I used to have headphones very similar to these. They were a birthday gift from a dear friend… along with his first generation iPhone which he was kind enough to give me and let me hack to bits so I could use it in Canada long before the 3G launched and tweak it further so that I don’t get dinged for using data (I stick with wifi when I can get it). He specifically bought those to go with the iPhone since it has that ridiculous recessed headphone jack that makes things needlessly complicated. Now while I loved those Nike headphones since they were perfect for working out, I did not love how the sound from the left speaker died after a few months and no amount of fiddling with the wire could bring it back for more than a song at a time. Alas. I didn’t want to spend the money to get a new set since enough of the reviewers complained about the same issue I had, so I tried to look at other options.
I am not entirely opposed to earbuds; I just don’t want any in my ears. I have one pair of super cheap ones from Shoppers Drug Mart that I keep with my DS (just in case I need them in a pinch) and they are surprisingly comfortable for shorter periods, assuming I am sitting down and never move my head more than a few millimetres. I’ve always been partial to the neckband/backphone style headphones like the Nike pair above ever since my brother ‘lent’ me a Sony set that I still use to this day. With the 3G out — and the launch iPhone never having been released in Canada — shopping locally for accessories is generally futile. However, after despairing on ever finding a pair of headphones that I liked, were portable and less than several hundred dollars (Canadian, preferably)*, and fit my phone. Eventually my mother picked up on my exasperation and suggested I just suck it up and buy an adapter and stop whining. Though the price for the Shure Music Adapter was more than the headphones I was trying to replace, it has certainly been worth the cash. I love using my (fine, technically my brother’s) Sony neckband set with the phone and the button functions beautifully as a play/pause button so I don’t have to remove the unit from my pocket at all. I’ve only used the mic on it once but the caller never complained about background noise while I was out on the street so I am taking that as a good sign.
*have you ever tried on a pair of these? I was first introduced to them by Sean Carruthers ages ago and I’m still silently lusting after them. The sound is heavenly. Seriously, go try some.
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Jenn, if you liked those Nike headphones, you should really get yourself a pair of iGrados http://www.gradolabs.com/product_pages/igrado.htm They’ll sound at least as good as the “Beats by Dre” (probably better) and are well within your price range. I love mine.
Hmm. Those look pretty nifty so I will keep an eye out for them. I should do a post later on the pair I ‘borrowed’ from my brother. They are so ratty now and almost held together with tape; it’s be awesome if I could find a new pair of those too!
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