The iPod is a high-quality digital media player, but the cheap earbuds that come with it just don't do it justice. For many, their sound quality combined with their discomfort and propensity to drop out of one's ears make them unusable. Though they're not perfect, Vibe earbuds offer a much more appealing alternative.
Times Union | 06/09/07
My ears have attention deficit disorder. Or maybe it's hyper-attention disorder.
Phones ring, conversations go on at various decibels, fingertips hit keyboards, a colleague turns the pages of a book. I hear them all.
Some of my officemates sit obliviously at their desks, wrapped in their own little worlds of music, the earbuds of their iPods tucked into the sides of their heads.
I tried that. Got a shiny new nano for Christmas, loaded my tunes and popped in those earbuds. My ears must be deformed as well.
Stay Put
The plastic cases of the earbuds gouged my earlobes the way ill-fitting glasses pinch your nose. Worse, I could still hear the phone ring. I adjusted the buds to try to make them more comfortable, and couldn't hear the music. I tried wearing them at the gym, and the right one kept dropping out of my ear while I tried to stay on the elliptical trainer. Apparently I can't walk and listen to music at the same time.
The iPod and its accessories landed in the bottom of my purse.
Maybe I could buy some of those cool noise-canceling headphones, I thought. Then I priced them -- US$299 -- and canceled that thought.
I continued to listen to fingers tapping keys, conversations and ringing phones. Including my own. I answered it.
"Just give our new headphones a try," pleaded some young PR type looking for a story about Vibe earbuds. "I'll send you a pair."
I had talked to this guy twice before and turned him down.
"What color would you like?" he asked.
"They come in colors?"
"Yeah. They match the new nano and Zune players."
"Red. But know that I'm going to write about them even if they're bad. I'll say they're bad if I don't like them."
"Deal."
Any Good?
They're not bad. In fact, they're pretty great.
The sound quality is much better than my old stock white ones. I can even decipher the background chatter on a Nelly tune. Some things you don't want to hear.
Since the part where the buds attach to the wires is a ball the size of a pinhead instead of a hard plastic stem, they're more comfortable. And they come with black and clear soft silicone fittings, three sizes in each color, to keep the buds snug in my ears and block out almost all of the other sounds.
I still hear my phone ring. However, I'm sitting here now watching my colleague Steve Barnes try to ask me something. All I hear is an old Santana tune.
Verdict: A hit. I still find them slightly uncomfortable, but I suspect that's more ear deformity than equipment. They're a vast improvement over the those old white buds. Besides, their stylish red appearance matches my nano.
How much: $101 per set
Where to get them: Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Latest News about Apple stores and online.
Times Union | 06/09/07
My ears have attention deficit disorder. Or maybe it's hyper-attention disorder.
Phones ring, conversations go on at various decibels, fingertips hit keyboards, a colleague turns the pages of a book. I hear them all.
Some of my officemates sit obliviously at their desks, wrapped in their own little worlds of music, the earbuds of their iPods tucked into the sides of their heads.
I tried that. Got a shiny new nano for Christmas, loaded my tunes and popped in those earbuds. My ears must be deformed as well.
Stay Put
The plastic cases of the earbuds gouged my earlobes the way ill-fitting glasses pinch your nose. Worse, I could still hear the phone ring. I adjusted the buds to try to make them more comfortable, and couldn't hear the music. I tried wearing them at the gym, and the right one kept dropping out of my ear while I tried to stay on the elliptical trainer. Apparently I can't walk and listen to music at the same time.
The iPod and its accessories landed in the bottom of my purse.
Maybe I could buy some of those cool noise-canceling headphones, I thought. Then I priced them -- US$299 -- and canceled that thought.
I continued to listen to fingers tapping keys, conversations and ringing phones. Including my own. I answered it.
"Just give our new headphones a try," pleaded some young PR type looking for a story about Vibe earbuds. "I'll send you a pair."
I had talked to this guy twice before and turned him down.
"What color would you like?" he asked.
"They come in colors?"
"Yeah. They match the new nano and Zune players."
"Red. But know that I'm going to write about them even if they're bad. I'll say they're bad if I don't like them."
"Deal."
Any Good?
They're not bad. In fact, they're pretty great.
The sound quality is much better than my old stock white ones. I can even decipher the background chatter on a Nelly tune. Some things you don't want to hear.
Since the part where the buds attach to the wires is a ball the size of a pinhead instead of a hard plastic stem, they're more comfortable. And they come with black and clear soft silicone fittings, three sizes in each color, to keep the buds snug in my ears and block out almost all of the other sounds.
I still hear my phone ring. However, I'm sitting here now watching my colleague Steve Barnes try to ask me something. All I hear is an old Santana tune.
Verdict: A hit. I still find them slightly uncomfortable, but I suspect that's more ear deformity than equipment. They're a vast improvement over the those old white buds. Besides, their stylish red appearance matches my nano.
How much: $101 per set
Where to get them: Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Latest News about Apple stores and online.
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