone" was from 1995/96, so I figured it was for the early cellphones. Granted, if you could afford a cellphone back then, you likely weren't buying a $5 earphone for it, lol. I dunno, that's just what I thought of when I saw it.

[@TommyCrosby]

It's like if you would say that the worst microphone ever is your average pairs of headphones. Yes it can work, but it's not the intended use it was made for.

[@teh_supar_hackr]

I didn't even realize earbuds that low spec could exist.

[@Artichoked1]

I once bought one of those crystal earpieces to test a crystal radio I made in a matchbox. I also used it for watching youtube videos on my PC for a while lol

[@SlightlyNasty]

So just a bit of context on that final earphone - those are often piezo transducers originally intended for use with crystal set radios, where you need the super high impedance (because the actual recieved radio waves have to power the earpiece directly). They're not really intended for general use, though they're bafflingly common given the number of people out there actually using crystal sets. Edit: as pointed out below, this one actually says "magnetic", so maybe it really is just a crusty earpiece?

[@timanderson5717]

but the box says magnetic

[@nebonit]

Reminded me of making a crystal radio that one time.... Nothing like only being able to tune into AM.

[@SlightlyNasty]

@@timanderson5717 Ah, good catch!

[@handlemonium]

Fascinating. I do love my pair of Sender DT6 earbuds. They sport a dynamic, BA, AND piezoelectric drivers and for $20 sound cleaner than my $100 IEMs. Love em. 👌🤗

[@SirRobertDole2]

I had a science project kit as a kid that included a radio and it came with one of those flesh-colored mono earbuds.

[@kiyoshi_the_devil]

Here you see a aussie lad, sacrificing himself for the people on the huge water ball we live on. Appreciation please...

[@MuscarV2]

Saying we live on a water ball is like calling a round rock with some droplets on it a water balloon. Sure, 70% of the surface is covered in water but it's so shallow and such a small part of the whole. It's a slightly wet rock.

[@erik3371]

I like how he's shaming the consumption society and the drive for plastic worthlessness. As a fan of music though I can't blame anyone consuming the dirty buds (etc) to experience our collective culture that is music, I wouldn't want to rob anyone of that. It's a thin line.

[@samholdsworth420]

He has over a million subscribers I would say we appreciate them

[@word69420]

it’s less of a water ball and more of a trash ball

[@kiyoshi_the_devil]

@@word69420 yea

[@NALTOHQ]

I adore KB Ear for not only selling quality stuff for insanely low prices, but also supporting channels like this. Sweet.

[@soulzzplaysgames]

8:29 gotta love how even with the Diablo fully cranked up and close to the mic they still had no bass at all. 😅

[@robertl1390]

Glad to have my weekly sesh of "Oh mY pKcElL"

[@eddy.h3872]

pkcell lifes matter, bro...

[@lrrrruleroftheplanetomicro7221]

It isn’t a Thursday (or Wednesday for some) if you don’t hear that phrase.

[@CommanderWiggins]

My favorite thing is that he doesn't ever try to knock the PKCELL, he's just such a being of chaos that the PKCELL is in constant danger.

[@marcuskarlsson8995]

@K A I L E E 📽️ hey we talkin pkcell here if u aint talkin pkcell get out

[@kronos_1337.]

I JUST FOUND OUT MY TV REMOTE HAS PKCELLS

[@TheAngryHiker]

Hearing “Ooh, dirty buds” makes it 100% genuine

[@jarredtol]

It’s the “My PKCELL” for me

[@strayiggytv]

Once on a road trip cross country a friend's headphones conked out so he bought a pair of in ears at a gas station and fell asleep wearing them . I went to wake him up at the motel and saw blood on the seat when he raised his head. The earbuds did not come with any padding and they had sliced his ear open on one side. Dude looked like he took psychic damage in an anime.

[@samjd261]

bruh

[@xavier6130]

ouch

[@SpeedKing..]

Oh God

[@antkoos]

😬 that's really scary to hear

[@Heavypinkcore]

this sounds like my worst nightmare, what the hell were those buds made out of?

[@Pluvillion]

When Wade uses the 1 Grit *_WITHOUT_* the iPad, you _know_ he's mad.

[@pigeonfood420]

10:00 this is what ariadne gave theseus when he went to slaughter the minotaur

[@honque545]

that's a good one dude

[@lucythebrazen]

The last ones really remind me of a headphone I got in one of those science kits as a kid, where you build yourself an AM radio that completely works off of the power you can receive from an AM radio signal. In hindsight extremely impressive that this thing worked without batteries, and was super bare bones otherwise too, but you could tune into different AM radio stations, and you were able to listen to that station, given your surroundings were quiet enough x) Edit: I think they didn't even have regular magnetic speakers, but instead piezoelectric speakers

[@sebasty6111]

wait whoa i didn't know that was possible!

