Apple In-ear Headphones with Remote and Mic
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Hear every detail of your music every time you tune in with the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic. They offer pro audio performance and impressive sound isolation, and convenient buttons let you adjust the volume and control music and video playback. Put on the Apple In-Ear Headphones, select your favorite track, and hear musical details you never knew existed. It’s almost like you’re experiencing your music for the first time.
Features
- Silicone ear tips provide comfortable, stable fit and impressive sound isolation
- Control capsule offers volume and playback controls*
- Includes carrying case, three sets of silicone ear tips (small, medium, large), and two replacement mesh caps
- Cable length: 1065 mm from audio jack to splitter; 330 mm to earpiece
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 0 x 0 x 0 inches
- Weight: 0 pounds
Headphones
Do not like the fit as compared to the old style headphones. Buds seem to come loose easily and don’t stay in place when I’m exercising. Sound quality is better than old style though.
Good Earphone, but should be more compatible!!
I recently purchased the i-pod touch(32GB), the headphones which Apple provided are good enough but they are really not very comfortable for long time use. I can barely use it for 20 minutes max. So when I read about this In-ear headphones, I was quite interested. I have very good experience with Sony’s in-ear headphones as they are quite comfortable with really good sound quality.
I bought those Apple’s In-ear headphones last week & I am quite impressed with these. Overall comfort level is good, they don’t make your ear itch or be in pain.I actually saw whole movie without taking them off(first time for me).
Finishing-as usual the best Apple could come with. Design is the exact thing I wanted them to have it. So in those criteria full marks.
One more likable thing about this is, there silicon head-cap thing. Quite useful,as per you ears change it to small,medium or large size. I like it because my ear needs small one but my brother needs medium one & thank god Apple gives you those with the pack & not separately.
Only cons for this product are Sound quality,cost & compatibility.
Sound quality could have been better, its not the best, I mean if you ever used Sony’s in-ear headphones then you definitely not going to scale these better than those.
For the cost, Apple should decrease the amount, they shouldn’t be that costly, as you already spent lot of money buying i-pod or i-phone, they are not cheap & to add to that more on headphones, not really attractive suggestion.
& for Compatibility, as it is 3.5 jack(male pin), it is should to go with all the other products with 3.5 jack(female-pin). But when my brother tried to use it with his Samsung’s mobile,it didn’t actually went in completely,just half the way.Normally when you buy extra headphones you expect them to work with all the gadgets you have(provided they got 3.5 jack), but again limited accessibility with Apple.
But even though it got it faults, overall experience with this product is really nice. I would suggest buy it only if you are damn sure(Pardon my language), don’t trust other’s opinion, look for the requirements you have & whether this product fulfills them or not.
Best in-ear option for your iPhone
I recently received these as a gift from my boyfriend, who was sick of watching me be uncomfortable with the regular earphones that the iPhone comes with. He has had his pair for over a year, which is a testament to their durability.
I personally prefer in-ear headphones, and I am extremely happy with these. They are comfortable and the sound quality is amazing. The fact that the extra bud sizes come in a cute, well-designed case is a plus, and the triangle case makes it easy to tote these earphones around without getting them tangled.
As I am not an audiophile, and don’t usually buy especially nice earphones for myself, I can’t compare them to other brands, but I can say that I am very happy with these. Due to their comfort and the sound quality, I will be listening to music much more frequently on my iPhone 4.
Sound is Amazing!! Dual drivers per side!!!
As much as I hate to admit it (cause I don’t like Apple), these earphones sound pretty incredible. I was very intrigued when I read that these have 2 drivers in each side. So, I decided to try them. After hearing the clarity and sound detail, I took back my Klipsch S4i and bought another pair of these Apple’s for my wife. Here is the low down: The sound is incredibly crisp, clear, and smooth. Treble is perfect. Bass is perfect too. Here is the thing with bass… the better the seal in the ear the better the bass. Now, lets get one thing clear here; bass is NOT a muffled sounding boom. Bass is a clear thunder that you can distinct from the rest of the music. I read a lot about how some people “think” their $20 Sony’s have better bass. This is simply not true in any way. Those people’s ears have not heard “rich” earphones. Once you get a pair of expensive earphones (these Apple’s are very inexpensive for dual drivers) and listen to them for a couple of days, your ear will finally hear the difference between high and low quality. My only only only gripe is the cord sound can be loud when rubbing on clothing. Other than that, I guess this is one product from Apple that I had to buy… But hey, the price is definitely right!
