Ear Headphones

EarJams or In-Ear Headphones?

Both the Apple In-Ear headphones, and the EarJams from Griffin Technology are there to do a better job of getting the sounds from your iPod in to your ears. Both do the job well. Each has it's pluses and minuses. The one thing they both do quite admirably is block out outside noise at least as well as large cup head sets will.

The EarJams are add on pieces that attach to an existing set of ear buds, while the In-Ear headphones are replacements, hence why they are pricier. The EarJams claim to fame is that they "massively" boost the bass response. Boy, do they ever. It's like night and day, and no other ear bud type of headphones comes close. They do this by snapping a resonance chamber on to the ear buds. This makes them bulky, and not all that comfortable, even in my big ears.

The Apple offering, conversely, is quite comfortable, but doesn't give you near the bass sound as the EarJams, although it does a better job than the standard ear buds.

The In-Ear headphones come with a carrying box that lets you wrap the cord, keeping it neat, and free of knots. The EarJams have a carrying case which helps keep the cord under control, but still leaves it susceptible to tangling.

Figure out which one your holiday gift recipient would like better. Both are great stocking stuffers. The Griffin EarJams and the Apple In-Ear headphones. $20

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BlueTake i-Phono BT420 EX

Oy, the lengthy names some of these little bitty devices have. Continuing the shove more sound down your ear canal theme we have running at the moment, I present to you the BlueTake i-Phono BT420 EX. Yet another headset. What's the big deal?

Well, the thing almost every headset out there has in common with every other headset is wires. Wires that are never quite long enough, that tangle and knot almost continuously. Not so here. Bluetooth is on it's way to becoming as ubiquitous as USB, and peripherals are beginning to pop up everywhere that support the Bluetooth standard. The i-Phono is one of the first headset devices out there that wirelessly moves the music from your iPod (or any player with an mini-jack) into the headphones. It's two pieces; a dongle that plugs into the mini-jack port on an iPod, or other device, and the head set, with which you listen to the music, or take a phone call.

First, the dongle. It's not bad. A lot smaller than I thought it was going to be. It has a power switch, and a single pairing button, surrounded by an LED, that signals when it is connected (blue flash), and when the battery is low (red flash). It would be a lot better if was more similar in design to say the Griffin iTrip, or similar gadget, that sits on top of the iPod, out of the way, with no wire. I can see that wire being the first thing to fail.

Next is the head set. Surprisingly, a lot nicer than I expected. The ear pads are bulky, but by necessity, since they hold the battery, and Bluetooth receiver. On the right pad is the fold away microphone, LED light that gives the same signals as the dongle, the talk/pairing button, and volume control buttons. The left pad has the power switch, and the recharging port. The head set has a behind the head band. Wearing it was quite comfortable, even for long periods of time. I didn't feel any unusual discomfort from the pads against my ears. The higher weight didn't add to the fatigue I experience when wearing a lighter set of similar headphones. These things sound excellent. A really good bass response, and full sound overall. Not tinny at all. The volume control is very limited, though. Only about five or six levels. Finer, more continuous control there would keep me from having to go to the iPod volume control as much. My only other concern with them is the head band itself. The plastics for it are rather flimsy, and I was concerned that if I folded them closed too often, the somewhat thin wire running through it might break.

Fortunately, this device is rechargeable. No scrounging to replace batteries. I got between 4.5 and 5 hours of battery life with nearly continuous use. The head set and dongle each discharge at about the same rate, too.

The kit comes with two options for recharging the dongle and headset. The y-adapter cord that lets you recharge both pieces simultaneously can be plugged into either a wall charging cable, or a cable to recharge off a USB bus. Very convenient . Other goodies in the box include four color disks with which to change the look of the head set. Green, orange, red, and blue. They look really cool, with a metallic tint to them. Also, besides the easy to follow instruction manual, are a Velcro strap, and some Velcro pads, with which you can better secure the i-Phono dongle to the iPod.