[@g4mmalotus937]

I was thinking the same thing! I had a circuit set that had this earphone that honestly looked like a tiny pacifier, it was so weird!

[@SteveBrandon]

Yeah, I was going to say that it exactly the sort of mono earphone that came with some Radio Shack/Tandy AM/FM radios in the 1980s including the battery-less crystal radio kits so this is a very convenient thread for me to post that comment. Maybe not the cord, though, I don't remember any radio earphone from Radio Shack coming with a six meter braded cord.

[@thekernel69]

I'm glad someone else had that kit as a kid as well, I only kind of got mine working where you couldn't understand anything that came through and at one point I thought I was picking up cell phone calls (yes I know that's not possible because analog/digital)

[@lucythebrazen]

@@sebasty6111 Allegedly, metallic tooth fillings, sometimes result in the ability to pick up AM radio stations, and vibrate just enough so that people with those fillings are able to hear that. Given how simple AM is, I could imagine that actually being the case. I haven't found any conclusive studies on that so I can't say for sure. I've also seen reports of people living close extremely strong AM stations, who claim the metal springs in their beds picking up AM signals. Again, nothing super conclusive on the validity of those reports, but again, plausible enough. Edit: Just type "3D Printed Radio | No Batteries" into the KZbin searchbar, and you see a guy building pretty much exactly the radio that was included in that kit Edit 2: Especially the second claim, of random metal objects in a house vibrating just enough that you can faintly hear the station are actually pretty plausible, given that there are no other strong enough signals around for them to pick up and produce sound from, that you would circumvent the tuning issue

[@jameslamb7197]

The single earphone 'thing' was legit. They were often used in the all-in-one alarm clock, FM/AM radio and kettle units where you'd stay in bed with a single earphone cable running to your side table. And the reason why they are all 'highs' and no 'lows' or 'mids' is because they were only ever used to listen to talkback radio + news reports in the early morning when you'd be sipping your freshly boiled cuppa.

[@o0Avalon0o]

My grandma gave me an unopened one when my earbuds went, I said thank you of course but I had no idea what I was looking at, lol.

[@kaninekodiak]

@@o0Avalon0o thats actually adorable, bless your nan

[@WhittyWhitts]

It doesn’t excuse the terrible fit they have

[@Tengokujin]

0:00 Intro 0:30 KBEAR Stellar - 不凡 MX500 classic public model flat earbud 1:39 Qudo Earphones 3:47 將声 K1 Sports Earphones (good luck finding any documentation on these, I think they're originally white label for anyone to slap their own logos on) 7:19 ΩMEGA HP-16 Digital Stereo Earphone Super Bass Sound 9:24 Avico EP35XL Earphone (wow, I thought the K1s were difficult to find documentation on) 12:01 Patreon credits 12:29 Outro 12:36 Frank It's amazing, the amount of e-waste humanity has produced for decades.

[@nequastar1826]

The K1’s are almost certainly white label, I ordered something similar from Ali express for a laugh because they looked like awful imitation IEM’s, turns out, that’s exactly what they are

[@prodfrzl]

you forgot to timestamp "a duck, an egg, and a sausage!"

[@deadaccount6385]

Ooh, Frank! 😁 One of the best parts

[@puhteeah4876]

should've called the K1 things the rock and roll bass

[@vertz1515]

8:24 this is the most pure dankpods clip I’ve ever seen.

[@Gunbudder]

4:00 This packaging is pretty common for mass produced electronics parts from shenzhen. i'm pretty sure there is a huge factory that pumps them out by the boat load, and you can have them print whatever you want. most of the nicer shenzhen cables i get come in this resealable package thats all the exact same size.

[@freeuploads4290]

By the look of it, it looks like the same kind of plastic you'd get from cheap weed packs.

[@dustycrustyhomelessman1648]

before i found this channel i was living out of stinkbuds like this my whole life. one of the drivers would always break super fast so i could almost never listen to music in stereo. the cables were so noisy, it would be like static when i walked. sometimes, they would fit so bad the hard plastic would cut into my ears. i got a pair of kzs a while ago and never looked back.

[@lyrqk5829]

life really does get better!

