The iFrogz EarPollution Plugz

Dear Apple,

The earphones that come with the iPhone and iPod are very uncomfortable, too big, and don’t like to stay in my ears.  Please fix it.

Love,
Nick

P.S.  You would do well to take notes from the iFrogz EarPollution Plugz headset.

Specs

Driver Unit: 9mm
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 98dB +/- 3dB at 1 KHz
Frequency Response: 30 Hz to 20KHz
Cord Length: 1.25m (4.1ft)
Plug: 3.5mm

The iFrogz EarPollution Plugz headset is compatible with both the iPhone and Blackberry.  The iFrogz web site lists the price as $19.99, but  they can be found on Newegg for $14.99 plus shipping.

Inside the Box

Three sizes of pads guarantee a great fit

The box contains the earphones and three pairs of different sized pads.  The medium pads are attached to the earbuds.  The 3.5mm jack is shaped to fit all models of iPhone (even the recessed mess that belongs to the first generation iPhone.)  An inline microphone can be found on the left earbud cord; Apple’s microphone is on the right side cord.

Usage

(All usage scenarios were performed on an iPhone 3GS as a Blackberry was not immediately available.)

These earphones are incredibly comfortable.  They sit very securely in the ear and do not fall out.  Three sizes of pads guarantee a good fit for almost everyone.  While the earphones are marked left/right, they are identical–placing them in the “wrong” ear feels no different that using them as marked.  This comes in handy since the microphone is on the left earbud, and most other headsets place the microphone on the right side.  I have used the earphones extensively at work, and didn’t once need to remove them due to discomfort.  Noise isolation prevents most ambient noise from getting through.   I have been using the iFrogz at work where there is a lot of background noise.  It’s not loud, but it can be very distracting.  Just wearing the earbuds cut the majority of the ambient noise completely.  Only conversations going on very close to my desk were audible.

Audio quality is excellent for both music and movies.  There is a level of clarity in the audio that I wouldn’t expect from such an inexpensive set of earphones.  I found that normally difficult to hear segments of movies were quite audible with the iFrogz headphones.  Quiet dialog in movies become very clear and understandable.  The same holds true for music.  Albums that have subtle audio, such as Dark Side of the Moon are crystal clear.  Throughout the album there are numerous, somewhat quiet conversations or interviews that can be very difficult to hear.  I had no problems hearing these portions while using the iFrogz earbuds.

Call quality using the headset is very good.  Conversations are very clear; they were actually more audible with the iFrogz than using just the iPhone.  If you happen to have an iPhone 3GS, voice commands are very easy to use.  Just click the microphone button and hold it in for a second, and the iPhone voice control function prompts for a command. The only downside here is having to remove one earbud to hear yourself speak normally.  There was a bit of a problem hearing myself speak with both earbuds in, resulting in my speaking much more loudly.

Summary

The comfort and overall quality exceed many headsets that cost far more.  If you are looking to replace your Apple-supplied earbuds, I can happily recommend the iFrogz EarPollution Plugz.