Alongside the iPhone 5, Apple also released it’s completely redesigned headphones on September 12. The headphones, called Earpods, deliver superb sound quality in a comfortable package.
Don’t let the alien-like design be deceiving. The most noticeable thing about Earpods is their comfort. They’re quite a change from the painful previous generation that nobody used. Even with a shake of the head, Earpods don’t fall out, making them especially good for those who listen to music while doing sports. In addition, the volume buttons are larger and easier to press to accommodate those with big hands.
The only annoyance is that they are not in-ear headphones, so they will often have to be turned up to compete with wind noise. Although in-ear headphones would be better on windy days, for the most part, Earpods are the better option.
When you plug in your tunes, the most noticeable addition is the new deep bass. Music isn’t just heard, it’s like it’s like the band is there. Although heavy bass can overshadow other instruments, especially voices, this was not particularly noticeable when using Earpods.
To get a good comparison, I put the old headphones that came with my iPhone 4S in one ear and the Earpods in the other and played songs at the same volume. When playing “What If “ by Coldplay (light rock), the drums pop and are the easiest to hear, making guitar hard to hear. In the previous headphones, the guitar was easy to hear but the drums were non-existent. In the intro, when it was just voice and piano, each was easy to hear in the Earpods. When I took the Earpods out to just hear the old heaphones, the voice and piano especially sound faded and dull.
I then played a rock song, “Back in Black” by AC/DC, to see how Earpods handle the heavier music and the different levels of volume of instruments. The guitar volume was louder than in this song, so it was just about even with the drums for both pairs of headphones. The last generation headphones definitely sounded more dull.
Overall, Apple did a great job redesigning their headphones. They’re everything the last pair wasn’t: comfortable, and enjoyable to listen to, perhaps rivaling some high end manufacturers such Bose or Monster in the process.
