I gotta hand it to Skullcandy, they’re masters of marketing.  Instead of inventing new products, they just rebrand them in a trendy and attractive lifestyle manner, thus cutting their costs and increasing their sales.

Case in point: the NBA Headphone series.  Choose your favorite team and you can now represent any where you go without having to wear one of those ridiculous looking jerseys, though I’m not sure if these are any better.  I feel like question such as, “Really? You really spent money on those?” would be elicited.  The good news is that they sport an inline mic, so they make good use of your iPhone’s headphone jack, or whatever handset your sporting.

You can preorder them now for $50 and expect them to ship December 11th.

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Several months back, we introduced you to the Philips Tapster headphones.  But there’s some bad news here for everyone who was looking forward to them–there’s now pretty much no way they’ll hit store shelves.

The folks out at Crave on Cnet’s Asian subsidiary believe they know why, too–they don’t work.

It’s a strange theme these days, gadgets that don’t work, but the beat goes on (or rather doesn’t) from these headphones.  They were supposed to be a major innovation in playback and volume controls, which are supposedly controlled by tapping and swiping the ear modules.  Under normal circumstances, this would dislodge them from the ear, but with these, they didn’t dislodge.  Something of an accomplishment there, but the problem was, the purported tap-and-swipe system of volume and playback control never materialized.

So a little bit of vaporware for you, folks…and that’s always at least a little sad.

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Many people live with discomfort.  Many people wear shitty earphones that don’t fit.  YurBuds are out to change that.  Their not saying ditch your crappy earphones, but instead send them pictures of your ears and they’ll make you a pair of custom adapters to fit over your poorly designed white ones.

For only $20, YurBuds will scan the pictures of your ears and give you the most approximate custom molding that type of money can by assuring you a better fit.

For most people, the earphones that come with the gadget are usually good enough and they are often too ignorant to know any better.  Let’s hope they care about this specialty service as anybody in the know has already ditched the white ones completely.

[via TheGadgeteer]

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Bone conduction seems to be of all the rage these days when talking about submersible earphones.  I had a bland experience with the Finis SwiMP3’s and feel that music underwater has yet to be truly conquered.

Thanko of Japan has just announced the new EMP-708LITE Vonia earphones that use bone conduction to transmit the music to your brain in up to 5 meters of depth.  This product is only available in Japan but you can order a pair for around $45.  Any opinions on this technology??

[via NewLaunches]

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Damn these things look tight!  Having being totally snubbed by Monster Cable for past review inquiries (Dr. Dre HeadPhones), it’s unlikely that I’ll get to review these either.  Whimper…

To celebrate the 50 anniversary of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue album, Monster Cable is releasing a pair of limited edition high-performance in-ear headphones in his honor.  Each pair will be numbered and accompanied with the box set of Kind of Blue, which will contain 2 CD’s, a DVD, and a 24-page booklet.

No word yet on pricing or availability but I’m sure we can all surmise that they ain’t gonna be cheap.

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Monster, renowned for its many advanced consumer electronics accessories and fast becoming one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-performance headphones, is proud to announce the upcoming introduction of the world’s first audio hardware product to bear the official name and signature of legendary trumpeter Miles Davis – the new “Miles Davis Tribute” high-performance in-ear headphones. Created in conjunction with Miles Davis Properties, LLC, the new headphones are being offered in a individually numbered limited edition. Adding value to this limited edition release, purchasers of the Miles Davis Tribute headphones will also be able to enjoy free of charge the official 50^th Anniversary boxed set of the artist’s seminal album Kind of Blue, featuring two music CDs, a DVD and a 24-page booklet.

Miles Davis Tribute headphones feature a striking gold/brass finish based on the actual trumpet played by the artist, featuring a Miles Davis silhouette and gold-etched signature on the earpiece. The headphones are complemented by an attractive “kind of blue” cord and uniquely designed “musical instrument” carry case. Designed in every way to capture the essence of the renowned musician’s style, the Miles Davis Tribute headphones are tuned to reproduce the subtle nuances of music, with advanced sonic technologies engineered to deliver reference-quality audio.

