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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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.

Read
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This is probably an idea that should have come along well before now.  What you’re looking at in the pic above is a pair of earbuds that–get this–stop playing when you pull them out of your ears.  Yes, they automatically pause playback when you take them out, allowing you to never miss a beat of all your favorite songs.  They’re the Ericsson MH907, and they only come with one real downside.

They come equipped with motion detectors, and if you have them hooked to an Ericcson phone with a fast port connector, you can actually answer your phone by plugging in your earbud.

They’ll be available on the order of soon and cost fifty five bucks, but the downside is that they’ll only be available for the Sony Ericcson phone.  As soon as someone comes out with an iPod version, I bet you’ll never see them in stores because they’ll be bought out at frantic paces.

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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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The last pair of JVC earbuds I reviewed I didn’t like so much.  These are much better, and cheaper!  The JVC HA-NCX78 Multi Noise Canceling EarBuds claim to reduce up to 88% of ambient noise interference.  How you could accurately gauge that is beyond me but I can tell you this, these JVC’s attempt to have every angle covered.

From wind and ambient noise to electrical and cord friction noise, the JVC’s do their best to keep your ears and mind totally focused on the music at hand.  The first noise reduction system is that of ambient noise reduction but there is nothing you can see actually working.  You just have to believe and envision the climb to 88%.  Most visually notable is the active monitoring system that hangs between the earbuds and the input jack.  Powered by a single AAA battery and featuring a shirt clip for tethering, the monitoring system lets you toggle on and off electrical noise reduction.  Aside from the on/off button there is a monitor button that you can press if you need cut all sound to hear your surroundings, like the pilot speaking on an airplane, etc.  For wire friction noise, the JVC’s have detachable “over the ear” loops that actually fit really nice and keep the earbuds nice and snuggled tight.  Wind noise is prevented by the candy corn shape of the actual earbud.

So do these 4 noise reduction components really work?  I’ll break it down:

• Wind Noise Reduction: Not so much.  This was the worst of the systems actually.  Riding my bike and walking I noticed a lot of wind, partially I’m sure because of the creeping placebo effect but still.  I have recently been using the Razer Moray’s and noticed that they had little to no wind due to their shape.  I think the actual design of the JVC’s makes them suck the in the wind and that they are just too flat.  I know I’m no earbud engineer but the design just seems backwards to me.
• Ambient Noise Reduction: Pretty good.  I’d say around 70% rather than 88%, but they held up pretty well in public areas.  While I did not have the chance to try them on an airplane, I did test them while bike riding around Portland and working out at 24 Hour Fitness.  They performed well in the gym and blocked out the painful gym music and most of the other ancillary sounds like weights clanging or people talking.  On the streets where sounds were louder and sharper, the JVC’s did well but could not contain the shrieks of big muffler on a motorcycle or the brakes on a bus.  Understandably, though.
• Electrical / White Noise Reduction: I honestly didn’t notice anything.  Turning it on did make the sound much brighter and a little bit louder.  Oddly enough, when turned on and no music is playing you actually hear an ever present hiss.  No matter as it wasn’t bothersome.  One thing, though, was that you have to remember to switch it off when you are done as it doesn’t power down with your device.  Kind of annoying but there is an on/off switch.
• Wire/Cord Noise Reduction: I also didn’t notice much of any type of cord noise and or reduction.  I will say that adding the detachable ear loops adds a greater stability to overall fit and feel of the HA-NCX78’s.  Without them you kind of feel like you should be wearing them upside down as the cord sort of leads you that way.  With them on, the earbuds fit firm in your ear, allowing you to remain active.

So while all these noise reduction systems may be a little bit of unfound hype, they definitely work.  Sound wise, the JVC’s are nothing glaringly astounding but hold their own with plenty of other earbuds at their price range.  Having a well rounded and compact sound reproduction they got a little shrill at higher volumes.  Bass response was moderately tight with no signs of muffling or overbearing swell.  Midrange and treble frequencies were mild but not dull.

