You are not logged in. Click here to sign up or login here.
 
log in | sign up | rss feed
 
         
 
   
 
Recent Columns - John Nemerovski
Moderna MS-400 Folding Headphones - Review
Monday, 01/04/10

Model 700 Noise Canceling In-Ear Headphones - Review
Monday, 12/28/09

Nemo Memo - Final Holiday Gift Guide — Buy These Six Winners For Yourself
Monday, 12/21/09

Best DJ or Studio Full Size Headphones Under $100 - Review
Monday, 11/09/09

Verbatim SDHC card, card reader, and Hard Drive - Review
Monday, 10/19/09


Recent Blogs - John Nemerovski
How much RAM do you need, Nervous Nellie?
Friday, 12/11/09

"Classy" Apple Store Black Friday report
Saturday, 11/28/09

Postcard from a little-known beach
Saturday, 10/03/09

09-09-09
Wednesday, 09/09/09

Nemo Notes on Sno Leo Partition Installation
Saturday, 08/29/09


Archive - John Nemerovski
2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997


   
Comply Whoomp! Earbud Enhancers - Earphone Review
John Nemerovski
Columnist, Reviews Editor
Thursday, 10/11/07



Whoomp! Earbud Enhancers
Company: Comply / Hearing Components

Price: $20 US
http://www.hearingcomponents.com

If the Apple earbuds that are included with your iPod or iPhone sound tinny, or if they let in too much ambient noise, or fall out of your ears while you are actively using them, Comply™ / Hearing Components has a solution. Whoomp!™ Earbud Enhancers are angled foam tips attached to a form-fitting earbud cover, with improved bass response, sound isolation, and in-ear stability. At $20 for two sets, how good can they be, and how bad?

Whoomp! ships in two sizes, with two pairs per package. You can order them in a package with four standard, four slim, or two each standard/slim. A very nice black fabric/leatherette zippered case is included, along with ear placement and fitting instructions.

Comfort is personal, and Whoomp! feel fine for half an hour per session in my ears. Bass response is very good, but you'll have to tweak your iPod/iTunes equalizer settings to add missing treble, as desired. Be patient when affixing Whoomp! to buds, because it may take you a couple of attempts to place them precisely. Ditto when removing Whoomp! so you don't accidentally pull off the top grille of the Apple earbuds.

To evaluate Whoomp! I broke down their criteria, as follows:

PROS
Excellent case
Rich bass
Reasonable price
Acceptable noise cancellation
Secure in-ear fit

CONS
Possible discomfort
Possible incorrect placement onto Apple earbuds
Possible tricky insertion for correct angle and fit
Need to purchase additional Whoomp! once or twice annually

* * * * *

Regarding usage and replacement, Dr. Robert Oliveira Ph.D., Hearing Components' President and CEO, tells MyMac.com:

We have found that, unlike the typical 3 months of use with the Comply Canal Tips for the Comply NR-10 model (you previously reviewed), the Comply Whoomp! earpieces typically last for more than 6 months of use.  The Comply Whoomp! earpiece is designed to comfortably cradle in the bowl of the ear with the foam sitting only at the entrance of the ear canal...not deep in the ear like the Comply NR-10 foam pieces.
 
This accounts for product use life being more than 6 months not the 3 months typical for the Comply Canal Tip and it also results in the lower noise reduction. This is an important Comply Whoomp! design feature since we feel it is desirable in many situations to improve comfort for the earbud, to have some noise reduction to allow lower volumes to be used, but to not isolate you from your environment. Our Comply NR-10 earphones with their much higher noise reduction is designed for those wanting more noise isolation; like flying on a plane, exercising in a gym, or studying in a noisy area.

Since many users of Apple iPod Earbuds force the buds into their ear canals in an effort to get more sound, they complain about comfort. Our design of cradling in the bowl of the ear while funneling sound into the ear canal, gives the user both improved sound and comfort, while our gentle Comply foam reduces ambient noise.

* * * * *

You can learn more about Comply / Hearing Components by reading this recent review here.

MyMac.com rates Whoomp! Earbud Enhancers overall at 3 out of 5.


Article Discussion
MyMac welcomes reader feedback to our Article Discussion area below. Please REGISTER to become a free contributor, or LOGIN.
 
ipod speakers




















Links:
Keylogger Mac

Laptop

Interested in
getting your
links here?
Email us.


Last Updated
February 8, 2010 14:00 CST
 



InnoTech
Proud host of MyMac.com for over 12 years

| Home | Archives | eBooks | Reviews | Video | PodCasts | PR |

  Copyright ©1995-2010 MyMac Productions and Tim Robertson. All Rights Reserved.
Owner/Publisher: Tim Robertson       Webmaster: Tim Robertson