Lift Audio Groove Noise-Isolating In-Ear Headphone
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Amazon.com is happy to offer this item in Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging, a recyclable, easy-to-open alternative to traditional packaging. A Frustration-Free Package comes without excess packaging materials such as hard plastic clamshell casings, plastic bindings, and wire ties. It’s designed to be opened without the use of a box cutter or knife and will protect your product just as well as traditional packaging during shipping. This item ships in its own box, without the need for an additional shipping box.
Features
- Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
- Quality Metal Design – Premium metal materials create a sophisticated look and feel while ensuring durability for active use and ultimate mobility
- Optimal Sound Range – Precise sound range perfectly blends high-end clarity with a detailed mid-range and amazing lows
- Noise Isolating Technology – Passive noise isolation reduces ambient noise without introducing artificial sounds into your music
- Environmentally-Conscious Composition – Our goods are manufactured with the most environmentally friendly processes, materials-+
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 0 x 0 x 0 inches
- Weight: 0 pounds
Great Product
Received these today and the sound quality is great. These are much better than I expected for the price.
Broke within a week
Let me preface my review by saying that the typical span that my headphones work before they start cutting out in one ear is approximately six months. I use them while I’m working out or cycling and occasionally my ipod falls out of my pocket and is hanging by the headphones. I understand that I’m rough on headphones and purchased three pairs at one time and planned on using them one after the other when they break down.
I had just worn out my JBuds J2 Premium Hi-Fi Noise isolating earbuds so it was very easy to compare sound quality.
On sound alone, these Lift Audio headphones were far superior. They were louder, they have great sound clarity, good bass, everything I could ask for. I really like the look of the stainless steel and think highly of the design. The value of these things are great if I could get six months out of them. At $10 they are a steal for a set of headphones and I don’t think you can find comparable headphones in any retail store at this price.
My issue is that the sound started to get choppy and cutting out only a couple days after I started wearing them. Having just ruined one set of headphones I was more conscious about removing the jack from the ipod so that the cord doesn’t get bent or destroyed.
I called Amazon to replace them since I had just started using the headphones even though I ordered them six months ago. I will try to do a follow up depending on whether anything changes.
great
These are fantastic and out beat my old ipod head phones. sound is amazing! Especially the noise cancelling ability. I am able to focus more listening to music while I am studying than getting distracted by something else. Only con is its hard to sleep with these in
a bargain!
I have better headphones, but I’ve never had a better pair of $10 headphones/ear buds than these. I have had them for nearly six months and no issues with durability. They are not true noise “cancelling” but do a pretty decent job of noise reduction. The sound quality is the equal of my $40 Sony ear pieces. I just bought a second set to keep around. They’ll make great stocking stuffers, too!
Decent headphones for the price
I bought these to replace Skullcandy ear buds that were extremely uncomfortable. These did not enclose my ear canal too much, so they didn’t cause a lot of pressure like the Skullcandy ear buds. I think because of the way they are shaped they let don’t cause that annoying pressure feeling that some ear buds do. The sound quality is average. It’s not the worst and it’s not the best, and for the price it’s good enough. I had bout VModa headphones which were excellent, but would break after about 6 months. If (or when) these break they will be much easier to replace… They are a a decent set of headphones and definitely worth it for the price.
Durability lacking,
I own head phones from very expensive to very cheap. On the low cost end, the packaging for this product was nice, but where the rubber hits the road, the sound and the build quality, the headphones were lacking. To be completely candid, these feel like they were made to look like the expensive headphones and then sell at a low price point. All show rather than quality.
The sounds using various MP3 products I have (sony, cowon, creative) is kind of acceptable for a $10 headphone. However, it wasn’t great. I have some Sennheiser headphones in the same price category that are years old and still solid and sounding better, so I expect better than this.
Which brings up the next concern. From the wire to the earplugs, I have little confidence these phones can take any abuse and last through the years.
Low Cost Gets You Good Sound But Fragile Build Quality
I have used a lot of different makes and models of headphones over the years, but I have to admit that I had never heard of “Lift Audio” before. So when given the opportunity to test this model from Lift Audio, I was very interested to see what kind of quality level I was going to experience.
When the package arrived I was impressed to see a rather nice keychain case, which had the headphones neatly stored inside. It has a somewhat glossy, leather-like look to it, with a zipper and a rather large key ring loop attached to one corner. Upon removing the headphones I was pleased at the appearance right away. I got the black and silver set, so it has a nice industrial, manly look to it. However, after changing the ear tips and messing with then in general for awhile, I am very concerned about their build quality. They feel very cheap, which gave me doubts about their ability to stand up over time.
