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Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic

Posted 04/27/2009 at 11:56:28am | by Ray Aguilera

apple earbuds
Perfect for the Apple purist who can’t stand the tinny, standard earbuds.

We’ll admit it. We’re picky about headphones. We spend a few hours a day listening to podcasts while commuting, and we work best with some background tuneage. And while we’re not audiophiles per se--256kbps AAC files sound great to us--we’ve long despised Apple’s standard earbuds. Previous iPhone versions added a handy mic and inline remote, but the sketchy audio quality has remained. Until now. Apple’s latest in-ear models prove that someone in Cupertino is finally making sure that the audio coming out of an iPod or iPhone matches the care that went into designing it in the first place.

Since these new ’buds are in-ear models--yep, you stick ’em inside your ears--they offer some passive noise cancellation. In our office, we like them because we can still hear a bit of what’s going on around us. During our commute, the headphones don’t block out quite enough sound to make our music listenable above the roar of the train when it’s underground, however. That said, the sound quality is great for affordable earbuds.

Thanks to two drivers--one for highs and another for bass and midrange--the In-Ear Headphones produce clear tones across the spectrum. They’re not the bass monsters that some other headphones can be, but we’ll take “accurate and clear” over “clubby bass and muddy everything else” any day.

Even though Apple doesn't officially support using these 'phones with an iPhone, the inline mic/remote works to answer calls on our 3G--and play, pause, and skip tracks on your iPhone or iPod. And the volume controls are a much-appreciated addition that worked well with compatible iPods. We tested the mic in a variety of environments, and our callers said audio quality was good. The mic also comes in handy for owners of iPods with voice recording capabilities. Build quality is solid, and Apple includes three sets of silicone ear tips to maximize fit. There’s also a hard storage case--but the shape and size make it difficult to use.

Apple’s finally made a pair of ’buds worth listening to, and they’ve bested some higher-priced competitors in the process.

Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic
COMPANY: Apple
CONTACT: www.apple.com
PRICE: $79
REQUIREMENTS: iPhone, iPod, or other device with 3.5mm audio jack

Much better than Apple’s standard earbuds. Built-in mic for use with iPhones, or iPods with Voice Record functionality. Accurate sound reproduction.

Not as much noise isolation as other ‘phones. Useless storage case.

COMMENTS: 3

TAGS: Apple Inc.

COMMENTS

Storage Case
Submitted by colinc on Tue, 2009-04-28 15:07

While it's hard to get the head phones back in the storage case the first time I really like the case now. It's small and compact, though still easy to find in the bottom of a bag, while protecting the headphones from damage and tangles really well. After doing it a few times it becomes easy to put them in (thought I'd recommend paying attention the first time you take them out of the case). I can now put my head phones away quick, without putting strain on the ear buds, though I do it at least once a day.

All I'm saying is just don't write the case off too soon, you might end up really liking it. I sure do!

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Problem is better specs than iPhone/iPod...
Submitted by frankmcma on Tue, 2009-05-05 05:19

The specs on these headphones are great, offering a wide frequency response: 5Hz to 21kHz (first number, lower is better, second number higher is better)Unfortunately, iPhones and iPods have a very limited range when it comes to frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000HzKind of like hooking an HD TV up to an SD cable box. Headphones are millions of colors, iPod is thousands of colors is another way to look at it. Because of the dual speakers in each earbud you will get slightly clearer highs and lows, but if you are getting this for Apple products, you will hear minimal difference than the standard buds. They are recommended for MP3 players with a wider frequency response (some of the Sansa and Sony players offer this) If you want to get these headphones for Apple products, its a lot to spend on something where the specs don't match up. Because of being better sealed/seated in the ears than the standard earbuds, the audio may be more desirable to some. But if you are looking for bass/low end, these are more engineered for highs, with the low end being less. I love Apple and at last count have about 15 Apple products, including these headphones, but until Apple comes out with a higher definition audio device, these headphones don't offer much above the standard buds.

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