Review: Apple In-Ear Headphones

Lookout Shure, Bose and Bang & Olufsen there is a new player in town with a low price tag. Back a few months ago Steve Jobs announced a new In-Ear Headphone that promised to deliver a listening experience that iPod owners crave! The new Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic are engineered superior accuracy, balance, and clarity. Apple also incorporated two dedicated drivers in each earpiece provide accurate, balanced and detailed sound across the entire sonic spectrum.

When you first grab your pair of headphones one of the first things you'll notice is the fantastic Apple packaging and presentation. The headphones come with 3 sets of different buds to accomodate any ears (S,M,L) in which they are nestled within this tiny pill shaped pod. In our video you can see how creative Apple actually can get with just a simple earbud. The headphones also come with a nice case and replacement mesh caps which many of their competitors only supply a toothpick device to pick away your earwax.

As far as remote capabilities go, I tested the Apple In-ear headphones with an iPhone 3G and a first gen iPod touch neither of which are officially supported but why not give it a try? During our test we found that the audio works fine with both devices unfortunately neither the remote or the mic work with the iPod touch 1G at all. On the iPhone 3G, you can play/pause a song, answer/end a call, change tracks and make use of the microphone but no volume control. Oh yeah, by the way if you have a Mac computer, you are in luck these headphones will provide all the functionality you get from the newest gen iPods!!

The overall comfort level with the Apple In-Ear Headphones is superb. If you are like me you tend to scream everytime you put the stock headphones in and they always fall out. No more! The earpieces are very light, comfortable, and stylish, and the cable runs around 3.5 feet long which we felt was just right! Each earpiece includes two balanced drivers acting as a woofer and tweeter, which is a rare feature in a pair of $79 headphones! During my test the Apple In-Ear headphones offered a rich, full sound that made you think twice were they really just $79?

Now the big question.. is it worth the $79 price tag? That truly depends on how much of an audiophile you really are! For the average consumer looking for a great sound with a cheaper pricetag from the big boys these will fly off the shelves. Audiophiles will immediately notice the shortcomings of these headphones which we feel wasn't the audience Apple was looking for. For us we feel the $79.00 price tag is well worth the investment!

What’s in the box

• Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic
• Carrying case
• Three sets of silicone ear tips (small, medium, large)
• Two replacement mesh caps

Technical Specifications