Unique One-Time Limited Lifetime Replacement Guarantee

Notably, Miles Davis Tribute headphones come with the industry’s most unique guarantee. In addition to the warranty on manufacturer defects, Monster is offering a one-time Limited Lifetime Replacement Guarantee with Miles Davis Tribute headphones – even if users accidentally break the headphones themselves, Monster will replace them once for no charge!

Head Monster Noel Lee noted: “We’re all music lovers and critical audiophiles here at Monster, and our goal with these Miles Davis Tribute headphones was to elevate the personal music listening experience with a product capable of reproducing the many subtle shadings and dynamics of all types of music, including the unmistakable Miles sound, with a style and design that is the ‘essence of cool.’ Through the use of proprietary new materials, a new advanced driver design and other engineering improvements, our Miles Davis headphones deliver on this promise with a richness of unprecedented audio detail and sonic virtuosity.”

Monsterous Extras Included with Miles Davis Tribute Headphones

Purchasers of Monster Miles Davis Tribute headphones will enjoy a variety of extras that will significantly enhance the personal listening experience. Most notably, the specially crafted “instrument case” for the Miles Davis Tribute headphones features a plush blue velvet inlay with a gold-printed signature. In addition, Monster provides multiple sizes of its new high performance “SuperTip” eartips that offer superior noise isolation, while improving the overall performance by preventing sound leakage. The key to the effectiveness of SuperTip eartips is a patent-pending engineered material that provides a secure custom seal to help eliminate unwanted noise. The end result is astoundingly clean, tight audio response and great-sounding music that can be listened to without fatigue for hours and hours.

Finally, Monster’s innovative cable management system features a convenient designed on-cable slider and clip that keeps weight off the headphones so they stay snug in the user’s ears. The debut of Monster Miles Davis Tribute headphones is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to improve the quality of the portable audio experience.

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Just when you thought your Blackberry couldn’t get more addictive, along comes the crew out at Research In Motion to give you one MORE toy–the RIM Blackberry HS-500 Wireless Headset.

Targeted toward Blackberry purists who absolutely must own everything Research In Motion can put out, as well as anybody needing a headset for any device that runs Bluetooth (iPhone users take note–your Blackberry headset can also be your iPhone headset if you have both devices!)

Early remarks say that the HS-500 is an item of understated grace that does the job solidly well, but anyone who wants a really flashy headset should look elsewhere. There are some problems with it, apparently, like a lack of dedicated volume keys, but that’s not too much trouble alongside the benefits it offers.  The device costs a whopping $80 or less, so anyone out for a great utilitarian headset should look here.

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Over the last couple days, I’ve seen cameras and camcorders made out of Legos, so it really doesn’t surprise me to note the new addition to the Lego electronics family, the Lego earphones.

No, seriously.  They’re called the “Sundries PLAYBRICK”, and with a name like that and a design like that you can probably already guess where they’re from.  I’ll give you a moment to let the collective facepalm die down and tell you that they’re from Japan.  That and I’ll give good odds that the name comes from some frantic lawyer’s cries of “we’re gonna get SUED if we don’t call them something different!”

You have your choice of six designer colors, and they’ll cost the equivalent of $23.  If you want nothing so much out of life as to have Lego earphones, just make your way over to Rinkya, the link to which is below.

Via [Crunchgear]

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During my quest for the ultimate earphone I have had the chance to review several pairs from companies I had not previously heard of.  Being pleasantly surprised on many an occasion, The Cresyn C750E’s are just that. Having a solid sound and a comfortable fit, I am compelled to recommend these earphones to anyone looking for a great package at the $100 price range.

Judging today’s current batch of earphones you are not only looking at sound but you are also grading how they fit and what features they flaunt.  I can say right off the bat that the Cresyn C750E’s possess all of the above.  Embracing a sturdy fit and competent sound reproduction in a lightweight and compact package, the Cresyn C750E’s easily rank as some of the better earphones I’ve used all year.

