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Griffin Technology's Ear Jams

Griffin Technology's Ear Jams

Written by Charlie Sinhaseni on 11/10/2004 for PC  
More On: Griffin Technology's Ear Jams
Forget about those over the ear headphones, the new rage for the 2000s are these earphones with cones that go inside your ear. Yep, inserting a piece of plastic into the outside of your ear simply isn’t enough; companies are jabbing pieces of silicone down the canal as well. The charge is being led by Ultimate Ears, but unless you’ve got $500 lying around you’re probably looking for other alternatives. Shure Ears has an affordable solution for around $100 but that cash can buy a hell of a lot of ramen. Griffin Technology has decided to toss its hat into the ring, but instead of introducing its own line of headphones, it has decided to release a peripheral that enhances the existing iPod earphones. There’s this old saying that goes “you get what you pay for” and it definitely rings true in this instance.

The Ear Jams are unique in that they attach to the existing iPod earphones. You’re actually only buying the part that goes in your ear, sans the cords and plugs. It’s an interesting concept that’s been raising a few eyebrows. The concept is very simple; take the Ear Jams and attach the clips over the front of your earphones. Snap in the other earpiece and you’re ready to go. A nice feature about the EarJams is that they work with all circular-shaped earphones on the market, not just the iPod ones. So if you damaged your original pair and resorted to a third party solution, these puppies will still work although your mileage will vary.

I don’t normally use the iPod earphones because I opt for a larger DJ-style solution, but I can attest that there’s a significant boost in quality. I don’t know about all that fidelity and technical jargon but I can attest that the sound is clearer and the bass is stronger. Overall you feel more immersed in the experienced and entrapped by the music. Since the drivers now go deeper into your ears you also get the added benefit of noise cancellation. It’s not all high-tech like the kinds that send the cross singles to cancel the outside noise, but it definitely does an excellent job of keeping preventing unwanted sounds from entering your ears. All of your deaf bastards who like to crank up the noise will be glad to know that Griffin is claiming that the unit will boost the sound level by up to 10 decibels. I can’t state that number as a fact, but I do know that the sound is definitely louder and the bass is definitely stronger.

The actual devices are constructed from a plastic polymer that’s similar to the plastic found on the iPod. This makes them extremely durable and less prone to the breakage that you might find from similar devices. If you have a dog with an affinity for biting things you should be careful with the Ear Jams. I was doing work at my computer when I looked down and found my dog gnawing away at one of them. It turned out to be a decent, albeit unexpected, stress test that shows the durability of the product. I was able to clean them off and use them as if they were new, bite marks and all.

The Griffin Technology Ear Jams won’t revolutionize the way you utilize your iPod, it’ll simply enhance it. They’re perfect for budget-minded individuals who don’t want to make the plunge to full-blown headphones but would like to get more out of their iPod. At this time we've only seen these babies online; if you're smart you'll go out of your way to find them.
A simple and intuitive device that will give you the most out of your standard iPod earphones. If you're too cheap to pony up for the more expensive solutions on the market, you'll want to check out this well-priced solution.

Rating: 8 Good

* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.


About Author

Gaming has been a part of my life for as long as I could remember. I can still recall many a lost nights spent playing Gyromite with that stupid robot contraption for the old NES. While I'm not as old as the rest of the crew around these parts, I still have a solid understanding of the heritage and the history of the video gaming industry.

It's funny, when I see other people reference games like Doom as "old-school" I almost begin to cringe. I bet that half of these supposed "old-school" gamers don't even remember classic games like Rise of the Triad and Commander Keen. How about Halloween Harry? Does anyone even remember the term "shareware" anymore? If you want to know "old-school" just talk to John. He'll tell you all about his favorite Atari game, Custer's Revenge.

It's okay though, ignorance is bliss and what the kids don't know won't hurt them. I'll just simply smile and nod the next time someone tells me that the best entry in the Final Fantasy franchise was Final Fantasy VII.

When I'm not playing games I'm usually busy sleeping through classes at a boring college in Southern Oregon. My current hobbies are: writing songs for punk rock bands that never quite make it, and teasing Bart about... well just teasing Bart in general. I swear the material writes itself when you're around this guy. He gives new meaning to the term "moving punching bag."

As for games, I enjoy all types except those long-winded turn-based strategy games. I send those games to my good pal Tyler, I hear he has a thing for those games that none of us actually have the time to play.

When I'm not busy plowing through a massive pile of video games I spend all of my time trying to keep my cute little girl fed. She eats a ton but damn she's so hot. Does anyone understand the Asian girl weight principal? Like they'll clean out your fridge yet still weigh less than 110 pounds.

Currently I'm playing: THUG, True Crime, Prince of Persia, Project Gotham 2 and Beyond Good & Evil. View Profile