Appletell reviews the Yamaha EPH-30 Headphones

Provides: In-ear sound
Developer: Yamaha
Minimum Requirements: Standard headphone jac
Price: $39.95
Availability: Now

I’m going to start this review with an aside; do you remember when white earbuds were an iPod symbol? Back before the iPod monoculture, there were people who used iPods but bought black headphones, or people who used whatever MP3 players were around but bought white earbuds. Now, of course, it doesn’t matter.

So! Yamaha EPH-30 Headphones. They’re “in-ear,” which means a couple of things: They’re good at blocking external noise (without requiring an external battery). They come with three sets of silicone plugs so you can size them to your ear. Once you put them in, a lot of external noise gets blocked out, but it also creates that echo effect you get from being underwater. Jostling the cord reverberates in your ear, so that’s kind of a trade-off if you’re moving.

Sound-wise, the 30s deliver; no distortion, even when playing bass-driven pop songs (though, it should be noted, I had my iPod touch on the “small speakers” setting). And in a noisy environment with machinery running nearby, the combination of the fitted ear plugs and the music was enough to block out most of the background noise and deliver rich sound.

One complaint: the cords on the 30s aren’t symmetrical; that is, they aren’t shaped like a “Y,” but rather like a “u,” which is important for runners, I suppose, who have an iPod strapped to their arm. But if you’re not a runner (i.e. me) then it feels like the left bud is being pulled out of your ear. Plus, the 30s don’t have an ultra-short “runner’s cord” to plug into an arm-mounted player.

The Yamaha EPH-30 headphones (he said, concluding his review) cost $40 and give you nice, nice sound for that price point. They block a lot of noise (provided you don’t move around too much) and, most importantly, push the tunes without distortion.

Appletell Rating:

Buy the Yamaha EPH-30 headphones