AQ Earbuds review.

[TaylorFade]

Let me first say that I refuse to pay more than $40 or so for earbuds so I've never tried the ***** buds like the Dr. Dre or the Bose offerings, but I have tried just about every other earbud under 40 bucks.

With that being said, I have two words to describe the AQ's...

Freakin' awesome.

My biggest thing with an earbud is the fit. If they sound great but are uncomfortable and/or won't stay in my ear; what's the point? And these AQ's are crazy comfy. They're super lightweight and after I put them in, I couldn't even tell they were in my ears.

But do they stay in? That is a resounding "yes." I put them through an entire workout yesterday and didn't have to readjust them once. And yesterday's workout is the toughest one on my earbuds.

Now, the sound. I had high expectations from AQ because I have used their products in the past and they delivered with these. I'm no audiphile, but I know what sounds like ass and what sounds good. The bass is pronounced without muddling the vocals and the highs are crisp and clean. Easily the best sounding earbuds I have ever had. There is no way you could convince me that the Dre's or Bose's sound $150-200 better. Also, the noise reduction on them is fantastic. Keeps the BS out and the tunes in.

Other features... the cord is pretty long. May be good for those of you who need to run it to a backpack or something, but it got a little cumbersome just running into my pocket. They do have a wire clip though so you can clip it to your collar or wherever so the slack doesn't rip them out of your ears. That's a nice touch. They also come with a 2nd set of silicon ear pieces. Not sure if they're a different size or just spares, but that's nice to have. And shipping was fast. I paid on Monday morning and got them yesterday.

My one gripe (and I don't know if it's a gripe yet) is that the button on the mic wasn't operating my iPod shuffle. I just got the little shuffle and I don't know if it's even operated from the headphones and I haven't tried them on my iPhone yet, but if it doesn't work on my iPhone, I see no point in even having the button on there. [Edit: I tried them on my iPhone 4 and they operate the phone and iPod on the phone perfectly. So, apparently it's just my little shuffle that's gay]

In conclusion... I didn't think I would ever find a better earbud for the price than my JVC Marshmallows, but the AQ's have supplanted them. For $25 shipped. It's a no brainer.

Here's a in-ear pic to show how small they are and how well they fit.

[taylorpro]

sweet man. may have to pick up a pair when i mess up mine again.lol

[pro-rabbit]

Thank you for the kind words. It took a while for us to agree on the design, fit, and sound. However, I'm gald we came to the conclusion we did.

As for the button and the Ipod, that is a good question. I will mess with mine today to see what options may be there. I do know the mic setup works good on my EVO. I have had no complaints on a muffled or distorted voice. Let me know if you test the ear buds as a headset and what your reactions are to that.

Thanks again for the great review!!!

[WhiteTB]

I orderderd a pair yesterday.... my buddy has those Dr dre beats so I will compare them when they come in of course keeping in mind that I'm comparing $200 to $25 sets

[Ajax_6154]

if its the 4th gen (newest) of shuffle the headphones do not operate it like the 3rd gen did. Great review man i gotta get me a pair. i have WAYYYYY to many headphones right now though. kind of an obsession of mine

[TaylorFade]

Originally Posted by Audio-que

Thank you for the kind words. It took a while for us to agree on the design, fit, and sound. However, I'm gald we came to the conclusion we did.

As for the button and the Ipod, that is a good question. I will mess with mine today to see what options may be there. I do know the mic setup works good on my EVO. I have had no complaints on a muffled or distorted voice. Let me know if you test the ear buds as a headset and what your reactions are to that.

Thanks again for the great review!!!

Now that I think about it... I believe the iPod/iPhone headsets have a "4th ring" on the jack that is used to control the pause/track up/answer/end call. I haven't shopped for any in a while, but I remember that the last earbud headset I got that had this feature was $80. And that was the cheapest pair outside of those miserable ear buds that come with your iPod/iPhone.

I don't know how much trouble or how expensive it would be to add that "4th ring" or whatever, but if y'all could get them to operate the Apple products, that would open up a whole new market for you.

[ascitiesburn69]

The button on the mic pauses my 4th gen iPod touch.

[TaylorFade]

OP edited. These control my iPhone 4 just fine and work great as a headset. So, apparently it's just my little iPod shuffle that's gay.

Also added a pic so y'all can see how small they are and how well they fit in the ear.

[shaolinghost]

Ive had the Dre ear buds and just got the AQ's today. Let me say that they are very comparable when it comes to bass reproduction and lack of vocal distortion at high volumes. You may hear the little things a little clearer with the Dre's(bass also a little more pronounced), but for $25 I'd choose the AQ's hands down. Great product guys. Now if you could develop some over-the-ear headphones for under $100 that would be awesome and I'd definitely buy a pair of those as well.

[surreal]

Compare them to some real ear buds - The Dre's and Bose are mainstram bullcrap.
Regardless, fo 25 bucks they cant be that bad. May grab a pair myself.