iHarmonix Headphones
From Digital Home Thoughts
http://www.digitalhomethoughts.com/news/show/93541/
PDF Version
Most of us have a media player of one sort or another. Whether it is an iPhone,
Archos or Zune, PMPs typically come with stock earbuds. While great for space
and portability, they usually lack decent sound reproduction. iHarmonix manufactures
several lines of earbuds to improve upon what comes packed in a tiny bag of
cellophane. I had the opportunity to put one of their Platinum ev-Series Earphones
through its paces and I was fairly pleased with what I heard. Perhaps as an indication
of thoughtfulness, the earbuds thankfully do not come in a cut-my-arteries-blister-pack,
but one with a cardboard backing which is much easier to open. Inside, the earbuds came
with three sets of ear gels in different sizes, a soft velvety pouch to and a slip of
paper to serve as instructions.
The headphones have a good heft to them giving a sense of quality. The weight did
have me concerned that they would fall out while running around but the way the ear
gels are designed the earphones stayed snug in my ears. The sound was fairly good for
earbuds. Stock earbuds that come with PMPs usually produce very little bass and a lot
of the outside world bleeds in. Other earbuds use cushions or ear gels to isolate the
noise and typically have improved bass but are a bit muddy. I found the iHarmonix earbuds
to provide a very clear and crisp sound. I definitely felt the bass, but I found it a bit
on the light side. I found the ear gels block out a lot of the world allowing me to enter
my world of music with only a little sensation of air suction. The in-line volume control
also came in handy, being able to soften things by feel instead of having to look at a
display but I didn't really find the velvet pouch useful. My wire-wrapping-fu is mediocre
at best and I really miss those clamshells that wound up cables nice and tight. Overall,
I like the iHarmonix earbuds. They're definitely a notch above my current collection of
earbuds, with better sound reproduction a nice fit in my ears. iHarmonix has a wide range
of earbuds running from $14.95 to $59.95 with the Platinum ev-Series at $59.95.
Hooch Tan
Digital Home Thoughts
April 29, 2009
