Far End Gear XDU Pathfinder Single Stereo-to-Mono Noise Isolating Earphone, Reinforced Cord

Exactly what I wanted for podcasting and voice-over: true stereo-to-mono (both channels summed), comfortable for long sessions, excellent isolation, and clear sound. It uses a TRRS (4-pole / three black rings) 3.5 mm plug instead of the usual 2-ring TRS. I was worried at first, but it plugs straight into both my Focusrite Vocaster and Scarlett Solo headphone outputs and works perfectly at full volume — no adapter, no low volume, no glitches, no issues at all. Just make sure the plug is fully seated (some cheap/recessed ¼” adapters can prevent that). Once it is, you’re good to go. Highly recommended for any podcaster or broadcaster who needs one ear free!

This earbud has exceptional quality and sound. It is perfect for persons like myself who have Single Sided Deafness. I am deaf in my right ear and ear buds are useless to me because I cannot hear full stereo sound. This stereo to mono ear bud allows me to hear the L and R stereo sound in my one good ear. I purchased this earbud in 2022, and I have not had any problems with sound quality. In fact it has improved the quality of my TV sound. When I am up late at night watching TV, I do not wish to disturb my wife. I plug this stereo to mono earbud into my Roku remote and I hear background sounds and vocals that I never heard before with my surround sound system. I have returned to Amazon to purchase another earbud to use in my bedroom, and I thought I would leave this review. I have read some other reviews about the cord becoming kinked and tangled. Here is a tip: I used to wrap up the cord to stay better organized when I put it away in my backpack, but when I unwrapped it, it would be kinked up and never straighten out properly. So, I started just putting it loosely in my backpack, and now it has no kinks in it at all when I take it out. If you have Single Sided Deafness, this is the earbud for you.

I have tested a few mono (1-ear) earphones and this is the best. It also comes at the highest cost. The JLabs at half the price is almost as good but the sound quality, especially the base is better here. They also seem to be well made. The apple ear phones are still the best for sound in my opinion. But sometimes I do not want both ears plugged in.

This earphone is just about perfect! I found all the music I've listened to with these to be great quality, and it has really strong bass, which can be a downfall with other ear bud styles. The construction of this earphone is high quality, the cord is reinforced with a flexible plastic and the bud itself is mostly metal, so I am confident that this product will be extremely durable for a long time! I love that it combines the LH and RH sound into one ear! Previously, I've always used a set of ear buds at work and only kept one side in at a time so I could still hear my coworkers if someone needed to talk to me. I've discovered several songs that have significant portions that have different sounds playing in the LH and the RH side, so with just one ear bud it would make the song sound really strange. This was the perfect solution and I am very, very happy with the technology that combines the sounds into one. It works flawlessly. Now, here's the unfortunate caveat. My office has a very strict policy about headphones not having any microphones. These state they do not have a microphone, so I figured I was good. After a few months of use, I was showing them to a coworker and discovered that they were not allowed in the office because of one small feature. Apparently, the way my office determines if a headset is allowed or not is if the metal plug has two black bands (no microphone) or three black bands (microphone capable). If you look in the picture of this product you will see it has three black bands on it. I tested it and was not able to record anything, so I am sure this product does not have one. But that is the determining factor for my company and therefore I can no longer use this earphone at work. This is a very specific situation and the product itself is flawless, so I didn't knock down the rating because of this. However, I wanted to mention this in case anyone else is in a similar situation as me so that you don't purchase a product and later find out it isn't allowed.

Not the best if hearing impaired as sound is attenuated a bit compared to other ear buds and it readily falls out of ears with a soft tug or head tilt.

3/31/19: UPDATE This earbud is now dead. No sound at all. Completely unacceptable after the short 6 months it has been in my possession, especially with their minimal use. The quick recap is horrible sound (read below for the absence of bass) and worked for less than 6 months. The fit is fine, standard not outstanding. Length is sufficient, perhaps a bit too long, but rather have that than too short. As for sound, this is where they are substandard. The audio is very trebly and a bit distorted and the lack of bass makes the overall output uncomfortably hollow and distant. Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" comes through as if Bonham's track has been reduced by half. Not an exaggeration. I comparatively switched from my existing stereo to mono earbud to this one and it sounded as though someone put a sound wall up in front of the speakers. Very disappointed as my existing type is no longer available and I am in need of a replacement and this item doesn't compare.