P.S Remember these have dual drivers. Compare the price to Shure and you’ll know why these are cheap and worth it.
Good sound, good value vs. similar units
I purchased this set to replace my favorite Etymotic ER-6i’s which had some durability issues. I couldn’t get a good seal with Apple’s stock silicone tips/sleeves, but the awesome 3-flange tips from the Etymotics fit perfectly on to the Apple earbud stems. With a good seal, I get good tight bass response and clear mids/highs. After 8 hours of burn-in, the sound is neutral/flat, like the ER-6i’s.
The microphone is well-located and sensitive, but unlike the stock iPhone headset that Apple ships with every unit, it sounds a little treble-y and “brittle.” It’s not terrible, but noticeable in that the stock headset sounds warm, full and remarkably good for such a tiny mic.
Strictly rated as a headset, these perform very well for the price.
However, they get 4 stars for the packaging accessories Apple includes. While beautifully designed and packaged, the white reel/case is terrible in use. It’s slick and difficult to open. There are no indentations between the lid and reel in which to hook your fingernail to help in opening it, so you tend to fumble with it. The lid is also held closed with just the friction of the fit between the lid and reel. There are no hinges or tabs, and if you get a little skin oil around the edges of the lid when opening it, it interferes with the friction fit and doesn’t want to stay closed. Ironically, as tough as it is to open when you WANT to open it, it tends to fall open on its own when bouncing around in a bag.
The reel itself is rather finicky. It’s designed to fit the headset with very tight tolerances. You have to wrap the cable just right in order to get the 3.5mm jack to tuck in and the case to close. Wrap it too loosely, and the cable bulges so the case won’t close. Wrap it too tightly, and the jack ends up at one of the 3 corners and the case is impossible to close.
After 48 hours, I’m satisfied. I’ll update the review in 30-60 days with durability information.
My second pair…
I bought these and my first set had one of the headphones chewed off by my cat. Doh! Thinking I could find something that was cheaper and better, I tried sony, Etymotic, senheiser, Sure, etc. None compared.
I don’t like the ear adapters that come with these. I bought and use the:Etymotic Research ER6i-18 Replacement Triple Flanged Eartips for Etymotic Earphones (Gray, 5 Pairs)
These in ear flanges perform great, are comfortable and REALLY isolate noise.
I’ve shopped around, Apple has done well with these.
WHOA!
Initially: To those who believe these earphones are truly incapable of producing adequate bass, “I am with you to a certain extent”. The problem regarding this “bad” quality in these phones lays not within the product, but within the audio source. To further explain myself, I am drawing an example in relation to the iPod. Yes, these are Apple earphones intended for listening to exclusively iPods, but that’s the problem: iPods are definitely not capable of producing bass; therefore, reflecting that imperfection onto these phones. After switching to the Zune HD, I retained my utilization of these phones, and I instantly noticed the improvement in bass response. Furthermore, I am currently viewing “The Dark Knight” on Blu-Ray with my new HP Dv7t, and let me tell y’all. THE BASS IS AMAZING. So, I now rest my case. As I have proven my hypotheses twice, these are a great product.
If you plan to use these more than 4 days/week…DO NOT BUY
I was tired of burning through $20 earbuds every 6 months so I paid a little more for these hoping they would last a little longer… maybe a year. I drive a lot for my job so I need to have hands-free headset – and I use them 6 or 7 days/week – but no hard use… just riding in the car. They’re not getting abused or anything.
First pair — mic stopped working after about 3 months. Apple replaced for free… great.
