ear buds
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Samsung's Galaxy Buds+ fall to $100 in Amazon's one-day sale
Samsung's Galaxy Buds+ ear buds are close to an all-time low price as part of an Amazon deal of the day.
Google leaks its own 'Pixel Buds A-Series' with new fast pairing tech
Google inadvertently revealed a new set of Pixel Buds that are coming soon.
Amazon's redesigned Echo Buds offer improved noise cancellation for $120
Amazon's second-gen Echo Buds are cheaper, smaller and offer true active noise cancellation on top of hands-free access to Alexa.
Apple program will replace AirPods Pro buds with crackling, ANC issues
The AirPods Pro Service Program will replace affected units for up to two years after they were sold.
NYC mayor kicks off anti-earbud hearing safety campaign
As if supersized sodas weren't a big enough target, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a new target in his quest to improve the health of New Yorkers -- the earbud. As reported in the New York Post, Bloomberg is kicking off an educational campaign to warn city dwellers about the dangers of pumping up the volume to 11 when you are wearing in-ear headphones. The US$250,000 initiative doesn't target the iPhone or iPod directly, but the original iPod and its successors are the devices that kicked off the earbud movement. Apple's website already hosts an FAQ about safe volume levels, and parents can control the maximum volume their kids' devices will climb to if they choose. Earbud.org also offers parent and teacher resources for preventing hearing loss. At least one audiologist who spoke to NYC's CBS affiliate believes that the iPhone and iPod are the most hazardous earbud-bearing products out there. Dr. Won Choe said "I'm seeing a whole host of young teenagers who are coming in with early signs of noise-induced hearing loss," and cited Apple's products as problematic. Of course, the good doctor may be seeing more iDevice-associated hearing issues because more New York teens have iDevices than other brands. The Post also noted noted that the iPod can be cranked up to 115 decibels (if you don't enable the volume limiter), which is well over the maximum safe level of 85 decibels. So, iPod-using New Yorkers, are you going to listen to your mayor and turn down the volume or do you think he should just "bud" out and let you decide how to listen to your tunes? Updated to clarify the initiative's target of high-volume earbuds. [Via CBS 2 New York]
Apple EarPods hands-on
By now, you're probably familiar with Apple's latest earbuds. But are they an improvement over their arguably disposable predecessor, you ask? You bet. Still, they're not going to win out over high-end or even mid-range audio options. That's to be expected, though -- the EarPods do sound better, and, well, they cost 29 bucks and ship with all of the devices Apple announced today. The attractive white 'buds are packaged in a plastic case that's quite similar to the enclosure that Apple introduced with its previous-gen step-up set. They're very lightweight, not that you had any doubts, and appear to be durable enough. The "one size fits all" design worked well in our ears -- it wasn't a snug fit by any means, but we didn't fear that they'd fall to the ground with the slightest movement. You'll net the best performance in quieter settings, considering that they don't isolate sound like some other options on the market, and if you're a frequent air traveler or often find yourself working in noisy environments, you'll probably want to consider other options. That said, folks who don't need the absolute best or want to save up for a better solution should find these to be sufficient -- we didn't have a chance to do any in-depth testing and analysis, but expect that to come after we've had a chance to digest all of today's new gadgets. For now, you can take a closer look in the hands-on gallery just below.
Sennheiser intros ritzy IE 800 earphones and HDVD 800 amp, your wallet screams
You thought Sennheiser had already done enough to appease audiophiles this year at CES? Think again. The company has announced yet another new set of headphones with an amp to keep it warm at night, but the high-end wares come at a high-end price. The ceramic IE 800 buds (€599 or $787) offer a broad 5 - 46,000 Hz audio range in spite of their mere 7mm drivers, while stainless steel vents on the back supposedly "improve bass and airflow." If you need some extra juice and don't mind forking over the premium €1,499 ($1,973), the HDVD 800 headphone amp's shell is rocking anodized aluminum and a glass window for peering at the bantam circuitry within -- way over the top, but also, pretty amazing. It supports 24-bit 192kHz sources and is engineered for ideal synergy with Senn's HD 800, HD 700, HD 650 and HD 600. Both should hit the shelves by summer of this year.
$99 Etymotic mc2 earbuds claim market-beating noise isolation, full platform ambivalence
Etymotic specializes in putting inexpensive moving coil drivers inside noise-isolating buds that can, as an optional upgrade, be individually molded via the company's international "Custom-fit" program. Previous models have been iDevice only, at least in terms of their microphone function and button controls, but the new mc2 should also get along happily with Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, WebOS and Symbian smartphones and tablets. It's due for release by the end of the week for $99, which will buy you noise isolation up to a claimed market-beating 42dB, 8mm (0.3-inch) dual-magnet neodymium drivers, an all-important mic and an assortment of ear tips -- Custom-fit costs extra, and substantially so. Listen carefully and you might just hear the PR after the break squeaking for your attention.
