It seems like every Tom, Dick, and Harry is putting out headphones these days, and far be it for Radio Shack to be left out in the cold. The electronics retailer is turning out a line of earphones sporting the brand name Auvio.
The line includes a handful of models that range from the very cheap ($15) to the top-of-the-line In-Ear Armature headphones featured here. This set goes for a still-affordable $80, though it's practically impossible to recommend them over the comparatively priced Klipsch Image S4. The Auvio In-Ear headphones just don't stack up in terms of sound quality, though we do appreciate the foam eartips and comfortable fit.
Read the Auvio In-Ear Armature headphone review.
Shure has been a well-known brand among audio professionals for decades; heck, the company's SM57-LC microphone has even been used during presidential inaugurations. These days, Shure's consumer-friendly line of sound-isolating earphones get the most attention in mainstream tech press. Models range from the entry-level SE110s for $110 to the audiophile-worthy $500 SE530s. Over the past five years since the introduction of its first consumer line, Shure has remained loyal to a neutral color scheme for its earphones. However, that has changed with the introduction of the SE115, a $120 set that comes in a choice of four colors. But how do they sound? Read on for the answer.
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 those geared toward casual but discerning listeners to sets for 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 former being the subject of this review.
The MetroFi 220 Noise Isolating Earphones are a step up from the bottom of the line in the Ultimate Ears family and come in two versions: a standard MP3 player model for $79.99 and the iPhone-friendly 220vi, which includes an in-line mic and sells for $20 more. Either set is a good buy for picky listeners who have a moderate amount of cash to spend on replacement headphones for their MP3 players, but buyers should be aware of potential fit and durability issues.
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 MP3 player model for $49.99 and the iPhone-friendly 170vi, which includes an in-line mic and sells for $10 more. Either set is a great starting point for picky listeners who don't have a lot of cash to spend on replacement headphones for their MP3 players, but buyers should be aware of potential fit and durability issues.
The $59.99 UE MetroFi 170vi are smartphone compatible.
(Credit: Ultimate Ears)In what can only be considered a wise move in the current economic climate, Ultimate Ears is expanding its line of noise-isolating earphones to include a $49.99 pair, the MetroFi 170, and a $79.99 pair, the MetroFi 220. The new earbuds will replace the MetroFi 2, which were previously UE's cheapest set at $80. The company is also offering smartphone-compatible models with microphones built into the cables. These versions, the MetroFi 170vi and the MetroFi220vi, will sell for $59.99 and $89.99, respectively. I'd say that 10-buck increase for call-answering capability is as easy to swallow as the new, more-affordable entry price point.
The new MetroFi earphones come with a variety of silicone ear tips that reportedly offer 16 decibels of noise isolation. The earbud enclosures offer a metallic sheen, with the right ear piece featuring a slight red tone to distinguish it from the left. Inside each piece is a titanium-coated speaker driver tuned to deliver a crisp sound signature. Ultimate Ears also includes a hard plastic case--much like the one packaged with the Loud Enough earphones. All models are expected to be available in February.
The company also announced an iPhone-compatible version of its Triple.fi 10 earphones, the Triple.fi 10vi. All major details are the same, except that the new model includes an inline mic. It retails for $419.99 and is available now.
In marketing materials for its new $150 in-ear headphones, Monster headlines its package with the question, "The world's best-sounding earphones?" I'm not sure if we should take this as a declaration or an actual question, but so far the answer from Amazon reviewers and some blogs is a pretty stiff "no."
Monster's new $150 earphones promise great sound.
(Credit: Amazon)To be fair, some blogs have reviewed the Turbines favorably. It's also worth noting that Amazon reviews can be written by anyone, including PR reps from other manufacturers (not that we're accusing anybody of anything). But it's rare that you see a product get a one-star rating from virtually every "reviewer" (at the time of this writing there were 11 one-star reviews and one four-star review).
Part of the problem stems from the fact that Monster has its share of both fans and detractors. As one reviewer from Amazon's End User blog notes, "Monster Cable has always had a bit of an embattled reputation amongst enthusiasts--strong opinions on both sides fly back and forth on message boards and newsgroups like verbal trebuchets whenever their name comes up."
Personally, I think it's risky for a manufacturer to go overboard with marketing hyperbole, especially when you're entering a fairly mature market. Yes, you want to make a splash, but there's the danger of over-promising and under-delivering.
