36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
So-so sound, clunky button... wait for a better set, July 31, 2007
This review is from: Rivet Stereo Earphones / Headset (iPhone Compatible) (Electronics)
I am one of the many folks who find the iPhone earbuds unwearable, so I went to my local Apple Store (hi, Oscar at The Domain!) and purchased the
V-Moda Vibe Duo Earbuds (iPhone Compatible) in-ear headset. Fantastic sound quality, but there's no button. I didn't think I'd miss it that much--I don't get a lot of phone calls--but it turns out that I use the "pause" and "skip" function a lot more than I thought I did. Waking up the phone and unlocking it was getting inconvenient so, with regret, I returned the Vibe Duos.
Then I saw folks in an iPhone forum saying that the first third-party earbuds with a button were out. The Rivet earbuds (which, I notice, have lost their ten-buck discount since last Thursday and are now selling at full pop--too bad!) are indeed fully compatible with the iPhone.
I like the lanyard arrangement--they've done a neat job with that. Here's how it works: the bottom of the Y junction that you see in the photo is a fixed connector point. Above the mic button, there's another connector, but this one slides. To start, you slide it all the way to the top (up to the earbuds). Put this (large) loop over your neck. Now pull the earbuds back through it (slide the slider back down), making the loop smaller, until the cords are a comfortable length to reach your ears. The moveable slider sits at the back of your neck, so that even if you take out both buds, you still have the cord (between the two sliders) around your neck like a necklace. The clever part is that that moveable slider is actually split into two pieces. When you take the set off, you can slide the top half of it all the way back up to the buds, making them less tangle-prone, while leaving the bottom half at the proper setting, making it easy to maintain the correct loop-length adjustment. Cute!
Unfortunately, it seems to me that the quality of the speakers themselves is not that good. I've tried all three sets of inserts, so it's not that. The sound is no better than the Apple buds, and significantly poorer than the V-Modas. Also, the button/mic casing is huge (1.5" long) compared to the Apple or V-Moda, and the clicker is a little more difficult to manage... it's a small button recessed into the large casing. Sometimes I try to click it and, in trying to grasp it, wind up double-clicking instead. Lastly, there's no case or pouch to store your buds when you're not using them.
Long story short, for twenty bux they're okay--I'll continue to use them, if only because the Apple buds are downright painful to me--but as soon as V-Moda or Ultimate Ear come out with a set with the button, I'm switching over.
Edited to add: Wow, they've gone up ANOTHER five bux since I wrote this (six hours ago). At twenty they were just about right; at thirty-five, ehhh... I'd wait another few weeks for the V-Modas with button, which are due out in August.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh Yeah!, December 31, 2007
This review is from: Rivet Stereo Earphones / Headset (iPhone Compatible) (Electronics)
I've had Shure e3c's, lusted after the 4c and 5c models. This isn't a Shure sound. It is however every bit as good as the original ipod ear buds. For me, they are better as they are canal style which means I can block out outside noises. Also the original ipod ear buds do not fit my ears at all.
What I truely love about these, and what makes them different is the cable. The cable is a lanyard style, which means it goes over your head and the buds go up to your ears from behind. This means that even if a bud falls out, they will stay around your head. Also, if you need to pull them out to talk to somone, you can just let them dangle around your neck till you put them back in. Awesome.
Also, the cable is the thickest I've seen of any earbud, and has a braided material around it that serves two purposes. First, they rarely tangle. Second, it is a much better insulator for sound being carried via brushing against the cable.
If you want the best sound out there, there are better choices. If you want very good sound, and a very reasonable cost (I lose earbuds in my travels all the time). Then I highly recommend these.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not worth it, April 9, 2008
This review is from: Rivet Stereo Earphones / Headset (iPhone Compatible) (Electronics)
I bought these headphones about a month ago and it's already broken. The left earbud sound has been cut already. Also, when you're walking or making slight movements, you can hear the cord hitting against you and it messes with the sound of what you're listening to.
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