Scosche Industries specialises in the manufacture of iPod and iPhone accessories, and recently launched the earphones – its flagship model.
The company describes these black noise-cancelling earphones as being “designed by audio enthusiasts, for audio enthusiasts”. They are compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPod Shuffle (Gen 3), iPod Touch (Gen 2), iPod Nano (Gen 4), iPod Classic (120 GB) and Mac computers purchased after October 2008.
I always hear that you should get rid of Apple’s basic trademark white iPod earphones as soon as you open the box, and for the first time, I have done. Once you have tried noise-cancelling, in-ear headphones there is no going back. And while Scosche’s IDR650ms may not be state-of-the-art, they are a significant improvement.
The IDR650ms really block out external noise – great for the daily commute, especially on the Tube – and music sounds almost 3D. The bass is rich and deep, and you can hear all the subtleties of the instruments being played in the tracks you are listening too. I have particularly enjoyed listening to dance punk and alternative electro – my favourite tracks of which have taken on a whole new personality and freshness.
A handy feature is the integrated Tapline, which is a small black bar attached to the wire near your ear. This allows you to adjust the volume, skip tracks and pause or play, without you getting your iPod out of your pocket. (You have to be careful not to pull the earphone out of your ear though when you are doing it.) The Tapline also has a built-in microphone for handsfree conversations on the iPhone.
The earphones come with a nice, black leather pouch and a selection of three different sized soft rubber ear buds (small, medium and large). I found that if they are too big, they pop out of your ear when you are walking along so try the all to see which fits best.
Pros Great sound quality and handy Tapline feature for skipping tracks/pausing/playing/adjusting volume.
Cons Tapline doesn’t work with iPod shuffle.
Price £59.95
Contact scosche.com, stormfront.co.uk
Jenny Southan
