Headphones

Ultimate Ears has been a familiar name to musicians and other audio professionals for a decade, but the company has gained quite a following with its consumer line as well. Earphones in its various lines range in affordability and scale nicely, from discerning listeners to audiophiles. At the bottom end, you have the MetroFi line, which has recently enjoyed a refresh in the form of the 220 and 170 earphones, the latter being the subject of this review.

The MetroFi 170 Noise Isolating Earphones are the cheapest set in the Ultimate Ears family and come in two versions: a standard … Read more

I don't know about you, but I find the hard plastic earbuds that come with most MP3 players to be hideously uncomfortable, not to mention lacking in low end response (and just generally tinny sounding). If you're looking to upgrade your listening experience but don't want to spend too much doing it, it's worth considering the Altec Lansing BackBeat Classic 106 earphones. These in-ear 'buds offer a fairly comfortable design, a durable cloth-covered cable, and reasonable sound quality--all for around $20. Your ears will thank you.

Read the BackBeat Classic 106 review

Speakers made for home audio setups are encased in cabinets constructed of a variety of materials, but many high-end models stick to solid wood enclosures. The argument is that this particular natural material offers superior acoustics. It makes sense, then, that we'd eventually see a pair of earbuds made of wood. Enter the Woodees Inner Ear Stereo Earphones, a reasonably priced set that offers some of the most natural-sounding bass we've ever heard through headphones.

Read the Woodees earphones review.

Fashion-forward headphones are nothing new. In the past couple of years, we've seen quite the parade of chic earphones from the likes of V-moda, Radius, and even Monster Cable. Nixon, a company best known for its board-sport-inspired line of watches and other accessories, has decided to dip its toe in these waters, too, and it should come as no surprise that the company's Wire Mic earphones are among the most stylish we've seen. However, quality is not all about good looks, and we're not without some criticisms for these $90 'buds.

Read the Nixon Wire Mic review… Read more

Altec Lansing is a long-standing competitor in the iPod speaker market, so it makes sense that the company now produces a variety of headphones, as well.

For $40, the Altec Lansing BackBeat Titanium 326 headphones offer an excellent value and make a great replacement for the stock earbuds that came with your MP3 player. They're more comfortable; feature a durable, cloth-covered cable; and offer impressive sound quality. There's not much more we can ask for from a set of earphones.

Read the BackBeat Titanium 326 earphone review.

The iPod catches some flack for not offering much in the way of EQ and sound-enhancement features. Sure, Apple's standard list of iPod EQ presets are a nice gesture, but they won't perform any miracles on you iPod's sound (especially if you're still hanging onto those stock earbuds).

The SRS iWOW adapter seeks to solve the problem by catching the audio between your iPod and your earbuds and injecting it with some extra oomph. Personally, I wasn't bowled over with the results (especially for the $99 MSRP), but to see if the SRS iWOW is … Read more

Do you like to share your iPod's music with a friend, offering up one half of your earbuds so you can both listen at once? Or perhaps you have children that have to share one portable DVD player in the backseat of the car on long trips. Whatever the case, if you constantly find yourself one earbud short of stereo, Mida Interactive has one possible solution for you.

The ShareBuds MX Twin Stereo Earphones offer two pairs of earbuds integrated into one product. A single 3.5mm headphone plug can connect to any standard, portable audio source and is … Read more

It's not unusual for a product manager to embellish certain aspects of the gadgets he or she is representing, which is why reviewers are quick to learn to take everything with a grain of salt. When the hyperbole extends to the actual name of the product, expectations tend to increase, at least incrementally.

Such is the case with Phonak's Audeo Perfect Fit Earphones, a uniquely designed set of earbuds with an impressive array of features and a fair price ($139 for the standard MP3 player version; $159 for the music-phone model with the built-in mic). We can't … Read more

Not everyone cares about audio quality. In fact, there's some evidence to suggest we're raising a generation that actually prefers the sound of MP3s over higher-fidelity recordings. Still, there will always be people who obsess over sound quality--just as there are always people with discerning taste in food, or an eye for fine art.

There was a time when fidelity fanatics wouldn't touch an iPod with a 10-foot pole, and clung tightly to formats like vinyl, CD, and SACD. Things have eased up over the years, though, as the devout have begrudgingly come to terms with the … Read more