HiFi Blog: digital audio goodness

The Earbud Clips should help you with those tangled headphone cords. We got a sample from PKOH NYC to review and we were impressed by the clever design. They come in a pack of four (in four different colours: black, white, green, pink) for 10 bucks, plus a dollar for shipping; you can order them from their website.

It may take a minute or two to get to use an Earbud Clip for the first time, but after that, wrapping the cables should be a 10-second process. You attach the clip to the headphones and let it sit about halfway, right where the cables separate. When you want to pack things, slide it up (towards the earpieces), wrap the cord around the device and “secure” the loop by clipping the end of the cord to the rest of it. To use the buds again, unclip the end of the cord, unwrap and slide the clip to its initial position; you can now use the headphones and you’ll barely know the clip is attached. It all sounds a bit complicated—and the included instructions are kinda sucky (e.g. define “first portion of cord”)—but it’s one of these things where you’re better off looking at the pictures of the package and acting accordingly. Or just have a look at the much better instructions online. The end result should look something like this:

(Bonus point to the ones who noticed I’m missing a foamie.) I had a few reservations, mainly that the part of the cord where the clip “sits” would be put under too much stress. I’m happy to report that this isn’t the case, though I would have wanted it to be a bit more lax; but I understand it would probably be a bit more difficult to get a better grip that way.

Another reservation of mine included scratches; we all know how scratch prone the iPods are (and Jobs eliminated the only scratch-resistant member of the family! R.I.P. iPod mini). As the “Usage Notes” in the back of the package explain, the clips have been tested not to causes scratches but it’s better to have a case for your iPod just to make sure. Of course if you’re using another device that’s scratch-resistant, nothing in this paragraph applies to you.

As for the longevity of the clips, it’s probably safe to say that they’ll last for loooong. The plastic (lexan polycarbonate) is flexible, yet durable.

When it comes to the competition, there’s the earBuddy from SendStation, but I don’t know if caring an extra case and having to unplug the headphones from the device each time you want to wrap them is practical enough.

Overall: I’m not going to rave about’em but I sure liked them. It’s a cleverly designed accessory and probably the best solution we have for neatly wrapping the cords around the iPod. I’m a bit hesitant because of the stress that might be imposed on the headphone port due to the stretched cord, but it’s probably just me.

*Rating: 4/5*

*Visit the Earbud Clip website for more information.*