Customer Reviews

Griffin EarThump Earphones (Black)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

My review seems to be the polar opposite of Arun's. Hmmm.


Let me start this review by stating that I am a headphone and ear bud junkie. I currently own at least five pairs. So when I had the opportunity to review the Griffin EarThumps, I leapt at the chance.

For those who do not know the difference, `headphones' refer to over-the-ear units with a connecting bonnet of some kind. They fall to two sub-categories open and closed air. Then there are `ear buds', or `earbuds' if you prefer. These are the hearing-aid style headphones that get inserted into the ear or, in some cases, ear canal. For the audiophile on the go, buds are the ticket. They're small, consume little power and can deliver astounding audio quality. Many have the added benefit of blocking out external noise allowing for music to be enjoyed at a lower volume.

Headphone and ear bud design is an exercise in compromise. In the lower price range, even more so. When shopping for ear buds, expect to find prices ranging from below -$10.00 to over $200.00. As you climb the scale, audio quality and comfort go up, distortion goes down, and the range of sound from low bass to high treble gets wider. In cheaper units, you will usually find units with good base at the expense of high-end frequency response; the exact opposite (good high/poor base); or a mid frequency compromise that doesn't do justice to either. So. Enter the Griffin EarThumps at a retail price of $19.99. I did not expect too much and was extremely surprised by what I've found.

First the basics. What is in the box? A pair of ear buds offered in either white or black. Matching the current iPod, and iPod nano models. A very high quality zippered fabric case (more on that later), and interchangeable soft-rubber tips in three sizes - you know, the part that actually gets inserted into your ear. The EarThumps connect via the ubiquitous 3.5mm stereo plug and will work with any audio playing gear using a standard headphone jack.

Next up is the build quality. Wow. The fit and finish and attention to detail is amazing at this price point. Griffin provides a product that looks like it should have a three digit dollar figure. The supplied case seems to be some kind of Cordura. Unzip and it opens like a book. Each half equipped with a little elastic mesh pocket. The left side also sports it's own zippered sub-pocket to store the extra ear-tips. To use the case, place an ear bud in each mesh pocket. Allow the cord to dangle free. Zip the case shut three-quarters shut, twirl the headphone cord around two fingers and stuff the resulting spool into the case. Zip shut. I also own a set of Griffin EarJams, which are an add-on accessory to the stock Apple ear buds. The EarJams come with the exact same case. So I've had time to develop my technique.

When setting up the EarThumps for use, try them with the `middle size' tips, If too tight or loose, pull off the tip and snap on a different size. By the way, there is no rule that says they must be symmetrical. You can have a medium tip on the left and a large on the right. Ideally, the buds should fit well enough not to fall out, and you should forget that they are in. Some of the high-end bud manufacturers advise wetting the ear buds before inserting. They also recommend tugging your ear up and back as you insert the bud. When you let-go of your ear, the fit on the bud gets tighter. With the EarThumps, mercifully, no wetting is needed. And usually no tugging either, unless you just can't get the bud to stay in your ear regardless of the size tip used.

WARNING: TURN YOUR IPOD VOLUME DOWN BEFORE HITTING PLAY. If your volume is high, these ear buds will feel like you're resting your head on a state monitor at a concert.

On to audio quality. The EarThumps have superb high-end frequency response. Very low distortion and so-so base response (definitely good enough to get by). They are so crisp that I find myself re-discovering my old music collection - hearing nuances that I never knew were there. Compare these to the standard issue Apple ear buds and you will find cleaner high-end sound and comparable, maybe slightly lower base.

Comfort. I have not shelled out the big money for some truly elitist ear buds, so cannot speak to their comfort. But within my budget, I have never found ear buds that are 100% totally comfortable. The EarThumps come close. Also, living in Alaska usually means having to wear a hat from time-to-time. The Griffin EarThumps are the first ear buds, or headphones of any type, that I have been able to wear with a winter hat pulled over my ears. Every other model of buds seem to get knocked out of the ear after a few minutes under a hat. The EarThumps have a very low profile and the hat just doesn't have much contact with them.

In conclusion, Griffin could have prices the EarThumps at twice the price and I strongly believe that the consumer would be getting their money's worth at that! At under twenty dollars U.S., they are quite a gem of a bargain. If I were Sony or even Etymotic, I would be worried about now. I've been using the EarThumps for the past 10 days now. They have climbed the ranks to become my favorite all-around ear bud.

I love my EarThump Earphones!!! They fit my ears (the smallest of the three sizes), and their sound is great too. Before I found them, I was about to despair at the original ones my iPod came with -- painful, and they kept falling out. I started wondering what the fuss was all about and was almost ready to chuck the whole thing. I tried two other models of earbuds in that price range (one set even came with thingies that wrapped around the ears) but they were hardly better -- and still fell off. I even tried full-size headphones, but that seemed kind of silly.

Enter EarThumps: Saw them at the airport, bought them, and never looked back. It's been six months, and I still love them, and they still work great. If they should break one of these days, I will definitely get another set!

The new EarThumps use a thinner gauge wire, which might account for signal downgrade. In a side-by-side comparison to a pair I bought about 6 months ago, the new ones have visibly thinner and less flexible wire, making them prone to breaking and shorting. If Griffin changed the wire, they may have changed other components as well, which might account for the discrepancies in reviews here.