Works very nicely. Now I get all my music in one ear, perfect for job that requires the other ear having a work earpiece. Hopefully they hold up.

This is a real clear and loud enough stereo to mono earphone. The cable is reenforced quality. My husband is SSD and is excited about the quality. Clear sound, no loss. can be warn on eather side. Comes with different sizes tips.

Habe nach einem einseitigen Kopfhörer gesucht, da ich beim spielen auf meiner PS4 manchmal ein Ohr frei haben will. Die Auswahl an kabelgebundenen einseitigen Kopfhörern ist nicht grade riesig, darum also den XDU Pathfinder gekauft, mit eher niedrigen Erwartungen. Bin nach dem ersten Probehören aber angenehm überrascht: Sitz im Ohr ist gut (mit dem richtigen Gummistöpsel), und der Klang ist recht ordentlich. Nicht ganz so gut wie meine (teureren) Fidelio in-ears, aber völlig ausreichend zum gamen, und telefonieren. Darum: Kaufempfehlung meinerseits. P.S. Kann zur Verarbeitungsqualität und Haltbarkeit noch nicht viel sagen, werde aber meine Rezension ändern falls die Kopfhörer vorzeitig den Geist aufgeben.

I would imagine that most people would want a single earpiece for wearing outside when exercising so that they are still aware of what is going on around them. My use is unusual. I wear mine whilst I am in bed. I go to bed each night, plug my earpiece into my left ear, lay on my right side and off I go to sleep, listening to the radio. I am always tuned in to Radio 4 which goes over to BBC World Service at 1:00 am. Why do you do that, I can hear many people asking. Well my wife can sometimes snore quite loudly. If I have my earpiece in, the background noise of droning conversation tend to muffle the sound of snoring. And if I do wake up, instead of getting irritated at the sound my wife is making, I often get involved with the current programme (there is some really interesting stuff on the World Service) and the next thing I know, I have fallen back asleep again. You cannot "make" yourself go to sleep, but try and stay awake in the middle of the night and listen to something and it is very hard not to fall asleep again, quite quickly. The earpiece is well made and the cable is reinforced so it should stand some robust treatment. I would guess that for those who want to listen to music, the stereo sound is converted to monaural sound. It is a well made product at a reasonable price and I would recommend it to anyone wanting a single piece head set.

Ho acquistato questo mono-auricolare stereo perchè sono sorda da un orecchio e devo dire che mi si è aperto un mondo... film e musica hanno un altro sapore rispetto all'utilizzo di uno solo di due auricolari classici, come facevo di solito. Non dò 5 stelle perchè devo dire che come auricolare ha una forma non proprio ergonomica e tende a cadere, si potrebbe migliorare!

I bought them for my old Sansa clip that I keep at work for the radio. I’d set it on mono but hated having the flopping spare bud. They just arrived and I see what someone else was saying about the cable, it looks like it’ll take a while until it unkinks itself. Immediately impressed with the sound. I’ve never had such clear aftermarket. It reproduces the highs and mids well but the bass was surprising, it was much more powerful than I expected could be obtained in a sub-$30 earbud(s). Initially tested with high quality MP3, I don’t think it’ll be a huge problem with FM but I’ll find out tomorrow. I found it difficult to get the right size ear piece on but I hope that means it’ll stay on by itself. Why 4 stars? Nothing’s perfect but if I remember to update in X months, I’ll consider adjusting. 7 month update: boosted by rating from 4 to 5 stars. Love these things. Still sound great, no problem with the ear piece but yes, the cable is sill a little kinked. Extremely happy with these and wish I had bought years ago.

Only lasted 4 months and started having sound issues (i.e., reduced sound). No idea how to return for replacement??