In this edition of Merch Table, Miles Raymer looks at a selection of quality headphones, ranging from earbuds that let you change filter according to genre to a pair wrapped in tweed.
They’re headphones with earcups made out of wood. Do they sound woody? Kind of, like maybe there is some mellowness in the high end. Maybe this is an item for the person in your life with those acoustics-improving rocks arranged around their living room. Overall, they are nice, but as far as looks, they’re aggressively tasteful, and wearing them around makes you look like Lobot in his second career as a type designer.
Rock Jaw Audio Alfa Genus V2
$79.95
They’re earbuds that let you change the teensy speaker filter in order to adjust for the kind of music you are listening to. It sounds like just another gimmick to make them stand out in a ridiculously crowded market, but they actually make a noticeable difference. The "bass" ones are equivalent to the post-Beats low-end monsters that are the dominant norm, while the "natural" and "treble" ones would be a good match for people who are unhappy with how Beats-style earbuds sound.
Tweedz braided headphones
$34.99
They’re earbuds with cords that are wrapped in tweed, à la high-end guitar cables. Some of them even have vintage-esque patterns that let people know you’re really into analog stuff when you’re not listening to lossy digital music files. The tweed also helps to minimize tangling, which actually works to an impressive extent. Soundwise they’re nothing special, but if a tangle-free lifestyle’s that important to you, this bud’s for you.
Zipbuds SLIDE
$49.99
Or for $15 more you can get these ones that zip up the two earbud cords that seem to cause 99% of the tangles commonly experienced. Their rubbery coating isn’t as tactilely pleasurable as the Tweedz, but they sound markedly better.
Motorola Moto Pulse
$59.99
If you are ready to ditch cords entirely, you can jam on these Bluetooth buds. Bluetooth hasn’t come quite far along enough to match the sound quality of wired headphones, but it’s getting closer. If you’re not a bass snob, you might not even notice the difference with the Moto Pulse, although you will likely notice the occasional static and glitches during playback. These get points for their health-goth-compatible, all-matte-black design, but they lose a few from a recent incident when I turned my head quickly and they flew into the lap of a very surprised stranger.
AKG Y-50
$99.95
These aren’t a new product, but a couple months ago I got a pair in a gift bag from some music app for iPhone. I nearly gave them away without even opening the box; their taxi-yellow color scheme and oversized typographic branding make them by far the ugliest headphones I’ve ever seen. I gave them a shot and immediately they became my go-to pair. They sound as good as any headphones that cost twice as much, but I didn’t feel quite as paranoid about carrying these eyesores around in my bag. I’ve convinced myself the design has an early UK rave/Peter Saville aesthetic quality, although I’m willing to admit that’s a delusional upsell on my end.