[@indigo_whiskey]

I love the sound of a dying earbud, it’s like a cicada stuck inside your jacket collar. Like, you and the cicada both want out of the situation you’re put into but your wild flailing almost perfectly counteracts the cicada’s efforts to get out of your jacket, making it worse for everyone involved Did I say “love”? I meant “appreciate for its comedic value but wouldn’t want to deal with it personally”

[@ryebread8063]

Oddly specific, what happened here?

[@HeYoNiA]

@@ryebread8063 He seems to be speaking from experience, if that's the case then I feel extremely bad for this man.

[@KillerCaitie]

What a beautiful description.

[@nmmeswey3584]

you phrase that really weird, but I know exactly what you mean

[@DuhNoU]

i mean, that is a valid description of love

[@mexicanweeb231]

You inspred me to refurbish my sister’s old ipod and I want to thank you you for helping me unintentionally rediscover a big part of my childhood

[@spancer9070]

Im still looking for my Sony Walkman mp3 player that I got off a middle school friend for a crisp $5 bill

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

@@spancer9070 Oof, I'm guessing your friend knew nothing about their currencies and the cost of things, lol. Reminds me of a time my older brother told our younger brother during a game of Monopoly that he would buy his Boardwalk for a "George Washington" (if you're not American, that's a $1 bill). Sadly, my little brother looked to me as his big sister to call bull on the deal but I miraculously managed to keep a poker face for once and let the deal go through. And once he'd defeated my younger brother, my older brother beat me as well, the bastard. I feel like there's a lesson to be learned here but twenty plus years later, I'm loathe to admit it 😂

[@edgarwalk5637]

I believe it was designed for TV, as most were mono at the time. I had a similar one as a kid in the '80's, but the one that I had plugged the speaker part into something that looked like a stethescope, with mono sound for both ears. Luxury.

[@ryan_pencil9811]

the last headphone is also commonly used for educational purposes (crystal radios and other stem related projects) its a popular choice by teachers and the like because you can pick up a bulk part bag of a dozen of them for just a couple of bucks.

[@poisonempress]

This was, of course, a highly entertaining video but I love the fact people have taken the time to explain the last earphone because I had no idea that kind of thing existed. This is a really neat community we've built for ourselves here ^_^

[@kantraa]

5:35 this is the first time Dank's headphone stories has made me wheeze. him just talking about a skate park and mouth-made bass just randomly interrupting it is the funniest shit ever for some reason edit: holy shit i didn't expect this to completely explode. thank you!!!

[@pcfllms]

Then the icing on the cake “I got a concussion”

[@pcfllms]

Then the icing on the cake “I got a concussion”

[@vito3608]

It made my day. Mr Danko is hilarious

[@jerryatrics2351]

Gura I got veat up at the skate park lets gooooo

[@kie950]

Topped perfectly with that off-hand "I've got a concussion"

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

That mono headphone would work for a crystal radio I bet.

[@adrianbiankin]

I caught a wild Josh!

[@LordofDiamondsMetal]

That's what it was meant for, I think. I used to build radios when I was real young and I used those things all the time

[@GiGA-BOB]

@@adrianbiankin hey there it's josh welcome back to let's ham it out

[@vladcampos]

10:18 I remember my grandmother using this to watch TV 30 plus yeas ago. TV plugs were mono back then. I wander if this is the same thing still been produced.

[@KOSMOS1701A]

8:37 You can tell he's seriously gritting when the ipad gets moved.

[@joemck85]

That last one is a crystal radio earphone. If you bust it up it will contain a little flat piezo buzzer of the same sort that many electronic things use to beep. It's a better choice for crystal radios than normal dynamic drivers because it runs on the darn-near-zero current that a crystal radio can pull out of the air. It's really meant to listen to news on a crystal radio during a natural disaster since those can be made with no power plug and no batteries, just drawing the power they need from the AM radio signal itself.

[@nahometesfay1112]

The packaging says magnetic, but it probably serves the same purpose.

[@MaximNightFury]

The fact you can just get phantom power from goddamn radio waves is insane to me

[@dakota9821]

@@MaximNightFury Radio waves are just a type of radiant energy (electromagnetic radiation); Solar power works by using radiant energy. A crystal radio using the same principle, but using radio waves instead of UV/IR. When the radio waves hit the conductor (antenna) they run along it and product an electric current, albeit very little. Not being able to see the EMR only makes it harder to understand if you let it trick you into forgetting that it's all EMR.

