Good Midrange iPhone Headset w/ Controls?

August 30, 2008 10:36 PM

Looking for the best aftermarket iPhone headset I can afford so I don't have to keep switching between the standard white set and the over-ear headphones I use at work. I'd be willing to spend about $100, more if they were exquisite, but I'd love to stay around $50.

It's worth noting that I'm not any sort of audiophile. Most of my music is encoded at 192kbps or higher, and I'm not the sort of fellow who scoffs at anything less than lossless encoding, etc. I'm mostly just looking for something better than the stock headset (but that still has the iPhone controls for pausing, answering calls, etc. built in).

Thanks!

posted by inkedmn to technology (4 comments total)

TuneBuds Mobile might work for you. It has the iPhone headset controls and is reasonably priced. You could also get a pair of headphones you really like and use them with the SmartTalk adapter, which lets you use iPhone headset controls with the headphones of your choice.

NB. I don't work for Griffin, nor am I affiliated with them. I have used their iMic product, which worked pretty well. I haven't used either of the above two products.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:54 PM on August 30, 2008

This is more of a review than a recommendation. I got a pair of V-Moda headphones with my iPhone.

I don't really have many complaints about them. They only have the answer/mute button on the cord, not volume/skip controls. (I don't use them anyway.)

The mic is fine, and the phones make decent, if bassy sound. Probably the best feature is that I've never managed to tangle the clothc wrapped cord.

However they did crap out after about 8 months. Got a free replacement with no questions asked, but compared to my Sony headphones (which are years old, have been throguh the wash and still work fine) I was expecting better quality.
posted by Ookseer at 1:01 AM on August 31, 2008

I bought a pair of the Sennhesier MM50 ips recently, and they are very good; good sound isolation and decent sound quality. They aren't great as a headset (they block too much sound, including your own voice, so I usually take one of the earpieces out when a call comes in), but they are fine for occasional calls. (disclosure; I work for the company that produced the linked review. I wasn't involved in the writing, tho, and I paid full retail for my pair).
posted by baggers at 5:32 AM on August 31, 2008

I'm happy with my Maximo in-canal headphones. The button that controls playback and phone is big and in a handy spot, the mic seems to work well, and because the phones fit in the ear, they block external sound like conversations.
posted by PatoPata at 8:45 AM on August 31, 2008 [1 favorite]