Aural

iLuv Earphones

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Flat cables mean no more tangles

I’m writing a review about that goes against the spirit of Cool Tools in a way. While I love these headphones, the price is very reasonable, they aren’t necessarily “the best” of their kind. What I really want to evangelize is the idea of the flat headphone cable.

I love earbuds. I hate dealing with tangled cords. I would stuff my headphones in my bag, and they would come out in a Gordian knot. All the solutions proffered seemed just as labor intensive as untangling them afterwards, involved wrapping them so tightly I couldn’t help but think it was going to damage the wire or give it a memory (so it would revenge-tangle itself when I turned my head for a moment), or both.

Flat cables don’t “feel the need” to twist, and so drop them in the bottom of your backpack, pull them out and they’re ready to go.

I simultaneously bought MEElectronics flat cable earbuds and the iLuv on Amazon. I didn’t like the former as much; weird static-y shocks when I walked on my treadmill; the latter have the remote to pause/play/skip ahead, turn volume up and down and take calls w/integral mic.

I’ve noticed flat cables featured on SkullCandy and other brands; I’m sure an audiophile can buy $300 noise-canceling flat cable headphones. The main point for me is that the no-tangle principal worked great, look for it, then figure out what else you need and go from there.

-- Taylor Bryant 09/22/13

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