I bought my first pair of EarThumps because the ear buds that came with my iPod were uncomfortable and, due to their design, leaked a lot of sound and forced me to keep the volume high, affecting battery life.

The EarThumps were an immediate improvement, fitting comfortably and sealing nicely so that I didn't have to crank the volume. This also provided a fuller bass and dynamic range.

After a few months the wire broke near the jack and I would lose the left channel unless I held the wire straight. I figured dropping it repeatedly into my pocket was stressing the wire at this sensitive point and eventually caused it to break. I vowed to be more careful with the next set.

Within a week I bought a new pair of EarThumps and immediately noticed it had a thinner gauge wire which was less flexible and didn't hang like the old one (I compared the two side by side and the difference was obvious). The only reason I can figure they did this was to save money on manufacture, once they had developed a good reputation. Too bad, because I could easily do without the little case that comes with them, which is useless to anyone not suffering from a neatness compulsion or OCD.

Obviously I'm disappointed in the change and the underhanded marketing. Since the wire wasn't very resilient in the first place, it will only be weaker now. I bought the EarThumps based on my previous experience, and I feel like they've used the old "bait and switch" on me.

I'll definitely look elsewhere when it comes time to replace them. My recommendation to Griffin: keep the essentials and the quality (i.e. cabling and components) and drop the fluff like little zipper bags the next time you want to cut costs.

Griffin Ear Thumps, for the price, are an excellent choice for all around listening versatility. As to fit, they don't make par for my jogging(running) yet much depends on your ear canal size. As to clarity - they rival and/or exceed Apple OEMs. They really shine in the comfort department, espcecially great for plugging into a laptop and watching movies because you forget they're on and that's the way it should be. A nice broad reasonable range of lows and highs. The cord, contrary to other reviewers' opinions, is not too thin but is in fact very substantial. I have earbuds with cords half as thin which makes for a mess and as such I rarely use them, but the thumper cords are great. The Thumps are great little buds for a very cool price and should be a staple in every collection.

Hey all, in my opinion this is the best bang for the buck. You get what you'd want in higher end headphones in terms of comfort, style and sound isolation, but the biggest con of these earbuds is the quality of sound. I've been using my Sony MDR-EX71SL's for about a year and a half (went through 3 pair, they have cords which fray really quickly), and in comparison to the EarThumps, the Sony quality is much true to how the CD sounds on my shelf unit. The EarThumps "attempt" to produce a fuller effect, wherein you feel like you are immersed in the music, however, it only ends up making the bass overpower the treble, causing the trebel and vocals to sound muffled on many of the tracks I listen to.

It will work, it will last, and it sounds okay, I think I got my $19 worth, rather than paying $45-50 for another set of my Sony's which I would have to replace in another 4 months.

Earthumps are very comfortable , block out a good deal of room sound and have good fidelity. A bargain for the price.

I've seen a lot of reviewers just pan these right out of the box, but you have to give them a bit of time and find which cover fits your ear best. There is good advice in the reviews above on fitting. One size may obviously fit your ear right away, but I had to try out the smallest and the mediums before I decided on the smallest being the most comfortable and best fit for long listens. I've not had any trouble with them pulling or falling out. Finding the right size is key to this but also where you place your player. The cable is a good length but not several feet long so don't over-extend it or I'm sure they would fall out alot. Also, check your volume levels before pressing play or you'll deafen yourself.
I've put them through the paces with various types of music and they seem to do pretty well. An equalizer can help (which most MP3 players are gonna have), but I felt they handled Mogwai's My Father My King well with the bass boosted on my ipod. I listen to lots of different music and it has all sounded pretty good so far. I'm happy with them especially since they were rather cheap. Not a replacement for my big studio headphones at home, but they definitely would work well for walking aroun or long car rides with the family. They seem to block sound pretty good and, though I've not tried it yet, I imagine they would be decent on a bus ride as well. Just keep in mind that you do have to find your fit with the covers and you may have to tweek your EQ settings for the occasional album. For in-ear headphones, they fit way better and more comfortable than the stock ipod set. I have avoided in-ear headphones because of bad experiences, but I would recommend these for anyone just wanting some cheap headphones to listen to walking to class or anything like that.

These are way better than PHILLIPS noise cancelling.Have been using these for about a year with no issues. They fit quite snug in the ears and sound quality is pretty good. The earbuds also reduce the ambient noise really good.
Bass is decent.For the price these are really good replacements for the original ipod ear buds.

I had a pair of these that I loved until my cat chewed them up. I had to resort back to the regular ipod set and what horrid sound quality compared to the Griffin EarBuds. I immediately bought another pair of these. They sound awesome and fit good. I can only think that the negative reviews are from people who didnt use them right, meaning they are in-ear-canal headphones and must be sized and placed correctly. Must be careful with volume though, these will destroy hearing if used too loud!

I've used various kinds of ear buds for 15 years or so and these are by far the best fitting. They do not hurt my ear (like the iPod ear buds and others) and they do not spontaneously pop out (like the ear buds where you have to squish the rubber before putting them in your ear). I am not an audiophile so am not very sensitive to treble/midrange/bass balance issues, but I will say this. I used these when mowing and I was able to hear my podcast just fine over the mower with no distortion... Even better than the full cover-the-ear traditional headphones I have been using! Also they stayed in the whole time.

I can't believe I've found the ear buds that are perfect for me at this low price! Thanks Griffin... I'll be buying a pair to keep at work, a pair for my wife, ...