Shure SE315 Sound Isolating Earphone offers detachable cables on a 'budget'
There's something so romantic about just-a-little-bit-too-expensive ear buds, a product that's easily worth every penny and yet easily lost, easily misunderstood, and incredibly difficult to rid of ear wax. Shure is adding a new model to its hallowed line of 'buds, the new SE315 Sound Isolating Earphone. The headphones have a single MicroDriver, as opposed to the dual drivers in the SE425 and triple drivers in the SE535, but otherwise is very similar to those family members, including the investment-protecting detachable cables. Oh, and of course the price it a good bit more attractive, with a $200 retail price, while the SE425 and SE535 go for $300 and $500, respectively. Still, attractive enough? We'll leave the handwringing to you.
Harman AKG teams up with Quincy Jones on Signature Line of headphones
Gone is the day when headphones could be respectable without some kind of corporate tie-in or Lady Gaga endorsement. Alas, even Harman's revered AKG division has roped in the venerable Quincy Jones for its new (wait for it) Quincy Jones Signature Line. We're talking three models here, ready for launch in October and ranging from the Q 701 "reference class" over-the-ear cans (pictured), the Q 460 lightweight headphones, and Q 350 buds. The Q 701 features ergonomically-shaped cushions of velvet, an "unbeatable" linear frequency response covering 10Hz to 39.8kHz, a 45-mm high excursion driver, and detachable 99-percent oxygen-free cables. The portable $229.99 Q 460 on-ear headphones feature a 3D-axis folding system and an iPhone compatible in-line remote with microphone and play, pause, and skip functions. The in-ear Q 350 also bring iPhone compatible and target the "audiophile on the go" with $149.99 to burn. Seems fitting for a man with 79 Grammy nominations (and 27 awards) to benefit from his name. And you can feel better about him selling out knowing that an undisclosed sum from every pair of headphones sold goes towards the Quincy Jones Musiq Consortium -- a foundation dediqated to eduqating Ameriqan kids about musiq. Ironic, because the Grammys might actually be relevant if American music corporations knew anything about good music.%Gallery-101028%
Philips and O'Neill launch durable headphones -- shaka bra!
In what amounts to yet another co-branding marketing kerfuffle, Philips and O'Neill have teamed up on a foursome of so-called durable headphones. The Stretch headphones (pictured) are the toughest of the bunch, constructed from an ultra-durable, temperature-resistant, and awesome-sounding material called TR 55LX that boasts a surface hardness six times greater than the polycarbonate stuff found in most headphones. The Snug series boasts "bold graphics" and can fold flat, while the in-ear Covert buds brings an iPhone controller. Last, and apparently least, is the "stylish" Specked with tangle free cord. Amazing. All are said to have been tested by the "toughest O'Neill team riders." As proof, O'Neill is trotting out Jeremy Jones, Mark Mathews, and Ane Enderud to promote its new gear, presumably because they want to and not because they are contractually obligated under the terms of their respective high-paying sponsorships. Needless to say, these headphones aren't for you if you don't know who these people are or you lack the fragile hipster ego required to wear them. No prices were announced, but you can expect them to match the "premium" description when these arrive for retail in Europe and the US sometime this month. We did give Stretch a go for a quickie ears-on, and honestly, while the cloth cord was a nice touch and they do seem to be super rugged, we'd prefer that the team paid a bit more attention to the sound quality than the finish.%Gallery-101026%
Diddy, Beats combine to make... Diddybeats
Not even Engadget's firm ban on Monster Cable can keep the word "Diddybeats" off these pages.
Sony Qlasp earbuds wrap around your lobes, appeal to your sweet tooth
Sony's candy-colored PIIQ headphone lineup isn't for everyone, but at least the new lollypop-styled Qlasp earbuds have a useful feature: an integrated flexible clip designed to keep them firmly affixed to your head as you skate, swing and slide through your active hipster day. Sure, you could just slap a pair of Lobies on your Klipsch and get the same effect with better sound, but at the cost of uglification; for a mere $25, these low-end Sony units might get the job done without telegraphing your geekiness to the world. Taste all five flavors of Qlasp at the source link.
