November 17, 2014

Nocs NS500 Aluminum In-Ear Headphones Review

November 17, 2014/ Nir Schneider

In the market for a new pair of in-ear headphones under $100? Nocs has got you covered with its most recent offering – the NS500 Aluminum. Let's face it, if you're an iPhone user you probably still haven't taken your EarPods out of the packaging and that's perfectly understandable. The EarPods have an outstanding microphone and audio clarity, but they also lack isolation, and therefore bass. Almost any third party alternative is going to offer you better overall sound quality and a more secure in-ear fit. Over the years Nocs has consistently amazed us with its in-ear headphones, most notably the dual dynamic driver-equipped NS600 Crush model that we reviewed a couple of years ago. Unlike the NS600 Crush, the newer NS500 Aluminum feature a solid build made entirely out of CNC-machined lightweight aluminum that has been given an Apple-esque quality finish complete with a jewelry-like chamfer-cut highlight that literally begs to be paired up with an iPhone or iPad.

The NS500's titanium-coated diaphragm 8mm dynamic drivers claim to deliver the listener with an "amazing sonic experience that offers impeccable balance, rich detail and a deep bass". A flat tangle-free Kevlar reinforced cable features Nocs' slim and lightweight, Apple iDevice-compatible 3-button remote with MEMS microphone for headset use and music playback control. Don't fret though, there's also an Android-supported version of the NS500 available as well. Be sure to catch the full and in-depth review to find out if Nocs' impressively made NS500 Aluminum sound as phenomenal as they are stunningly beautiful.

April 02, 2014

Jays a-Jays Five In-Ear Headphones Review

April 02, 2014/ Nir Schneider

Good design and good sound for a good price is hard to beat. And for many years that very ideology was kept alive by Jays – the sophisticated Swedish headphone maker known for its attention to detail, as well as one of the best three-button remote with a high-performance microphone to ever be designed and integrated into an in-ear headset. Recently Jays introduced the a-Jays Five, the company's new flagship in-ear headphones with a promise to one-up the a-Jays Four by doings things better. But most importantly, the a-Jays Five are Jays most considerate in-ear headphones yet. No longer will iOS users be the only ones to enjoy the greatness of Jays' unique, full-featured inline remote and mic. Whether you're an iOS, Android or Windows user, the a-Jays Five are available in three individual models designed not only to aesthetically compliment each of the three ecosystems, but fully support them natively.

We have never seen such dedication from other brands as much as Jays puts effort into engineering three entirely different experiences in order to make everyone happy. It's groundbreaking. Should the a-Jays Five be your next iOS, Android or Windows in-ear headphones with enriched integrated headset functionality? Read our in-depth review to find out if the a-Jays Five are the right pair for you.

June 04, 2013

AKG K391 NC In-Ear Headphones Review

June 04, 2013/ Nir Schneider

Up until this point, noise-canceling headphones were all a bunch of poorly designed pieces of cheap plastics costing a lot more that you've bargained for. Recent outings namely from Harman Kardon, changed all that with an attentive touch for good design. AKG is known to make great sounding gear, and if you don't plan on purchasing the company's $1,300 set of technologically advanced K3003 in-ear headphones, then how about their second most expensive set at $200. It comes as no surprise that AKG, now a Harman owned Austrian audio brand, released arguably one of the best looking active noise-canceling in-ear headphones in their class. The K391 NC are in-ear headphones with active noise-cancellation out to recreate studio quality sound with the serenity of unwanted ambient noise inside your ears. Join us after the break as we take a deeper look at AKG's K391 NC!

May 27, 2013

id America The New Metropolitan In-Ear Headphones Review

May 27, 2013/ Mike Palumbo

Our case-making friends over at id America are at it again with their newly released the new Metropolitan in-ear headphones, and we are very excited to give them a thorough review. What’s great about these headphones is they won’t burn a hole in your pocket. Coming in at under $30, they are just as affordable as the iPhone cases we all spend money on. We had our hands on some of id America's other offering, namely the company's Spark in-ear headphones which we found to be good enough to recommend. So naturally were hoping the low price point of the Metropolitan won’t come with lower build and sound quality. Let’s jump right into the review and give you all a break down of the features, build quality, and sound to see if id America has another winner on their hands.

April 18, 2013

NuForce NE-700M Sound-Isolating In-Ear Headphones Review

April 18, 2013/ Mike Palumbo

Oh boy! Our good friends over at NuForce are at it again with a fresh new line of in-ear headphones just in time for the warmer days ahead. It seems NuForce blesses us all with superior products this time a year and it usually brings a smile to our faces. I was fortunate enough to have Nuforce send me out a pair of their latest noise-isolating NE-700M in-ear headphones. Not to be confused with the NE-7M in-ears, but if the 700m are equivalent to the older versions, we are in for a very nice treat. Big sound in a small package is what I am expecting from the 2013 version sent my way for review. What’s fabulous about Nuforce is their price point for these types of in-ear headphones. Coming in at under $80 sounds like a great value to me, so lets get right into this review!

January 27, 2013

RHA MA450i In-Ear Headphones Review

January 27, 2013/ Bobby Zhang

Last time we gave you the full break-down on RHA's SA950i on-ear headphones and we were thoroughly impressed. Now we're back ears-on with RHA's MA450i in-ear headphones which we definitely have high standards for. Boasting both excellent build quality and superior sound at an affordable price, RHA is not out to drain your wallet but to satisfy the audiophile in you. Head on past the break as we put these earphones to the test and give you our full review.

October 13, 2012

Nocs NS600 Crush In-Ear Headphones Review

October 13, 2012/ Nir Schneider

Nocs continues to impress us with yet another new offering that is extending the Swedish line of solid in-ear headphones so called the NS600 Crush. And boy are they looking fine as fine can be. We expect no less coming from the land that gave us Spotify, Abba, IKEA, Absolut, blondacious girls and our most favorite meatballs. That about covers it I think. Aside from that, Nocs has a knack for numbering its headphones in a series of ascending numbers. The higher the number, the more premium your audio experience will get apparently.

Nocs' latest NS600 Crush carry a dual dynamic driver setup that can pump out sound said to be comparable to a set of full fledged headphones - if not better. Our full review awaits you on the other side!