Other areas of note:  I like the bent input jack as it worked with my setup well.  The JVC’s come with 3 sizes of rubber inserts and one foam one to ensure a custom fit.  They also come with a pleather carrying case and an airplane adapter.

In conclusion, the JVC HA-NCX78 Multi Noise Canceling EarBuds score well in most areas and while being slightly gimmicky, would be an ideal choice for a traveler or music enthusiast.  However, I highly don’t recommend them if you like listening to music while riding bicycles.  The wind noise reduction system was the biggest disappointment for me but I have no problem giving these earbuds a higher than average score.

Pros:

• Decent noise reduction in a variety of scenarios
• Good features: shirt clip, ear loops, active monitoring
• Fair price given performance

Cons:

• Noise reduction systems can be more placebo than reality
• Wind noise reduction is weak
• Sound reproduction can always be better!

Buy them here for $46!

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When Apple’s Talking Shuffle arrived it practically elicited a mob of towns people toting pitch forks and burning torches because it required the use of Apple’s headphones and their headphones only. Ozaki’s new iCommand Controller breaks us from the shackles of Apple and not only enables any 3rd party pair of buds, but features volume control and play/pause/track buttons.

Of note, many 3rd party headphone manufactures make Gen 3 Shuffle specific buds.

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Leave a comment below or tweet (see widget below) anything, anything at all, and you could win a 1 of 4 Radius Atom Bass Earbuds! Four winners will be chosen at random and the contest is limited to US residents only (sorry, it’s too difficult to ship outside US).  Contest will end 6/2 just before midnight.  Good luck!

For more info about the Radius Atomic Bass Headphones checkout our review here

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Small, tiny and light weight are all necessary components for a successful MP3 player. Antares’ KPMP316 Sports MP3 player embodies all of these qualities and is available in 3 sizes (1GB, 2GB and 4GB) and two colors (blue or yellow). The right ear bud contains the player’s controls and a single wire carries the tunes to the opposing ear bud. Toss in a little of the Talking Shuffle’s vocal skills and the Korean company might just have a winner on their hands.

[via PMPToday]

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With nearly an infinite amount of earbuds to choose from, sorting through them all to find good ones can be an arduous task.  I am doing my best to review as many of them as possible to help you find the right ones.  Today I am going to talk about the JVC HA-FX300-T’s and the Radius Atomic Bass earbuds.

These two earbuds couldn’t be more different from each other.  While the Radius ones boast massive amounts of bass, the JVC’s don’t mention that they are consumed by treble.  So much treble in fact they are very shrill at times and become harsh at louder volume levels.

The JVC’s come with 3 sizes of rubberized inserts and one foam one.  While the foam inserts fit fine, they were the most treble stricken.  The rubberized inserts provided a smidge more bass response but not much.  My main complaint about the JVC’s, beyond their lack of sound quality is that they are very slippery to grasp or hold when they are in your ear.  They have this pointed shape that makes it difficult for your pointer finger and thumb to get a hold of to adjust or remove them.  Really annoying.  The cord feels nice and smooth and features a necklace lanyard piece so you can wear it around your neck.  The JVC’s also come with a small and compact eggshell container that holds the earbuds and all of the inserts.  The JVC HA-FX300-T’s are not horrible by any means, but their lack of dynamics and tinny overall feel make them less desirable, especially for the price ($67).

On the other hand, the Radius Atomic Bass earbuds have a ton of bass, but not much else.  They end up being a bit muffled in texture and suffer from some periodic distortion from time to time.  They come with 3 rubberized inserts and stay in your ear very well and don’t require much adjusting.  Lightweight and small, the Radius Atomic Bass earbuds don’t need slack at all, and the cord falls gracefully downward.  Also to be noted is that these earbuds feature iPhone controls and a microphone.   They worked fine, but the double mono channel just sounded so so.

With today’s varying bit rates and the constant fluctuation in regards to MP3 quality, a lot of these judgment calls will depend on your source material.  I consider myself to have a good ear for tone and am very critical when it comes to earbuds, but this review was easy.

