We've been wanting to get some extended face time with Apple's In-Ear Headphones (yes, that's the product name) ever since we spied them at the company's Fall "
Let's Rock" event. Of course, they didn't exactly hit the scene
on time, and we were starting to get suspicious. Tack on the rumor they wouldn't be compatible with iPhones, and we felt downright indignant. Imagine our surprise, then, at the discovery that they not only sound really,
really good (warm lows and crisp highs, a distinct lack of that modern, pushy mid-range), but they
do work with the iPhone (the 3G we've got here, at least). Regular playback is a charm, and we had no problem making and receiving calls with the buds and attached mic -- though strangely the remote doesn't seem operable on the phone, thus deflating our excitement ever-so-slightly. Regardless, the sound quality is pretty boss for the price (besting other, more expensive models we've checked out), and they're a huge step up from Apple's previous offerings. Check out some looks at the beauties in the gallery below.
Update: It looks like the remote
can be used for answering and ending calls on the iPhone, as well as pausing, playing, and advancing tracks. No volume control though -- very odd!
posted December 4th 2008 11:48AM
Yes
I wonder if they smell like pee.
It's funny that Apple's web store lists all of the compatibility specs, and it doesn't list either of the iPhones!
It's also funny that I got to the page by clicking on iPhone accessories!
what the hell?
woops that was a reply to the person who wondered if his earphones smelled like pee
See: Bart Simpson imitating Steve "Mobbs"
Erm.... Not sure where to start here, but it's obvious to me that some people like to argue for the hell of it
"They look exactly like the in-ear headphones I was buying back in 2002.. Such progress, was this really worth writing a review about?"... wow, just wow. What do you expect them to look like ?
I personally am quite interested in this buds due to the dual driver, I've got some Sennheiser CX300's now which are very good but they've become the norm to me in terms of quality, I didn't realise how good they were until I tried them and all the other stuff I'd had before seemed pitiful in comparison; ignorance is bliss as they say. Well perhaps that's the case here, you can all harp on about your Sony and Creative etc.. but really what it all boils down to is "don't knock 'em til you've tried 'em", otherwise you're just as ignorant as the rest. Oh and as for price I don't think it's bad at all, try and find another pair with dual drivers that will be of similar value!
PS. If they were black I would order them right now!
Hmmm. The microphone and remote are not compatible with the iPod Classic I just purchased last year. No thanks, I'll stick with the Sony in-ear headphones that are $40 and sound great.
If the cords are as worthless as on the other phones, then this is _the_ rip off.
They weren't good enough for cnet to give them a good review and that says a lot. I think my next buds will be super.fi
CNET hasn't even posted their review up yet, they did the same thing Engadget did and give a preview of a review because they've only had them for a short period of time
From the Apple site: "The remote and mic are supported only by iPod nano (4th generation), iPod classic (120GB), and iPod touch (2nd generation). Audio is supported by all iPod models."
So, the remote working on the iPhone 3G is just bonus, I suppose???
Does it come in Black?
"besting other, more expensive models we've checked out"
could you please be more specific?
thank you.
dude - stop chewing your nails
I'm assuming they're like the Shure canalphones, which preclude walking or anything of the sort while listening, because the sound of footsteps or the cord hitting your shirt transfers to your ears?
That's the case with my E3cs (which isn't a bad thing, because the tight fit inside the ear canal is needed for the amazing bass sound).
Just curious.
sticking to my shures thank you
Hey Josh. Thanks for replying. I apologize for mistaking this first impression as a review. The unfounded comment by finite_rings set me off a little prior to me posting.
What is the thing for that's looking like a suppository? Storing the extra ear pieces?
On a whim, I just plugged the headphones with attached mic that came with my Blackberry Curve into my iPod Touch 2G. Whaddaya know, the button on the mic pauses the song playing. Phones sound good. Haven't used Fring yet, but interested to know if these would do the trick for that as well.
I just don't understand why engadget it reviewing or doing a "first impressions" article on earbuds. Why can't Apple just bluetooth the sound into my head? I had the adapter installed! I don't need cords and remotes hanging down from my head. When can I get that on my ride?!
searched the net and no reviews yet, just impressions like this. maybe someone can post a link if they find a one on one comparison with other earphones?
I had a 1G iphone and a I now own a 3G... between talking and music, I burned through the headsets that came free with the device.