Now, the sound quality of these earphones seems to vary a bit. First of all I tested them with my iPod Touch, and I was actually quite amazed and the depth and clarity of the sound these little guys produced. I then tested them with two other MP3 music players, made by SanDisk and Creative Labs, and even with the sound equalized to boost bass and treble, these phones just didn’t sound nearly as good as the twenty dollar Sony headphones that my children currently use with these devices. I have noticed this with other headphones in the past as well, so it is not completely surprising. I just wanted to mention it, as your experience with sound quality may differ based on the music device you are using them with. As far as noise isolation, I didn’t find any form of noise isolation properties at all. However, the noise from the headphone cords makes a heck of a racket! So maybe noise isolating means that the cords are intended to make a lot of noise, as to drown out any environmental background noises you may encounter. Hmm…
So overall, I was fairly impressed with the Lift Audio in-ear headphones, given the low cost and fairly good sound quality. So under different circumstances I would have given them a 4-star rating. However, I have these headphones to my son, for him to use with his PSP handheld game system, and within a week they started falling apart. On one side, the metal sleeve, which is attached to the bottom of the speaker bud, came loose and is now completely separated and just hanging there on the cord. On the other side, the cord came out of the ear bud, but that side no longer works at all. Now mind you, I know 11 year-old boys can be hard on things like this, so I will not blame the manufacturer entirely for this failure. However, the build quality IS rather flimsy and I feel that people should realize this before buying. They are low cost, so you can’t expect quality that would demand a much higher price tag. However, most parents look at lower priced headphones when purchasing for their children, and in this case your money may be better invested on something higher cost, with a stronger design and materials. I have noticed the cost of these Lift Audio headphones has been going up, and they are quickly becoming about as costly as the Sony earphones that my son has been using for well over a year now, and the Sony phones are still holding up just fine. For a more careful listener, who only intends to use their headphones rarely, these would probably be a solid, low cost option. But for rougher handing, and heavy use scenarios, I cannot recommend these headphones at all.
Good Sounding For A Low Cost Phone
These phones sound pretty good when one takes price into consideration. Of course they cannot match more expensive units but if low price is a requirement then you cannot go wrong with these.
Great value, but fragile
These earphones are a good bang for your buck. They even resemble the Boss brand a bit. Please be careful with these. however. There is a pouch provided, which I completely ignored and carried them in and out of my jeans for a while until the wires started to fray and show the inside wires. If you don’t mind putting them in and out of the pouch every time, then this is a great value. However, if you are on the move all the time and get a tad careless, they might start to slowly fall apart. Other than that, the sound quality is great without any hiss whatsoever. If they knew how to take a beating, they’d be the award-winning earphones.
Completely Average, although the case is nice
When you pay this little for headphones your not expecting audio greatness, and you won’t be disappointed, the audio isn’t great. That said it’s solidly average as compared to other headphones in this price range (skullcandy on sale etc). Moreover since these headphones are in-ear they have provide better sonic isolation then many other headphones that are the same price.
The main pro and main con of the headphones provide yet another sign of how solidly average these are:
The biggest positive of these headphones (aside from the price) is the small bag that the headphones come with. Many headphones in this range come with no bag, or come with a small plastic container meant to keep the ear-buds clear of dirt. These come with a faux leather case that not only fits the whole headphones (string and all) but has space to store spare ear-buds, or a some change. Moreover, the case has a key ring attached which should help reduce loss (one of the main reasons many of us buy such cheap headphones to begin with).
Meanwhile the biggest negative is that their is no little toggle that allows for adjustment of the height at which the headphones separate. This little piece costs next to nothing and makes a huge difference in reducing tangles and achieving optimal comfort level.
One other con is that there is nothing to warp the headphones around for storage so they tend to get tangled, but thats nitpicking.
In my opinion when the best and worse attributes of a piece of audio equipment has nothing at all to do with audio quality, noise isolation, or even build quality, you must be dealing with a singularly unspectacular device.
That said, as compared to other headphones in this range, the inclusion of the bag bumps the phones from a 3 star product, to a 4 star product.
RECOMMENDED
Overly Bassy w/ Muddy Low End, Distortion & Mediocre Treble
First some background – I tested these earphones with my 3rd Generation iPod Touch 64 GB. I listened to some tracks I had encoded in iTunes using the Apple Lossless Codec to try & prevent any possible compression artifacts in the tracks from “coloring” my impressions. My “everyday” earphones for away-from-home listening are some Sony MDREX38iP/BLK EX earphones that I consider of good, but not excellent sound quality. My at-home headphones are an old pair of Grado SR60 over-the-ear, old-style headphones that I consider of excellent sound quality. Finally, I believe I am somewhat picky about sound quality, having gone through many, many pairs of earbuds, earphones & headphones over the years that I have used with my many different iPods (since my very first 10 GB iPod in 2002).
Now to these earphones. First of all, they are VERY efficient, getting EXTREMELY loud when I turned up my iPod. Very uncomfortably loud, in fact, and I like loud music. At that level, of course, the music was pretty badly distorted. At more comfortable listening levels (say at about 60 – 65%), these earphones sounded overly bassy to my ears, with a muddy low end, some distortion and a mediocre high end that could not stand up to the heavy bass. I really do not care for the sound of these earphones much at all for prolonged music listening.
