Opinion: IPhone accessories

. Monday, April 7, 2008

I'm Still Using my old Over the ear JVC HA-E130 , But I'm started to tired of them, first of all, my commute to work includes subway and high speed subway+old cars=TONS of Outside Noise! Music is loud enough, but I can't watch movies since they so bleeping quite !!
I tried to boost volume, playing with Normalization & Dynamic Range, but to no help.
The sound quality is also an issue and only EQ setting i can actually stand is POP, which makes music sound most neutral, most likely since headphones grossly overstate/understate certain frequencies.

As I previously mentioned not all 3.5mm jack will work with Iphone and I recently found a good written explanation here:
Top 3 Accessories That Won't Work with Your iPhone

"3. Your headphones might not work with the iPhone. The device's headphone jack supports 3.5-mm connectors, the port itself is recessed, and some connectors simply won't fit. The issue isn't the connector itself, but the overmold—the stubby bit of plastic that the connector protrudes from. I wasn't able to get actual dimensions, but the overmold has to be extremely slim to fit into the recessed port. For example, if the connector is L-shaped, so the overmold runs along the top of your iPod instead of sticking straight out, it won't reach the iPhone's headphone port. So there is now such as thing as iPhone-compatible headphones, and it's very possible yours don't qualify. Adaptors are sure to come, and eventually all headphone overmolds will probably bow to the iPhone's indomitable will. But for everyone dumb enough to have paid $450 for Shure earbuds, now you're even dumber."

So my GREAT SEARCH for new Iphone headphones commences... :)

First Stop I found these ones:
V-moda Vibe Duo with Control playback
However several things got worry me as a seasoned audio aficionado :) 1st) V-Moda doesn't even bother to list its headphone impedance neither its sensitivity and "humble" Frequency response: 12Hz-22kHz - Not even Etymotic Research has such numbers...

And Secondly $101 for UNKNOWN brand headphones with most likely overstated specs - sounds like a bad marketing rather the company dedicated to product quality. For JC sake, I can get Shure for less than that.

Update:
This relevant forum post confirms my suspicions.

Regarding the v-moda vibes, I have a pair myself. The good: the sound quality is wonderful for the price, the fit (at least in my ears) is superb, and they are comfortable for long periods of time.

The bad: I will caution you that v-moda ships them with the cord bound much too tightly inside the box. Because of this, the right channel often goes out completely because of the strain caused by the packaging on the junction of the left/right channels and the single cord that leads to the jack (the little silver splitter in the middle of the cord). To restore the right channel, one must play with the connection and hold the cord just right. I hope that makes sense, it is kind of hard to explain. I have already been through two pairs that have this issue, (replaced by v-moda) and it is quite disappointing.

Look elsewhere if you desire headphone durability........