Macenstein

Above: What’s black or white and makes your earbuds sound better?
Apple’s iPhone ear buds will never win an award for acoustical excellence, but they don’t entirely suck either. For the money, they are still some of the better sounding, and better looking earbuds with an iPhone compatible microphone and remote I have found, and I happen to know from personal experience they can withstand up to 3 accidental washings in the washing machine. So yes, there are many reasons to wish to stick with the stock Apple buds, but wouldn’t it be great if they could sound a little better? Well, it turns out they can, thanks to a somewhat ingeniously simple piece of silicone called the ACOUSTIBUDS.

ACOUSTIBUDS are ribbed pieces of soft rubber that fit over the edges of pretty much any Apple-like earbuds (even the Zune), and they actually DO improve the sound quality noticeably – specifically the bass, which is often considered to be lacking from Apple’s buds. They achieve sound boost in two ways. First, they more or less turn your standard earbuds into in-ear headphones, allowing them to penetrate deeper into your ear canal to deliver the musical goodness. Second, they help seal out outside noise, and they do a pretty decent job. (A Tip – when placing the ACOUSTIBUDS on your headphones, it is important you leave the “bass holes” exposed – do not cover them, or you won’t get the full bass-boosting experience).

Above: Eeeewww…. well, that’s how they work.

Aside from blocking out noise, the ridges also serve to help hold the buds in your ear, even while jogging. The $12.99 ACOUSTIBUDS come in a 2 pack, one large pair (size 6), and one medium (size 5) pair. I’m pretty sure the large size were made specifically for Prince Charles, as despite being a 6-foot 3 hunk of man-meat with what I feel to be proportionately sized ears, I could not cram the large size into my ear canal. The smaller size, however, fit nicely once I go the hang of it. I had a little trouble at first, but once I got the right angle, I found using them to be no problem.

Issues

The only real issue I found is just how gross they get. You might THINK you have clean ears, but trust me, these things will pick up every piece of dead skin and ear wax your body can produce. I requested a white set to review, and got a black pair so perhaps the white would be a little more forgiving, but I would say try not to let anyone see your ACOUSTIBUDS as you pluck them from your ear and quickly move them to your pocket. The good news, however, is they rinse clean very easily. If you are going to be using them on your iPod or iPhone, I suggest you pick up the white ones.

Conclusion

The ACOUSTIBUDS will not turn your $30 iPhone buds into $200 Shure in-ear ear buds, but they DO in fact enhance the sound of the stock Apple buds, most noticeable bringing out bass you never thought was there. For $12.99, they definitely are worth the price. Just remember to clean your ears regularly, or you may find yourself washing them hourly.

Price: $12.99
Pros: Blocks outside noise, boosts bass, helps head phones stay in your ear, comes in 2 sizes to help ensure a good fit.
Cons: Get dirty quickly (we recommend the white color)