What they are good for in my opinion, especially considering the low price, is for brief periods when I want to listen to a song sample or a short video on my laptop without disturbing my wife while she is watching TV. At these low volume levels when listening to a low to middle quality source, these fit the bill & are an affordable option.
Bottom line, even for the price, you can do better for listening to music for extended periods. And, for $14 more, check out the Sony’s I mentioned above in my introduction to this review. They sound much, MUCH better.
On the other hand, these earphones do LOOK nice, for what that’s worth…
Eh, look for something better!
I was initially excited when I saw this product because it offered a great item with a great look at a great price.
When I received them for testing I realized that they were not all they were cut out to be.
Pros:
Price, look, frustration free packaging.
Cons:
Tinny sound, horrible bass, and overall useless sound quality
I tested these headphones in an iPod Touch, iPhone 4, and an iPad – yes I am nuts for apple devices.
– The sound quality immediately put me off as I thought these things sound like a pair of $5 ear buds that can be bought on any street in New York. However, all things deserve a fair chance so I continued with my testing listening to various types of music and watching movies…again the results were horrific. I don’t mind spending the extra on headphones..but they can get ridiculous too…so this would have been the perfect product at the perfect price point. Now that I have tried it…it is quite useless and I do not recommend it at all.
I give it 2 stars for the look, the cost, and the overall packaging…but that is all it has to offer, in my opinion.
Very basic headphones, keep your expectations low
UNPACKING
They come in a nice little zippered pouch with a keychain attached. Upon opening the pouch, the headphones look attractive (like the picture here). The poach includes extra tips in case you don’t like the standard ones. Stretched out from the tip to the earbuds, the cord is 48 inches long. Looking very closely, I cannot identify which is the left and which is right. I also see that, based on manufacturing quality, these are not $100 earbuds, but I was not expecting that.
FIT
They push into your ear canal relatively far and are comfortable enough for me.
SOUND
The sound is decent, but not great. Compared to the standard iPhone earbuds, the sound is quieter (at the same volume level), not quite as good at reproducing low frequencies and sounds slightly tinny. However, they are not bad. They are were not distorted with the high volume level I tried.
SOUND ISOLATION
These are not very good at isolating sound, so I wouldn’t buy these for the purpose of ear protection while mowing the lawn, but they do cut unwanted sounds somewhat.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After using them a few times, I found that they were difficult to untangle due to the wire being more of a rubber-type texture than normal. Overall, these are very basic headphones, not to be compared to Shure SE115-K Sound Isolating Earphones with Dynamic Microspeaker II (Black) or Klipsch IMAGE S4 In-Ear Enhanced Bass Noise-Isolating Headphones.
Exceptional value and excellet sound quality
I also purchased this item while it was on sale for around $10.00. I am very pleased with the quality and sound of these earphones. They are solidly built, have three different sized ear inserts, and deliver a better than average listening experience. If these earphones ever go on sale again, I will be ordering a few more for myself and family members. Even at the current price, I would recommend these earphones, though at the present cost, you have a broad selection to choose from. At $10.00, however, you cannot beat this item when it comes to sound quality.
Great value, solid headphones
First, I’ll say that these are comfortable. I used one of the smaller size rubber things (I’ve had problems before with them being uncomfy) and it was comfortable and stayed in my ear while running. The headphones are made of metal and feel very nice quality. No complaints about the sound, and they come with a nice little zipper package to keep them in.
And the Amazon frustration-free packaging really IS frustration-free!
No problems and I def recommend them, especially at the great Amazon discount price.
Good Buy for the dollar!
For the price, these are an excellent set of headphones. The fit in the ear straight as opposed to most that are somewhat curved. Provide a decent sound and are reasonable priced, would highly recommend.
Awful
I don’t give one star lightly, but these deserve it. These are easily the worst pair of earbuds I’ve ever owned. You’re better off going with the earbuds included with an ipod or picking up a $10 set of plastic Sony earbuds. These are missing an entire range of audio. They actually mute voices. I don’t understand it. Maybe mine are broken because they sound that bad.
There’s really nothing more I want to say about these other than to avoid them. The earbud market is ridiculously saturated and there are many many better alternatives. Seek elsewhere.
Really block the sound out well …
I just used these for a 3 hour flight recently, and they worked better than my over-the-ear large headphones that I usually bring on my trips. I left them in my ears even when I was no longer listening to my movie because they did an excellent job at keeping the airplane noise out. The sound quality was great and I didn’t have to turn up my laptop as much as I usually do. They come with a little zippered bag to keep the headphones in and extra caps for the ends.
this item is terrible. DO
Before I got this item, I thought it would be something very nice. After I got it, I was disappointed because it has no instructions or anything else. What was worse, after 3 days, one of the earphones broke into two parts. It items SUCKS!
Excellent value
Can not be beaten for the price. After getting mine, bought them for the rest of my family.