earbud

First things first: I think most in-ear headphone designs are pretty uninspired-looking things. Sure, ear-canal headphones are so tiny there's not a lot to work with, but I have to say Bowers & Wilkins' new C5 is a stunning piece of industrial design. The tungsten and aluminum headphone is the prettiest in-ear design I've seen to date.

The headphones' proprietary Secure Loop cable is a unique design element and can be adjusted to fit in the inner ridge of your ear to help secure the tip in place. My ear canals are bigger than average, so I don'… Read more

Getting your hands on the right pair of headphones can be tricky if your ears don't fit into the three ear tip sizes you get in the package. Altec Lansing is launching three new headphone models this fall for women with in-between ears, and each package will include "eartip kits" with multiple silicone fittings.

The new "Bliss" series (available in platinum for $70, gold for $50, and silver for $30) is designed for women with smaller ear canals, and the platinum and gold models will come with an eight-piece kit that ensures the custom fit and proper seal that's essential to get the best sound.

The headphones also feature sartorial accents in the shape of jeweled housing and a variety of bright colors including lilac, teal, aqua, rose, and violet. All three designs are available for purchase now at AltecLansing.com.

Click through for more photos of the Altec Lansing Bliss series headphones.… Read more

Tired of tangled earbuds? Of course you are; they're one of life's biggest hassles, right up there with newspaper ink that gets on your fingers and highway traffic jams that seem to happen for no reason.

The iAngle is a triangular cord-wrap designed to keep earbud cords neat and tangle-free.

But it also serves a second purpose: to prop up your iPhone, which is great for watching movies, hands-free FaceTime chats, reading your favorite blogs at the breakfast table, and so on.

I love double-duty gizmos like this. The U.S.-made iAngle works with all iPhone and iPod Touch models and comes in black, blue, green, pink, and white.… Read more

Tired of tangled earbud cords? Hey, you're preaching to the choir. I won't say they're the bane of my existence, but there's definitely some bane there.

A company called Applecore International--no relation to you-know-who--has a solution: the aptly named Applecore Small. Shaped like a tiny, well, apple core and available in six bright colors, this little plastic spool is designed especially for earbud cords.

Just wind it around the core, then slip the ends into the slits on either side. Presto: the cords stay neatly wrapped, with little chance of them coming unwound while riding around in your pocket, purse, carry-on bag, or whatever.

The company also makes medium and large versions of the Applecore, which are designed for things like sync cables and AC cords, respectively. I find the prices for all three to be pretty reasonable: $1.99, $2.99, and $4.99. (Alas, shipping costs around $4, so if you're buying just one small, you can't get out the door for under 6 bucks).

Cute and practical as the Applecores are, they're hardly an innovation. The similarly cute Fishbone Cord Wrap has been around for as long as I can remember; you can pick them up dirt-cheap on Amazon and elsewhere. And there are any number of DIY ways to wrap headphone cords.

Still, I like the Applecore's look, design, and price. It's an inexpensive and effective solution to a vexing problem. If you have a better one, share it in the comments!… Read more

First, a bit of clarification. In case you didn't realize it, Etymotic has four versions of its ER-4 MicroPro series earphones, each of which retails for $299. We're not going to overwhelm you with all the details of each model, but Etymotic say the ER-4PT, which delivers excellent sound with very accurate tonal balance, is made for "the professional traveler who uses his or her earphones on planes as well as professionally."

The first thing you'll notice about these Etymotics is that the earphones themselves are somewhat long, slender cylinders that make you feel as … Read more

If you're in the market for a new set of premium headphones, consider picking up one or both sets of earphones we reviewed this week from a Swedish company called Jays.

The C-Jays are a set of on-ear cans that give you three foam ear cup options, and the A-Jays Four earbuds include an in-line remote to control tracks on your smartphone music player.

Jays headphones maintain the Swedish design concept of high function, minimalist practicality, and the Swedish word lagom, which refers to the idea of "not too much, not too little."

The company shares a … Read more

We assumed everyone knew that Apple's stock earphones give only slightly better sound quality than holding a speakerphone up to your ear, but nobody tipped off the buyers at the OC Concept Store, a new luxury boutique in New York selling diamond Apple headphone covers for $10,000.

Manufactured by a New York-based company called DEOS (Defining Expression of Sound), the DEOS-604-WB set polishes your low-end Apple buds with 604 diamonds that weigh 9.5 carats, or 1.9 grams of lavish excessiveness.

Someone tell those "ORGY OF THE RICH" protesters that we have their next target.… Read more

Most outdoor enthusiasts and athletes choose headphones based on utility: folding band over-ears for easy storage and durability or rubber hook buds for sweat resistance, but the Outdoor Technology (OT) Bluetooth Tags throw a new design into the marketplace: rugged earbud headphones that hang loosely around your neck while not in use, like a pair of dog tags.

The $80 OT Tags come in black and red and eliminate the fumbling and tangles that come with loose wires with two Bluetooth wireless earpieces connected with a strong braided wire. It's compatible with all A2DP device including most smartphones, but … Read more

Nothing says "I love you" like a pair of noise-isolating earphones. Because they're so, um, noise-isolating. (I know, I'm reaching.)

If you're a guy shopping for a Valentine's Day gift for a gal, this might be just the thing: Bob and Ron's World Wide Stereo has the Klipsch Image S3 in-ear headphones, in pink, for $27.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code DEALNEWS3.

These are higher-end headphones, typically selling for around $49. Unlike the Image S2m I wrote about a couple weeks back, they don't have an in-line microphone.

They … Read more