[@losfogo7149]

@@MaximNightFury and that's not even the tip of the cool stuff radio waves can do. They are such an underrated field in the mainstream imo. They are like solar light but carry muuuuuch less power, nonetheless those are photons

[@pandoranbias1622]

Fun fact: the reason why chocolate gains that white powdery film on it is because of condensation causing sugar crystals to dissolve and re-form on the surface of the chocolate, its called sugar bloom.

[@TheLiveMontageGuy05]

Thanks for the info Master….

[@realspeedghxst]

Good to know

[@masemasemasie]

I’ve never seen powder on my chocolate.

[@chrisbrasher6177]

Neat😊

[@FaeraOthronus]

The absolute worst headphones I've ever had the displeasure of using was a pair of Bluetooth over ear headphones that were given to be and I was told specifically that they were bought off wish. They sounded like music coming from a gramophone in another room at max volume and would cut in and out. I honestly felt bad because they were meant to be a gift but they were actually unusable

[@aristodatartist7591]

7:35 SUPER BASS SOUND

[@mikdaddario6257]

3:06 that noise, it haunts me

[@King-Dhruv]

3:07

[@insectexpeditions6019]

I clicked this and now I’m rolling on the floor 😂

[@TheBorhork]

We used to sell that earphone at radio shack back in the day. It was paired with a hearing aid alternative. It's whole thing was just to amplify voice and that alone.

[@henryatkinson1479]

That last one (the singular earphone) is a Piezoelectric transducer. They're *really* old tech. They were most common in the 1960s for things like kit radios.

[@power-max]

It says magnetic on the back although it does look like the peizo based transducer

[@dogman5220]

As someone who used dollar store earbuds for 2 years, i can feel the chalky cable and hear the crackle.

[@PotatisSlottet]

6:43 The screach of those K1 in ears! Put them out of their misery! Please!

[@TakaokiKaimi]

I actually bought the KS2s after hearing you talk about kbears so often and I have to say I'm in love with them. I'm not a audiophile in the slightest, but from using cheap $10 skullcandy or JBL buds pretty much my whole life, the ks2s blew me away in both sound and comfort. But the thing that sold me and everyone I showed them to was the changeable cable. I hated having to buy all new headphones when there was a break in the chord and would have to be bent and held in a specific angle just to keep one side working.

[@chrono_tigger]

Honestly, same! I bought those and the Samson SR850 and haven't looked back! I do intend to get the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro when I have some spare cash to sling at my music addiction.

[@Calvin_Coolage]

Those 10 dollar Skullcandy's are pretty decent. Aside from build quality, every pair I've owned went out in a year.

[@TakaokiKaimi]

@@Calvin_Coolage sometimes I've had a pair last a few years and sometimes I've had a pair get a short in about 2 weeks.

[@SiriusXification]

Most of the chinese sets (the ones people call chi-fi - tin, kbear, kz, cca, blon & many more) are actual top tier products. They last years with regular use. They're cheap. They also sound better than most high end wireless over ear headphones, at least for busy stuff like metal cause of the BA speakers. Headphone jack getting removed en masse is actually a real bummer if you're a fan.

[@SaintSarcasm]

@@SiriusXification i used like a 20 buck kz for a bit after like a year the bit connected to the wire broke a bit but still connected with some super glue. Compared to the skull candies and beats i used in the past that lasted only 2 months at most. People make fun of china for cheap products but like. Every country has cheap products. Just a matter of keeping an eye and ear open

[@hackbustersminecraft]

That single earbud thing isn't the worst I've ever seen/heard, so this one time I was in japan on a tour of some national park and we had these weird radio communication things with the tour guide and a single earphone. Black. Made of Plastic. The tip is literally SHARP. There was absolutely no cushioning, just a pointy black plastic tip that you could probably pierce your eardrums with. And you can probably imagine it wasn't too comfortable

[@defrabe1]

I was in Jay Eh Pan last year... and they had those exact ones on the tour I was on... Holy crap they were bad

[@inthem8riX_]

somehow, today on the DankPods channel, we have headphones that actually sound WORSE BEFORE the diablo-ing, because at least after the diablo there’s a chance that they just stop working, and therefore can’t hurt anyone anymore.

[@inthem8riX_]

@@beatrix4306 no

[@gartankthesecond3726]

I like how Wade was so upset with the second to last pair, that he brought out not only the Diablo, but the Dressmaker Scissors, and the One Grit (of course)

[@taidee]

DP has got to be one of the happiest people I watch on YT, thanks mate, keep doing what you do.