In comparison to other earphones I’ve unboxed, the Cresyn C750E’s was pretty basic.  Three sizes of inserts and a nice feeling carrying case.  That’s it.  Not that the Cresyn C750E’s needed anything else anyway.

Besides what I mentioned earlier in regards to what I liked about the Cresyn C750E’s, I also really liked the shaped of the earphone.  While the majority of the time they fit great, they would sometimes need adjusting.  The beam shape of the Cresyn C750E’s really help you readjust them on the fly and without looking, you could grasp them and instantly know their orientation.  I have ran into earphones in the past where it was more difficult to adjust them because you couldn’t tell how they were fitting in your ear without looking in a mirror.

The C750E’s featured a sturdy clip that slid up and down the cord with ease and really helped pull slack off of the weight of the earphones.  Not that they were heavy or anything but another anchor point always helps.  Other than that the earphones don’t have any other standout features.

In the area of sound, the Cresyn C750E’s have a lot going for them.  They’re nothing that will blow your mind but will compete bravely with anything you can throw their way.  They never distorted when I cranked the volume and were never too harsh on my ears regardless of the bit rates my MP3’s were running at.

They could have used a bit more gradual bass in my opinion but the whole mix felt generally pretty balanced and I enjoyed my overall listening experience.  Through my main testing grounds of riding my bike and going to the gym the Cresyn C750E’s performed well under those parameters and they didn’t get in the way whatsoever.

All in all, Cresyn is a company that I will now recognize and be able to speak highly of the C750E’s as a great pair of earphones.  Most of my earphone reviews are usually not this glowing and it’s nice to not really have to gripe about anything.

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Awesome Sound
• Easily Adjustable

Cons:

• Might Be A Bit Pricey For Some

Buy Them Here For $106!Similar Posts:

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Look at this cute little guy.  The Mini Bot might look like another crap key chain accessory, but it is in fact a headphone splitter.  Just pop off his head to reveal the headphone jack, plug in your headphones to his eye sockets and you’ll be sharing your iPods audio with your BFF.

[via Unpluggd]

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This is the first I’ve heard of Acronym clothing, but I’m picking up what they’re laying down, style wise that is.  They’ve got a ton of jackets for the soggy winter months ahead and one jacket in particular that has caught my eye is the GT-J14, a hardshell, Gortex infused jacket.  Style wise it’s very palatable to say the least and something that had me doing a double take was the floating ear buds on the model’s neck.  They don’t come out right and say it, but from the looks of it the jacket’s neck piece has a removable magnetic strip that magically holds a set of ear buds within ears reach.  After all, how many times have you removed your buds only to found the cord tangled or them dragging in the wet snow.

I have no clue on where, when and for how much you can buy this jacket but if you’ve got any ideas please drop us a comment.

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Still can’t decide on the right pair of Bluetoth headphones?  Stop pondering, because Sony is about to introduce the DRC-BT30P, a Bluetooth dongle that let’s you use any pair of headphones with your Bluetooth compatible devices.  It includes volume and track controls and even a call answer button and mic.

There’s no word on a launch date or price, but this thing stinks of ‘Japan only’.

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Dr. Dre, who probably has all the money in the world, has once again teamed up with Monster to offer a cheaper, lighter version of his Beats headphones called the Beats Solo.   They included the same tangle free cord found in previous iterations of the heaphones, but this time around are lighter, smaller and include an inline remote with mic  – called Control Talk – for controlling your iPhone or iPod without having to reach into your pocket.

The Beats Solo will come in black or white and will be available this November for about $200 (SRP is $219.95 while the MAP (minimum advertised price) is $179.95).

Full release after the ‘leap’

New Addition to Popular “Beats By Dr. Dre Headphone Line is Lightweight, More
Compact Option; Available in Black and White Versions
BERLIN–(Business Wire)–
Monster and Beats by Dr. Dre, today announced an exciting new development in the
evolution of the popular “Beats By Dr. Dre headphone line – the on-ear “Beats
Solo” headphones (MAP: $179.95, SRP: $219.95). The new Beats Solo
high-performance headphones offer users an ideal entry level Beats by Dr. Dre
personal listening experience in a lightweight and smaller version. Beats Solo
will be available in November 2009 in both black and white versions.

