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Friday January 4, 2008
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 Whenever our audio analyst Tim Gideon reviews an iPod, there's always one consistent con: the included earbuds SUCK. With one iPod release after another, you'd think by now Apple would either (a) stop shipping its player with crappy earbuds or (b) design earbuds that actually stay in your ears and provide a decent amount of noise reduction.Instead, it's taken a Minnesota-based company to improve the iPod earbuds once and for all. Hearing Components came up with the Whoomp! Earbud Enhancers (no relation to the Tag Team song, I swear): foam tips that go over the earbuds and mold to the inside of your ears to provide passive noise reduction. "I can finally use my iPod earbuds while exercising!" said Sarah Ryder, a senior communications student at the University of Minnesota. "Whoomp! Earbud Enhancers are so soft. They keep my earbuds from falling out, and they block outside noise," she said, adding that the new product started a buzz in the dorms before finals. The Whoomp! Earbud Enhancers and Comply foam tips are said to be made from patented, high-tech, viscoelastic polyurethane foam that are 30 times softer than the silicone used on factory-supplied earbuds. They're capable of fitting all Apple iPod and iPhone earbuds, as well as other round earbuds 13 to 15mm in diameter. They're available now in white or black for $19.95 at complyfoam.com. Refill foam tip packs sell for $11.95. I'm gonna have to give these a try!
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January 4, 2008 2:45 PM
I probably have spent over $200 on earphones of one type or another all supposed to be the best but none of them are as good as the $10 Sony MDR-J10 that hook over the ear. The transducer goes in the ear but not into the ear canal so they are very comfortable and have the best sound and bass of anything in my collection. I ride a bike with them and they stay on.
June 3, 2008 6:29 PM
I actually used PU foam for ear protection, put a hole through it (by using a heated drill bit) and used it the same way for more than a year now. You can buy 8 pairs of these ear protection PU foam for less than $4.00.