In its press release, Monster says the Turbines are the "world's first high-performance in-ear headphones with specially engineered drivers that deliver impeccable audiophile-quality sound." Well, that's simply not true. Shure makes earbuds that deliver audiophile-quality sound. Etymotic, too. And several other companies would make the same claim.
What do you guys think? Is Monster getting a bum rap? Or are the Turbines as good as the company makes them out to be?
P.S. We'll have our own review of the earphones early next year, after the holiday break.
(Credit:
Watt Stopper)
Best intentions aside, even the greenest of us can forget to conserve energy once in awhile, especially if we have other priorities. Watt Stopper understands this, which is why it came up with the "Isole IDP-3050."
No ordinary power strip, the Isole controls six outlets with a sensor that detects whether a person is in the vicinity. If no one seems to be within 300 square feet, its "passive infrared technology" cuts off power when the plugged-in gadgets aren't in use from a programmable 30 seconds to 30 minutes.
There's just one problem: Only two of the strip's eight outlets aren't controlled by the sensor. And with our personal hopelessly tangled workstation, that's about nine short. Still, if we could find a way to make the Isole work, it could be a useful addition in our relentless pursuit of laziness.
If you know your high-end earphone manufacturers, you'll have heard of Etymotic. It's made a whole bunch of earphones over the years and we at Crave are massive fans. So we're not going to pretend we weren't excited when Etymotic slipped us a pair of its new hf2 earphones. But we're more excited still to say they're really rather terrific.
(Credit:
Crave UK)
So fresh are they there's no confirmed price, but 99 pounds (about $197) is the rough figure we've been given to work with, putting them in Shure SE310 and Denon AH-C700 territory. Like those two models, the hf2s are sound-isolating 'phones, meaning they passively block out ambient noise by using either flanged silicon or foam tips. The silicon tips are less intrusive in the ear, but the foam ones are better at isolation, with the advantage of giving bass an extra kick.
Inside each 'phone is a balanced armature driver with a frequency response of 20Hz-16KHz. This is much less responsive than Denon's old C700s, which rock 12Hz-24,000KHz, but arguably on a par with Shure's SE310s, with their response of 22Hz-19KHz. For those of you scared of frequency tables, that means on paper the Denons have better bass and treble, but the new Etymotics have a lower bass-response rate, so bass will be that bit fuller.
But numbers mean about as much as the opinions of Jade Goody if performance is rubbish. Fortunately, it's on a par with what we'd expect of Etymotic. The hf2s have a balanced sound, with strengths in overall clarity and definition. Bass isn't a strong point, so they're not a pair to consider if you thrive on bass, but if you want terrific clarity they're a good choice, with extremely punchy mids and a bright treble.
There's one more thing though: a microphone sits in-line for iPhone chin waggery. A button lets you mute your music when you answer a call, and apparently this works with some music phones, though we're yet to discover which.
For the full-pelt, full-power, red-hot maximum bass lowdown, check back soon for our full review. It'll be an adventure of intrigue, mystery, double-crossing and backstabbing. Oh wait, that's the book we're reading. Yeah, the review's just a review. But it'll be a good one, and you won't want to miss it. No, really, it'll have pictures and everything!
(Source: Crave UK)
(Credit:
Crave UK)
When you think of earphones, you might think of Sennheiser, Etymotic or Shure. The name that won't immediately jump out at you like a lame plastic corpse on a ghost train is Klipsch. Quite justified you'd be too--Klipsch is best known for its loudspeakers. But there are three pairs of sound-isolating earphones hitting the market from the company, starting with the Custom-1, going up to the Custom-2 and--would you Adam and Eve it?--the Custom-3.
As sound isolators, they'll let you keep the volume of your music player down by blocking out external noise. All three models offer this handy feature, but the ones we're most interested in are the Custom-3s. The top model incorporates two drivers: a woofer and a separate tweeter. This is much like the Shure SE420s, another great pair of sound isolators, but one woofer less than the flagship SE530s.
Klipsch claims you'll get double-plus comfort and the "'live on stage' euphoria only Klipsch can provide." Well, we'll see--there's some stellar competition out there in the high-end sound-isolator world. We'll be getting all three models in for full reviews within the next week, so check back for our first "ears-on" report.
If you want to shell out some cash beforehand, you'll be looking at about 200 pounds for the Custom-3s (about $392), 150 pounds for the Custom-2s ($294), and around 100 pounds for the Custom-1s ($196). All three models are on sale now.
(Source: Crave UK)
On Sale Now: $199.99
View the latest prices for Klipsch Custom 3 headphones
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