Between the two, the Radius Atomic Bass earbuds are the better choice. For one: they are cheaper; two: I would rather be drowning in bass than strangled by treble any day; and three: the Radius earbuds fit, wear, and feel better. Neither of these earbuds have stellar stereo reproduction but the Radius ones clearly stand out as the better pair. Also, as far as 3rd party iPhone earbuds go, I like the Radius ones better than the ZaggBuds.

Radius Atomic Bass iPhone Earbuds:

Pros:

• Bass explosive
• Lightweight
• Unobtrusive

Cons:

• Too bass heavy, not a well rounded sound
• Distorted at times
• That’s it!

JVC HA-FX300-T Earbuds:

Pros:

• Sleek, lightweight
• Many inserts, and a nice carrying case
• ……………….

Cons:

• All treble sound, very harsh
• Slippery, hard to get out of your ears
• Pricey

Buy the Radius Atomic Bass iPhone Earbuds for $39.95 here!

Buy the JVC HA-FX300-T Earbuds for $99 here!

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Sony unvieled 5 new headphones today for their XB series, which stands for extra bass.  Details in the press release (below) are scarce, but they’re two types: over the ear and in-ear bud headphones.

The MDR-XB700/500/300 features king sized cushioning made from synthetic leather.  The MDR-XB700 include 50mm driver, while the lower models presumably sport smaller drivers.

The MDR-XB40EX and MDR-XB20EX, the earbud phones, feature what Sony is calling ’seismic bass’ via ‘direct vibe’ acoustic design’, something they say reduces sound leakage.  The MDR-XB40EX seem to be the flag ship of the two and sport vertical driver orientation that yes, you guessed it, increase bass.  Both earbud models include ‘flat-section’ cord (something we saw on the Dr. Dre Buds), which should reduce tangling.

Expect the Sony XB headphone to go on sale some time this March.  Price has yet to be announced.

9 February 2009 7:0
How low can you go:

XB series headphones by Sony deliver the lowest ever bass

o    Unique design recreates club ambience with powerful, ultra-low bass response

o    Exclusive driver unit reproduces low frequencies accurately

o    King size ear cushion (MDR-XB700/500/300) and wide headband for maximum wear comfort
Hip-hop? Dubstep? Drum’n’bass? Whatever you’re into, there’s a new range of headphones from Sony for music lovers with tastes that go a little deeper.
The dramatically styled new XB series creates a heavy club vibe with rich, powerful bass you can really feel. Standing for “eXtra Bass”, the new XB range accurately reproduces ultra-low frequencies without compromising crystal-clear midrange vocals and high frequency sounds.
The five-model XB range is headed by the closed-type MDR-XB700. This premium headphone features innovative Sony technologies that take you straight to the heart of the dancefloor.
Inside, there’s a rugged, extra-large 50mm dome-type driver that effortlessly reproduces pristine ultra-low frequencies. Optimised bass performance is balanced by clear, uncoloured reproduction of high- and mid-frequencies for a rich, satisfying soundscape.
As you’d expect from Sony, styling is as striking as the sonic performance. Sumptuously crafted from synthetic leather, the king-sized ear cushion (MDR-XB700/500/300) reduces sound leakage for fat, booming bass with excellent sound isolation. The unique urethane cushion spreads pressure evenly, providing comfortable wear over extended listening periods.
Complementing the king-sized ear cushion, a wide headband features a new ‘seamless’ design for cutting-edge looks plus extra wear comfort.
Also available, the in-ear MDR-XB40EX and MDR-XB20EX deliver seismic bass thanks to an innovative ‘direct vibe’ acoustic design that minimises sound spillage. The innovative vertical driver orientation (with MDR-XB40EX only) delivers clear, powerful audio with extended bass without compromising listening comfort.
Brushed aluminium accents (with MDR-XB40EX only) and a durable new flat-section cord add the final touches to this distinctive, highly desirable range of headphones.
The XB series of headphones with Extended Bass is available from March 2009.

