Headphones
iHarmonix iHX Platinum ev-Series
A terrific upgrade for your iPod or other portable player, the iHarmonix iHX Platinum ev-Series in ear headphones will isolate you from outside noise and competently fill the inside of your head with blissful music. Offering a full bass response, clean highs, and a nicely proportioned mid-range these little earphones will satisfy most iPod/ MP3 listeners jamming on the go. Nice improvement over the stock iPod buds!
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Product Features:
- Very good sound quality at this price point.
- Nicely styled and solidly built with all-metal earpieces.
- In-line volume control makes for easy adjustment on the go.
What's In The Box:
- 3 sizes of eartip sleeves
- Carrying pouch
Applications:
iHarmonix are hot players in the bargain earphone category and fortunately for us music-loving but on-the-cheap listeners, their excellent audio performance belies their extremely attractive, very low price. We were surprised upon getting the Platinum EVs in our ears how musically sweet and well-detailed these earphones sounded given their small financial investment. Punchy, clean bottom-end presence and smooth musical extension into the uppermost highs without any harshness or treble glare is not typically expected at this pricepoint. Vocals appeared decently transparent and fairly neutral with an impressive instrumental balance maintained high and low. No question, the Platinum's respectable sound and attractive cosmetics make this one of our HeadRoom recommendations for mobile-oriented listeners seeking to upgrade from the stock earbuds found in the box with your iPod, laptop computer, portable gamer, or MP3 player device.
The iHarmonix Platinum EV-Series earphones have a grey brushed stainless steel metal casing that's amongst the most appealing and understated designs in the entire budget earphone category. A handy thumb slider control built right into the Platinum-EV's headphone cord allows for quick on-the-fly volume adjustments without needing to dig out your player every dang time. Pairs of Small/Medium/Large silicon-flex eartips are included. Remember, the tightest in-ear seal will deliver the best sound quality and noise-blocking performance, so try all the various eartips to find the best performance for you. The Platinum-EV's 1.3 meter length cord (approximately 4 feet) is a 'Y'-type design and terminates to a gold-plated 3.5mm [1/8"] straight mini-jack. The 1-year manufacturer's product warranty is serviced directly through iHarmonix located in California USA.
Specifications:
- Sensitivity: 102 dB
- Cord Length: 4 ft. (1.3 m)
- Microphone: No
- Detachable Cable: No
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Connector Type: 1/8"
- Isolation: -9dB ~ -12dB
- Ear Coupler Type: IEM
- Impedance @ 1kHz: 16
- Coupler Size: Small
- Cord Type: Straight Y
- Manufacturer Warranty: 1 Year
- Wireless: No
- Noise Cancelling: No
- Headphone Type: In-Ear
- Warranty: 1 Year
Average Rating
Posted by Maha from Seattle, WA on 2010-01-29
Recommend Product: No
Pros: Gread sound and noise blocking, very comfortable
Cons: Unacceptably fragile
I did receive a warranty replacement (it took the company 2 weeks to get me a replacement pair, substandard compared to other warranty turnarounds I've had from other companies), which I've now had for a month. This replacement set also recently started having problems, making crackling sounds when I'm walking.
I should mention that I didn't use these earbuds for jogging or anything that could expose them to damage beyond regular wear and tear---walking to and from work, and listening at my desk.
Definitely avoid these headphones.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Posted by Soundgear700 on 2010-01-16
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Price, Comfortable, Volume Slider, Gold Connection
Cons: Thin Wires
The one con I have is that I wanted something that would also be easily portable, and these are, but the wires are very thin, and already sort of cracked in one spot. It still works just fine, but you just have to be a bit careful when transporting them. All in all, excellent earbuds.
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Posted by nphoton on 2010-01-15
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Sound quality, style, comfort, great for airplane travel, quick RMA response
Cons: broke after a few months
But about 4 months after buying them I only intermittently heard audio out of the right earbud. So I guess they technically still work, but it's very aggravating since I paid good money for these. Fortunately their customer service is responsive and let me RMA them without hassling me for personal details. I'm hoping this is just a fluke. Another problem is that the sheath separated from the end of the plug, exposing a few millimeters of wire about a month after purchase.
So they're a great purchase, just handle the connector with care and try not to knock them around too much I guess.
EDIT: The second pair for my dad just broke today. He pulled them out of his mp3 player, started wrapping the cord around his player and the cable tore right out the top of the in-line volume adjuster (the metallic part in the middle). Tore right into two pieces. They sound great, but they're not worth the hassle since they keep breaking.
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