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Apple's EarPods Receive the Teardown Treatment

hmm

Paper cone with a polymer surround. Not horrible, but I wonder if this is a cost move rather than a quality of sound move. We'll see. I'm not a fan of paper cones, but then, these aren't 13" JL subwoofers either so it may not matter. Sure hope their coated though.
 
We picked up a pair last night since the boy can't use the flexible in ear type headphones and everything else is terribly uncomfortable. The sound is just alright (not as good as my beats ear buds which aren't all that amazing themselves...but that's a rant for another day) but they are incredibly comfortable!
 
I used to kill earbuds by sweating when I run-- it would leak into the control switch. I hope these are more water resistant.
 
Apple should just stop including headphones and should have tossed in the 30-pin to lightning adapter.

I still have my headphones wrapped up in the box from my 3G and 4. These will probably stay in the box as well.
 
dearfriendx said:
I bought a pair this morning and have been using them for a few hours. Listening to alternative rock, hip hop and rap, classical and metal. They have a great range. A lot better sounding than the previous earbuds. Bass isn't overpowering like Dre Beats, yet present. They are very comfortable to me at least. They didn't fall out on the treadmill. Cord is a little bit thicker and what seems less prone to tangling. The remote is also a lot easier to click and has larger areas to click. Definitely worth an upgrade.

For $29 I think these are a viable option.
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For $29 you're better off going a different route, from what I've read in reviews, but for those receiving them with iPods/iPhones, they're good enough.

Got these for about $25 last year during a sale: http://www.amazon.com/MEElectronics...s&ie=UTF8&qid=1348004318&sr=1-1&keywords=cc51

They're great for the price.
 
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dearfriendx said:
I bought a pair this morning and have been using them for a few hours. Listening to alternative rock, hip hop and rap, classical and metal. They have a great range. A lot better sounding than the previous earbuds. Bass isn't overpowering like Dre Beats, yet present. They are very comfortable to me at least. They didn't fall out on the treadmill. Cord is a little bit thicker and what seems less prone to tangling. The remote is also a lot easier to click and has larger areas to click. Definitely worth an upgrade.

For $29 I think these are a viable option.
Click to expand...

For $29, there are much much better options.
 
Radio said:
Paper cones?!

How very Bose - like

Cheap!
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Paper's actually a very good speaker cone material. Light, cheap, stiff and self-damping. It's better than plastic.

I design speakers that use aluminium drivers and they're a bitch at times due to break up characteristics - the only real advantages over paper are consistency (paper can be variable) and the fact you can use it as a heat-sink for the coil, other than that I'd use paper.
 
These headphones are a welome inprovement. But I knew Apple was exagerating when they said they sound better then more expensive headphones. I purchased their $90 headphones before and was very dissapointed. At the $29 price point they are excellent.
 
I think they sound great. They aren't in-ear monitors so I wouldn't expect them to compare. But I don't like IEMs anyway, I don't like the isolation, never got used to jamming them in my ears, and for some reason my ear canals wouldn't transmit the bass properly.

Metal still doesn't sound right on them, but I haven't found an IEM or earbud that gets it right. Other stuff on my iPhone all sound great.

The thing is they're earbuds. That's a pretty low bar. They excel as earbuds. You can't get too analytical or you'll find yourself going back to IEMs or cans. If you're likely to want to compare them to either of those, you won't like them.
 
you people smh said:
I'm calling FAKE!!!!

Apple would never put a line on the iBud...i mean earpod.

Clearly a photoshop job and a bad one at that.
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Pretty sure the keynote mentioned that 'line' being an air vent? I can't really see folks faking EarPod images because well, their just EarPods and who really cares that much? However, I have been wrong once before... once. :rolleyes:
 
GenesisJLS said:
The important question is: how is the sound quality on those things? I can't wait for a real audiophile to do a test on them.
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The only people I know of that do really good, in-depth actual tests to an exhaustive level are Sound&Vision. I wonder if they'll break down something like these (just because there will be so many out in the field) or since they're not IEMs they won't even bother.

guspasho said:
I think they sound great. They aren't in-ear monitors so I wouldn't expect them to compare. But I don't like IEMs anyway, I don't like the isolation, never got used to jamming them in my ears, and for some reason my ear canals wouldn't transmit the bass properly.

Metal still doesn't sound right on them, but I haven't found an IEM or earbud that gets it right. Other stuff on my iPhone all sound great.

The thing is they're earbuds. That's a pretty low bar. They excel as earbuds. You can't get too analytical or you'll find yourself going back to IEMs or cans. If you're likely to want to compare them to either of those, you won't like them.
Click to expand...

You should look in to getting a custom pair of IEMs. If you have someone mold them to your inner ear, they should almost certainly sound a lot better and help with the really deep, fast lows in Metal.
 
Nice upgrade for a disposable item. I really only use them when I am working out or out for a ride (no isolation is nice in group rides). I don't care if they get damaged or lost. I have much better options for normal listening or traveling.

Personally prefer the sound profile of paper cones.
 
I got a pair of these EarPods the day after they were announced. Ordered them online and they arrived at my door the next day.

Anyway I have found the sound to be great. Much better than the old version. They have more bass, midtones and highs. The sound is very clear with no overpowering bass. I do not have to turn the volume up as much as the old ones. They also seem a lot better made.

I have compared them to my Philips O'Neal Stretch Over-ear Headphones and they sound ALMOST as good.

I must say I read some unflattering reviews which I disagree with. These are not bad, and are comfortable.

One downside. I could use the old version as a headset for my blackberry (yes I know! Its a work phone!). But the microphone on the EarPods does not seem to work with the Blackberry.
 
Will moisture from my sweaty ears impact the paper and sound quality (limited as the quality may be) over time, or at all?
 
I bought a pair the other day and they are much better than the old pair. They are even better than the $70 apple pair of earphones as they have a better range. For $30 they are the best for the money earphones i have ever bought. I never tried the Beats by Dre but then again those are like $120 which is outside of my budget.
 
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