Is there really such a thing as a worthwhile set of earphones for less than $10? I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but I think there is.
Last week I spent some time trying out a set of iLuv City Lights earphones, which list "Explosive Bass" as a feature, as if that were a good thing. I imagined the sound I hear coming from SUVs with fancy rims and low-profile tires.
I was also disconcerted by the fact that the headphones came in seven colors. That is often how manufacturers tempt people to buy cheap electronics. (It matches your messenger bag!) Further raising doubt was the cost. While full price for the headphones was $20, I found them online at $6 from respectable retailers.
So maybe it was a case of low expectations, but when I fired up the City Lights I was pleasantly surprised. The bass wasn't as much explosive as it was nicely pronounced, but not entirely at the cost of mid- and high-range sounds.
Make no mistake, these earphones are in no way an aficionado headset, but they are pleasing: warm and clear, with a bit of that old analog sound to them. Like comfort food for the ears.
And at $6, how big a risk are you taking? Well, actually, it could be quite a risk. Of the sample earphones iLuv sent along, one pair didn't work at all and another was missing parts -- it had only one each of the large and small replacement ear plug tips, when a pair of each is required.
OK, so you know that ordering online may not be the best idea. It may be worthwhile to pay a dollar or two more to buy them in a store where you can test them on the spot (after you pay for them, of course).
More options for streaming music around the house
Sonos has made its name by making it simple to stream music wirelessly from a Mac or PC to its well-designed remote speakers. With Sonos, multiple-speaker systems can play the same or different tracks, or even the same track with different start times. To control the music, you use an app on a smart phone, iPod Touch, or iPad, or you can use the Sonos app on your computer.
The company has had the wireless audio streaming market pretty much to itself, but the competition may begin to heat up.
The first group of new audio products is becoming available to stream music from a computer, iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch to speakers or audio receivers equipped with Apple's AirPlay wireless standard.
I recently took a look at the iW1 AirPlay speaker system from iHome. The product's packaging is elegant and the system is easy to set up because of its simple, logical manual.
There are some significant differences between the iHome and Sonos products. Unlike the iHome system, which has a rechargeable battery, Sonos units can be run only from household current. Sonos plays the music on your computer, using a portable device strictly as a remote; the iHome dock plays the music from any AirPlay-aware device. Also, Sonos does not offer the extensive program information I found when listening to Internet radio stations using the iW1.
But Sonos offers its own list of advantages. The sound quality of Sonos is noticeably better than iHome's, and unless your Wi-Fi connection is rock solid, your music may stop playing on the iW1; it did for me for several seconds. Sonos uses its own mesh network, which it claims is more resistant to interference (and is, in my experience).
While the iW1 and the Sonos Play:3 each cost about $300 per unit, the portability of the iHome product means you can buy just one and easily move it from room to room. But if the quality of the music is critical, and you like the idea of playing different music in different parts of the house, Sonos is the way to go.
Dust off your Kangol, this cassette app's for you
They say that fashion is cyclical. The same goes for technology. Most cell phones are the epitome of trendiness, but just think how cool you'll be if you hark back to the 1980s with AirCassette, an app that turns your iPhone into a cassette player.
The $1.99 app, available in the iTunes App Store, displays your music in handwritten script on a background designed to resemble a cassette tape. The reels actually spin and you can create and share mixtapes with your friends via email or Facebook, just as we used to do back in 1986. The Finnish programming house Majasalmi, known for its Russian Roulette iPhone game, created and built this decidedly lower-key app.
Watching a cassette tape spin on the iPhone's high-resolution display is oddly calming and, thanks to digital compression, the audio is far superior in AirCassette than it ever was on my Sony Walkman.
The app is AirPlay-compatible and has its own iTunes music interface, allowing you to build queues on the fly. It comes with multiple cassette designs that resemble popular blank tapes of the era, including a bright red style that is reminiscent of West German rock 'n' roll cassettes circa 1989, perfect for recreating the heady days of the Velvet Revolution.
First Published November 12, 2011, 12:34 a.m.