Second pair — mic stopped working after 3 weeks. Apple replaced for free… ok.. cool
THIRD pair — after about 2 weeks mic was filled with static. Customers could barely hear me between static. Apple replaced for free… yeah.
FOURTH PAIR — no joke… after 2 weeks mic failed. People couldn’t hear me.. period. Called Apple just to let them know what a poor product. They offered to replace for free but I refused. Like everyone else in the real world, I’m busy working and spending time with my family… I don’t have time to spend 40-50 minutes on the phone every 2 weeks going through their phone tree to get replacement earbuds.
If you plan on using these more than 4 days/week DO NOT BUY. DO NOT BUY. DO NOT BUY. You will be sorry. I promise.
Superb value for money…Audiophile quality sound
I’m not sure why some people are being so critical of these earphones? I’ve used a fair number of brand name earphones (Shure, VModa etc) all around the same price point as these Apple headphones and the difference in sound quality is like night and day. The Apple’s dual armature set-up gives by far a superior sound reproduction, from crisp highs to excellent low-range response. People often forget that with any in-ear earphone, you must use the correct size ear-bud to seal the headphone into the ear canal, otherwise the bass-repsonse will be severely attenuated….these headphones also take a while to get used to the way they fit in your ears, but that’s really no different from the other types I’ve tried. Coupled with the excellent sound reproduction is the ability to remotely control the volume, pause, play and a microphone, so if you use an iPod/iPhone compatible with these, then seriously, try these out if you can, you won’t be disappointed.
$20 and all worth it!!
I’ve always liked Apple earphones and I’m glad that they improved on the in ear headphones that they had before. These are a great option and for $20, i’ll say, it was a steal and absolutely fantastic.
Horrible
Bad sound, only good if you cram it all the way in the hear, and even then it’s not as good as the normal headphones that come with your iPhone/iPod/iPad. Avoid.
Really good in-ear headphones – much improved over the standard buds
I got a pair of these headphones because I found it too hard to hear my iPhone while I was on the train. These headphones do a much better job blocking out external noise.
They are a little strange to use when I try talking on the phone, so I usually end up taking my left ear phone out.
Overall, I’m extremely happy with them. I do wish the fit was a little bit better, but it’s not bad. They stay in pretty well. I have to use the small size silicone covers. I’m glad that you can change the size, because the medium ones were too big for me.
Pretty Good
These ear buds are good. If you’re looking for a headset to use in a noisy environment, then these are not good in that situation. I would rate them as just ok. I do love the volume control it’s higher up on the wire toward the ear so it is out of your way when you use the ear buds.
Amazing Sound for Price
I am very impressed with these headphones. The sound quality is extraordinary for this price point once you get a good seal in your ears. As with any in-ear headphones a tight, complete seal is required for bass and sound richness. I had problems with the silicon tips that came with these headphones but I found a company called Comply that makes amazing foam tips that work excellent. Once I solved the fit problems I can truly appreciate the quality of these headphones. The bass is tight and controlled (doesn’t artificially boom like my old v-modas). If you want very accurate music reproduction these are a great pair of headphones. You will hear details you never heard in your music before if you haven’t used a $200+ pair of in-ears.
My only concern is with the cord material, it just feels like it might have problems holding up..so far no problems though.
The remote control and mic are a huge plus if you plan on using these with an iPhone also.
Bottom line, these headphones CANNOT be beat at this price point. Even if you aren’t going to use them with an Apple product they are worth the purchase. The stock silicon tips are not ideal if your ear canals aren’t just about perfectly round. Using third party tips really brings out the exceptional sounds the drivers in these things are capable of producing.
AMAZING SOUND QUALITY!
These headphones are awesome! They are 100 times more comfortable than the standard remote + mic headphones. The bass tones are phenominal! They are definitely noise canceling headphones so if you need to be able to hear what’s going on around you these may not be the headphones for you. However I use them at work and just leave them on the lowest volume setting possible and I’m able to hear others ok. If you’re looking to be removed from the world these are amazing. In addition to all of this these headphones are obviously 100% compatible with my iphone and iPod touch, which is not the case with other headphones I have had which s annoying. Also, you can’t beat Amazon pricing! When I saw they had these for cheaper than Apple I had to get them.
