Here’s the dilemma: you’re listening to your favorite music, and outside noises are not only bleeding in, they are making your music less clear. Most people would turn up the volume to block the unwanted noise and amplify their audio. The only problem is that in the process, they might also be causing irreparable hearing loss. Then there’s the matter of bass and treble – sometimes your left ear needs more bass and your right more treble, and that’s not exactly something you can set on an equalizer. How do you handle that?

Sleek Audio, a two year old company that was started by the father and son audiologist team Mark and Jason Krywko, may have the answer; but first a bit of background. Sleek Audio “began when Mark found himself dissatisfied with the sound signature of the dozens of different earphones he had tried over the years, so as a 30 year veteran of the audio and custom hearing aid industries, he decided to build his own.”

It took Mark and Jason three years to develop exactly what they wanted, and then they introduced the SA6 acoustically customizable earphone. What set the SA6 apart from other earphones was that it was the world’s first to be acoustically customizable (more on that in a bit), and it could “go from wired, to wireless and back again.” The SA6 introduced another feature that I hadn’t seen before – a detachable and interchangeable cable… and they also came with a price tag that might intimidate the average user – $249.99. Granted, a die-hard audiophile probably wouldn’t blink when hearing that price, but it might be a lot to swallow for the listener who just wants something that blows away what came with his digital music player.

So how can the budget minded audioholic get great sound along with at least some of the features that made the SA6 such a revolutionary earphone? Say hello to the relatively budget-priced Sleek Audio SA1 earphone, not that you would ever be able to tell just by looking or listening.

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Some people just can’t wear earbuds; the common iPod earbud either doesn’t fit or is uncomfortable.  Imagine taking your iPod earbuds and putting a cover of sorts over the earbud’s tip.  Now imagine that the cover is also custom fit for your ear.  That is the premise behind Yurbuds.  You simply take a picture of your ear, and Yurtopia then attempts to find the perfect tip for your iPod earbuds or your favorite Bluetooth headset.  Yurbuds promise that you’ll be able to reduce the volume of your iPod or mp3 player by 40 percent, thus saving your eardrums.

Yurbuds are available on the Yurtopia web site for $19.99.  If you don’t have iPod earbuds or you would like another pair of buds to go with the covers, Yurtopia offers yurphones plus a pair of yurbuds for $29.99.

It’s been a while since I reviewed the Brickyard headphones from 2XL.  I really like  them even though their over the ear  style design can become warm on the ears. 2XL has solved the sweaty ear problem with a new style of headphones in the new 4 Corner Style of headphones.

The design of these new headphones is unique in that instead of round like traditional headphones of this style, these are square. The square shape of these headphones do not make them at all uncomfortable. Continue Reading

These Ultrasone HFI-2400s from the German headphone manufacturer of the same name are the flagship headphones in Ultrasone’s famed HFI Series. Distinguished by its airy tone and its modern and elegant design, the HFI-2200s 40mm gold-plated driver provides the finest of three-dimensional sound thanks to Ultrasone’s patented S-Logic™ technology. The HFI-2400 comes outfitted with MU Metal shielding, similar to all other Ultrasone headphones, which reduces the amount of magnetic radiation emitted from standard headphones, up to 98%.

Each HFI-2400 comes with a removable three-meter long, straight cable with 6.3 millimeter gold-plated stereo plug, a velvet carrying bag and the Ultrasone demo CD. The new HFI-2400 from Ultrasone has a MSRP of $329 and will be available beginning October/November 2009 from all Ultrasone retailers and distributors.

Ultrasone

Do you like to crank up the tunes and jam to the sound of your favorite band?  Do you sometimes do it so loud your ears end up ringing?

Legislation, currently under discussion in the EU, seeks to force Mp3 manufacturers to limit the volume level of their players.  It’s been widely documented that listening to music at extremely high levels can harm your hearing and this law is aimed at curbing it.

The proposed law seeks to mandate a maximum 80 decibel volume limit for Mp3 players.  Currently most Mp3 players can go up to 115 decibels and when you factor in the use of in ear headphones, even higher.

The exact law is expected to be finalized over the next year.

What do you think?  Does the government have a right to say how loud you can listen to your own music?

Source: NY Daily News

We all know Monster for the fantastic, heavy duty audio and video cables.  But did you know they also make headphone?  I have to be honest and tell you that I am pretty excited to see what the king of the audio cable can do with higher end headphones.   The Monster Turbine Pro headphones are due to hit stores near you in November for the extremely competitive price of $299.95 ($329.95 with an included in-line microphone which turns these headphones into the perfect companion for your Smartphone, iPhone, or pretty much any other music playing phone.  Go ahead and hit the jump for the full press release

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Griffin announces a new type of headphones designed to protect children from damaging their hearing. Their headsets, called MyPhones, work by limited the audio output to 85 decibels. What’s intriguing about the headphones is they actually look like something kids would want to wear. The shells are swappable and customizable. Expect a kid-friendly price of about $30 when they are released in October.

