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Archives for the day Sunday, July 31st, 2011

I love listening to music while I do my tempo runs.  I usually wear Bose ear buds so the bar is set a little high.  I was a little apprehensive when Mike handed me a pair of Zippearz for review.

I did not want to try them out.  When I did put them in my ears, I liked the way they felt.

The cord is incredibly thin and lightweight, which is something other companies can learn from.  When I turned on some techno music for tempo, I found the bass to be incredible.  How can these $25 ear buds have so much sound?  I liked the sound.

Unfortunately, I live in Alameda (Bay Area city located on the waterfront) , where it is usually windy.  The wind goes right through the ear buds.  The sound drove me nuts at first but after a few miles, I got used to it.

The ear buds also came with ear clips to help hold them in my ears but I did not need them.  After I got sweaty, the wire stuck to my skin and started tugging on the cord.  I had to keep reaching back to pull the wire up my shirt.  I wish they came with a clip to hold the wire on my shirt.  Just like all athletes running with an MP3 player, you’ll find a way to keep the cord out of the way comfortably.

The good:

  • Zippearz cost $24.95
  • The sound is incredible
  • They are nice and light
  • The around the ear holders are cool

The bad:

  • The wind going through the ear buds
  • No clip to hold the wire to my shirt

The bottom line – I really like the Zippearz.  They are worth $25.  They knocked a pair of $100 Bose out of my gym bag for stationary bike work outs.  I got mine as a review pair.  I highly recommend them for people who run in areas where it is not windy,  at the gym, or as a solid pair of backup earbuds.

Mike’s Note:  I know many envious people (or audio snobs) like to bash Bose for being overpriced and overrated, but the Bose products I’ve owned have always been great.  Keep in mind I review a lot of different products – if Ted says these make a great backup pair of earbuds following his Bose, then that’s a strong indicator of how solid these earbuds are.