Honestly, a huge let down
The short version: Apple should be ashamed of themselves for putting their name on this product. Do not buy. Do. Not. Buy.
The long(er) version:
My standard earbuds met an untimely demise when one of my old-as-dirt windows (see: heavy, very very heavy) came crashing down on the left bud. To the earbuds’ credit, it actually wasn’t completely destroyed, but the casing was sharply cracked, which made it both horribly uncomfortable to wear, and noticeably quieter than the right bud.
At first, I was actually glad. I never really liked the earbuds that come standard with the iPhone – they feel clumsy in my ears, the sound is mediocre, and without a foam cover feel like they’re in a perpetual state of just-about-ready-to-fall-out. Hence, this was just the excuse I needed to seek out something better.
These snazzy suckers seemed just the ticket. In-ear, expanded mic (with volume control!), and 3 different sizes of coverings. To me, that said increased sound quality (maybe some actual bass!), a snug fit, and ensured compatibility. Sadly, I was wrong on almost every front.
First of all, the sound quality: yes, it’s better than the standard earbuds. I admit it. A lot better, in my opinion (still not saying much, I know). BUT ONLY WHEN YOU’RE SITTING COMPLETELY STILL. The slightest movement sends obnoxiously amplified cord noises jangling into your ear drums. God help you if you’re actually walking. Seriously, it’s hard to hear your music (or friend on the phone, or podcast, etc…) over the sound of the headphone cords smacking into your shirt, each other, the wind…totally annoying. But, again, if you’re sitting perfectly still at your desk at work, quietly cranking out some productivity while silently jamming, they are actually decent. Assuming you’ve gotten them to fit, of course. Which brings me to…
Point #2, the fit: none of the 3 sizes fit me well. Not a single one. I never thought I was special until trying the small, medium, AND large-sized earbud covers, only to discover that I’m apparently some weird pseudo-size. The mediums seemed to fit the best, but even then I’d have to spend about a minute trying to cram them into my ears, situating them juuuuust right…only to have them slowly slide back out (back to the state of just-about-ready-to-fall-out) within one song length. Infuriating. Seriously. Isn’t one of the main points of in-ear headphones that they…you know…stay in your ear? I never could get these suckers to sit right. Worse still, the sound is really only good when they’re sitting in that perfect state. Meaning that not only is it annoying when they fall out, but you get to hear the sound quality of whatever you’re listening to gradually diminish into tinny nothingness, each and every time they slide out. And it’s a never ending battle. You get to do it over and over again!
Compatibility: the volume control was just a nice-to-have for me, so I wasn’t deterred when I read that it’s not compatible with 3G and below. But, it wasn’t easy for me to find that info. So for any of you other 3Gers wondering – no, the volume control won’t do squat for you (it actually makes the click functionality of the mic much harder to use in fact, because you have to be sure to click dead center for you phone to register it – click slightly up or down, it doesn’t know what to do).
And finally, definitely most annoying of all, these stupid pieces of junk didn’t even last 6 months. I don’t think they even lasted a full 5 months come to think of it. I did nothing extreme to them – didn’t leave them in super hot or cold weather, didn’t use them for exercise (that dream went right out the window when I discovered how terribly they fit), didn’t throw them around. I just used them like normal headphones for listening to music while at work, and occasionally to talk on the phone. And they broke. In less than 6 months.
I have since returned to my cracked, semi-broken standard earbuds. That’s right, after spending $70 on a “superior” product, less than 6 months later I’m using a damaged, semi-stabby pair of earbuds I admittedly never liked much to begin.
Oh yeah, and the mic seemed to be worse, too. People were constantly asking me to speak up and/or repeat myself when I used these – never happens with my crappy half busted pair.
Seriously, don’t buy these. Just don’t.