[@cb1671]

I bought of earbuds set at a dollar store near me once. I didn't expect them to be good, but it was a pinch so I just needed them to last a day or two. The first thing I noticed when I opened it was the smell of plastics off-gassing. That's okay though, I can deal with that. Then I noticed that the jack only had two contacts, which means the big "STEREO SOUND" on the package was a blatant lie. After that I put the ear buds on (which was difficult, as one ear bud wire was 6" shorter than the other). I don't know how but they managed to have vastly different volume levels, but an equal amount of loud crunchy static. I didn't know it was possible to have mixed mono out of two identical buds at completely different volume. I considered sending a set to DankPods, but decided it was more fitting to just trash them.

[@gabebarber5813]

The earbud with the short wire goes directly in your ear and the longer one goes behind your head. Yeah it's stupid and I never heard good earbuds that did this, mostly just the junk they packed with phones like 10 years ago

[@dwindeyer]

@@gabebarber5813 The behind-your-neck style earbuds were primarily a Sony thing, they were common when discmans were popular in the early to mid 2000s. For a short period it was actually a sign that you had a decent MD or CD player

[@logokas]

Dude nah, you fucked up. Should've sent them. Although, knowing him, he probably already has a set..

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

You know your earphones are gonna be hellish when they don't even differentiate between the left and right. I got a pair from a gas station to use as my work earphones when the one's I arrived to work with died. Not only were they a mystery as to which way to wear them, one of them had a busted speaker, so the sound was much quieter on one side. The best way I figured to wear them was with the busted speaker in my left ear, but because they weren't contoured for a specific ear canal, they hurt like hell to wear. I still have them, for some ungodly reason. I'm now totally fine dropping $60+ for audio and yet I'm holding on to that janky $5 pair of earphones. Why?! 😂

[@tehpunisher4568]

The Diablo was hungry for those earbuds. Too bad it won't be able to consume them

[@Beefy_storms]

8:50 even the eggs and sausages look sad with those buds

[@saaaaaaaaalt838]

I remember when I was younger I'd get a pair of very cheap earphones from poundland once a week because we were lucky if they lasted that long. I wonder how those pieces of junk would stack up against these.

[@Charky_Creations]

We thought we'd hit the jackpot when we realised you could get "headphone insurance" on the gumy earbuds from HMV... with infinite renewals. They did eventually limit the returns because we were talking the Mick a bit, but it still worked out way cheaper than buying them alright!

[@subg9165]

there was actually a brief period where Poundland earphones were at least somewhat decent and lasted a couple months, but that was years ago now

[@MrButtonpresser]

Back in the day when Transistor radios came out, those single plug earphone(s) were all you ever got. They were indistinguishable from Granddad's hearing aids of the day.

[@pyro226]

That last one is meant to be used with low to no amplification. I've seen unpowered ground AM radios use them.

[@LeSpudz]

Wow that last one unlocked a memory of being at my grandma’s house mid-late 90’s and she had basically that same one! She would have it plugged into her TV so she can listen at night. This is why I love this channel.

[@grantexploit5903]

7:30 Technically, silver has even lower resistance than gold, so if gold-plating connectors makes them better (not really), silver should be superior, at least for a brief time until it starts to tarnish. Gold is more widely used in electronics because of its unreactivity.

[@alphaplayzz1381]

that's probably not silver though. platinum is where it's at if you want the true best tho

[@Eyoldaith]

​@@alphaplayzz1381 Silver is the best electrical conductor available, but the tarnish on the surface drastically increases resistance, which is why gold plating is used. Platinum is often used as a catalyst for various chemical processes, but is not very useful as an electrical conductor. Being rarer =/= always better.

[@michealpersicko9531]

@@Eyoldaith Explains why when you buy an apple product probably at least 10 percent of the price goes to the over 70+(actually listed them out once but lost the file during a backup) different rare/expensive metals used in the manufacturing process and the actual build of the device and you get a perfectly just acceptable all purpose computer. Apple's design philosophy wasn't Jobs's doing really since it didn't really get going until after he died because Jobs wasn't above using cheaper materials and letting the design suffer so the performance can shine. The pro models used to be the only macbooks that had a metal chassis on them the regular macbooks had plastic bodies since the first macbook

[@niceatpingpong]

I was curious about this. The tarnish will make it less conductive for sure. Apparently, silver (or high-silver alloy) doesn't easily oxidize and the tarnish is usually sulfides and chlorides. A quick google search yielded a paper on silver as a coating material and it said that mating silver contacts with a wiping motion will sufficiently disrupt those sulfide and chloride films. So in theory, the act of inserting could be enough to get a good contact and giving it a good twist wouldn't hurt either. A good compromise could be 14k "green gold" which is 58.5% gold and ~30-40% silver (sometimes there's some copper or other metal as well). I wonder how many people have tried this before haha.

