Better headphones for the iPhone
As previously griped about, the iPhone earbuds kinda suck. They don’t stay in place and are nearly useless on the noisy bus I ride. I can’t use my etymotics, either, due to the stoopid iPhone headphone jack being recessed. Even if I buy the adapter, I lose the microphone/switch that makes the whole thing work.
Man, I am one spoiled nerd, aren’t I?
Anyway, much googling later I have a potential solution, the v-moda Vibe Duo:
These are pretty new, basically a modified pair of their semi-sealed Vibe earphones with a microphone and switch added, $101 from their store. Be careful, though, as there is also an older version that has the mic but lacks the switch! Even worse, that’s what the Apple store is selling, and you don’t want it. You want part number VDB-NERO.
The old version gets a B+ from iLounge, and they’re pretty picky. I had considered the predecessor for my iPod before Chris bought me the Etymotics, so from my reading I think the audio quality is decent. Not studio monitors, but OK.
As an alternative, there’s the Shure iPhone adapter with microphone for $40:
My problem with that is the total length; adding a mic in the middle of the cable is kind of a lose.
Leave me a comment if you’ve tried either!
October 21st, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Just wondering how you like the Etymotics?
I just learned about them today and sent an email to see if they had any intentions regarding a product for the iPhone.
Just courious about your opinion vs bose, shure, Senn…..
October 24th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
I *love* my ER4s. The ER6s I had before were kinda low-fi, but the ER4s are extremely clean and accurate. Great for plane rides and similar, but they exclude so well that I’m scared to walk sidewalks and crosswalks with them - I can’t hear buses behind me!
Haven’t tried the Shures or Bose, favorite desktop headphones are Grado SR325 and SR60’s.
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Hey there.
I’m so glad you posted this, though this may put me back some bucks!
I love my iphone. And I love my Ultimate Ears super.fi pro 5’s…
but to even get the phones to fit into the iphone jack, I had to slice off a piece of the plug surrounding the connector itself. It still comes undone easily…and of course I can’t answer calls or even use them to talk due to the lack of a microphone.
How would you rate the sound of those? Do you have any experience with the super.fi pro 5’s? They do sound good, especially in the highs, lows are good and solid…but I tend to like my music a bit bassy. I have some Grado SR80’s, so maybe you can compare them to the Grado line in terms of performance?
By the way, how big of a jump up in quality is the SR325’s?
November 2nd, 2007 at 5:18 pm
I’ll be posting a review of the Vibes soon, will post a link here when I do. They’re pretty good, and very bass-heavy (I use the bass reduction EQ setting and then it suits me)
Never tried the super.fi’s, sorry.
The 325’s are a *lot* better than the 80’s and 60’s, its a huge jump in quality.
November 2nd, 2007 at 5:51 pm
[...] for the verbose title, I’m learning to write ‘em for Google searchers)A while ago, I posted about the Moda vibe duo ‘phones: I managed to raise some funds and bought a pair, so this is my review. A bit of background will [...]