andPOP » headphones

Ultimate Ears ‘Triple Fi 10vi’ Ear Buds for iPhone

Rick Levine — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:32:54 +0000

Noise Isolating Earphone Monitors - ‘Don’t leave home without ‘em’

The Triple Fi 10vi noise isolating earphone monitors, with voice capability, from Ultimate Ears (UE) are no ordinary pair of earbuds. These are marvelous headphones that provide a totally satisfying listening experience, without the gimmicks and colored sound. The audio experience from the Triple Fi 10vi is a smooth all around sound, absent of harsh overtones devoid of mushy bass. The Triple Fi 10vi, penetrating well into the ear canal, actually feel good and are comfortable to wear. The silicone material used for the fittings allows these headphones to feel as close to a ‘custom fit’ as possible, contributing greatly to what I discovered to be a quite satisfying listening experience. The fine sound quality, beyond initial expectations, was no doubt, due in part to having been accustomed to listening to music with the standard iPod earbuds. Be that as it may, this fact cannot steal the thunder from the UE Triple Fi 10vi’s excellence, as I immediately appreciated the rich audio quality as well as the custom fit of these pro level, isolating earphone monitors.

Professional musicians will be most likely be familiar with the Ultimate Ears Brand, as this is THE Ultimate Ears company who provides the ‘custom fitted’ monitor ear buds used worldwide by pro recording artists as well as live concert musicians. Next time you are at a live musical concert or watching your favorite live music concert on DVD, notice the tiny earphones each performer, musician is wearing. These ‘tiny hearing aids’ are probably UE Custom Series monitor headsets designed for touring musicians and serious audiophiles. I have seen James Taylor use them, Gwen Stephanie and many more. The UE product line is divided into four series, ‘Metro’,‘Super’, ‘Triple’ and ‘Custom’ providing a headset solution to suit every budget – fortunately there is in fact, a pair of UE’s available ‘for the rest of us’.

The Triple Fi 10vi is in the upper-mid to semi pro range, a worthy member of the UE family that ships with more accessories that one can initially identify. To obtain the most out of the Triple Fi 10vi experience, the first thing to do after unpacking and taking a close look at the headphones is to inspect all the accompanying contents. I highly recommend, even before ever wearing the new buds for the first time, pay a visit the UE website and view the brief online demonstration video which will explain all one needs to know about the product, from how they should be worn, the memory wire, to what all this stuff is that you will find in the box.

Here is a ‘heads up’ as to what you will find in the box:

A pocket sized 3 inch by 2 inch hard shell metal case to store the numerous accessories: silicone and foam ear cushions for the “magic seal” effect, an extender cable, a sound level attenuator, a cleaning tool and last but not least, a 1/4 inch adapter, to connect the Triple Fi 10vi’s 3.5 mm to equipment where necessary.

Here are a few things to consider:

1. The sound quality of the Triple Fi 10vi is strongly related to the fit. If the earphones are properly set into the ears the sound will be rich and full. The earbud cables have what is called ‘memory’ wire, knowledge of which is integral to creating a proper fit.

2. The Triple Fi 10vi with voice capability has built in microphone for use as a headset with the iPhone and as a recording mic on the iPod Touch 2G. Used with an iPhone the audio transmission was clearer than than ever for the usual telephone conversation.

3. The Multifunction button answers a call on the iPhone or pauses/resumes music and video play and works with the entire current iPod family of products.

4. The sound attenuator converter will adapt the FOUR section 3mm end that you would see on earbud/mic headsets that are usually used with the iPhone, to the THREE section end that you would see on the standard stereo iPod headphone jack. Use of the enclosed sound level attenuator converter, might be useful in re-solving unusual mechanical issues in some cases.

Technically, the clear sonic quality of the UE Triple Fi 10vi is primarily facilitated through state of the art audio design. Three drivers, directed to their designated speaker combined with an audio filtration system, shapes the sound of the Triple Fi 10vi. The goal is to provide the listener with an experience that is as close as possible to that of custom personal monitors.

The look and feel of the Triple Fi 10vi with voice capability can confidently be described as solid, and the sound quality is rich an creamy. The biggest dilemma which will arise, is that after using the Triple Fi 10vi, the ‘pleasure’ of listening to an iPod with the ‘standard buds’ will pretty much be lost forever. As one might say, “Once you go blue you can’t go back”, or something like that.

With the ‘Triple Fi 10vi with voice capability’ offering a whole new listening standard, the next time you take your iPod out for a walk, you’ll will likely be finding yourself sharing my headspace, thinking the very same thing: ‘don’t leave home without ‘em’. Visit the Utimate Ears website to experience the complete line up of headphone monitors available for every budget.

MSRP $419.00 USD

For more information visit http://www.ultimateears.com/

iFrogz EarPollution Headphones Offer Great Sound with Retro Design

Michael Levine — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 20:20:02 +0000

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been listening to my music through iFrogz’s EarPollution ThrowBax line of headphones. I couldn’t stand using earbuds anymore, so I went on a mission to find a set a headphones that I would be proud to wear.

I’m really enjoying both the look and feel of these headphones. They fit comfortably and the sound is great. They also do a great job of blocking outside noises from creating a soundtrack to my music. The headband can also be adjusted for a more secure fit around your head.

The earphones come in 4 colours: orange, red, pink and blue.

