Sometimes all it takes is a simple idea. These “Acoustibuds,” for example, turn your crap-ass MP3 player headphones into a sort of noise-canceling, won’t-fall-out headset for $13. You apparently just slip them on in place of the standard foam covers and you’re set.
Sure, you could just buy a nice pair of headphones and use them with each subsequent digital audio player you purchase, but getting into the noise-canceling varieties isn’t cheap. Granted these Acoustibuds don’t do any dynamic noise canceling other than blocking out extraneous sound, but they’re still better than standard freebie headphones.
The bigger selling point here may be that these things will stay in your ear much better than, say, earbuds covered with cheap foam. According to the manufacturer:
Acoustibuds use closely spaced flexible fins to stay in the ear more securely. The series of tall, soft and conformable fins flex in a manner that easily fit and retain to the ear. Even with perspiration and extreme physical activity, these fins continue to hold the earphone securely in place due to their unique profile and spacing.
And without having personally listened to these myself, here’s the bit about improved sound quality:
Superior sound isolation is also created with the fins. The seal they provide helps to eliminate air gaps and create a multitude of sound barriers that both block out unwanted noise from outside and keep audio from escaping from the inside. Volume and bass frequencies are amplified allowing operation of your MP3 at a lower volume setting. Inside, the Twin Cone Core better channels the sound wave in your ear. The twin cone core guides the sound wave like a miniature acoustic horn to minimize sound impedance to provide enriched middle and upper range frequencies. The fit of the earphone to your ear and how the sound wave is channeled inside your ear are fundamental to acoustic quality.
Seems pretty awesome for $13 if it’s true. My feeling is that shitty headphones are shitty headphones, though, and no amount of add-ons is going to make them all that much better — put lipstick on a pig and all that good stuff. So I’m a bit dubious of the better sound claim.
Still, it’d be cool to try these out on a pair of nicer cheapie headphones like the Sennheiser MX500 series. The Acoustibuds won an innovation award at CES, so that’s saying something.