Noel Lee, the Head Monster, noted: “When Monster teamed up with Dr. Dre and
Jimmy Iovine for Beats by Dr. Dre headphones our goal was to change the way
people experience their music by simply letting them hear what musicians
recorded in the studio – with the extreme clarity, deep bass and full power that
had been lacking in conventional headphones. Thanks to Beats, people have begun
to understand that sound really does matter. Now, with the introduction of Beats
Solo, we`re thrilled to make the Beats by Dr. Dre from Monster experience
available in a smaller, lighter on-ear headphone.” Mr. Lee continued: “There
were significant challenges in the creation of Beats Solo, including how to
achieve really great sound from a small speaker driver. This required serious
innovation and creative audio engineering. We were also challenged to take the
familiar Beats design and morph it into something smaller and more compact, yet
still recognizably `Beats.` I`m delighted to say that we rose to both these
challenges – the result is one of the easiest-to-use, easiest-to-wear and
best-sounding headphones ever created, with a look that is pure Beats and pure
Dr. Dre.”

Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M said: “For Beats Solo, Dre and I
worked along with Monster to create the best sound possible in light,
comfortable but powerful headphones.”

To provide users with the ultimate in convenience and performance when used with
today`s portable music devices, Beats Solo headphones feature “ControlTalk,” an
advanced on-cable feature that provides users with full control of their
listening experience when using their 3GS iPhone®, iPod® shuffle and other new
iPods and portable music devices. The special Monster ControlTalk headphone
cable features an integrated high grade microphone and answer button and allows
users to access their music and answer phone calls without having to reach into
their pocketbook, backpack or pocket.

In addition to its availability with Beats Solo and all Beats by Dr. Dre
headphones from Monster, including the new white version of Beats Studio and
Heartbeats by Lady Gaga from Monster, the ControlTalk feature is also being made
available as an option with all Monster brand headphones as well.

The ControlTalk remote and mic are supported by iPod nano (4th generation), iPod
classic (120GB), iPod touch (2nd generation), and iPhone 3GS and newer, but not
all, Blackberry models. The remote is supported by iPod shuffle (3rd
generation). Audio is supported by all iPod models. Requires software version
1.0.3 for iPod nano (4th generation), 2.0.1 for iPod classic (120GB), and 2.2 or
later for iPod touch (2nd generation). Support for Blackberry varies by model.
Subject to change.

ABOUT MONSTER

Monster, under its Monster Cable brand, is the world’s leading manufacturer of
connectivity solutions for high performance audio, video, car audio, computer,
console and computer gaming, professional audio and sound reinforcement.
Monster, under its Monster Power brand, is also the leading manufacturer of high
performance AC power line conditioning and protection products for audio/video
systems. Explore the world of Monster at www.MonsterCable.com

ABOUT BEATS ELECTRONICS LLC

Established in 2006, Beats Electronics is the brainchild of legendary artist and
producer Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records,
who set out to develop a new type of headphone with the capability to reproduce
the full spectrum of sound that musical artists and producers hear in
professional recording studios. In January of 2008, Dre and Iovine announced a
partnership with audio innovator Monster Cable to engineer “Beats by Dr. Dre,”
the most advanced headphones ever developed that are sold exclusively at Apple
and Best Buy. Today, Beats Electronics continues to work with Monster to improve
the quality of the portable audio experience and expand the Dr. Dre family of
headphones to include in-ear speakers and artist branded products. For more
information, please visit http://beatsbydre.com/

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Remember that Bose press event we told you about earlier this week?  Well, it went down in NYC today and they announced their newest noise canceling headphones, the QuietComfort 15.  Form factor wise they pretty much mimic the Quiet Comfort 2s, but offer improved noise cancellation.  Those who attended the press event were invited to listen to a 90db airplane recording with the noise cancellation activated and deactivated.  So far the reports seem to be unanimous, stating that they have vastly improved upon the noise cancellation; “noticeable more so than with the previous version of Bose headphones, the QC2″.  The QuiteComfort 15s will go on sale tomorrow and cost $300.

