Thursday 18 November 2010

Sports Headphones


I was looking for some small, lightweight headphones that I could wear while running and working out. Ruled out, of course, were the normal earbuds, which have a tendency to fall out at the gentlest breeze, or at least at the slightest tug or jar. So, to that end, I picked up a pair of Sony MDR-J10 h.ear clips.First, the good. They're very light and reasonably comfortable for something that's sticking just into your ear. No problem. The clips work very well -- no matter how hard I work I can't get them to fall off. It might help that they tend to get tangled in my hair. I personally prefer the clip style to a headband -- this way, there's absolutely nothing to bounce around while you're running. I should also mention that they look very sleek worn. The cable features an adjustable restraint, above the normal fixed thing that marks the beginning of the dual cord, so you'll never have too much cord flying around your neck.Second, the bad. The cord is a bit shorter than I'm used to, but hey, no problem. The sound from these features a whole lot of midrange without a lot of bass or even treble definition. You have to remember, however, that the drivers in these things measure in at like thirteen millimeters, so if you're expecting Sennheiser clarity, you're looking at the wrong headphones.Overall, these earclips are quite satisfactory. They do what they need to do: They stay on no matter what, and they transmit music from your walkman/discman/MP3 player to your ears. If you're looking for headphones to wear while doing active things, then these are great. It needs to be mentioned that, with music playing all up in your eardrums, these things do a startling job at blocking out other noises, so be careful not to jog into a moving van or anything. Safety first! Sony MDR-J10 h.ear Headphones with Non-Slip Design (Black)

I got these headphones to replace the ones that came with my iPod mini; those were very uncomfortable. I wanted a small, comfortable, unobtrusive pair that wouldn't leak any sound and bother my fellow commuters (or at least advertise to them what I like to listen to!). I almost didn't buy them because all I saw in the store was orange, which sort of defeats the "unobtrusive" idea, at least for me. But I found them and bought them in basic black.



They are definitely small, and I like the design. They hook completely over your ears, and the ear piece goes inside your ear. Once I figured out how to slip them on, they stay on, no falling off or sliding around. But they're not so tight that they give me a headache or hurt my ears, thankfully. The earbuds are fairly comfortable- some days they need adjusting, other days not.



These headphones leak hardly any sound! I've performed a bunch of tests with friends, with me asking "can you hear anything now?" I wasn't anywhere nears as cool as the guy in the cell phone commercials, but everyone I asked did assure me they couldn't hear my music, even when I played it pretty loud.



They have one neat little feature I didn't consider when buying but certainly appreciate- the "tangle-free cord." Most headphones are made up of one cord which splits at a fixed point. However, that point, or junction, is not fixed on these, which means you can pull up the little piece of plastic to join the two loose strings for easy storage. Or, split the cord entirely, all the way down to the jack, and give an earphone to somebody else.



These fit the bill if you're looking for a comfortable, cheap, easy-to-store pair of headphones, and even though they're not quite the perfect ones for me, they're a solid buy.

They have a very sharp, clear sound. I used them to edit my writing on computer, using a program called ReadPlease. It's a great program that reads text back to you. With the earphones, I can work no matter what is going around around me.



The wire is very limber, with a rubbery coating instead of more plastic. I have had two pair built along these lines, but the wires are wrapped in plastics covers which made then less flexible, causing them to kink. This soft rubber coating, left you move around without worrying about bending or kinks in the line that could ruin them. The rubber cover wire is virtually tangle free.



The ear wrap is very comfortable. On the other two pair, I was aware of their pressure and after long hours of working my ears would be slightly sore. I barely notice these and have not had any lingers soreness as I did with the other two.



So for comfort, easy use and prices, this is a good buy.

I love these headphones. Really, I do. This must be my 4th pair in 2 years.



Pros:

- block out external sound pretty darn well (great for blocking out loud, obnoxious people on the trains, but you'll hear enough to notice your car sounding funny)

- keeps sound internal (little sound leakage, if you're one of those that love to BLAST music, there's a good chance the people around you might not hear it.)

- extremely clear sounds (there have been times when I've heard something in a song that I've never head before)

- great volume (I can't turn my iPod more than 1/3 of the way up)

- if they fit, they're not likely to fall out



Cons:

- after a while, one side goes dead (it's usually the right side. This is why I'm on my 4th pair. But I'm seeing other reviews saying they've lasted years. So I must be abusing them somehow)

- weird popping sound when walking? (this has only happened with my last pair, and it started happening before the right side went dead. I wouldn't call it a shock, because..I didn't feel shocked.)

- this is a huge problem for a lot of people: THEY DON'T FIT SOME EARS (that's a major complaint with a lot of the negative reviews, and yeah they aren't one-size-fits-all. But they fit me fine, so I don't care much for this point)

- they do tangle, but that's not important either'


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