There just isn't anything like throwing trendy to the wind and kickin' it
box style, and Etymotic's
ety8 Bluetooth earbuds not only deliver "surprisingly good" sound quality, but a comfort not often realized when wearing atypically sized cans. The folks at iLounge got their hands on a set of these perplexing headphones, and did their testing with the 8-Mate iPod adapter that comes bundled in the $299 package. Reviewers were quite pleased at the functionality presented in the track / volume controls on the right, um, sound box, and noted that the "8 to 10 hours" of battery life was more than respectable. As was expected, Etymotic clearly took its time in developing the system, as it even takes advantage of the "volume mirroring" feature on the 5G (and later)
iPods. Moreover, the 'buds were (amazingly) said to be the "least fatiguing Bluetooth headphones" they had ever tested. However, the firm's "first endeavor" in the wireless realm came up a bit short in a few crucial departments; testers noticed annoying "clicking interferences" in the bass notes of some songs, and stated that the overall audio quality didn't quite live up the wired ER-4Ps. Overall, however, these digs aren't likely to bother those who aren't self-proclaimed audiophiles, but the $299 pricetag ($199 without the iPod adapter) is likely to send consumers darting for Logitech's $99
FreePulse solution nonetheless.
posted December 8th 2006 12:26PM
hopefully we will be able to look back and laugh at how absurd the 1st gen wireless in-ear buds looked.
good on 'em for having a go though, someones gotta take the first step.
The bluetooth headsets made by Southwing are far more attractive than these. Southwing actually looks like regular headphones that go around the back of your head and they're only $99.95 from Cingular. They last for 14 hours!
I usually object to use of the term "cans" to refer to earbuds -- it doesn't make sense for in-ear phones -- but in this case it looks entirely appropriate. Man those things are ugly.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just getting old. But [1] $100-$300 for a pair of headphones??? and [2] for an MP3 player?
What? Is the MP3 player too heavy and bulky to carry around that you have to put it down? If I'm away from home, I'm not putting my MP3 player down and walking 30' away from it, much less 5 feet. And if I'm at home, I'm using my receiver, not my MP3 player.
What's that? Oh, a gray hair. :(
are you able to use two headphones with the adaptor? that would be cool sharing your music with someone else when your on a plane or bus or somthing
I'm sorry, but my money is more likely to be spent on a pair of Shure earphones.
Nano + Apple Lanyard are probably a better idea.
I don't get your relentless criticism and the lemmings that echo you with their postings. Just step back and think for a minute.
These are state of the art Bluetooth headphones, a twentieth the size of anything else, small enough to fit in your pocket, with fidelity unmatched by anything else, at a price less than comparable performing wired headsets from Shure and Etymotic themselves. And all you can do is keep trashing their looks! They are the same shape as an ipod, a rectangle with rounded corners. That's pretty contemporary to me. Would you prefer them to be round? Give these guys a break. It seems you just don't get it and are trying to be humorous. Frankly you come across as being more boorish.
Logitech's FreePulse = $99 down the toilet. Easily the least comfortable headphones I've ever owned, connection issues (unless you keep the iPod on your right side, always), and dead batteries after sitting in my bag unused all day. Feh, I say. Feh!
Massively Ugly. If they were somewhat ugly, it'll be ok. But those are beyond ugly.
fair call phil, it IS easy to slag something off because it doesnt look perfect but the reviewers themselves brought up the issue and im fairly sure that every review that folows will to, so its not like we are imagining it.
its like the first gen oakley thump sunnies - laughable first attempt but a nice try.