Macally mTUNE-N with iPod nano dock
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Nov 7th 2005 7:10AM
posted Nov 7th 2005 7:10AM
In a worrisome trend, manufactures have turned to offering
70's inspired head mounted iPod accessories no
doubt in response to the sorry state of
stereo Bluetooth
headset offerings. Macally hopes their $49 mTune-N "cordless" (er, yeah, the nano is in your ear!) headset will
single-handedly resurrect that old-school cans-looks so popular along St. Mark's or Golden-gai today. These foldable,
battery free headphones are said to be "lightweight" and include a standard 3.5-mm jack for non-nano connectivity or
full (blind) access to the inserted nano's exposed click wheel. Oh please let the other-side be equipped to dispense
our favorite cheap beer flavored soda.
[Via dapreview]
good for sports i bet...
wow ...
a cool and cleverly done concept. If the sound quality is good, people will pick it up
My only question would be what the drain on the nano battery the headphones would have being as that they are "battery free". I dig the style though, already have a pair of similar headphones for listening to cd players (yes, I'm that out of date, being broke means no nano for me yet).
When I do finally pick up a nano these could be an interesting addition. However, it certainly makes a nice target for theives.
um...... how are gonna like change the song....I mean how are you gonna know where the song is that your lookin for?...
...and the world's first nano-equipped defibrillator?
I actually think it has potential. One addition, add a battery to the second side, cos theyre large phones.
I actually think it has potential. One addition, add a battery to the second side, cos theyre large phones.
in response to number 4...umm all headphones are battery free just to let you know....
These make me want to punch people right in the mouth. Mostly hipsters, but also and especially anyone wearing these. So potential thieves, you're second in line.
And the name? Heinous.
One might feel goofy wearing closed headsets like that, but they sure are another leauge when it comes to sound quality and ambient noice absorbation. when working i put a pair on and people can kill each other and still not disturb my work - and the music has the dynamics and clarity it deserves.
that must be the best way to listen to ipod with such headphones without making it look funny with headpones x times the size of the player
This is nice, however I have been wishing for the same thing (NO HACKS!) for my shuffle. The Shuffle BEGS for this kind of solution.
For the hip dude looking for a Shuffle solution, check out John McEnroe's Shuffle Headband:
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000763065653/
gorkon: you're in luck, Macally also makes a shuffle version, which works the same way...
http://www.macally.com/spec/ipod/mtune.html
Bravo to the designer for such a creative idea!
Harry K: ummm, wireless headphones need a source of power.
It is a nice idea, and looks like but someone can just snatch it away from your head and you wouldn't just lose a headphone but your nano as well..
With the display visible ... you could run slide shows of xrays of your head on the display - it will look similar to the control center guys in cloud city from Star Wars.
Thanks guys! However the Macally solution says coming soon. I'm waiting! :D
dude stand still, I wanna see the NY Subway map on your head..
Seriously, if Apple ends up making a set of headphones w an iPod built in, and a line for a song changer.. (the control pack thing would just be a line about 2.5ft long that would go under your shirt and rest in your pocket.. the controls on the side are corny (but necessary)
I mean.. why not do this with the shuffle? It seems alot more attractive, and cheaper, etc ,etc
For those wondering about the draining of your battery... These are headphones. They are just like the ones that came with the iPod, which don't require power.
Like #14 said, this will be great for a subway mugging in NYC.
Now muggers wont have to ask you for your ipod, they will just snatch it from its place in the headphones.
This might work in middle america, but not in an urban environment. It might as well come with an LED scrolling "mug me now."
Yes, they are headphones, but would most likely draw a good amount more power than the buds that come with the iPod. I think that is the concern.
I agree, this is a ridiculous concept. Let's all put a huge target on our backs, for thieves. So easy to snatch this thing right from someone's head, wind up with their Nano too, and walk away laughing at how easy it was. Say goodbye to my new toy that makes me immediately cool and hip (right?), as well as the Princess Leia headphones I blew $50 on!
I would like to listen to tunes while I weigh myself -- when are they gonna come out with a scale that has an iPod dock, d*mmit?? I would also like my tunes going as I'm changing a flat tire -- let's get the car companies to attach iPod docks to their jacks!
And YES, the Cloud City comment is right-on!!!
Does anyone know where I can find a small radio reciever headphone? I'd like to use something like an Itrip to transmit audio over an FM airwave and just use a tiny in ear radio reciever to go wireless with my ipod.
Doesn anyone know of such thing? also are there any itrips compatible with the nano?
You know ... I'd use the ones for the Shuffle, but there's no way in hell I'd put an expensive Nano into one. $150 said and done for the shuffle-phones, compared to $350?
They look nice though. I'd ask for one for my 4G 20GB Color, but I'd probably end up tipping too far to the left.
There's nothing wrong with large old-school looking headphones. Anyone who's ever listened to something designed by Grado knows what I mean.
As for this whole nano headphones concept, at least its sleeker looking than: http://homepage.mac.com/jimyounkin/PhotoAlbum19.html
# 8 - Actually, not all headphones are battery free. Just to let you know, wireless headphones require them.
So if i want to change songs, I have to either take the headphones off or i have to take the nano out of the cradle and then put it back in? All this just to save one little wire from leading up to my head?
austinkennethlee, you're the other side of the coin man. If you hate hipsters so much its only an indication that you must cling to whatever station in life you've invented for yourself. So much so that you've dismissed a style of headphones as something that hipsters might wear instead of making the decision based on the performance and comfort of the headphones.
ask not who the tool is, the tool is thee.
I know people will tell me I'm stupid, but fudge you :p I want this for my 5G!
You are all a little confused about this headphone issue... the headphones don't CONSUME power they only work with the amps coming down the line. And yes, the mugging would be certain, but this would be ideal for say, rocking out in your house when you have to clean stuff, but can't crank the radio? Evil Neighbors? People sleeping on couches? Lando finds himself under seige, Etc..
man. i agree that these are very muggable. But i feel bad for the people that have to actually consider that as a factor in their purchasing choices. Time to move.
lol now stealing ipod nanos is even easier, just grab and run!
"Yes, they are headphones, but would most likely draw a good amount more power than the buds that come with the iPod. I think that is the concern."
The mTUNE looks much bigger than the iPod earbuds, but the actual drivers aren't that big. That and the identical impedances (both are 32 Ohms) make me doubt there would be much difference in battery drain on the iPod.
"So if i want to change songs, I have to either take the headphones off or i have to take the nano out of the cradle and then put it back in?"
kharmaghost, both the nano and shuffle versions provide an opening in the earpiece that lets you access the iPod's controls, so you don't have to remove the iPod or take the headphones off your head to control playback. (However, the shuffle version is a bit odd in that the shuffle is upside down so the controls felt backwards to me when I was using it.)
1985 called, they want their headphone back.
hott! I've been wanting these since the shuffle.
Bigger speaker drivers further from your ear will need higher volumes for the same effect. This is why I haven't bought a (normal) iPod in the UK -- there's some stupid law which means the UK ipods aren't as loud. I have a set of big cans which although offering superb sound and great noise isolation, do need the volume knob up about 3 notches higher than in-ear ones. While I'm on an aeroplane I put earplugs in then crank the volume of my unit very high -- which works well to improve the signal to noise ratio. However I have one player that simply can't do it that loud and I have to wear in-ear ones.
So my cut is that it'd consume more because you have to move more physical stuff.
Ipod sucks deez nuts, these headphones are craptastic!