Just Another iPhone Blog

(1 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10)

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Monster recently released this new iPhone-specific accessory, and a good friend of mine who works in the electronics wholesale business obtained one for me at CES since he knows how much I love gadgets in general and my iPhone (thanks Bob!). This is an accessory that will allow you to use any pair of headphones to make calls with the iPhone, as well as listen to music. Since it includes a microphone and control button to allow you to accept calls and hang up, as well as to pause and skip tracks while listening to music, you can use any old pair of headphones you have lying around. At $20, this could be less expensive for you if you already have a good pair of headphones that aren’t iPhone-compatible instead of buying a new pair.

Since getting my iPhone, I’ve pretty much retired my Etymotic ER-6i earbuds since they won’t fit into the iPhone’s recessed headphone jack (and I’ve been unwilling to try to modify the Etymotic’s plug to make it fit, and trying a Belkin adapter negatively affected the sound quality), but I brought them out of their hiding place in my desk drawer to test with this accessory.

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(6 votes, average: 10.00 out of 10)

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Have you ever had that experience of seeing an advertisement for something, excitedly ordering it only to be more than a bit disappointed? I certainly have. So I did my best to keep my enthusiasm in check when I came upon an advertisement for the “Smart Backup Battery Pack” from Richard Solo. I had been thinking about getting a backup battery for my iPhone ever since seeing Patrick’s blog posts for the simple yet practical

iPowerRush

and the sleek and sexy Juice Pack

After all, although my iPhone gets the best battery life of any device I have used in years, it gets enough of a daily workout that I almost always need to charge it mid-day. Moreover, if I am not near my home or office desk I am cautiously sparing with its media functions to ensure that I have enough juice for calls and email.

So I contacted Richard Thalheimer to inquire about the product and before long mine was on the way to me. I must note that dealing with Richard was a pleasure. Despite the sleek ad and the positive interactions with him, however, I withheld judgement on the Smart Backup Battery Pack. After all, I have been disappointed in far too many products recently to get excited about this one.

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You got a shiny new iPhone this gift-giving season. You absolutely love everything about it except… the cheapo earbuds. (Don’t ya just wish Steve’s MacWorld keynote ended with “…and one last thing- from now on all iPhone’s will ship with earbuds worthy of the iPhone!”?) Luckily, you have a favorite pair of headphones that sound great and are incredibly comfortable. So you figure you’ll just use them… but, oh, wait a second, you can’t because they don’t work with the iPhone’s recessed plug and even if they did, the lack of an in-line mike would mean you couldn’t use them as a hands-free device.

You could buy a new pair of headphones like the Altec Lansing Upgrader Series reviewed by Aczon yesterday or get a pair of Ultimate Buds UB7 for $149.99 but you already own a good pair of headphones. That’s where the Shure MPA-3C Music Phone Adapter for iPhone comes in. Widely available from numerous in-line retailers, (and priced at $39.99 on Amazon.com) the Shure Music Phone Adapter’s plug is designed to fit into the iPhone’s recessed plug and allows you to use any pair of headphones with a standard plug.

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(5 votes, average: 5.40 out of 10)

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I am probably in the minority when it comes to hating those very distinctive white Apple earphones. I’m not necessarily talking about their sound quality per se, but rather the way they stand out like a sore thumb when I’m using them. It wasn’t so bad with the iPod, as I can easily replace the white earphones with whatever I have. Then the iPhone came along, with its recessed headphone jack. All of my existing earphones are now useless with the iPhone, unless of course I spend more money and get some kind of adaptor. Even with the adaptor, I’m still going to miss out on some features that the original iPhone earphones have to offer. So, am I going to sacrifice the ability to use the earphones to make a phone call, or fast forward my music with a pinch on the cord, just so I don’t have to wear those earphones? Well, if you are in the same boat as I was a couple of weeks ago, then worry no more!

Note: This review covers the three (3) Upgrader Series Headphones from Altec Lansing. Namely the UHS301 Earbuds, UHS306 Earphones, UHS307 Earclips-S. Any feature or features  that are unique to one particular model have been noted as such. Unless otherwise noted, all of the comments will be in reference to all the Upgrader Series as a whole.

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Here we go with another lightning review— something short and sweet … totally unlike the 5 foot cable on these headphones.

In our lightning reviews we like to start with the conclusion first… so what did I think?

They sound good.

The sound REALLY good.

They are like HD for your ears!

Okay… maybe a little more…

Everyone knows the earphones that come with the iPhone are just “okay”. They work and they do the job well enough. But that is about it. So when I saw the Etymotic 6i Isolators selling at Amazon for less than half their normal $149 I jumped. They came last week but I didn’t get to try them until last night. All I can say is “WOW”. 

The earphones come in a nice carrying case. There are a total of four different size inserts (these are the type of earphone that fits into the ear canal and fills it in order to physically block outside sound) and a tool to change the inserts. The plug on the 6i headphones fits into the iPhone without an adapter. We Like!!!! 

The 5′ cable is long– perhaps a bit too long - and quite thin - perhaps too thin to handle the rigors of daily use. (Time will tell.) Once I determined which insert was right for me I found them quite comfortable and very effective at reducing outside sound. 

The proof of headphones is in the sound and these sound great! I am no audiophile but to me the sound of these headphones is amazing. They are not heavy on the bass but the clarity that comes through — WOW. I found myself hearing and understanding lyrics far more clearly than I can recall and musical lines I had never before noticed in songs I thought I new well. No matter what type of music I listened to the music sounded great.  

You can purchase these earphones - and help support this site - via our Amazon Affiliate Store, HERE.

More details are on the 6i Isolator Earphones are at:

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er6i.aspx

Note– these headphones do not have a mic built in but Ultimate Buds ( http://www.ultimatebuds.com/store/home.php.) sells a modded pair that merges the 6i Isolaters, or any buds you choose, with the Apple iPhone cable assembly for $149. (Now that’s a pair of headphones I’d like to try!!) 

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