[@MaxW-er1hm]

Some of the best audiophile speaker cables and interconnects are made of silver. Though some people think it is too bright sounding compared to copper

[@QRP2004]

I can’t get enough of this channel, I can’t stop watching! The smile on my face and the joy in my heart when I see you upload is like no other! I love the channel and I love his personality!

[@idrgaftbh]

Same :)

[@Orangeshirt_Railfan]

Yes sirr

[@deniahmetaj]

Yup. Couldn't have said it better

[@susanoo2.042]

3:49 reminded me of Dr.Rockso the Rock n Roll Clown

[@simplefilm]

I had a pair of buds back in the day with the metal grille and they always shocked me in the ears while I listened to my cd player on the bus

[@DavidFlowers777]

I get a huge serotonin boost whenever Dank gets so excited, he becomes unintelligible

[@Slaking_]

You know these earphones are a real hit when the Diablo gets more kills in this video than it does in the videos featuring loads of bootleg earphones

[@Pluvillion]

Not even the Mojo could do that.

[@jeffreyhall556]

A 6-meter cable back in the '90s was about as close to wireless as you could get. Probably.

[@JonnyInfinite]

I had wireless headphones in the 90s using infra red. You'd think they'd sound shit but actually they're really good.

[@jeffreyhall556]

@@JonnyInfinite Nice. Back then, I was just using whatever came with my devices.

[@foxxy4779]

@@JonnyInfinite wait, infrared works? I always thought they're unreliable piece of crap

[@JonnyInfinite]

@@foxxy4779 I still use mine. Sony MDR IF-210K pair from 1995

[@vimlopop]

Aw mate, that last earphone is actually a crystal earpice, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_earpiece they're not supposed to be used for music because they sound like trash but they're good for things like telegrams and crystal radio, because they can be used without a power source, and the stupid long cable acts as an antenna.

[@gabsnandes7818]

I think it is so wierd that they are marketed as such, it doesn't make any sense

[@cameronlane1281]

The avico could be used for a low budget two way radio set up in a theatre. I'm a stage manager and light board operator at my local theatre and while up in the booth it is imperative to hear both the person right next to you and the ASM on the other side of the radio. We use one ear headsets, but this could be a tolerable on-the-cheap option

[@RC-1290]

11:12 That's because they're from Chernobyl, where you may need to listen to things from behind a lead plate.

[@charolettebacon6740]

I remember when i was in school we had to take a test on a computer and they gave us these really cheap ear buds. They let us keep them and I used them. They sounded like someone was playing music at the end of a tunnel with you standing at the other end. They lasted 2 whole days.

[@painincorporated8913]

Same, but I just cracked them open after the test because they weren’t worth keeping.

[@Artichoked1]

The last earphone you tested is called a crystal earpiece. They are commonly used in DIY crystal radio sets that you assemble yourself and run off the power from the AM radio band signal. Because of that, the kits would require an audio output device that requires almost no power to run so thats what those earpieces are for. They have a very high impedance and work off a piezo electric system. So yes, they will sound awful, but thatch not what they are designed for. Maybe not the fairest review on them, but a highly entertaining video as always. Keep up the great work DankPods.

[@angryshoebox]

The Avico earphone is from when I was a kid in the '70s, the kind of thing that came with transistor radios and crystal radio kits. I remember them well. Really enjoying your channel, BTW. Was your enthusiasm and energy allowed to come through at all at gigs playing Real Book jazz standards? I would've loved to have heard your take on, say, "Misty" ;-) .

[@AVClarke]

Yeah, I'm old enough to remember those old one piece earphones.

[@jnrtherapper]

@@AVClarke THE ONE PIECE IS REAL

[@imitt12]

I had a DIY crystal radio kit when I was a small child in the mid-00s and I swear it had one of those.

[@spiderpickle3255]

That earphone brought back some memories. My mom had bought a mono CRT color TV for her bedroom and it came with a mono earphone that had a cord so long you could almost roam the house with it plugged in. Pretty sure that was the idea. watch TV without waking the spouse while being able to walk all the way to the bathroom without missing a sound.

[@skyfish8781]

Genius of them to allow you have your earphone wired into your home hifi throughout your entire commute!

[@salsa_ow]

7:52 the first ever egg-inspired product packaging! Taking he “crack it open” to a whole new level!

[@TheirEnby]

I've learned to appreciate that crunchy bass sound of scarlet fire through dirty buds.

