Earphone Review - for use with Nintendo DS and iPod / iPhone

So as I mentioned in my post on the 4th April I did do some work for Games Booth while on my recent travels, I tested a selection of in ear earphones.  I tested them with a multitude of devices including the Nintendo DS, iPod Touch and iPhone and in a host of environments including Gatwick Airport,  aboard a jumbo jet at 39,000ft, in a busy water park and chilling by the villa pool.  Each of the below ear phones had some great qualities which I've detailed below (along with their faults) for you to take a look at.

The earphones on trial were:
Jivo Elements - http://www.jivotechnology.co.uk/cat/headphones/product/elements/
Sennheiser - MM70  - http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/uk/home_en.nsf/root/private_headsets_eac_504161
Logitech - Ultimate Ears 200vi - http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/speakers-audio/earphones/devices/6677
Audeo PFE 022 + Mic - http://www.audeoworld.com

First up were the Jivo Elements, these seem to be a unique set of earphones as they arrived in a totally recyclable, neat and small cardboard box.  They had been introduced to me by a friend who uses them because she said the fact that they were made of natural rosewood, which is often used for wood instruments, made music sound sweet.  So I thought I'd give them a go.

Jivo Elements

When connected to the iPod Touch they certainly did make 'sweet music' the sound was clear and good and for the most part the background noise was blocked out - even the sound of screaming kids in the water.   Next I tested them with the Nintendo DS, again the sound was clear, but as it was a lot lower bass sound and not a regular noise, I was easily distracted by the sounds around me.  

Although comfortable the Jivo Elements themselves are quite bulky when in your ear and seemed to stick out a little on me - which I was conscious of and kept trying to push them further into my ear.

Conclusion: For music lovers these are great earphones, especially if you happen to be a 'eco' geek. I'd definitely recommend them  for people who listen to music as the sound was very good, but for gaming they weren't the best in test. Also without a mic, they weren't tested with the iPhone (however they're not advertised as phone earphones).

Second up came the Sennheiser MM70 which were made for iPod and iPhone, complete with mic I was looking forward to testing these out, especially as Sennheiser are highly rated in the world of earphones.

I had a little play with these in Gatwick airport with my wife while waiting for the plane,  she used the Audeo PFE220's while I had the Sennheisers. We found a wi-fi hotspot within the Virgin lounge and set about making a VOIP Skype call.  I had to turn the volume up really loud to hear my wife on my earphones, but then she complained that I was 'shouting' down the mic. We decided to quit the call and wait to test these onboard with the DS and iPod Touch.  Luckily for me Sennheiser provided a neat little pouch and cable / storage board so that you can neatly fold away the earphones and carry them in a concealed pouch - they also provide additional ear buds too.

Sennheiser MM70

After a couple of hours on the flight (after the awful meal!) I hooked up the Sennheiser M70's to the iPod Touch and settled down to some easy listening, unfortunately the earphones didn't want me to have this, while I could hear the music fine, the artist seemed to be singing in a very muffled tone. (By the way I used the same playlist to test all the earphones and it consisted of a country song, an R'n'B tune and some chart music and I played the same two DS games with all review units). I thought this again might be the environment I was in, so back in my bag they went for later in the holiday.

Unfortunately I have to say that each time I tried to use these earphones I found myself turning the volume up to the max (whether on the iPod Touch or the Nintendo DS) because their seemed to be a constant hum in the background and the overall sound seemed to be muffled.  

Conclusion: I was really disappointed that these earphones didn't live up to what I was expecting (maybe that's the problem, maybe I expected too much from Sennheiser - although I have tried and enjoyed other earphones from them). They did block out the outside noise as promised, but seemed to provide a background noise of their own which could be heard alongside whatever music you were trying to listen to.  Not the best pick of the bunch. Sorry Sennheiser.

Logitech Ultimate Ears 200vi

Next came the Logitech Ultimate Ears 200vi, these looked like a cool pair of ear phones in their packaging. Definitely an appealing case when making a purchasing decision.  These were the first pair  that I ended up keeping in my ears for a long period of time on board the flight, firstly when connected to the Nintendo DS, I found that they blocked out all of the background noise - which by this time included a 'bored' six year old girl, who wanted to co-op play DS's and wasn't happy when informed that she couldn't on the plane due to being unable to transmit anything.   I could clearly hear the instructions and game sounds of the game and in fact I seemed to be able to hear them clearer through the earphones than when playing directly through the DS. I'm presuming this was because there was simply no other sounds to be heard.   The 200vi were comfortable to use and eventually I ended up switching the buds to the smaller ones and allowing my daughter to use them with her DS.  Logitech supply five alternative earbuds for use with the earphones which was great as I didn't want to share ear wax even if it was my daughter (and a plastic carry box for storage).

Later into the first week I managed to get these back from my daughter and decided to test them with the iPod Touch by the pool. Again they were  great, the music was clear and concise. The beats and the lyrics could all be heard and I had the volume level in the middle. They managed to block out 95% of the background noise and were comfortable to wear.

Conclusion: A great set of earphones, let down by the lack of mic - which meant I won't be able to use them for calls on an iPhone or VOIP calls on an iPod Touch.  I would, however strongly advise them for listening to music with or using with a Nintendo DS for gaming.

Finally I reviewed the Audeo PFE 022 + mic earphones, I'd never come across Audeo previously but I'll definitely look out for them in the future.  There's not a lot I can say about these earphones apart from that they are an exceptional piece of audio kit.  As I mentioned in my initial overview, the packaging was extremely appealing and fairly sexy. The magnetic front opened up to display the earphones.  Complete with changeable earbuds  - the only thing missing from this package was a storage po

Audeo PFE 022 + mic from Phonak

uch to keep them secure and tidy when not in use.

The earbuds were not the usual shape and are worn with the lead over the ear, they're initially a little awkward to fit into your ear but once in you simply can't feel them at all, they seem to be very lightweight and are extremely comfortable.  As mentioned my wife used these in our VOIP call within the airport and she said that  I could be heard clearly and that in fact she turned the volume down a little (because I was 'shouting).

I initially tried these with the iPod Touch playing music and 'wow' they do give a great sound. The bass of the music really came through and the clarity was crystal, I soon found myself lost in my own musical world and almost falling asleep on the flight (something I NEVER do)!

When connected to the DS they again performed well, the sound was great and clear and still I couldn't really fell the earphone in.

Conclusion:  These were the best in test (although the Ultimate Ears from Logitech came a very near second), simply because of the comfort of the earphones and the clarity of the sound. I can really see why they were given a five out of five by Stuff magazine when they reviewed them. A great set of earphones and well worth the money for them.

Well I hope you have managed to read the whole of this review and that I have managed to give you some insight into selecting earphones for use with your mobile gaming and audio devices.  I had fun testing them, but  have to be honest and say that next time I'll find a pair I like before travelling and stick to them.  One day wireless in ear buds will be created and wires will be a thing of the past, but for now I'll continue to enjoy the Audeo and Logitech earphones).