Finally a headset for macbook pro 13′
OMG…ive been looking for a headset for my macbook for about 6 months . The issue with macbooks is that there is only one jack and even apple customer service recommends usb headset only. What no one knows is that the jack is input and output in one, soooooo, THE IPHONE HEADSET DOES WORK ON MACBOOKS . yaaaaay:-)
Great buy!!!!!!
I had a question to the seller and he aswered me in minutes , and he was extremely kind and aswered my questions . i will definetly consider him for future purchases.
The headset seem a little fragil, speccially dragging it around with the laptop, but im still very happy with it and so far , i dont have anything bad to say about it. I did try every single logitech and bluetooth headsets and by far this is a winner. great sound quality, very confy and best of all, when u chat on skype and yahoo, you dont look like a phone company operator
Headphones are okay
I received a used pair, with the low driver in my right ear blown, and the high driver in my left ear blown- so they didn’t sound like they should. However, new, they probably would sound decent, but even when handled carefully, these break down after while- not worth the money new.
Wish these were standard with iPhone
So much more comfortable than apples standard ear phones. They stay in better and block out a lot more noise
Apple’s Dual Driver IEMs aren’t for bass-heads but many users will be satisfied by their audio quality
Prelude
Apple’s stock earbuds that have been shipped with every iPod since its inception are quite possibly the most prolific and widely distributed tech accessory of all time. It’s hard to go anywhere without seeing a pair of these things dangling from someone’s ears. Casual listeners are bound to be satisfied by the decent performance of the earbuds but what about audiophiles? It’s hard to imagine that many audiophiles would be impressed with those earbuds and, not to mention, they just aren’t comfortable at all for long periods of use. So, what’s an audiophile to do?
Apple’s answer to this comes in the form of their revamped in-ear headphones which feature two balanced armature drivers, a dedicated woofer and tweeter, promising Hi-Fi audio quality for about $80. I was able to snag a lightly used pair for $23 on Amazon (They’re the real deal too!) to give them a thorough listen. So, do Apple’s IEMs (which I’ll henceforth refer to as the ADDIEM) deliver audiophile grade sound on a relatively low budget? Read on to find out.
Design and Build Quality
Apple products are typically well designed and aesthetically pleasing and the ADDIEMs aren’t too shabby in that regard. While the housings are comprised almost entirely of white plastics, much like the Apple iBuds, the housings themselves feel rather sturdy. The front and nozzles of the IEMs are made of polished metal, likely aluminum or steel, and are very solid feeling on top of adding a touch of class.
One brilliant design decision Apple has taken here is to make the metal mesh filters detachable. These filters easily unscrew from the nozzles and can be dropped into a solution of rubbing alcohol and water for quick and easy cleaning (which is what I did as soon as I got them). The fact that the filters can be unscrewed so easily from the housings does mean that they could potentially be just as easy to lose if you’re not careful but as long as you are careful, you shouldn’t have a problem with them.
Moving on, the build quality is still very similar to that of the iBuds. The straight plug is better than that of the iBuds and feels a bit more durable and the cable is virtually identical to that of the iBuds, perhaps feeling a bit softer and being a tiny bit more durable overall but it still doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence. Leading into the housings themselves is a grey rubber pseudo strain relief.
Overall, I wasn’t terribly impressed with the build quality of the ADDIEMs but it is adequate. As long as you take care of them, they should last a good amount of time.
Comfort and Fit
The housings of the ADDIEMs are extremely small, considerably smaller than I was expecting. Because of this, they are very comfortable to wear. The included bulbous silicone tips will not be a great fit for everyone but the small tips fit my ears just fine and the IEMs didn’t fall out during my testing. However, I did prefer using a pair of small Sony Hybrid clones, which fit perfectly, instead of the stock tips. Isolation is average with stock tips and is slightly improved with the Sony Hybrid clones.
The longish stem of the ADDIEMs could make them a bit difficult for some users to wear over-the-ear but for me, it wasn’t a problem. Wearing them over-the-ears or straight down wasn’t a problem for me and the fit was mostly effortless either way. The small housings sit flush with my ears and I could wear these while sleeping very easily.