SolidAlliance's Crazy Earphones v2: because ear fungus sells
Japan's SolidAlliance earned a warm place in our collective nerd bosom long ago for the sheer lunacy of the products it creates. Today it's offering round two of its Crazy Earphone collection that includes some kind of mushroom (that is a mushroom, right?), the ol' Katana blade or arrow through the head trick, and a parasitical, conjoined ear if you want everyone to think you've been subjected to a tragic cloning experiment. Spec-wise your ¥2,000 (about $22) will take home a pair of in-ear buds with 20 ~ 20,000Hz frequency range assisted by a 10-mm driver. Not that it matters: there's no chance in hell that you're buying these for performance reasons.%Gallery-86590%
Apple wins appeal over iPod hearing loss
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a 2008 ruling dismissing a 2006 case brought against Apple, which claimed that the iPod music player caused hearing loss. In the original suit, a Louisiana man had claimed that the iPod had the potential to cause irreparable hearing loss, citing the design of the ear buds as encouraging too-deep placement within the ear, and the lack of volume meters. He had sought to have the suit classified as a class action suit against Apple, but in 2008, the District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed the suit, agreeing with Apple's assertion that the design did not cause an unreasonable risk of noise-induced hearing loss. The judge stated that the lawsuit had merely pointed out ways to make the device safer, not shown that the device itself was dangerous. The suit also alleged elements of unfair competition, which were also dismissed and affirmed on appeal.
Sony Ericsson's motion activated MH907 headset could change things forever (update: or not)
See that? That's the device that will forever change the way you to listen to music. At least that was the promise made in the teaser running up to today's press event. The buttonless MH907 buds are the world's first "Motion Activated" headphones with Sony Ericsson's "SensMe Control" tech: bung them into your ears to automatically start listening to music, remove one bud to pause. The buds are activated by body contact and mimick the way we control sound now. What's cool is that the headphones seem to use your body as an electrical conduit (a Body Area Network) based on this quote from the webinar:"Requires conductive surface to activate the controls - i.e. your ears, hence it won't turn things on in your pocket by just squeezing the ear buds"If so, this is a first consumer application of this technology that we can recall. Available globally this week for any Fast Port equipped phone for just €39. Video fun after the break.Update: SE has further clarified that the technology is capacitive in nature. In other words, removing an ear bud isn't breaking the flow of current between buds (and across your noodle) -- it's destroying the dynamic capacitor formed by the touch of human skin. Right, this is technology we've seen before in capacitive touchscreens and trackpads. %Gallery-73591%
Etymotic hf2 Custom Fit buds bundle ACS' customized ear-mould service
Eytmotic's $180 hf2 earbuds with in-line controller for iPods and iPhones have been around for awhile. In that time, they've racked up plenty of gold statues and plaques to backup their claim of delivering "the most accurate, unaltered sound of any earphone or headset today." Now Etymotic has teamed up with ACS (Advanced Communication Solutions) to deliver silicon sleeves custom-moulded for your inner-ear to ensure a perfect, comfy fit while further isolating you from the ambient noise around you; a trick that allows you to pickup audio detail at lower volumes and thus spare your hearing. Of course, ACS' 15 minute customization service is available for other buds as well, but offering it within the hf2 Custom Fit bundle as a £90 (about $130) voucher redeemable at any of 300 approved ear impression outlets in the UK is a pretty shrewd move.[Via Tech Digest] Read [Warning: PDF]
Angel and Devil earbuds may be a little too cute for Swedish death metal fans
Something about the image above makes it seem that the folks over at Greenhouse are up to more than manufacturing electronics. The Angel & Devil earbuds (1,279 yen or $12.65) follow on the heels of the company's Pigbuds (which now that we mention it, may also have some sort of occult significance). What can we say about these things? They fit in your ear, they're available in one of five colors (the angel is always white, just like the Tom & Jerry cartoons -- the devil can be summoned in red, purple, pink, magenta or death-dealing black), they ship with a display stand and they're only available in Japan. And the struggle for your immortal soul continues...[Via Impress]
Pigbuds: 'cause your ears are purty too
Sound quality? Who cares. Thanks to Green House, pigs can finally stuff themselves into human orifices like a reverse-Appalachia. Just be prepared to kiss your ¥1,280 (about $12) goodbye with that pretty mouth of yours after the novelty of this quaint little adventure turns vile.[Via Impress]
JVC's HP-NCX77 noise canceling buds
Like to take your lossless tunes on the road do ya? Problem is, even if you're living like a unabomber, you've still got plenty of ambient noise ready to spoil your audiophileatio, eh? Not so brother. That is, not if you pick up JVC's HP-NCX77 noise canceling headphones. These in-ear buds will cancel unwanted frequencies -- dropping the noise by about 20% according to JVC -- for about 70-hours on a single Alkaline battery. Switch to "monitor" and listen-in to the paranoid footsteps of the modern industrial society closing in. Hitting dystopian shacks in Japan next month for a price of about ¥8,000 / $66. [Via Impress]