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Nowadays, earbuds are everywhere, and it’s not only about sound anymore.  Features are a huge selling point, and the i2! AudioWear Lanyard Style EarBuds attempt to carve out their niche in the market by integrating a lanyard system.  I’m glad that companies are finally starting catch on to the problem that most earbuds face: slack.  Either the buds aren’t stable enough to rest comfortably in your ears, or the dangling cord gets caught on something, and rips the buds from your ears when you least expect it.  So do the i2! earbuds stand out from the crowd?  Read on to find out.

Features:

• Noise Isolation
• One size fits all ( 3 pairs of inserts )
• Wearable adjustable lanyard
• Extension cable

So how do they sound?  Good, but not great.  The first word that comes to my mind is “roomy.”  There is some extra unaccounted “air” going on in the mix that most people probably won’t notice, that I feel takes away from the quality of the listening experience.  They aren’t too bass or treble heavy, but nothing about the sound necessarily dazzles. That being said, the boasted noise isolation isn’t really apparent, but I am wearing the smallest inserts.  I am wearing them as I write this review and I can still hear the incoming mail sound on my Mac.

My other problem with these earbuds is that they don’t stay in my ear all that well.  I usually option for the larger inserts so I can get more bass out of the earbuds, but the ones included here pop out very easily, especially if I yawn or smile.

On to the positive.  The biggest selling point of these earbuds is the adjustable lanyard, and it is a great feature no doubt about it.  They work well in various active scenarios and I enjoyed the lanyard very much on a recent bike ride.  When you pull out the buds, you don’t have to search for where they went, because they dangle just within eye sight.  All you have to do is look straight down, and there they are.

The extension cord can also allow for some nice scenarios.  Take it off and you can dangle your iPod Shuffle or any other tiny little mp3 player, allowing the player to be that much more accessible.  Add the extension cord to any other set of headphones or earbuds and make the cord really long!

I give i2! credit for their valiant effort in trying to create something different, and if you are an active person who is not a tone snob like myself, they could very well be the ideal choice for you, or someone you know.

Pros:

• Lanyard is flawless
• Stylish aesthetic
• Extension cord

Cons:

• “Roomy” sound could use some tweaking
• Inserts should fit and feel better, withstanding facial movements
• Maybe pricey for those without discerning audio palette

Buy it for $44 here

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It looks like Dr. Dre and Monster aren’t willing to give up on their co-branded headphone effort.  Following the little to no hype of the ‘over the ear’ Beats By Dr. Dre headphones, the rap artist cum producer has launched a pair of in ear headphones.  You can expect the usual state of affairs with these buds, but the most notable of features is the tangle free cord, which conjures up images of virtual hands wrestling your knots to no end – in other words I have no clue how they’re ‘tangle free’.

You can grab Dr. Dre’s ear buds here for $150

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These new truly wireless and bandless earbuds from Sennheiser are presently only available for the Japanese market. There are no loops of plastic connecting buds between the ears, no matter how hard you may search for them, but the real question is: Should they be viewed seriously or no?

Each Sennheiser earbud comes equipped with a 2.4GHz wireless receiver built into it, and Sennheiser puts its name and reputation behind the promise of 10 hours per charge with no compromise to wireless fidelity. Considering the cost of $630, that promise seems among only one of a few that should be delivered. Wires do offer one advantage; a cord from your iPod makes it almost impossible to lose your ear buds (unless of course, you lose your ears, which represents a whole other problem entirely).

Sennheiser’s “twist-to-fit” design keeps the earbuds lodged firmly in the ears. Up to two people (four earbuds) can listen wirelessly to the same transmitter. The company boasts that these earbuds will help to set a new standard in wireless audio sound.

If you are wondering where the cosmos of wireless headphone technology is headed, check out these earbuds from Sennheiser…if you can afford to, that is.

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Features:

• Sound isolating ear buds with 3 different sized buds and iPhone compatible
• Finished in metalic red, anti tangle fabric cord and lightweight

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Add $5 to your cart to get Free Shipping

Features:

• Sound isolating deep bass ear buds
• Ultra soft silicone fittings in three sizes

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Features:

• In ear design + light weight
• Full spectrum audio and iPhone Gen 1 compatible

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