[@glitchedoom]

There's no other way to listen to it.

[@MrBlitzpunk]

Speaking of earbuds, i got myself a DIY mx500 recabled with a braided copper cable for 5$. And damn for what it costs, it's a godsend. I've tried a bunch of cheap 20-50$ IEM but that 5$ buds is still my favorite. I don't know if it's the cable or if the guy added some extra tuning but it sounded superb. I think if you're not really into spending more than 30$ on an earphone and doesn't really need isolation, definitely get the mx500 if you can get your hands on it

[@Mike28625]

This really spoke to me. I have a good collection of cheap dirt buds from deciding to stop to eat and watch my phone and not having any on me. Last thing I ever bought from Kmart in fact. They were terrible.

[@OrangeSpaceNewt]

You know, I've watched this channel for a while and it hit me like a bullet train that I'm an audiophile-- I never knew there was a simple word for clear sound and music lovers lmao Thank you so much funny aussie man for existing, I love your voice, and thank you for existing

[@ganon8835]

bro your mixing is great. i can hear the bass clean with my open-backs. neat!

[@jkon156]

I want you to know that you are my direct inspiration for restomodding my buddies old 6th gen classic. It now has 256gb sd storage, new battery, casing, and clickwheel. It lives in my car with my entire music library. Thank you for making the old dudes cool (and useful) again

[@christianclark2763]

I've been in a funk for almost a year and the only thing that's truly entertained me is you and RCR. Thanks for what you do for those of us that can't afford it, I've bought 3 pairs of phones due to you.

[@spongeborgtheford4971]

Dank pods and Regular car reviews just hit different

[@markm0000]

I used to watch RCR a lot but Roman started adding stories to the end of each review and that killed it for me. I just wanted Brian’s groaning and complaining in the videos. It’s such a turn off.

[@EliasSpacer]

@@markm0000 Just dip out at the end then? I didn't like it either, so I just didn't watch that part

[@markm0000]

@@EliasSpacer There’s plenty of other content on this website. I can live without RCR.

[@andrewduong2740]

If you like RCR, you should try Throttle House. They're getting real close to original Top Gear these days

[@wyattroncin941]

That was an impressive level of rage you dropped into during the second last set Immediately diablo'd, genuine toledoed, then dumped on the desk and one gritted. Not even the respect to break out mini anvil or do it straight on the iPad.

[@johnlittle8975]

I remember getting an earphone like that last one in a do it yourself radio kit for kids back around 1980. It wasn't good then either.

[@pvshka]

5:50 okay, that mic sounded waaaay better than expected...

[@george4_4_39]

Kind of weird to not see the JVC Gumy earbuds on here. Cost around five bucks where i live, made by a big company and are literally advertised with jelly beans.

[@sirspookybones1118]

I think those are the earphones that carved into my right ear and never fit right

[@QCI99]

I really liked those as a kid. Maybe because the gumy provided a higher volume than my samsung ones. That’s maybe also the reason my hearing went downhill.

[@mewnani]

I used to use those a ton as a kid, and when I first bought them they were pretty reasonable sounding for the $10 I spent on them but as time went on they got worse and worse and they'd die within a month or two of me just carrying them around in my purse for listening to music on the school bus.

[@george4_4_39]

@@mewnani yeah the jacks are bloody weak, a pair of mine died bcus i yanked them too many times

[@Notyourdaddy83]

Well, the last one reminds me of mono earphone for old CRT TV’s - that’s why the cable is so long :) We had such earphone with our TV in the 90’s.

[@redacted_vrvr]

8:43 We can see that!

[@goodkush3878]

I discovered your channel last month and I've binge watched a bunch of your videos, your content is just awesome keep it up man!

[@lauraannbulnes1229]

YES I NEEDED THIS TODAY

[@aeyde]

same

[@buzzymuzzy]

same

[@martintomana1100]

Same

[@genuinealloy8316]

Türkey

[@jordanmyers3489]

yes

[@mr.bobcyndaquil4214]

IIRC, silver is actually the most conductive metal, even beating out gold. The problem comes from silver's tendency to tarnish and corrode.

[@abnormallynormal8823]

Most of, in not all, of the “gold” plating on electronics are actually electrum, a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver. It’s cheaper than either, and you get the conductivity from the silver and the insulation properties of the gold. The silver ends usually aren’t plated in anything, it’s just polished aluminum

[@Frickolas]

@K A D E L Y N♋️ ooh! a huge wall of text full of nonsensical ramblings! how appealing!