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iHome has long been known for their alarm clocks with built-in iPod docks, so it comes as a surprise to see them entering into the headphone market.  But the iHMP5 aren’t just any ordinary headphones.  iHome has added an inline amplifier that with the flip of a switch converts them into a small pair of speakers.  Specs wise were looking at 50mm drivers, 3.5mm headphone jack and available in red, blue or silver for $70.

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Today, Samsung introduced the WEP870 Bluetooth headset.  Aside from the usual features, such a multipoint connection technology and noise cancellation, it includes a modular, stereo earbud lanyard.  Just attach the WEP870 to the lanyard and you can enjoy wireless stereo music (or calls) from any A2DP Bluetooth enabled device.  Expect to get 6 hours of talk/music time and up to 150 hours of standby time.  Samsung is currently selling it direct for $89.99.

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Having previously reviewed a few underwater MP3 solutions it was clear to me what I expected from the Finis SwiMP3.  While other incarnations of submersible MP3 players had issues with water always getting in your ears disrupting the flow of sound, the SwiMP3 player had to eliminate that in order to be a plausible contender.

Immediately upon “unboxing”, it was apparent that the SwiMP3 player was exactly that.  Tailored to swimmers, the only way to adorn the product was to attach them to a pair of goggles.  The clips on each earpiece are designed to loosely fit around any pair of goggles and were a bit weird to try and situate them correctly without a mirror.

Once I aligned the earpieces to an optimal place on my head I did some laps.  The first thing I noticed was the “bone conduction” aspect.  While sounding more fancy than it needs to, it basically just means that there are no actual “traditional” earphones that you plug into you ears.  The sound vibrates through the plastic casing, eliminating the water suction problem in past underwater MP3 products.

Does this work?  It totally does, but at the immediate sacrifice of the most imperative aspect inherent in a pair of earphones.  The sound.  The main blemish is the quality.  It sounds very shallow and distant sounding (puns all day) and that you are hearing it from “3 doors down”.

I can say right now that the biggest problem with the Finis SwiMP3 is the volume fluctuations that must be suffered.  The thing is, swimming in water has its own sounds and you must jack up the volume in order to hear the music.  The bad part comes to when you are at rest and taking a break from swimming.  Not only does the music sound shrill, but it’s also searingly loud.  I’m not sure if this could be avoided by a volume toggle button but it’s very harsh to say the least.

As far as controls go, I say don’t futz with them.  At a storage capacity of 256Mbs, I would just make a playlist and swim and try to enjoy the novelty of listening to music underwater.  The swimmer I spoke to at the gym expressed that if the SwiMP3 was priced at under $100 it would be much more appealing, and it would definitely help break up the drudgery of doing laps in the pool.

My take on the product: I’d want it to be more versatile and offer a design that allowed you to use the headphones without a pair of goggles.  Bad sounding music is far better than no music at all and I feel that other sports could benefit from this “bone conduction” technology if you will, as it works far better than similar products in its genre.  The quality of construction could be a bit more heavy duty and it could sure have more memory, up to at least quadruple it’s current size.

Beyond that, the Finis SwiMP3 is an interesting product that should garner the attention of swimmers all over looking to cut up the monotony of doing laps.  While not a stellar underwater MP3 solution at this moment, Finis could make some important strides to improving the SwiMP3 so it is more appealing to its niche’ market.

Note:  For the life of me (from the Verve Pipe’s The Freshman), I could not get my original iMac G5 to recognize the SwiMP3.  Beware as I could also not get it to mount as a disk image on my buddy’s newer Powerbook.

Pros:

• Allows for underwater music sans suction problems of similar products
• Easy to use
• Mildly comfortable

Cons:

• Volume issues
• Memory too small
• Pricey

Buy it for $135 here!