Some other specs include:

- Driver Unit: 44mm
- Impedance: 32 ohms
- Sensitivity: 108dB+/-3dB
- Frequency Response: 5Hz to 20 KHz
- Cord Length: 1.2M
- Plug: 3.5 mm

Priced at US$29.95 (plus 20% off at the time this article went to press), the headphones become even more attractive. To purchase your own pair visit iFrogz.com.

Headroom Releases New Audio Devices for Holidays

andPOP Staff — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:11:09 +0000

Headroom recently announced the release of a variety of headphone and speaker devices for the upcoming holiday season. These products include the following devices:

Sennheiser RS140
These headphones are designed keep the sound in and to not disturb others, and is ideal for those who like to watch TV or movies late at night. $219.99 USD

Total BitHead Amp
The Total BitHead Amp makes headphones compatible with an iPod or other portable player. The BitHead’s USH input also improves the sound of computer audio. (Pricing not immediately available)

Shure SE530
These high-quality in-ear canal headphones are the best headphones available on the market sort of custom-modeled products. $499.99 USD

Wi-Gear Releases iMuffs Wireless Headphones

andPOP Staff — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:44:44 +0000

Wi-Gear, a wireless hardware and accessories company, announced last week the release of its new iMuffs wireless headphones. Marketed towards people who like to exercise with music or who are constantly on-the-go, the iMuffs allows users to listen to their iPods or Bluetooth phone through ergonomically-designed, wireless headphones.

“iMuffs represent the massive convergence of two great technologies: the iPod and Bluetooth cell phone technology,” said Mark Pundsack, Founder and CEO of Wi-Gear, in a press release from the company. “We saw an opportunity to fill a gap and put the two things together, for a product that provides fantastic sound quality and functionality without all of the hassle of wires.”

Volume, track and pause controls are placed on the headphones, eliminating the need to fumble with your iPod to change settings while on-the-move. The iMuffs features Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) and Bluetooth 2.0 technology, allowing users to listen to music via headphones that can be up to 10 m away from the iPod or Bluetooth device. When the headphones are paired with a Bluetooth phone, the iMuffs will automatically stop the iPod and ring in the headphones, allowing the user to speak through an integrated microphone.

This latest model of the iMuffs, MB210, is compatible with iPod nano, iPod classic, iPod touch, iPod photo, iPod mini and all 3rd generation iPods. The headphones are available in black or white, and are selling for $179.99. The product is available at www.wi-gear.com.

Review: Clear Harmony Noise Canceling Headphones

andPOP Staff — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:47:37 +0000

Listening to audio recordings through a good set of headphones has always been an enjoyable experience and a way to hear a ‘lot more’ out of your favorite recordings. The Linx Audio headphones represent the most recent marketing advances in consumer headphone technology through the use of what is called ‘noise cancellation’.

In short, the benefits of using headphones with noise cancellation headphones is essentially to keep out unwanted external sounds while listening to a recording, thereby increasing the enjoyment of the audio experience. Noise cancellation is also supposed to allow you to hear the music at lower volumes. Theoretically, using a pair of Noise canceling headphones in a noisy vehicle or in an airplane would increase the pleasure of the listening experience while keeping the outside noise to a minimum.

Noise cancellation headphone specifications will vary from vendor to vendor and will therefore vary in quality and features. These headphones also characteristically have certain limitations. For one, noise canceling headphones require batteries for power and which have to be replaced or recharged regularly. If you forget to turn off the on – off switch after use, you will be replacing the batteries more often than you expect. I have also found that certain audio players interact with these ‘powered’ headphones in a way that causes an unexpected and unpleasant ‘hum’. These facts as well as other considerations aside, the Clear Harmony Linx Audio Headphones by AblePlanet compare favorably to the competition, that being ‘BOSE’ in both price and quality.

For this review I actually used a pair of good old standard Sony MDR- V600’s (not noise cancellation featured) for comparison with the Clear Harmony Linx Audio Headphones and although I wouldn’t permanently replace my Sony’s with the Linx, I occasionally like to switch around from time to time, if not just for variety. I especially liked using the Linx with my iPod as they are better sounding and way better noise canceling than the usual ‘in ear’ brand of iPod headphones while at the same time not as bulky at the less mobile looking Sony MDR-600. If I wanted to take a pair of headphones on a road trip in a vehicle (as a passenger not the driver of course) I would take the Clear Harmony Linx Noise canceling Headphones to take advantage of the opportunity to use them in a useful manner. Personally I wouldn’t take them with me on an airplane, but someone traveling regularly on an airplane such as a business traveler may be very happy to do so.

Clear Harmony Linx Audio Noise canceling Headphones have a four foot straight cable attachment cord with an In-Line Volume Control and a one eighth stereo tip. With the one quarter inch stereo adapter included, the headphones are typically capable of patching into almost every standard audio environment. These headphones come as a neat little package complete with a snug carrying case and several adapters. The Linx actually sound pretty good and sound to me, less colored sounding than the BOSE.

Consumer quality noise canceling Headphones will not replace yesterdays headphone technology like the iPod replaced CD’s but The Clear Harmony Linx Audio package is an impressive gift for the person in your life who already has every other kind of appliance in their possession.

Giving someone who means something to you a set of these noise canceling headphones which sell around town for $349.99 will quite likely leave a very positive impression.