headphones

Headphones that belong in the sink

Zumreed is a Japanese brand with a design sense that's as strange as its name. It popped up on Crave last year with its colorful droplet-shaped speakers, but it's probably best known for its fashion-conscious headphones. Its latest creation, however, is just plain bizarre. The "Sfit Jewelry Edition" has the unfortunate distinction of bearing "286 high-quality colorful studs" on its ear cans, for what purpose we have absolutely no idea. They're described as "smart, slim, style" headphones, but they look a lot more like pot scrubbers or perhaps some kind of … Read more

All-in-one earmuff-headphone-goggles

Maybe this is what Oakley had in mind before its sudden lapse in creating the "Medusa Hat."

Von Zipper's "Feenom Goggles" and headphone earmuffs may not score fashion points, but at least they don't look post-apocalyptic. They're also more functional than the Medusa ensemble, especially if you're on the ski slopes.

The whole Feenom set is geared toward active types, according to Book of Joe, with an "articulated helmet hinge" on the goggles and "large fluffy earmuff headphones" meant to stay put in mid-shred. We have no idea … Read more

JVC HA-S900 High Grade Lightweight Headphones reviewed

For those earbud-phobic users who favor portability over features such as active noise-cancellation, there's the category of headphones that includes over-the-ear speakers and compact designs. Within that, we have JVC's line of Lightweight headphones, which is topped by the aptly-coined "high grade" HA-S900. These $130 'phones offer a good combination of comfort, portability, and pleasing sound. Read the full review.

Jays BlueStreamer 2: Bluetooth widget of the King

There are two kinds of people in the world: people who use the cheap, nasty, uncomfortable, crappy-sounding earbuds supplied with their phone or MP3 player, and people who upgrade. If you fall into the first group, stop reading now and go back to your musical purgatory. For people in the second group, the Jays BlueStreamer 2 is a widget weighing less than half an ounce that lets you use your favorite headphones with your Bluetooth phone.

Charge the BlueStreamer via USB, pair it with your phone, plug in the 3.5-millimeter jack of your favorite headphones and start tappin' those … Read more

Pimp my earbuds

It's hard to figure out which pair of earphones will best match your taste in music. Even after carefully considering all the hundreds of options, trolling audiophile forums, and finding the best price, the fact of the matter is that everybody's ears are different. What's right for the metalhead may not be right for the jazz fan.

A startup company named Sleek Audio is making a bold attempt to address listeners' fickle listening preferences by allowing them to customize bass and treble performance with an interchangeable set of high-frequency filters and bass ports. Sound complicated? Well, it … Read more

Do you know Jack?

Meet Jack. Jack hates tangled earphone wires. He's a bit of a neat freak, actually, but that's good news for you. Jack would just love to help you keep your cords free from tricky twists and gnarled knots, if only you would give him a chance. Just throw your earbuds over Jack's shoulders, twist the cable around his neck and feet, stick the plug in his hand, and Jack's a happy camper. Chances are you will be, too, because instead of spending time detangling cords, you can get right to listening to your music. Jack will … Read more

Where sensitivity is our middle name.

EPISODE 21 Digg users revolt, EA strikes back, Lost alternate reality game and a $600 rebate for your taxes... plus win some expensive headphones for listening.

Dr. Dre's 'Beats' headphones

As far as celebrity-branded products are concerned, at least this makes more sense than the J. Lo USB drive. Dr. Dre --never one to miss a marketing opportunity himself--is getting into audio gear with a pair of headphones made by Monster.

But we're not sure if his name alone will justify the $400 price of the "Beats" line when there are so many other high-end headphones on the market. And as MobileWhack says, it might help if there was something current by Dre to listen to.

CES 2008: MP3 and PVP wrap-up

Every year, we CNET Editors approach CES with a mixture of excitement and some underlying, stress-induced dread. The show is always a lot of work--and spending five days in the dry Vegas climate when accustomed to San Francisco's damp (cigarette smoke-free) air almost guarantees coming back with a cold--but at least we have some shiny new gadgets to look forward to seeing. And yet CES 2008 just didn't quite deliver in the MP3 and PVP category...or several others, apparently.

Don't get me wrong: Senior Editor Donald Bell and I saw plenty of cool gear. However, most … Read more