Tag Archives: earbud

RHA MA-450i Earphones Review: Good Price, Great Sound

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The cords on headphones and earbuds tend to break, especially if you use yours everyday – so I’ve become accustomed to buying new ones pretty frequently. These from RHA are a welcome surprise, as they have a durable cord design and I wasn’t expecting this kind of sound quality for such a modestly-priced pair.

rha ma450i earphones

Build from machined aluminum, the RHA MA-450i earphones have 10mm drivers with a frequency response of 16 Hz to 22,000 Hz. The earbuds are sound insulating, but without any active noise-cancellation technology. This isn’t really necessary because the earbuds hold in your ears well enough to isolate you from most external noise. They come with a mic and a remote, which will allow you to control music and take calls on an iPhone.

rha ma450i earphones black

The reinforced braided fabric cord is also a nice surprise, because if you’re careful enough, you can keep your cords tangle-free. The cord is quite long, at 5′ (150cm). It’s long enough to go from my ears to the iPhone in my pocket, and still be able to use the iPhone without opening my coat, as I usually pass headphone cords under my jacket. I found this convenient, but if you prefer shorter cords, then these earphones won’t fit the bill. The earphones also include a set of seven different silicone ear-tips to ensure a snug fit in your ears.

ma 450i rha ear tips

The one thing that I was missed was a hard case for the earphones. They come with a soft carrying pouch, but I would have liked something sturdier.

rha ma450i my setup

My setup with a salvaged case from a pair of defunct Shure earphones

The MA-450i earphones are a worthwhile consideration for anyone needing a decent pair of earbuds. The sound quality is quite surprising. I compared them with the Beats Tour, which retail for $149.95, and I preferred the RHAs.

The RHA MA-450i earphones are available in black or white for $49.95 from the Apple Store.

Apple EarPods hands-on

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Apple EarPods handson

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.

Gallery: Apple EarPods hands-on

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Apple EarPods hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s signature earbuds rebranded for iPhone 5 as ‘EarPods’

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Yes, finally -- finally -- Apple's years-long headphone debacle may finally be at an end, with the introduction this morning of redesigned earbuds. Their new name: "EarPods." Like so many things from today's Apple press conference, the new earphones look an awful lot like a leak we saw earlier this month. Apple says the new earphones feature, "a breakthrough design for a more natural fit and increased durability, and an incredible acoustic quality typically reserved for higher-end earphones." As seen above, they feature a main and secondary grill on each "pod," and the iPhone version has an inline remote / microphone built-in along the wire. The set looks starkly different from past Apple earphone offerings -- no rubber, distinctly less visible metal, and an all-plastic outer shell.

Rather than create a plugged-up seal as most in-ear headphones do, the pods rest at the edge of your ear canal with the main grill directed straight into it. A port on the back of each bud helps airflow to enhance the midrange, while dual ports on the bottom of each stem helps the bass response. Overall, the intention is to maximize airflow for optimal sound quality. Apple claims the design results in, "overall audio quality [that's] so impressive, they rival high-end headphones that cost hundreds of dollars more." They're available today for purchase as a standalone, and will ship with the new iPod Touch, Nano, and iPhone 5. A standalone set with an inline remote / mic will cost you the same $29 price point of its predecessor -- and they're already available at the source link below.

Gallery: Apple's infamous earbuds rebranded for iPhone 5 as 'EarPods'

Joe Pollicino contributed to this report.

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Apple's signature earbuds rebranded for iPhone 5 as 'EarPods' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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onanoff Magnum Earbuds: Magnet-based Cable Management

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Like many people, I hate getting my earbuds all tangled up. Of course, when you stash them in any pocket, this is what happens. These new earphones from onanoff are supposed to resolve this issue thanks to a handy magnetic organizer.

onanoff magnum earbuds audio earphones

onanoff’s Magnum Earbuds use a 7mm Neodymium driver, come with three different silicone buds to best fit your ears, a built-in microphone and magnetic cable management. The magnetic clip can wind excess headphone cable and then attach to your clothing, providing a smart solution to your cord worries. The Magnums also feature fabric-covered cables to reduce the risk of tangles.

onanoff magnum earbuds audio earphones magnet

They also feature the unique “Love: Jack” which allows you to share your tunes with up to four different users at the same time, by daisy-chaining multiple headphone plugs together.

onanoff magnum earbuds audio earphones love jack

The Magnum Earbuds sell for $39.95(USD) from onanoff. They come in white, gunmetal, black and red.