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On sale now at the Scosche website are the new IDR350M Noise Isolating Earphones.  Especially tailored for the iPhone 3GS and the 3rd Gen Shuffle, these earphones host a bevy of features, which include: play/pause controls, adjust volume, skip tracks, navigate playlists, record voice memos, activate the voice control feature and answer/end calls, all without the iPhone or iPod having to leave your pocket.  Very cool indeed.  They also come with six color cap inserts to match your mood, personality, or outfit.  The Scosche IDR350M’s will be available at your favorite retailer for $50 in the coming weeks.

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It was just yesterday that we saw iLuv’s 3rd party headphone adapter for the latest iPod Shuffle.  Today, Belkin officially kicked out their version, but costs $5 more than the competition; $20.  Surprisingly, it doesn’t seem to be compatible with the iPhone, which uses the same control scheme in their latest set of headphones.  Perhaps a copy mistake?

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Even though there are many options now days when it comes to buying earphones that utilize all the iPod’s functions, there are still many of us who are particular to a certain brand or style of earphone.  Helping to alleviate any hesitations you may have, iLuv has a remote adapter that lets you use any set of earphones with your iPod Shuffle 3rd Gen or iPod Touch while still being able to use the volume, voice, and track controls.  No word yet on price or availability but this should be a product to keep your eye on.

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Earphones.  Now that the MP3 fully dominates we are seeing more and more products associated with them.  As a result earphones are being manufactured by a countless number of companies in an attempt to capture even a fraction of the MP3 accessory market.  Although I’ve never heard of Maximo, they reached out and asked us to review their iM-590 earbuds.  I happily obliged.

The first thing I noticed about the 590’s was they were very feature intensive.  They sport a cord clip, several rubberized inserts, a 2 foot extension cable, an airline dual plug adapter, a 2.5mm adapter, and a circular carrying case that holds the inserts and lets you wrap the cable around the inside.  Out of the box the 590’s should have most any scenario covered, minus the 6.3mm adapter.

The clip while functional was a bit ‘chintz’ and a bit too small and slippery for my liking.  Either way a clip is a dire necessity and it does work to provide adequate slack.  The cord is comprised of a braided fabric that is slightly malleable and lends itself to crimping, especially at the base of the input jack.  I would have preferred the cord to have been a little thicker as it still falls into some of the rubber/plastic trappings.  It does have a nice feel, though and is lightweight.

The box states that the 590’s are Enhanced Definition Isolation Earphones.  Listening to them as I write this review, I can still hear incoming messages in iChat on my computer, but I cannot hear my dog’s toenails scraping against the hardwood floors upstairs.  I use earphones for about 30 hours a week when riding my bike or working out at the gym, so active travel and exercise scenarios are my main testing grounds.  The 590’s dealt with wind noise well due to its tiny design and the farther you jam them in your ears the more sound they blocked out.  That leads me to my main problem with the 590’s.  None of the inserts fit me very well and they needed constant adjustment. They seemed to fit better for a moment if I rotated them, but eventually they would slide out.  Sitting still they stay in fine, as they are right now.  So to reiterate, they’re not great for exercise and moving around, but good for fixed postures and sitting still.

On to the good stuff.  The sound of the 590’s is a well rounded spectrum that did well with the majority of my MP3’s.  I listen to mostly high production value metal and the 590’s didn’t leave me hanging.  They did not distort when cranked and presented better bass than expected.  Never shrill, the 590’s had buttery smooth mids and highs.  So if you don’t buy (i.e steal) your music you’re probably going to end up with a collection of MP3’s of varying bit rate and as a rate varying sound quality.  The 590’s feel like they are tailored to this type of digital soundscape and really shine in the audio reproduction department.

So, even though they don’t really work for my type of lifestyle (e.g bike riding, running), I can wholly recommend the Maximo iM-590’s to anyone looking for high quality sounding earphones for under $50.  I see so many suckers with crap earphones (I’m not going to mention any one company name) out and about, and I just chalk it up to them not caring about sound quality.  What would I do if I didn’t care about sound?

Pros:

• Exemplary sound
• Lightweight and Small
• Lot’s o’ features

Cons:

• Not good in active scenarios
• Clip could be better
• Cord crimps too easy

Buy it here for $44!

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