I'm pleased to report that I am no longer the odd man out at TUAW. That's right, I finally got around to buying an iPhone. Overall my iPhone experience has been fairly good, but I've been spoiled in the earphone department. Some might recall that I sat down with iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz I asked him the question that he gets asked over, and over again: what are the best headphones for the money? He quickly replied Etymotic ER6i's (which lead me to interview the president of Etymotic later at the show). I took Jeremy's advise and fell in love with the clear sound that the ER6i's produced.

What does this have to do with the iPhone? The iPhone comes with a pair of very cool headphones that have a built in remote for the iPod functionality, as well as a built in microphone so you can chat on the phone and listen to music with the same headphones. Brilliant, and one of the best features of the iPhone. Sadly, after using the ER6i's for months, the Apple headphones just aren't up to snuff. That's why I was delighted to read about the Ultimate Buds Apple-Etymotic ER-6i iPhone Earphones.

Ultimate Buds has combined the best of both worlds, the remote/microphone of Apple's supplied headphones, and the stellar sound of the ER6i's (the company actually splices a pair of ER6i earbuds to the Apple headphones). This brilliant little contraption will set you back $145.99, $119.99 if you provide the Apple headphones to them, or $40 if you send them both ER6i's and Apple headphones. I'll be ordering a set for myself, until Etymotic comes out with a solution themselves, and you can expect a review as soon as I get my ears on a set.

[via iLounge]