Issue 13 - Headphone Test

iPhone News

SWIPE 4

Apps

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Feature

143

How-To

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NEWS • REVIEWS • TIPS

HANDS-ON

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Headphones On Test IN-DEPTH

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NEWS • REVIEWS • TIPS

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HELLO! Welcome to this sample of Swipe: the iPhone magazine. We’ve put together a taster of what each edition offers, with all the hottest iOS news, reviews of the latest apps and accessories, plus expert advice from the people that bring you Tips & Tricks – iPhone Secrets. We hope you enjoy this small slice of what Swipe has to offer, and don’t forget to check out the full free trial on the App Store. Happy reading!

THE SWIPE TEAM

Headphones

Feature

Group Test

Looking to replace your headphones?

We go hands-on with four sets

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APPLE EARPODS $29.00/£25.00

Do Apple’s own EarPods provide the best option for iPhone headphones?

W

hile you may get these free with the iPhone 5, some of you using the older iPhones may be wondering if it’s worth upgrading to this newer model, which features a unique shape ear better. As Apple stated when launching them, it’s

all headphone but Apple has attempted previous headphones that came with the iPhone, so it’s a good start.

One Size Fits All shape, it means there’s no changeable headphones. This leads to quite loads of sound leakage and exterior sounds are let in very easily. This isn’t too bad in a quiet area but in a noisy coffee shop, what you’re trying to listen to will be overwhelmed. >

The headphones themselves are made from plastic, which gives them a pretty solid feel and they don’t feel heavy in your ears. The in-line mic controls are also built from plastic and sit on the right-hand cable. These do feel a bit cheap and rather hollow when you press any of the buttons, but they do the job well enough.

Mr. Fuzzy them very competent at low volumes but when listening any higher, the edges of notes became very fuzzy. The bass was generally very good but tended to distort towards the higher volumes. >

Compared to the previous default headphones, these are a vast improvement and wouldn’t be too unhappy if I’d got them with the iPhone 5. If you’re looking to upgrade your better options available. These may be cheap but that also shows in the quality of material and overall sound clarity.

Available from Apple.

Apple’s EarPods are competent enough

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POWERJAX £99.95 (Order in UK Only)

Do these in-ear headphones provide a better experience than the EarPods?

T

he PowerJax from AtomicFloyd

it’s bright red cabling and aluminum earbuds. This may seem garish to some as they’re buried in your ears anyway. The earbuds themselves in your ear and with three interchangeable >

ear size. They also feel really well made with the whole construction having an air of quality. Even the in-line remote feels solid compared to the EarPods’ plastic affair.

The bottom half of the cable is surrounded by braided thread. This makes the cable less likely to break and harder to tangle if you put them in your pocket. The cable then splits halfway into two separate rubber cables that go to the earbuds. These are more can’t alter how far apart they rest, unlike the Apple EarPods. The headphone jack itself goes in at a 90-degree angle, which in a pocket >

can be troublesome. It does cut down on one of the traditional weak points of headphones but often requires you to maneuver the cable before placing it in your pocket.

Enough of the design; what do they sound like? The PowerJax have a rich quality that you don’t get with the Apple of each song as the bass and treble are more pronounced. The bass is especially strong even at low volumes but doesn’t tend to get too overpowering, depending they did feel too loud even at half capacity, while when walking near a the volume up a little more.

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The in-line mic gives you all the same function as the Apple EarPods. It’s very responsive to your presses but with only a small indent between the main central button and volume buttons, it requires an extra second to ensure you’re about to press the right one. The unit is placed on the opposite cable to the Apple brand, times I used them but is overcome when using them regularly.

When using the in-line controls, in trying to use Siri covers the microphone

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as it’s located directly in the middle of the remote. This seems like the only overlooked design feature as the PowerJax are designed with such care.

comfortably in the ear, and the build quality exceeds most others. The price is also less than other premium headphones by more famous manufacturers.

Available from Atomic Floyd or Apple.

Excellent in-ear headphones

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TRACKS HD $129.95/ÂŁ99.95

Over the ear headphones are currently in-vogue -- do these compete?

These over-the-ear headphones from SOL REPUBLIC are the most unique pair I’ve ever come across as the ear-cans themselves slide on and off the headband completely. This means that you can effectively discard of the headband and use the ear-cans as stand-alone speakers. They really do go that loud so if you must

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play music to a wide audience, these will you to customize your headphones by changing the headband to any of the eight available versions on its website, at unique offering and distinguishes them from the competition.

Once you’re wearing the Tracks HD, the ear-cans themselves slide up or down the headband easily to your comfort.

However, on my ears where they were comfortable on both

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ears at the same time. If I did, they often became uncomfortable with extended use and my ears hurt when taking them off. This may be due to relative newness of the headband pushing in and will hopefully relax over time. This does mean they feel very secure on your head and the headband itself is seemingly unbreakable with a little cushion that sits on top of your head to keep steady.

Feel the Bass

As for what they sound like, the Tracks HD are very good, with a focus on bass power making them sound impressive.

As mentioned earlier, turning up to full volume to use as speakers is extremely loud but anything towards the middle >

minimizing exterior sounds interrupting tad too much but that depends on what type of music you listen to.

The Tracks HD also come with an in-line remote and mic, which is made from plastic. The play/pause button is raised but the up and down volume are hard to tell apart; it takes a few seconds to click the correct one in a hurry. The unit feels a bit cheap compared to the rest of the system, but as it’s lightweight at least it won’t be pulling down on the cables connected to the ear-cans. The rest of the headphones are great to look at and are extremely stylish – so much so, even Olympic Gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps has a pair. >

With a slightly larger ear cushion on the cans themselves, these could really challenge the de facto over-ear headphones of choice, the Beats Solo HD, but at $70 less these are a good alternative. Available from SOL REPUBLIC and Apple online.

You can choose from several colors

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RHA MA 450i $49.95/ÂŁ39.95

The MA 450is come with a lower price tag. Does that make them sound budget?

O

n the side of the box, it claims that these earphones were inspired by the aerophonic design of a trumpet’s bell to give a richly detailed sound. similarities in the look of the your ear. They do indeed give a richly detailed sound with the whole range being covered, with no discernible distortion except at higher volumes that

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results in the bass becoming slightly overpowering.

Where the MA 450is come into their own is with the range of changeable earbuds. It comes with a total of seven sizes of ear. This is way more than the usual three and quite impressive for the low price. The only problem we had was that it did take some time to swap over a job to undertake at home. Once you almost all exterior sound is blocked out, even at low volumes.

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The earbuds themselves are made from machined aluminum and backed with plastic that makes them feel solid without adding weight to the ear. They’ll survive if you accidentally sit on them, that’s for sure. The in-line mic and remote is completely made from plastic, which is the only cheap-feeling part of the whole construction. The central button does feature a small dip to help up and down volumes without looking.

The Braid-y Bunch

Like the PowerJax, the MA 450is have a braided cable, but this one is entirely covered. Again this is meant to make it harder to break than it’s rubber counterparts. The headphone jack on >

Also available in white

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these go in straight rather than at 90 degrees. The rubber connecting to the could be a problem area over time, but it’s impossible to tell after using them for only a few weeks.

If you’re looking for something on the cheaper end of the scale, then you can’t go wrong with these. They may not offer the clarity of the PowerJax, but they’re not too far off. Available from RHA and Apple online.

The MA 450is offer good value