Customer Reviews

Apple Remote and Earbuds for iPod (White)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I got an iPod 20 for christmas last year and have been using it with the iBuds and remote. At first I thought "wow, this is great!" The remote is useful and the iBuds are better than anything from sony for less that $50. However I soon identified a specific list of problems with these. Let me tell you them:

1. The remote cable is way too long. At about 3 feet I was having problems keeping the remote cable and iBud cables tucked away so they'd be useful, and I (at 6 feet) am not exactly short on height in which to use up the cable length.

2. The iBuds have no bass. As a test of headphones I always listen to Seven Nation Army (White Stripes) or Are You Gonna Be My Girl (JET), since they both have heavy treble and very subtle bass. With the iBuds the treble and mid range came over clearly as I could want (I now know why Steve Jobs is half deaf), but the bass is completely inaudible.

3. The remote is very fragile. After about 3 months of intermittent use, my remote cable has somehow broken so that you only get audio in one ear unless you lay with the iPod suspended above your head. It's the oddest failiure I've ever had in headphones, and a bit dissapointing.

Overall I still like the iBuds, but i'm planning on upgrading to the in-ear model. I just wish they made a good, durable remote.

The remote control for iPod is inspired. I love it, and use it all the time. It's fragile, though, and I've been through two of them, working on my third, in less than two years. I had the remote in my purse, dropped my purse, and a nail polish bottle falling on the remote caused the back cover to break off. Not good.

The earphones have great, great sound, tremendous range, but... They are much too big for my ear canals. Wearing them for longer than fifteen minutes is painful. I'm investing in Sony earbuds for this reason. They tend to fit smaller ear canals better, and the EX-71SLB Fontopias definitely fit better, with their three sizes of bud covers. Can't go wrong there.

I use my IPod mini mostly at the gym. The remote is a handy little device that clips into either the mini, or full-sized IPod. The earphones produce great sound, but like so many "in-ear" devices fall out easily. Apple really needs to produce and include an "over the ear" type of headset.

The remote control has a clip so it can be attached to clothing. It is fully functional, including volume and hold switches.

Buy some decent Sony headphones, and you've got quite a good combo.

As a sound engineer for 25 years, I've tried a lot of headphones large and small and I can say that the sound of the Apple ear buds is the best in this class. The problem, is of course they don't fit everyone (me included). You can push and shove and still they fall out and/or cause pain.

After several years of this, it finally dawned on me (and others, I'm sure) that you don't have to wear them in the prescribed manner. Try placing them upside down, wire pointing up, element forward and wrap the cord around the back of your ear. You may very well find that the buds will sound better, rest comfortably and won't as easily fall out.

Please note that, despite the description, the remote does NOT work with all ipods with dock connector (the connector on the bottom of the ipod). The remote unit plugs into the headphone jack and adjacent connector on the top of the iPod. This adjacent connector does not appear on the top of the 5th generation video iPod.

Fortunately, my husband has an iPod mini so I gave this to him. Works great with that unit. My 3-star rating reflects the incorrect product compatibility information (which also appears on the product packaging).

I purchased this for use at the gym - the idea being that the remote was easier to reach than the mini. I like the ease of use, but have a few "problems" with it;

1) the clip is small, while good visually it is hard to attach to anything. For example, it clips better to the edge of my shirt than in the center.

2) there is a lot of extra cord - once you hook the ear buds in you end up with several feet of white cord which just gets in the way.

3) when the volume reaches a certain level there is some static, like a loose connection. I check to make sure everything is completely plugged in, but still there is some scratchy-ness that is not there with just the ear buds.

The end result is that the remote is a great add - on, but not a must have.

It is what it is but IMO the cord on it when attached to the iPod's headphone cord makes it dangle down near your knees. Makes it too long for average use. Could be useful when carrying it in a back pack though as it would reach into it with cord to spare. Surface of remote is mirrored like back of iPod. Buttons are easy to use and clearly marked. Should be lit however.

This delivers great convenience for people who carry their iPods in their bags or backpacks. However, this remote lacks durability of any kind. I have replaced this twice in a year because the cord keeps breaking. The cord does not stand any twisting at all.

I've had this product for about a month now, and must say it makes your Ipod so much more enjoyable. First, it has a great look and clips easily to your clothing or briefcase strap. I love not to have to get my Ipod out to forward, stop, pause, etc. Just store away your Ipod and forget about it. The cord is a bit long, but can always be tucked away. Overall, I'm so happy with this accessory, a MUST for Ipod owners.

My remote came with my iPod when I bought 2 years ago. The only time I don't use it is when I am using my iPod in my car, where I lay it on the seat next to me & have easy access. Otherwise my iPod is usually in its case, which is in a pants or jacket pocket, and so pulling it out just to change to another song is inconvenient. I often use my ipod while working, which means I'm doing things with my hands & moving around. So the overall concept is great. It features just what you would need to control in this situation: volume, FFWD/Rewind, advance/repeat a track, pause/play, and an on/off switch for the remote itself to prevent unwanted accidental changes when just listening. The remote is very easy to operate by holding in one hand and just using a thumb to select without having to look at the remote itself, which means I can get rid of a bad song or stop playing while someone's talking to me in a second. The only thing I could thing might be added in features would be a way to select a different playlist. I need some length for the remote, since it needs to extend out of my pocket & clamp on to something, however the 2 together is just too long. The gripper that attaches to fabric is just too small & could be designed better. My preferred placing of the remote would be on the lip of my pocket just outside my pants' pocket. However the combination of the remote's tiny grip area & the thicker material of my pants, makes it difficult to keep the remote attached while in a vertical position & so I often end up attaching it horizontally to the lip of the waist of my pants, though it pops off if I have to bend over to pick something up. It grips a little better on shirt fabric, but then it's more in the way for me (since I'm often holding things against my upper half). The end result is that because of the long cord & slight gripper, the remote oftentimes comes off & droops way down, usually catches something & then the earbuds get pulled out of my ears. The other problem with the remote is that there is no reinforcement around where the cord enters the plastic connection plug & so the wires end up getting exposed after 6 months, and sooner if you wrap the excess remote cord around your case.

As for the earbuds, I used to really like them, except after having gone through 2 pairs. They sounded pretty good initially, but after a few months I got buzzing in one of the ear buds (perhaps from the cheap metal covering getting bent). Apple replaced the first, but then said I'd have to pay $10 for another. So I ended up getting the Sennheiser 400s (which are $10 here). They just arrived today & I must say I should have upgraded to these earlier. They sound a lot better then the original earbuds & they come with a storage case (the other drawback to the earbuds).

So overall, the features of the remote itself are indispensible, though its design can be improved upon. However the price is a bit hefty, particularly given that the earbuds only last a few months & better quality ear buds are available for less.