Comply NR-10i High Tech Noise Reduction Earphone w/ Mic
COMPANY: Hearing Components
PRICE: $79.95
www.complyfoam.com
In what seems to be an overcrowded market for music devices and accessories, we have another set of earphones for the purpose of sound isolation while listening to your fave raves. These particular phones should not be taken lightly, or even with a grain of salt.
Comply has done ample research into the materials and manufacture of a quality set of isolation phones. That is the real purpose of these little beauties.
They are comfortable right off the bat. To me this is a godsend. They’re easy to insert and they’re not uncomfortable. They’re in-ear buds and I’ve never worn a set yet that I would call comfortable. Kudos to Comply for their research and engineering in the fit and comfort department.
The Comply NR-10i’s have a very smooth sound and good volume. Compared to some of the other phones we’ve evaluated, the Comply offering is somewhere in the middle of the field in the sound department. That’s not a bad place to be. Some companies tout their products as being “the best” or “high end” and charge prices that are, in our opinion, simply not justified.
The Comply NR-10i’s are priced right. They do not have the highs and brightness of the Future Sonic Atrio M8’s, reviewed July 8, 2008. Compared to the Sure SE 110 Isolating Earphones, the NR-10i’s are a little bassier, not quite as bright, with the mids of the SE 110’s being more apparent. But the NR-10i’s have the best isolation of any of the other isolating phones I have evaluated so far.
Comply’s Noise Reduction testing claims a score of NRR 29dB, which is better than most “active” noise canceling headphones. They really do cut out most of the ambient noises of the room, or the road noise while in a vehicle. DO NOT drive while using these phones. That would be dangerous because it’s entirely possible you would not be able to hear a police siren or an ambulance. It’s never a good idea to use headphones of any kind while driving.
If isolation is your main concern, Comply has done an admirable job using the right materials. The Comply foam tips “are made of high-tech viscoelastic polyurethane foam.” They take the shape of your ear canal by gently expanding. And they will stay in place.
The NR-10i’s come with an integrated microphone and function switch right on the cable, which allows users to answer or end calls on your iPhone or any other phone/music player, or play, pause, and skip songs with the touch of a button.
Note: I listened to a variety of music, from Jazz to Rock, to get some context for these phones. Jazz (Coltraine’s “Best of Traine”, Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue”) could have used a bit more bite in the mids, while the Rock (The Beatles “Love” and “Blood, Sweat and Tears Greatest Hits”) sounded quite balanced. The overall volume was good throughout my listening experience.
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