Sound Quality
Burn in: These IEMs were given 20+ hours of burn-in before testing but I didn’t notice any significant changes in the sound signature after burn in versus before.
Right out of the package, I was surprised by the level of clarity and transparency that’s present in the sound signature of the ADDIEMs. These can make other IEMs sound quite muddy by comparison due to their very airy and above all, analytical presentation. For the price I paid, the clarity is absolutely outstanding and, at based on what I’ve heard, is only topped by the RE0s.
Low end response is the most disappointing aspect of the ADDIEMs. Sure, bass is tight, punchy and doesn’t creep up on the mids in the slightest but it’s seriously lacking in terms of quantity and texture. Bass just doesn’t have realistic levels of decay or reverb, it just sort of hits and then disappears. There’s very little in the way of resonance or warmth and the low end is rather uninvolving because of it. The Sony Hybrid clones improve the low end in terms of quantity and warmth but not much in terms of detail. Extension is surprisingly good and you can hear and feel sub bass notes almost all the way down with gradual roll off as you approach the bottom end.
While listening to the ADDIEMs, I found myself continually craving more bass. The more I listened to them though, the more my brain seemed to “burn-in” to what was there. It was only when I switched back to bassier IEMs did I really notice that the bass was so dialed back in regards to the rest of the sound signature. Whether or not you’ll experience the same feeling is dependent on your tastes. The ADDIEMs are certainly bass-light but what is there may be enough to satisfy you.
The midrange is perhaps what the ADDIEMs do best. It is amazingly clear and instrument separation is great throughout the range. Mids are slightly forward and have a relatively natural if a tad clinical and cold tonal balance and good timbre. Very good overall, considering the price. Highs are clear and sparkly but slightly rolled off in the upper end. They seem to be positioned right where they need to be; neither forward nor recessed and never over-emphasized.
Despite the openness of the sound, the ADDIEMs sound somewhat contained within a small but fairly intimate soundstage. Imaging is decent enough and, as stated before, instrument separation is very good.
The ADDIEMs are among the most analytical IEMs in my collection and make the Backbeat Pros, my only other BA IEMs sound veiled and a tad muddy by comparison. The dual balanced armature drivers in these earphones can really pick out the finer details in a piece of music while still offering a comprehensive and coherent sound signature. Yes, they can sound a bit thin because of their analytical character and the lack of bass response but it’s nothing that significantly detracts from their appeal.
Value and Conclusion
The ADDIEMs are available from Apple’s website and Apple retail stores at an MSRP of $79. Even at the MSRP, these are among the cheapest dual balanced armature based IEMs on the market. Online retailers such as Amazon sell them for about $68 but on both Amazon and eBay, some serious discounts can be had if you delve into the used/like-new/refurbished market. I was able to get a pair of these IEMs for $23 is proof enough that there’s a wealth of great deals out there on the ADDIEMs. At the price I paid, I’m more than happy with what I received.
Overall, while the ADDIEMs are definitely bass shy in the grand scheme of things and their sound signature is a tad thin, for the price, I really can’t find much wrong with them. For bass addicts, I recommend using Sony Hybrid tips (genuine or clones) for boosting the low end response and perhaps even foam tips, which should eke out a little more warmth. It may seem as though I’m being overly critical of the ADDIEMs and/or that I don’t like them but that’s not true. I actually enjoy listening to them, even without any EQ or the bass boost from my CMoy amp; they’re just not great for everything.
At their MSRP, these are decent performers but, even considering the need for proper amplification, I’d still recommend the RE0s over them for their more musical and better balanced sonic character. However, the fact that they also perform double duty as a headset and remote for iPhone 3G and second and third generation iPod Touch users should be taken into consideration and they perform reasonably well in that capacity. Whatever your needs or desires out of a pair of headphones or IEMs, the ADDIEMs aren’t a bad choice at any price point and at the current sub-$35 price point that they float around on eBay and Amazon, they’re a very good value. Just…don’t expect them to have a great deal in terms of bass.