Finally bought a $130 in-ear set from Bose - they were uncomfortable and didn't sound that great - and I purchased it from an Apple store.
I went to a different store - saw the in-ears from Blackberry (for the Bold? Storm? not sure) and they are awesome! Cancel quite a bit of noise (even though I don't think they're supposed to) calls are crystal clear, take one bud out for calls and you won't get that "I'm shouting right now" feeling" and the button controls calls (answer and end), music (navigate 2 for next song, 3 to restart, 1 to pause/start) and best part? THEY'RE black... so I too don't have to feel like a tool from an apple advert.
and they were 30 bucks CDN
Hmm, they look nice, but I tend not to choose reviews from websites, but rather test them myself. I hear many people saying that skullcandies rock, but to be honest, I would prefer some Shures, Boses or Ultimate ears anyday. I am looking into buying some Shure SE310. Also, I wonder if these headphones will have some reliablity. The stock headphones just break instantly, and the in ear headphones (£25), were pretty weak. I will be surprised if they have the capability to last a year, with some wear and tear, like what my SE110's have done me.
I'm glad that they upped the sound quality, as according to apple-fanboys here at engadget. When I hear them I should only hope to be blown away seeing as I've broken every set of iPod headphones before these were released in minimum 1 week, maximum 2 months. I'll stay with my $80 Sennheiser HD280s for now!
Someone please test on the 1st gen iPhone! I'd be sold if the mic works.
pls try the headphone's volume control on the new unibody macbooks.
does the volume control or the mic work with the new macbooks?
does this work with a 5g ipod video?
the headphones themselves i mean. not the mic obviously.
xcrunk @ Dec 4th 2008 12:47PM
So, these things have a microphone...which adds microphone functionality to the iPod Touch, right?
SKYPE via iPod Touch anyone???
It's do-able, but will Apple allow it to happen? PSP does it already.
YOU'RE LATE BRO! FRING BABY IT'S BEEN WORKING EVEN BEFORE THEY WERE AVAILABLE IN APP STORE.
Keep deleting those comments, guys. Wouldn't want Apple to see any negativity in the featured advertisement they paid for.
i'd be interested to see how these rate next to the new dre beat in-ears! i was slightly bugged when the dre's came out about 5mins after i'd ordered these (strangely tho the us apple store has the dre's only compatible with iphones, yet doesn't appear to have a mic connector on the jack?).
Will it work with the first gen iphone?
Is the lanyard / lead a typical Y shape? I love Sony's way of feeding one side around the back of the neck; takes the gravity of the phones; means they're not pulled from your ear all the time.
Please bear in mind that the iPhone is a PHONE first and an iPod-ish device second. For maximal voice clarity the response curve will be very different than for high quality music reproduction. So I expect when using a set of phones designed and marketed for the iPod Touch that perhaps a small change in equalization is in order for use on the iPhone. If the iPhone 3G looks for a simple switch across the mic to ground connection for the "remote button" than likely they will not recognize what I suspect is just a different resistance in the switch to ground for the volume control. If the conditioned signal goes to a GPIO input that is digital only and not able to be reprogrammed to support analog, then volume up and down will have to wait. If they used an analog input then they likely just used it as part of a resistance ladder and measure the voltage across it. You might test by pressing the remote button while recording audio and see how the audio behaves. If it records while the button is down, then it is measuring a DC voltage (if software allow it to continue recording!). But this test only shows a possible path Apple took. If Apple uses an analog input to sense the switch on the 3G then software _might_ allow support in the future for volume up and down. If the design uses a digital GPIO off the system on a chip (SoC) then don't expect support for volume up and down until the next hardware rev.
Can anyone confirm the mic works on the 1st Gen iPhone please?
Thanks!
Dude clean your fingernails....gross
I would like to see this in-ears to be side-by-side compared to a SE102 since the price range is close to this new Shure product
I am wondering... what is the pill shaped thing in picture #5... (in case this is a stupid question) this may be a normal apple thing but i don't own any apple products at this time so i would just like to know. thanks.
Compatibility of wired headset models with iPod and iPhone models
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3310
The mic DOES work... but for some odd reason the volume does not :[
I hope an update will fix that.
So far I've been using the headphones for 2 hours and have noticed more clarity than the free headphones it comes with.
I can definitely notice the treble... maybe too much treble.