[via Designyoutrust]


Klipsch gets vibrant, intros S4i Rugged in-ear headphones

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Klipsch gets vibrant, intros S4i Rugged inear headphones

The last we saw some colorful headphones from Klipsch was when it introduced the purple Lou Reed X10i in-ears last holiday season. Just in time for the summer, the headphone maker is unleashing a rugged version of its S4i earbuds -- and in four vibrant finishes, no less (red, yellow, orange and blue). Although this water-resistant S4i variant seems practically identical to the S5i Rugged in-ears, we're told that internally they pack the same 8.5mm dual magnet drivers as their namesake. Naturally, the in-ears feature an iDevice-compatible inline remote / mic, but you'll merely get a basic case in place of the flashlight-equipped version reserved for the S5i. The S4i Ruggeds are set to go sale before the month's out, and best of all they're just priced at just $99. Hit up the press release after the break for more info in the meantime.

Continue reading Klipsch gets vibrant, intros S4i Rugged in-ear headphones

Klipsch gets vibrant, intros S4i Rugged in-ear headphones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 06:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adapter Turns Earbuds into Headphones

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While I have some large headphones at home, I always carry earbuds with me because they are just so small and convenient. This new earbud adapter is supposed to expand the usefulness of earbuds, allowing them to become headphones.

ear adapter jc karich earbud headphone

These Ear Adapters were created by the Chilean-born, Paris-based designer JC Karich, and allow users to transform earbuds into over-the-ear headphones. This means that you can take your earbuds on the go, and when you want the stability or looks of headphones you can have them easily enough.

The whole thing is 3D-printed and even comes with cushioning. If you like the design, you can freely download the schematics from Thingiverse and print them out on a 3D printer.

ear adapter jc karich earbud headphone close up

ear adapter jc karich earbud headphone in pieces

[via designboom]


Sennheiser IE 800 Earphones and HDVD 800 Amp: Probably Amazing, Definitely Expensive

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Sennheiser makes some really good audio products, and they’ve just upped the ante with some top of the line earbuds and an accompanying amplifier. If you’ve got deep pockets and audio quality is important to you, then these might be worth your attention.

sennheiser ie 800 earphones glow

The IE 800 earphones are made out of ceramic and will cost you a whopping €599  (~$787 USD) for a pair. They have an incredibly wide 5 to 46,000Hz audio frequency range, 7mm drivers, and have stainless steel vents at the back that are supposedly there to improve bass and airflow. To provide power for these headphones, you could use any amp, or you could go with the one Sennheiser built just for these earphones. The HDVD 800 amp retails for an equally crazy €1499 (~$1,973 USD). The amp has a body made out anodized aluminum, supports 24-bit 192kHz digital sources, and was specifically designed to work with the HD 800, HD 700, HD 650 and HD 600 headphones.

sennheiser hdvd 800 amplifier

The amp and the earphones are expected to go on sale this Summer. Will you be putting down a big chunk of your hard earned cash on these?

sennheiser ie 800 earphones

[via Slashgear]


Plantronics BackBeat Go headset sports tangle-free cord, ‘rich’ stereo sound

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Plantronics has made a name for itself in the wireless headset space, but there's plenty of room to grow when it comes to premium stereo offerings. BackBeat Go is the company's smallest and lightest wireless earbud set to date, tipping the scale at 13 grams, or "about the weight of three nickels." The cordless rig includes a pair of earbuds linked with a flat tangle-free cord, with inline controls to adjust volume and an integrated mic for calls. The Bluetooth-enabled Go can sync up with one device at a time, so you'll need to repeat the pairing process if switching between phones or to a tablet -- and you should be able to snag 4.5 hours of listening and talk time or 10 hours of standby with a single charge. Digital noise reduction and echo canceling play into the call experience, while the "deep, rich, stereo sound" means the earbuds are equally suited for leisure. Sound good to you? You can snag your own set for a cool $100 by clicking through to the source link below.

Continue reading Plantronics BackBeat Go headset sports tangle-free cord, 'rich' stereo sound

Plantronics BackBeat Go headset sports tangle-free cord, 'rich' stereo sound originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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