Tag: earphones
Headfunk launches some badass earphones
Do you know your airfeets from your missile tips? Your verts from your nuts? Were you born after 1992? If you can answer yes to these questions then the Headfunk HFE243 Freakin’ Buds could be the earphones for you.
There’s definitely an emphasis on the skate culture for these earphones. Apart from the Freakin’ name, they come in a box that states that they are “Badass Earbuds”. Gnarly.
The lanyard style of the earphones is ideal for hanging a small MP3 player, such as the Sony Zappin, around the user’s neck. There are four colours available – phat black, red mist, orange tang and limey green – sounds like the line-up of an American boy-band doesn’t it?
Performance wise they should be pretty decent: High-performance 9mm micro-drivers, ultra-powerful neodymium magnets and Soft Silicone eartips for a comfortable fit.
They’re only £29.99 from here. Get some for a younger brother or a nephew as a present. I’m sure they’ll think they’re pretty sick.
Denon introduces AH-C710 high-end earphones
The AH-C710’s feature a new ergonomic design, complete with soft foam earpieces which mould to the shape of the user’s ear, and a radial cascade damper which reduces the vibration noises that can occur when moving around – which people tend to do whilst wearing earphones. They also contain an acoustic optimiser that promises a clear and dynamic sound.
The earphones come in the swanky silver and crystal design, as pictured, or in simple black. They come packed with three different sized in-ear buds, an 80cm extension lead and a special case to stop you getting your cable tangled up.
For £140, they are a bit pricier than any of the earphones we featured in our headphones week but we’ve been impressed with Denon’s audio offerings in the past.
Buy them direct from Denon.
Gallery: 10 pairs of headphones you can actually afford
As part of Tech Digest's Headphones Week, here are ten pairs of headphones / earphones that you can actually afford. By "afford" I'm talking those that retail for under £200. Don't worry, there are some decent pairs for well under…
Etymotic shows off its ear-moulded headphones for the iPhone and iPod
Uber-high-end headphone manufacturer Etymotic is releasing a set of its personalised earphones for the iPhone and iPod. The hf2 Custom Fit headset integrates a microphone and ‘answer call’ button into the cord, so that you can use your iPhone without getting it out of your pocket.
A partnership with ACS (Advanced Communications Solutions) means that the headphones are custom-moulded to your ear. They stick a load of goo in your ear, which sets, and then produce a set of headphones the exact same shape as your inner ear.
That custom moulding ensures that a perfect fit is achieved, so the headphones are completely isolating. As a result, you can listen to music much more quietly and still get fantastic detail in the sound without damaging your hearing. They also stay put in your ear – they won’t fall out if you’re exercising.
I’ve tried the earphones myself, and they’re incredible – I’ve spent the last couple of days obsessively listening to all the songs I love, because everything sounds so much better. It’s amazing how much detail there is in songs that you’re often unaware of, even if you’re using a respectable pair of headphones already.
The custom-moulded headphones don’t come cheap. The kit is £90, plus another £90 for the fitting session. But if you’re an audiophile then that’s cheap for what you’re getting – almost perfect sound reproduction. Though, of course, you’ll need to re-encode everything into Apple’s lossless format to get the most out of it.
The hf2’s will be available from April 28th.
Shure debuts the colourful SE115 earphones
Headphone manufacturer Shure has just dropped us word of a couple of new products that they’re bringing to market.
The SE115s are the latest addition to Shure’s noise-isolating range. They come in blue, pink, black and red, and – well – there’s not a whole lot more detail than that being offered, except that they have ‘enhanced bass’. They cost £100, which seems a tad steep, I must admit. As they’re from Shure, though. you can bet they’ll sound good.
Also announced are a pair of USB condenser microphones – the PG27USB and PG42USB. They come with plug and play connectivity, along with zero-latency headphone monitoring, and monitor mix control.
These are most likely targeted at pro audio professionals and podcasters that spend a lot of time travelling – they’ve got a rugged, portable design. The PG27 and PG42 will cost £220 and £270 respectively, and be available from 20th June.
Shure
Elecom Power Graphixx series make mp3 players jealous of the earphones
In the whole world of tech, earphones seem to attract the most functional, boring designs. I appreciate there’s not a great deal of scope for creativity, given they still need to fit in the ear (thus making some kind of starfish design distinctly uncomfortable), but I always thought they could be a little bit more interesting than just lumps of circular black (or white, Apple fans) plastic. Turns out I was right, and the result is this lovely series of colourful earphones from Elecom.
Sennheiser CX 300-II in-ear headphones – a "killer upgrade"
If you were about to go out and buy a pair of Sennheiser CX-300s, then STOP! Because Sennheiser has just dropped us an email informing us that there’s an upgrade coming this quarter that’ll significantly improve its mid-range earbuds.
The CX 300-IIs feature a completely new drive unit and capsule that goes much louder, with better bass, clarity and dynamics. The cable’s softer, with improved ‘strain relief’ (sounds painful), and it now comes with a carrying pouch. Basically it’s all-round better.
The price has gone up – from £20, which you can now get the 300s for – to £40. It comes with the aforementioned pouch, 1.2m of soft cable action, and three ear adapter sizes. Available in black, white, silver, red (pictured) and pink. Oh, and for a fiver more, you can get a lanyard version, which lets you hang a mobile phone or MP3 player around your neck.
Sennheiser CX 300-II Precision (Black)
Related posts: Bargain of the Week: Decent discounts off Sennheiser headphones | Sennheiser announces “world’s best headphones”- the HD800s
s-Jays from Jays Headphones – in-ear noise isolators with added bass
Jays Headphones, from Sweden, is currently shouting about its s-Jays headphones. I was quite a big fan of the c-Jays that I tested out recently (video coming soon), but those were over-the-head, whereas these are noise isolating in-ears.
They’ve got some technology that Jays is calling SIREN, which is a tubeless, round balanced armature, promising a good dynamic range and decent bass, which can be rare on cheap earbuds.
They come with plenty of accessories, including a splitter, embiggener, and an airline adaptor, as well as a nice carrycase. They’ll set you back £60, and are available right now. Looks like a decent upgrade if you’re currently running a cheap pair of earphones.
Jays Headphones
Related posts: Jay’s c-JAYS headphones are lightweight, but heavy hitters | Jays introduces BlueStreamer 2 – Bluetooth stereo adapter
Perk up your cheap earphones with the Acoustibuds
What a stroke of genius! These “Acoustibuds” slip over a pair of cheap earphones to make them into a pair of expensive noise-isolating headphones. The guys who run CES agree, awarding them an innovation award at the show this year.
They also promise to stick in your ear better than standard earbuds. The flexible ‘wings’ hold the bud in place “even with perspiration and extreme physical activity”, claims the manufacturer. Not bad for $13 (£8.70), especially if you’ve got one of those awful phones with a proprietary connector meaning that you have to use the rubbish provided earbuds.
Amazon USA (via CrunchGear)
Related posts: AKG headphones range – treats for your ears from a tenner to a tonner | Sony debuts wireless DB-BT101 headphones, and MDR-EX36SC two-in-one headphones
Sony debuts wireless DB-BT101 headphones, and MDR-EX36SC two-in-one headphones
This morning, Sony quietly added the DB-BT101s to its online catalogue. These rather attractive phones are wireless, and connect via Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, so they’ll happily work alongside a bluetooth laptop, PDA, mobile phone or MP3 player.
Those are the all the details we’ve got right now, but they do look lovely, so here’s hoping they’ll get some sort of Western release, along with some tangible specs, in the near future.