MyPhones via ipodnn

Back when I was much younger headphones were headphones – of sure there was a wide range of quality, but in general you were getting two padded speakers that clapped over your ears. Later, when the Sony Walkman and other portable products arrived around 1980, much smaller on-ear headphones arrived to support those products. The 1990’s brought us earbuds and other varieties of on-ear, around-ear, and in-ear products. Ear-canal audio products are the most recent, offering the portability of earbuds with a better frequency response range and noise isolation. There are so many products of each type that a trip to the earphone aisle of your local superstore will be a dizzying experience. In a market saturated with me-too products with decent quality sound and build, the folks at iBlink hope to expand that value proposition! Continue Reading

iFrogz has quickly become one of the leaders in cutting edge accessories for Apple product, Mp3 players and other electronics devices.

Their Ear Pollution line of headphones is one of the most popular headphone available on the market.

iFrogz recently released a new item in the Ear Pollution line, the iFrogz Timbre.

Available with or without an inline microphone the noise isolating ear buds are made with natural wood.

I was recently sent a pair by iFrogz to review.  Do the Tibre’s perform as good as they look?

Read on to find out.

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I’ve noticed that “fat” headsets seems to be all the rage in some cities. When out and about you see people dangling these monsters off their heads instead of the much thinner earbuds. Not one to stand in the way of a hot trend I’m passing along a note from our GearSponsor Logicbuy who have spotted these Skullcandy TI Stereo Headphones (White) for only $19 (normally about $59) in the Dell store (free shipping). Worth noting that these have a 6.3 mm connector which means you’ll have to use an adapter to connect up to the 3.5 mm standard jack that’s found on many MP3 players.

Skullcandy TI

As someone who is a gamer but also has a busy family and work schedule, I often find my video game time late at night when the house is quiet and most everyone else is asleep. This gives me two options – mute the sound or use headphones. Sometimes it is a hybrid of these, as I leave my headphones sitting my desk as low-volume speakers. For the past several years I have used fairly cheap headphones, starting with a pair from an older Sony portable CD player, moving on to a pair of cheap headphones I bought for my music studio, and more recently ear-buds from one of my iPods. The iPod earbuds have worked pretty well, and I still recall the eerie feelings of hearing the atmospheric sounds of Thief: Deadly Shadows Shalebridge Cradle area flowing through my mind in a darkened room. But the sound quality is not that great, nor is the comfort acceptable for a long gaming session. Recently AblePlanet sent me their new PSM500MM headphones to evaluate for review. The quick version: I have been utterly blown away by this amazing audio device! Continue Reading

Almost every time I visit the gym there’s a gang standing around the exercise machinery – doing nothing except being seen by their friends and talking loudly. Some days I’m there 45 minutes and the chatty group talks loudly right at my side for the entire time. Usually I can drown the noise out by turning up the music from my iPhone. Other times I’ve resorted to Etymotic. These HF5 in-ear headphones do a great job of blocking out all background noises so that you’re not distracted by the idle chatter. They work by sitting inside your ear where the soft rubber plastic seals out most background noise. For sure the first few times it’s a little uncomfortable inserting them. After you get use to these you’ll never go without.

Etymotic Research HF5 via Gearsponsor Logicbuy

You know how the secret agents and security officers in movies always have that telltale coil coming out of their ear?  It just makes them look mysterious and important.  Well, now you can get that same look with the IASUS 500K Headset.  The 500K brings that same coiled design and stealth approach to conversations to your iPhone or Blackberry.  Full press release is after the break.

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A lot of states are joining the growing trend of banning cell phone conversations while driving unless you have a Bluetooth headset or car speakerphone accessory.  The truth is, this is probably a good move, which is likely to save the lives of many drivers and passengers who would otherwise become distracted while talking on the phone, eating a Big Mac, putting on lipstick, and driving all at the same time.  Motorola, today, offered their own solutions to this problem, with the Motorola H790 Bluetooth Headset and the Motorola T215 Speakerphone Car Kit.  Hit the jump for all of the exciting details.

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Choice is a good thing, and in regards to earphones that take full advantage of the iPhone 3GS and current iPods features, there are now more choices available. iLuv today announced to new premium headphones that allow users to listen, talk and control their iPhone.

The iEP515 Premium Earphones and the iEP315 In-ear Earphones with microphone remote offer excellent sound quality thanks to drivers that create a balance of high and low frequencies. The light earbuds offer a sound isolating design and include built in hands free iPhone and iPod functionality control.

Available in August, the iEP515 earphones have an MSRP $59.99 and the iEP315 earphones and MSRP of $29.99 and will be available directly from iLuv.

Details on each follow…

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