iPod Griffin Earthumps

[Alasta]

There hasn't been a lot of discussion about this product thus far so, having recently purchased a pair myself, I figured that I should share my thoughts.

As the name suggests, the Earthumps are quite bass-heavy and are lacking in definition higher up in the range, although the bass seems very tight. Overall the sound quality isn't quite as good as Sony's MDR-EX71 but, given the price difference between these two products here in New Zealand, I would consider the Earthumps to be much better value. It is also worth noting that the Earthumps do not have the silly uneven cable, or cable insulation that is vulnerable to shearing, which are common critisms of the EX71s.

Anyone who has experienced decent quality in-ear monitors will find the Earthumps to be woefully inadequete, but those of us who are not audiophiles should be very pleased with them. At $20, they're a fantastic bargain.

[Edit : I also meant to point out that I am of the opinion that the ear inserts that Griffin bundle with the Earthumps are far too big. I find that the smallest one fits me reasonably well, but many people will find even the smallest insert to be too large to acheive a comfortable fit.]

 

[Piarco]

I have to disagree - to my (and at least one other friends) ears the EarThumps sound better than the EX71's. The bass is definitely tighter, but the most important aspect is the more controlled treble. The EX71/51's suffer from extrememly bright treble as well as the dominating bass, making some tracks unbearable to listen to, such as In My Place by Coldplay - Chris Martins "s" sounds rip right through me on the 71's.
I bought my Earthumps because at that price they were worth a go, and they look good to boot. And I've been very happy with them since. True they don't match my Panasonic HJE70's in terms of all around performance, but they are decidedly better than the Sony's (although I can't speak for the EX81's).

I do have one issue with them, and thats the build quality over time. I bought my first pair on release and two weeks ago they began to suffer from the dreaded loose connection syndrome on the left headphone. The connection problems seem to stem from the cable directly above the jack. But as they are so reasonably priced over here I simply ordered a new set - even with the heavy usage they get from me, they should not have broken after 4 months.

 

[mrgreen4242]

I love my earthumps. They are very comfortable, and do an amazing job blocking out environmental noise.

I have significant hearing loss, mainly in the upper frequency range. So, headphones that emphasize the ranges I can actually hear obviously sound very good to me.

For $20 you can't go wrong with these. The sound quality is good at the least, and the comfort level and sound isolation is excellent. Plus they come in white and black, which is nice for iPod users. I recommend them to all my iPod owning friends/relatives who complain that the Apple headphones are either uncomfortable (which was my complain), don't sound good, or they want better sound isolation.

 

[Alasta]

I suspect that different people will have varying opinions as to how the Earthumps compare with the EX-71s, but there is no denying that the Earthumps are better value.

For another comparison, I was really excited when I first saw Apple's in-ear monitors on shelves, but I was hugely disappointed when I actually bought a pair. The Earthumps, in my view, seem to have succeeded where Apple's alternative failed and that's why I really like them.

 

[1rottenapple]

I suspect that different people will have varying opinions as to how the Earthumps compare with the EX-71s, but there is no denying that the Earthumps are better value.

For another comparison, I was really excited when I first saw Apple's in-ear monitors on shelves, but I was hugely disappointed when I actually bought a pair. The Earthumps, in my view, seem to have succeeded where Apple's alternative failed and that's why I really like them.

I love mine as well. I use the "less bass" EQ however to lessen its odd characteristic. But I love how it plugs straight into the ipod (versus an "L" shape) and the even cords, plus the sound isolation of course. If fact I listen at 10% volume since there is no need to turn it all the way to 50% or more. I bought mine at provantage for $12, which was a great price but I had to wait over 3 wks to get mine since their supplier was out.

Overall, great price, great value and I'm happy since they match my black 5g.

 

[lpshean]

But as they are so reasonably priced over here I simply ordered a new set

Are they?? Its like £20 to about $20!

Which isnt really resonable in my book considering it would be about $40 after the exchange rates. Maybe it's because im a poor poor poor student.

 

[1rottenapple]

bought mine, loved it (past tense) until the cord near the plug became loose so I lose sound connection on the left side intermitantly. I'm not buying one dispite the cheap price.

 

[luckylisp]

Which isnt really resonable in my book considering it would be about $40 after the exchange rates. Maybe it's because im a poor poor poor student.

You can get them for 20.00 on their site no exchange rate involved.

 

[mkrishnan]

Sorry to ask the same question I asked several times in another thread, but...

Are the Earthumps' cords symmetric (the Y sits in the front and the length from the Y to each earphone is the same) like Apple's headphones, or asymmetric (one cord is longer so that it can wrap around the back of the head) like Sony?

I really want a pair of in-ears with symmetric cords, and there are very few options...

These seem inexpensive and doable.

Thanks!

(And selling them in Status Symbol White and Undercover Black is a nice touch. Always glad to support a company that's been there for the Mac community for a long time. )

 

[luckylisp]

You probably missed this in the first post:

"It is also worth noting that the Earthumps do not have the silly uneven cable, or cable insulation that is vulnerable to shearing, which are common critisms of the EX71s."

So they're even.

Anyone here ever use the EarJams that Griffin makes? The ones that attach to the apple ear buds that come with the iPod?

 

[mkrishnan]

You probably missed this in the first post:

Oh, gosh, sorry! I did miss it. Thank you!!! I may have to go get a pair of these.

 

[luckylisp]

Oh, gosh, sorry! I did miss it. Thank you!!!

You're welcome, glad to help. The price on these Earthumps is amazing. I'm considering a pair now too. The apple ear buds always get loose on me and come out. It's rather annoying.

 

[Marky_Mark]

Anyone here ever use the EarJams that Griffin makes? The ones that attach to the apple ear buds that come with the iPod?

Yeah - very muffled and very uncomfortable, with sharp edges that, although nothing to your fingers, are very pronounced on delicate ear skin. Not a good buy, unfortunately - a real shame because they're a really good concept.

 

[luckylisp]

Thanks for the reply. That is a shame, I considered them at one time, glad I didn't get them now.

 

[mkrishnan]

I just got mine. About $15 off eBay, brand new... and they're very nice. The fit to my ears with the medium plugs is very nice. And it's nice that they include a case, although I'm probably going to do what I do to all my earphones...wrap them around the outside of my iPod until they break.

They *are* slightly bass-heavy to me, or at least upper bass heavy... bass guitars sound very sweet and warm and come across pretty strong from these things...more so than drums. The cord casing seems slightly flimsy to the touch, but the isolations seems pretty good, and the sound quality is nice.

Overall, I think I'm going to be very happy with them.

 

[jwp333]

My experience

I am having a different reaction to them than most on here. The bass really seems lacking in comparison to the Apple earbuds. To my ears, the treble is emphasized. They are a better fit for me and are much more comfortable than Apple earbuds. So somewhat satisfied, but right now, I would not say that they sound better than the earbuds that came with my iPod.

 

[mkrishnan]

I am having a different reaction to them than most on here.

There's one standard question that we have to ask whenever anyone says in-ears have lacking bass... are you sure you have them in right? They go *DEEP* in the ears like earplugs. They don't sit on the surface like earbuds. They should basically form a seal with your ear canal surface -- you'll know they're in because they'll block a lot of low frequency hum and noise in the environment.

The bass from these should definitely be on the strong side compared to the Apple buds or almost anything else. Again, not overpowerfully strong...but the balance between bass and treble on these is shifted towards the upper bass side, and that should not really be a strong individual difference between users....

 

[jwp333]

MKrishnan is right

Took your advice and put them in deeper. Now I do have the overabundance of bass. I'm trying different eq settings -- now using acoustic. Anybody have a better setting?