Altec Lansing has been trying to sell custom headphones with for a while now but this year they’re getting serious. In a joint effort between A-L and ACS customs, a UK company, they are now selling $999 custom in-ear headphones for professionals (and professional wannabes). → Read More
It’s kind of hard to get excited about mid-tier earphones these day The Marshall Minors are a bit of an exception thanks primaily to their retrotastic design. There’s the large gold-colored 3.5mm jack and the fabric-covered wire. Then the earbuds borrow their look from knobs generally found on Marshall amps. But you already knew this. The Marshall Minor’s were announced back in… → Read More
True story: a few weeks ago Munitio, a headphone company that makes earbuds shaped like 9 mm slugs, sent me a pair of their silver earbuds. I was supposed to fly so I put them in my bag and went through security. Luckily, big metal slugs shaped like bullets don’t show up on scanners so I was just fine. A word to the wise, however: unless you’re someone like Slash or something, these… → Read More
These $50 earbuds are designed for swimmers and heavy sweaters who need a little extra protection as they glide around the waters of their local pool like a pasty, bulbous manta ray. That said, H2OAudio has been pretty strong in the waterproof devices and cases department so there’s no reason to think these aren’t good. → Read More
Shure announced their latest sound isolating earphones today (don’t call them earbuds), the SE315. The SE315′s are a single driver earphone with a full range of sound, and a detachable cable. → Read More
Just in time for the start of school, Altec Lansing is launching a new line of noise-isolating earbuds. The Muzx Ultra block out noise using SnugFit silicone eartips, providing a kind of passive noise-isolation. The result is a high quality sound in a small package. → Read More
Just a pair of earbuds housed in 18K gold 9mm bullet casings etched with an eagle for your enjoyment. That’s all. Good luck convincing an overworked TSA agent that you’re not a terrorist and your $250 earbuds will not harm anyone. → Read More
There are a few ways to to get excellent audio out of a pair of headphones. You can have excellent components or a tight, close fit or special electronics. Or, better yet, you can have all three. I was lucky enough to be able to try three types of custom earphones/earbuds and am please to report that if you have the cash they’re definitely a great way to listen to music. I tested three… → Read More
Don’t call them earbuds, at this price point they are considered to be in-ear monitors. The SA7 are the latest from Sleek Audio, and replace compliment the previous model, the SA6 that Devin reviewed. → Read More
Please indulge me as I begin this post with a quote from the Ultimate Ears 18 press release: “The Ultimate Ears 18 Pro Custom Monitors are expected to be available beginning in February for a suggested retail price of $1350 (U.S.). (The price of the Ultimate Ears 18 Pro Custom Monitors does not include the initial cost to have a qualified audiologist create your ear impressions.) The optional… → Read More
This is pretty cool. The folks at Cult of Mac bought some $14 knockoff earbuds fro the iPhone. They look exactly like the iPhone earbuds but “broke down in a week.” → Read More
Do you love weiner dogs? Like REALLY love them? Don’t just say you love them to impress the internet. → Read More
Breaking news! Pay attention, people of the Internet! Apple has revealed that under some circumstances, iPod and iPhone users may receive a mild electrical shock to their ears through their earbuds. Knowledge base article TS2729 has the full technical details about how something called “static electricity” can build up in your precious iPod or iPhone and then lay in wait until you insert the… → Read More
The day is here, my friends, to stand up and be counted as men who will not bow down to Cupertino’s white earbud fascism. Scosche – did I spell that right? – just came out with earbuds for the iPod Shuffle with the little in-line button built-in. Bare-breasted Mother Liberty has given us the teat of freedom to suckle on on this day, friends, so drink deep and long from her… → Read More
An experiment, if you will. Place two sets of headphones in opposite corners of an empty room and leave for 15 minutes. When you return, you’ll find them both in the middle of the room, tangled together into a knotted mess. For extra fun, try this experiment when you’re running late for an important meeting. You’ll find that they’ve doubled the knots and tied them extra tight! If you’ve… → Read More
New earphones. Yay. Just what the world needs. The Platinum Series The ‘higher-end’ line that includes cell phone control. The i-Series has an in-line mic and a multi-function button for phone and music control. The ev-Series drops the mic but retains the volume and playback control. The e-Series is just the earphones. $59.99, $59.99, & $49.99, respectively. The Style Series… → Read More
iFrogz isn’t the most promising-sounding name if you’re looking for really nice-quality cans, but if you want to leave the high-end stuff at home and carry something personalized and expressive, these may be a good deal. They’ve got different art and colors for the headbands, outer earpiece, cushions, and so on, so the possibilities for customization are pretty numerous. The… → Read More
