Post by The Guy on Nov 29, 2008 0:05:26 GMT
I realize that it might appear odd that the same website editor whose reference pair of in-ear headphones run almost $100 would wax poetically about a pair of $10 rubber stereo headphones, but the reality is that I really like the JVC HA-F120 Gumy headphones. Running through the airport one evening while away on company business, I sprung for an emergency pair of headphones from Apple. Big mistake. Not only did I find the popular earbuds to be congested sounding in the midrange, but I could not believe how uncomfortable they were. What amazed me more was that after almost 100 million sold iPods, nobody at Apple has figured out how to make comfortable headphones. Crazy.
As much as I love my Sennheiser HD650 full size headphones, I really cannot use them when I exercise each morning at 5am, nor can I schlep them around with me when I travel. I love how they sound, but I am not about to add them to my growing collection of things I need to take with me everywhere I go. My Ultimate Ears super-fi 5 Pro’s have earned that honor. They also cost twenty-five times more than the JVC HA-F120. Do they offer twenty-five times the sound quality? No, but they communicate in a very different way that moves me when I listen to Sam, Ella, and Portishead.
To their credit, the diminutive HA-F120s feel almost weightless in my ears and I have left them in for more than an hour without feeling the need to pull them out. They are beyond comfortable. The cable is a tad thin and I did worry about tearing it if they caught on something as I walked through the terminal or on the subway in Manhattan. So far, so good. One thing for sure – they crush the Apple earbuds in the comfort department.
Tonally, they need some help in the bass department, where there is not much meat down there. Dance music and hip-hop suffers as a result, but they do a credible job on vocals and well-recorded pop. For the money, they do very few things poorly and I would have no problem using these in a pinch. A real sleeper product to say the least.
We've said it before, and we'll say it again: the stock earbuds that came packaged with your MP3 player are not going to help you recognize the full potential of your device. (Unless, of course, you happen to own one of these players.) No matter how many times we say it, we still see countless individuals rocking white iPod earbuds. Perhaps people want others to know they own an iPod, or maybe they balk at the idea of spending even more money to make the most out of a device on which they've already dropped a healthy chunk of change. For the latter, there are options such as the JVC Gumy phone earphones, a set that retails for just $11. However, although these phones offer a touch of style and good, clear audio for those who can get a proper fit, they're definitely not one-size-fits-all. In other words, they may not be an upgrade for everyone.
As much as I love my Sennheiser HD650 full size headphones, I really cannot use them when I exercise each morning at 5am, nor can I schlep them around with me when I travel. I love how they sound, but I am not about to add them to my growing collection of things I need to take with me everywhere I go. My Ultimate Ears super-fi 5 Pro’s have earned that honor. They also cost twenty-five times more than the JVC HA-F120. Do they offer twenty-five times the sound quality? No, but they communicate in a very different way that moves me when I listen to Sam, Ella, and Portishead.
To their credit, the diminutive HA-F120s feel almost weightless in my ears and I have left them in for more than an hour without feeling the need to pull them out. They are beyond comfortable. The cable is a tad thin and I did worry about tearing it if they caught on something as I walked through the terminal or on the subway in Manhattan. So far, so good. One thing for sure – they crush the Apple earbuds in the comfort department.
Tonally, they need some help in the bass department, where there is not much meat down there. Dance music and hip-hop suffers as a result, but they do a credible job on vocals and well-recorded pop. For the money, they do very few things poorly and I would have no problem using these in a pinch. A real sleeper product to say the least.
We've said it before, and we'll say it again: the stock earbuds that came packaged with your MP3 player are not going to help you recognize the full potential of your device. (Unless, of course, you happen to own one of these players.) No matter how many times we say it, we still see countless individuals rocking white iPod earbuds. Perhaps people want others to know they own an iPod, or maybe they balk at the idea of spending even more money to make the most out of a device on which they've already dropped a healthy chunk of change. For the latter, there are options such as the JVC Gumy phone earphones, a set that retails for just $11. However, although these phones offer a touch of style and good, clear audio for those who can get a proper fit, they're definitely not one-size-fits-all. In other words, they may not be an upgrade for everyone.