By now everyone knows that iPods – and pretty much every MP3 player – comes with rubbish headphones, whose spec is chosen so that they won't sound actively awful while not putting too much cost onto the final product. Which means that if you want to enjoy your music you're usually left to buy some real, proper headphones.
Such are the Blackbox i10 noise-cancelling headphones (£79.99) from Phitek, which are only for the iPhone, iPod (non-shuffle models) or iPad: they attach to the 21-pin socket on the bottom. Unfortunately, it's Apple products only; they won't connect to the Samsung Galaxy Tab. These are headphones intended to get the most out of your listening experience, specifically by including noise cancellation.
The principle of noise cancellation is straightforward enough: a microphone on the headphone cable detects the ambient sounds, and feeds its inverse into the signal being delivered to the earpieces. Thereby cancelling out external noise, within the limits of the microphone's frequency response and the electronics' capacity to respond to changes.
Alternatively, there are Atomic Floyd's newest designs, the MiniDarts (Apple Store link, not Amazon so far), also built with iPods and iPhones in mind: it has a straightforward 3.5mm jack but also includes a microphone, activated by a button, which can be used to control playback – pause, play, skip forward one track, skip back to the start. The MiniDarts come with a comely red lead, which should make them stand out if you misplace them.
First impressions
I compared both pairs against a pair of Atomic Floyd HiDefjax headphones, which don't use noise cancellation; they have a standard headphone jack, but use careful manufacture and a variety of earpiece sizes to block out external sound. (I reviewed them in January 2009, when I noted that they were the only headphones I'd ever used that absorbed me so completely that I missed my train stop on the way home.)
So how do the Blackbox i10s shape up? Putting them on (with the very snugly fitting earbuds) gives the immediate impression of being put into a soundproof booth; external noise (such as on the train where I'm writing this) simply drops away, though if you want it back – say, to listen to announcements – you can press a button on the headphone cord. There's also a clip on the cord, and a volume control, because the volume control on the iPod or iPad itself won't work; you're taking the audio feed now.
The MiniDarts surprised me, because they wouldn't stay in easily. They've got a straight shape, and not very large earbuds; I found it hard to make them stay properly lodged for walking around. (I don't think they'd stay in place for real exertions like running.) By contrast, the Atomic Floyd HiDefjaxes are shaped so they nestle snugly into your ears, and stay there: they've got a curve in the shape of the earpieces that wedges them in your pinna.
Listen, again
Comparing the three pairs of headphones, I found the i10s lacked a little in the midrange (around 300Hz where the human voice tends to be) compared with the Atomic Floyd HiDefJax. However, you can still adjust the sound equalisation on the iPod or iPad, so you could create a new setting for them. The earpieces are comfortable, and the pack comes with various sizes if the default ones don't suit.
The MiniDarts had very good sound reproduction across the range, including the bass. The AirJax I use as a reference pair, because they have terrific bass reproduction – which is difficult for in-ear headphones to do well.
What the HiDefJax model notably offer is distortion-free reproduction even at the highest volume. My reference track for this, since you ask, is Queens of the Stone Age's "You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar But I Feel Like a Millionaire", which has a huge dynamic range from really quiet to REALLY LOUD to silent to LOUD, and will test anything at top volume because of its deep bass combined with a high end.
The HiDefJax headphones play this flawlessly, even at the loudest setting: the bass, drums, guitars, cymbals all come over clean.
By contrast neither the Blockbox i10 nor (to my surprise) the MiniDarts could manage this: both had noticeable clipping at the loudest points, though they reproduced the quiet passages – there are some – cleanly.
The MiniDarts do, though, have the advantage of that microphone (which you could use with an iPad or iPod Touch with Skype or other VOIP packages), and of course the clicker to control playback remotely. Atomic Floyd headphones also come with some useful extras: an adapter that will plug into a computer's microphone and headphone input (as they're beside each other), and an adapter for large headphone jacks as found on hi-fi equipment.
Overall?
• If you need to listen to music very loudly, you're still better off with the Atomic Floyd HiDefJax headphones: they manage the best reproduction of wide dynamic ranges. ✭✭✭✭✭
• If you want reliable noise cancellation that you can turn on and off with a switch (useful for commuting), the Blockbox i10s do the job very neatly. ✭✭✭✭✩
• If you need a microphone with your headphones, good sound reproduction (except at top volumes) and remote control of your iPhone/iPod, the Atomic Floyd MiniDarts will do the job very effectively. ✭✭✭✭✩
They all sound better than the iPod or iPhone default headphones – and they'd all make a pleasing addition to any Christmas stocking.
