I recently purchased the new Apple in-ear headphones (with remote) and I have to say the sound quality is superb. It is as good as, or better than the sound quality from a much more expensive pair of sure headphones that I also own. So in terms of sound quality, they are superb. The little control nub is excellent, although it’s a shame the volume controls don’t work with the iPhone. They do however have one or two rather annoying issues, both relating to the cable Apple decided to use in these headphones.
The first is the quality of the cord itself. While I don’t doubt it’s made from high quality materials, it feels horrible to the touch. It feels like a pair of disused medical gloves. When I first picked it up my immediate reaction was “Ewwwww”. But that’s not the issue though. Whatever they made it out of likes to self tangle. The action of taking your iPhone out of your pocket to answer a text, select a different track etc causes the cord to coil around itself if you’re not careful. It’s an annoyance more than a fatal flaw, but it doesn’t happen with other headphones I own, including Apple’s other ear buds. I suspect its the semi sticky tactile nature of the icky silicone like substance the cords are coated with. Like I said, “Ewwww”
The other problem, and this affects most Apple headphones is that the cord is too small. It reaches perfectly from your pocket to your head, but there is no slack what so ever. Again, annoyance rather than fatal flaw, but for me especially, its a pain. I normally keep my iPhone in it’s case in my coat pocket when I’m walking, and the cord snags on the corner of my coat every now and again yanking it on my head. There’s no give at all because it’s so short. If it was even another couple of inches longer this wouldn’t happen. Now, I know I’ll get comments along the lines of “you’re an idiot, how dare you complain about an Apple product when it’s clearly your own fault for being too tall” but most third party headphones have longer cords.
Anyway, I know I’m just nit picking here, but I’m just telling you what I think, and the cord length thing might not affect most people. Still, the sound quality is absolutely superb and I doubt you’ll be disappointed on that front, especially given the price.
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You’re an idiot, how dare you complain about an Apple product when it’s clearly your own fault for being too tall!
Nice review. On the cord of the headphones, honestly I think its much more preferable than the fabric cords that are been employed by many In-Ear OEMs these days. While the Apple ones may feel creepy, which as you undoubtably know would be very subjective, the fabric cables actually produce an audible grating sound whenever they rub on anything due to the ridges in the fabric, be it your pants, desk, shirt, arm, whatever. With corded fabric cables almost anything produces a audible sound that is amplified by the fact the headphones are solidly in your ear canal. This makes fabric cables very annoying, so not having that material in place is definitely a big plus for the Apple in-ears in my book.
I personally prefer V-Moda for its incredible sound quailty and price $50
but there are even less expensive alternatives with the same sound quality as apple’s headphones: http://www.cheapple.com/apple-ear-headphones-remote-and-mic
I totally understand the frustration with the cord length. The other problem with the standard cord length is that its weight pulls the earbuds out of your ears. Check out Mighty Short Buds for a set of headphones with a cord length that lets you clip your music player to your hat/visor or collar.