tech: Apple In-ear headphones with remote

In the never ending quest to find the perfect headphones for my iphone I have got another set stuck in my ears today. I’ve tried Shure, I’ve tried Eymotics, I’ve tried Sennheiser, but today I’m going back home to the mothership to try the latest buds from Apple, the In-Ear headphones for iPod.

So forget the absolutely awesome in-ear buds Apple made a few years ago that sounded even worse than the buds that come with your iPod, if that’s even possible. These are completely different with a new design and two drivers crammed into each bud for a better range of sound.

On the cord is a very iphone-esque remote control and there are some extras included in the box. There are a variety of different sized earplugs to choose from for one, meaning you should be guaranteed a comfy fit. Then there’s also a spare set of speaker grilles so you can change them over when they get, well, pardon my frankness, but when they get too gunked up with ear stuff.

So the remote has a few different controls and what these do vary on what model of iPod you are connected to.

On standard iPods, the plus and minus rocker alters the volume as you’d expect and you can click the center to play and pause. On the iPhone, you can click the center to play and pause but also to make and take calls, and the microphone on the back acts as your phone mic. However, bizarrely, the plus and minus buttons don’t work on the iphone so you still need to resort to using the rocker on the phone itself.

So what about the actual sound quality? Well let’s get one thing straight, these sound significantly better than the standard iPod headphones. The dual driver means you get some good bass - although not thumping bass, it’s appropriately moderated - and the detail the headphones provide is really very good. At the absolute top volume you’re going to get some crackling and distortion as you might expect but the phones do a good job of keeping things measured at anything just below that. The overall quality is not quite as good as other buds we’ve looked at such as the Shure 110s, but the usefulness of the well-placed iPhone Mic and the volume control more than makes up for this. At ¬£54 these are good quality and good value even if they won’t quite make the grade for half-serious audiophiles. 4*s.

For the best of the rest:

Gizmodo:
The Gadget: Not to be confused with the original In-Ear Headphones, Apple’s new In-Ear Headphones have been redesigned from the ground up with balanced audio powered by two drivers in each ear. It also comes with a remote and microphone that’s compatible with the iPod Nano 4G, iPod touch 2G, iPod Classic and iPhone 3G (kinda).

CNET:
The Apple In-Ear headphones offer great sound, stylish design, comfortable ear tips, a one-year warranty, a spare set of mesh caps, and an in-line microphone with an iPod remote control.

iPhone Blog:
I’ve never found a good compact headset. The default Apple ear buds that ship with the iPhone (and every iPod) just don’t stay in my (must be mutant) ears. Likewise every other earbud I’ve tried had fallen out in the matter of seconds. Even the ones with over-ear hooks flop to the sides with annoying consistency. And Apple’s original in-ear headset? Didn’t quite fit in my ears so I gave them to my sister. So it was with great and possible anticipointment that I decided to brave this world again and hope beyond hope that not only would Apple’s new In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic work well and be convenient, but that it would work at all.