Non-earcup active noise canceling earphones generally make compromises in the passive blocking of sound by shrinking from full ear-covering cups down to smaller speaker shapes that physically shield less of the ear, forcing the active cancellation ...

Overall, ATH-ANC3 offers a nice compromise option for iPod and iPhone fans who want to achieve a higher level of ambient noise reduction than is generally offered by in-canal and earbud-style headphones, yet don't want the bulk and total ear coverage ...

As the b denomination indicates, not much has changed from the flat-A-rated prior model to this one, with the exception of a few small things. First and arguably least significant is what appears to be a small change to the noise-cancelling technology ...

Given its small improvements in fit and pack-ins, and the essentially neutral change to its active noise cancellation performance, ATH-ANC7b remains as highly recommendable as its predecessor: this is the best pair of noise-canceling headphones ...

Made from chrome and glossy black plastic, Image S4 has a lot in common visually with Sony's most recent MDR-EX75 and MDR-EX85 models, which employed the same color and texture scheme to great visual effect. Klipsch's design, however, is longer, less ...

To quantify this a bit, we popped in Apple's $40 prior-generation In-Ear Headphones, which offered similar warmth and detail, though its new $80 In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic are as noted in its separate review comparatively bass-deficient, ...

Note up front that all three Backbeat earphones look and feel very similar to one another. The plastic and silicone rubber earpieces take gold and black design cues from Altec's 2008 Expressionist and inMotion speakers, connected to symmetrical gray ...

Overall, we think Backbeat Titanium/326 is a good earphone for the price, particularly for bass fans, while Plus/206 and Classic/106 aren't quite as impressive and strike us as deliberately designed to make 326 stand out - 206 is the better of those ...

Despite the unquestioned success of the iPod and iPhone, Apple's listening accessories have never enjoyed universal acclaim. Its low-end iPod Earphones and Lanyard Headphones have been chastised-sometimes wrongly, sometimes rightly-for sound and build ...

Apple's first pair of iPod-ready earphones with an integrated in-line remote control and microphone. Impressive new body design looks and fits ears better than prior remote-less model, providing more secure fit and sound isolation. Two included ...

Flat, less than inspired sound is best understood as clinical, minus the sharper definition or liveliness of leading competitive earphones ; at normal volumes, critically lacks the warm bass found in earphones sold for equal or lower prices. More ...

Cynics might suggest that the In-Ear Headphones With Remote and Mic are little more than an Apple effort to turn the prior $39 model into something that could be sold at a higher $79 price, and that the aggregate performance of this headset isn't ...

We briefly reviewed hf5 in our 2009 Buyers' Guide, largely making reference to the text above and noting that this is a "great, comfortable earpiece to reveal secrets in songs," offering slightly more punch than the ER-4P, with tight, non-aggressive ...

First, despite the fact that they're priced the same, we strongly preferred the SE102MPA to the company's earlier SE110, which we found to be lacking in sparkle and no real improvement over Apple's free iPod pack-ins, despite their added size. The ...

Overall, the SE102MPA is a good but not great alternative to other $100 mic-and-earphone sets we've tested over the past year-the attractive price is an offset to its use of recycled parts. While the large earpieces can produce better sonic quality ...

Before we go into greater detail on Surge and Amphibx in otherwise separate reviews, we'll make one key point up front: both of these products take concepts that have been done before in products we've reviewed, and do them better. Surge is the best ...

Compatibility is the last major thing worth mentioning. Thanks to the special shape of the headphone plug, which is designed to fit into H2O's waterproof cases and armband, Surge is not compatible out of the box with the original iPhone, but can be ...

Though Klipsch picked a copper accent tone for Image-a love-it-or-hate-it color that the company has associated for some time with its products-the rest of the earpieces' design is unquestionably appealing. This isn't a Shure earphone that nestles ...

From our perspective, the only sticking point is Image's price to performance ratio. Q-JAYS, which we reviewed at a $179 suggested retail price back when exchange rates were far better than today, is still available for street prices of $175 and up, ...

This year, for better or worse, manufacturers decided to design their way out of visual neutrality. While Germany's Carl Zeiss turned to design house FROG Design for what regrettably became the uber-nerdy Cinemizer, Myvu partnered with Korea's INNO ...

Overall, though Shades was a fairly major disappointment for us-a model that we wouldn't prefer or recommend over its Solo Plus predecessor, despite battery and other enhancements-Crystal is the best 640x480 wearable display we've yet seen for the ...