[@pvshka]

@@Frickolas dude. It's a bot.

[@selfsatisfiedred]

@@pvshka nice to see youtube tackling actual problems like the dislike button instead of chasing silly things like bots /s/j

[@Frickolas]

@@pvshka dude. it's unnecessary satire that I do purely for entertainment.

[@StellaFoxxie]

the last one was a piezo electric earpiece used in pre tube unamplified audio sources like crystal radios and really early electric phonographs, i have no idea why that was sold in the 90s

[@mrblond750]

I had one of the last ones. It was included with a battery powered mic that was designed to assist people who were hard of hearing. My grandpa used to use is before he got legit hearing aids.

[@scp-049]

I found a pair of bootleg dirty buds that not only weighed nothing, but they also sounded like you were playing the audio through a ten-foot sheet-metal tube, and to top it all off, they cut up the outside of your ear from really crappy plastic.

[@MrPiffSmiff]

Awesome vid as always. I remember my grandfather used that mono earphone plugged in to his Rank Arena TV in the 90s. Nice flex opening those headphones like a chef cracking an egg one handed.

[@giuseppenonna2148]

6:08 skatepark got built tho, ey

[@Leo-oc4qe]

I've got a concussion

[@Free-4554]

1:56 I love how he just watched the pkcell fall so he can say the famous line.

[@tituslafrombois1164]

Those old single-bud earphone sets were originally used to monitor one-track portable reel to reel audio tape recorders. Which is ideally the only scenario they should ever be used in.

[@jonathansmith2168]

Several years ago, I built a crystal radio (AM radio powered exclusively by the radio waves) and you had to listen to it through an earphone very similar to the last one on this video. The reason for using it was that it used a piezoelectric system which required very little power hence making it perfect for the radio. Fun project.

[@alecerickson6677]

The final headphone should be the beginning of your presentation whenever you show off your collection of nice headphones, just to show rock bottom before you go into the top end.

[@DoctorSno]

10:10 had me laughing; “why don’t they add that as a feature”

[@eccomi21]

It is with great pleasure to inform you that the plastic things I got on a bus tour trough Berlin a while back make all of these look like absolute premium buds. Unfortunately I don't have them anymore otherwise I'd literally ship them to you. They were basically one time use since every tourist just got a pair to listen to the tour guide. And since you got to keep them they had to be cheap. The injection molded plastic still had the sharp edges and points where it got shot in. It was like wearing barbed wire in your ears. And the sound... I'm surprised they made sound at all. Fond memories

[@Tony-112]

Your laugh while killing the earphones is hilarious and contagious. Thank you sir!

[@4ng3lv3rmin]

scarlet fire, frank, and smelling the buds are the best part of every video. this guy just radiates happiness i love these videos

[@pablesm]

I agree with you

[@jackcrawford304]

I have a “pair” of the mono headphones, and I’m pretty sure they’re just clones as the “pair” I have came with a 3 inch home tape recorder from 1956 I bought at a yard sale. Mine was like melted, but no gold luckily and no rubber tip on the ear piece, 100% 1950s hard plastic.

[@UItEnthusiast]

2:45 That got more crackly than an 94-year-old man's back.

[@taku1101]

supermarket "headphones" are usually the worst. I remember when I was in Ireland on a school trip my headphones broke and I was gonna be there for an entire week so i bought in-ears for like 25 because I didn't have time and tried listening to the Witcher 3 OST. Unironically made my ears hurt - and thats not hyperbole. Bought some other unbranded on-ear headphones in some electronic shop the day afterwards and those turned out to be decent

[@handitover.]

So true, my headphones broke about 20 minutes into a 5 hour care ride once, and I thought I could get by with buying 15 dollar in ears at the gas station… that was saddest most painful 5 hours of my life

[@ItsAuver]

Interesting profile picture, Sigaint?

[@taku1101]

@@ItsAuver yes indeed

[@ItsAuver]

@@taku1101 I wonder how many years it's been. I did a double take when I saw the logo again for the first time in what has been at leat several years.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

The worst are those that have no recognizable brand. Supermarkets to sell reputable headphones, but just because they _also_ stock thiose.

[@alexhege3194]

As an American i can say I love Australians! Love the videos and your personality. Never change.

[@RPI79]

Too bad the feeling ain't mutual.

[@thecatofnineswords]

Ohmy! I haven't seen an earphone since my childhood! The days of wireless, longwave and AM radio. Audio quality? Ha! These were made for a different era when we considered ourselves lucky to be able to listen to things from far away.