Griffin EarJams
Company: Griffin Technology
Price: $14.99
http://www.griffintechnology.com
As I stated in a review of another iPod Shuffle product, there was one primary reason that I finally joined the iPod craze and bought myself an iPod Shuffle. I run. Three or four times a week, I run 2 miles, sometimes a bit more if I’m really on a good run day. The reason that I wanted an iPod was that I was tired of carrying my portable digital CD player or my “sport†portable tape cassette player or wearing the headphone radio that I constantly had to turn my head sideways to get a station that I could listen to somewhat clearly while I was running.
Now the iPod comes with its own earphones, known as earbuds. When I first used the iPod, I really enjoyed the sound coming from the iPod although I found it a bit tinny at times. But when I went running, maybe 10 minutes into the run, pop, out came one of the earbuds. There was never any rhyme or reason, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 3 minutes and pop, the earbud, either ear, would pop out. I’m sure people watching me run were wondering why that guy kept putting his finger into his ear. Well, it was me trying to keep the earbud in my ear. It wasn’t working too well as they would just not fit properly in my ear.
Enter Griffin’s EarJams. EarJams snap right onto your iPod earbuds and with their soft rubber ear pads really make the earbuds more comfortable to wear. With their cone shape, they do deliver improved sound and add more bass for your listening pleasure. The three ear pads that come with the package – small, medium, and large in size, allow the user to find the size that fits best. Griffin also includes a protective carrying case for the remaining ear pads and to store your earbuds.
Griffin advises that the EarJams, because of their design, increase the volume that is coming out of your earbuds by about 10 percent, so be careful when you first turn on your iPod, particularly when you first use them. I can tell you that there is a marked difference between Apple’s earbuds and earbuds with the EarJams on them. They do produce a louder sound, the bass is definitely improved and the earbuds will no longer just pop out of your ear. Since switching to the EarJams, I’ve not had the problem with the earpieces popping out of my ears. Running is definitely more fun and I no longer run with a finger to my ear.
Since EarJams add more bass to the sound coming from your iPod, a user may want to use them based upon the music that they are listening to at that time. I really don’t think that a symphony orchestra really needs to have bass added to it, but if you are into music with pounding beats, EarJams will definitely work for you.
One thing that I must point out to someone looking for total outside sound dampening, you will not get that with the EarJams. They provide an increase in the volume of music but they do not block outside sounds from still being heard. If you are sitting and listening to your iPod, this isn’t a problem nor is it a problem when you’re running outdoors. You want to hear the sound of a car coming up behind you or your neighbor’s dog as it comes charging at you while you’re running. However, if you’re running inside on a treadmill you are going to definitely hear the sound of the treadmill, which will probably result in you cranking up the volume on your iPod.
Overall, an excellent product that most definitely provides a more comfortable use of the earbuds. I would definitely recommend them.
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