It’s become apparent that Monster is getting into the high-end audiophile game with the launch of the Beats earlier in the year and now the in-ear Turbine ‘speakers’. I’ve only had an hour or two to check them out, but I can honestly say that I’m pleasantly surprised at the performance of the Turbines thus far. I’ve always been a proponent that you shouldn’t be doing… → Read More
A group of researchers presented a study to the American Heart Association over the weekend in New Orleans and revealed that the tiny earbuds packed with MP3 players like the iPod may cause problems for folks with pacemakers and defibrillators. A quarter of the patients (14/60) in the study were affected when earbuds were placed within 1.2-inches of each device. Interference was twice as high in… → Read More
When the emoticon earbud covers made their way out, I thought they were pretty cool. Sure, they were dorky as all hell – but they were cute. I bought my girlfriend a pair, she loved’em, and that was that. Taking the same earbuds-as-art idea and spinning it the entirely wrong way, fredflare has begun selling earbuds shaped as ladybugs, rubber duckies, pigs, and … flies. The… → Read More
In my honest opinion there are way too many companies catering to Apple and it’s stupid iPhone. I really, really can’t stand this so-called phone. It’s constantly crashing and sucks as a phone. I can’t wait for the new BlackBerry Bold and/or the T-Mobile G1. Anyway, Shure announced an entry-level sound isolating music listening device today aimed at iPhone users. The SE102MPA’s have… → Read More
OK Mister I-spend-over-$1K-on-headphones, here’s a fancy pair to rub in your poor friends’ faces. The Ultimate Ears 11 Pro—the company’s “best custom monitors yet”—have four (!) individual speakers inside each bud, in addition to a dual-driver subwoofer and magic pixie dust. Like most UE earphones, the UE 11s can be custom made to fit the exact shape of… → Read More
About a month or two ago, Proporta started carrying a limited selection of Sennheiser’s headphones. Most available come in the form of earbuds that are meant for travel, iPods, or on-the-go gadgets. Nothing special, but you don’t go buying a Sony-brand toothbrush without expecting it to be nothing short of an amazing tooth-cleaning experience. → Read More
V-Moda has officially announced the VIBE Duo to spice up your vast collection of iPhone accessories. The dual-purpose earphone/microphone earbuds feature hi-definition sound ensconced in fashionable black fabric cables and an all-metal design. Following suit with other VIBE line headsets, the Duo utilizes V-Masque dynamic driver technology that achieves a precise yet natural soundstage compared to… → Read More
We briefly take you away from your gadget-obsessed world to show you something new: these are called girls. You should find them outside your mom’s basement. Now back to your Xbox. Oh and they’re flossing the latest Active Crystal gear from Philips and Swarovski. → Read More
I recently got a chance to test Sony’s new noise canceling-earbuds, the MDR-NC22. I also asked my brother to give them a try as he’s a frequent flyer and has been using Sony’s first-generation MDR-NC10′s since 1999. They’ve held up pretty well for eight years and 1.2 million miles. So the bar was set high for these newbies. The verdict? Great! But with one serious… → Read More
Ultimate Ears continues to make a very strong push into the consumer headphone market. The company’s most aggressively priced and most compact in-ear headphones yet, the UE metro.fi 2, are a very good buy at just $79.99. If you’re looking to save a few bucks over pricier models like the UE super.fi 3 Studio or Creative Zen Aurvana, these are highly recommended, with great comfort and… → Read More
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and V Moda has taken notice with an update to their Vibe line of earbuds in red and mocha(wtf). If your lady friend has herself a red Nano then these will be the perfect match. If she has a poopy brown Zune then I suppose the mocha one’s will be a great gift if you like rubbing in the fact that she has a poopy brown Zune. Available from V Moda… → Read More
Vince wrote this morning that Apple had released an onslaught of colored 2G iPod Shuffles. Well we’ve got a bit more information for you. In addition to having a bunch of high-res pics of the new orange Shuffle, Apple Insider is reporting that the new Shuffle Colors include a pair of updated earbuds. They are the same buds that have been included with other iPod models for some time. There… → Read More
Ultimate Ears has spent most of the past 11 years creating custom-molded headphones for musicians. Not to be outdone by the likes of Shure and Etymotic, however, UE put out a line of three, more consumer-friendly universal-fit earbuds last year under the super.fi name. The company recently added a fourth set to the line, the $399 triple.fi 10 Pro. If you really care about what your music sounds… → Read More
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