Review
of
the
Altec Lansing Just Listen
Earbuds, made by
Altec Lansing
(You can print this review in landscape mode, if you
want a hardcopy)
Reviewer: Mark Lamendola
See also:
These did not fit my MP3 player, so I didn't try them on that device. I did try
them on the
iTRAVL2 Android phone translator, though. They sound great. However, the
only thing I listen to on a mobile/portable device is audiobooks. I don't think
much good music has come along in 30 years, so don't bother with music. Since I
don't carry a phone with me but do appreciate the compact, light, MP3 player
that MP3 player is the device I use for listening. That means I won't be using
these in the foreseeable future, though I do like them. They don't fit my
cordless phone, either.
The reason they don't fit my MP3 player or cordless phone is they provide for
extra circuits, so there are more contacts on the plug barrel and it is longer.
These have functionality that my MP3 player earbuds do not.
- A really cool feature is not advertised on the box or anywhere else
I can see. The inline control will actually allow you to pause whatever
is playing on your smartphone! You can easily resume as desired.
- The box says soft ear tips, and for my MP3 player I am using a set
of earbuds that allegedly had the same feature. They aren't soft so much
as flabby, and they constantly fall out of my ears unless I roll them
backwards so they flare out like climbing safety gear in a rock crack.
That's what I expected here, but these really are soft! And they stay
in.
- Pure sound. Well, that is never going to happen with digital because
the waveforms are necessarily clipped. But the sound is definitely more
pleasant through these earbuds than through the native speaker on the
device. That's really saying a lot. Not sure why that would be the
result, but I like it.
- Inline controls. As mentioned earlier, you can pause and resume with
that inline control. You can also vary the volume with it. I personally
have no use for inline controls and find them they just add weight and
bulk but I can see where many users would like this particular inline
control set.
- Inline microphone. That makes sense, if you're going to use these
with a smartphone.
- Tangle-free cable. Not really tangle-free. These were tangled the
first time I went to use them. But their flat-ribbon design combined
with an unusual insulation jacket definitely reduces tangles. They
easily untangled, too. With earbuds generally, I need a platoon of
sailors to help me untie them if I do something crazy like set them
down. I personally do not know why all earbud cords and cordless phone
cords aren't of a flat cable design, since tangling is by far the most
common complaint. Sometimes I make the mistake of buying the normal
configuration because I need a set and that's all that's available. I
always regret getting something other than a flat cable design.
These also work with laptops (I verified this on mine) and desktops that have a
suitable sound card port or motherboard port. They work on various smartphones,
such as Android, iPhone, etc. They work on iPods and tablets, also. They just
don't work on the traditional MP3 player or cordless phone.
What I use my MP3 player for is the brainbuilding experience of listening to
nonfiction audio books, and the experience has the effect of continually being
in university. But instead of sitting through classroom lectures, I learn while
doing housework, yardwork, and driving down the highway (among other
activities). Famous fitness guru Bill Phillips listens to audio books while on
his recumbent bike. I don't carry a smartphone because I don't see a need to. I
have one, but don't have it registered with a carrier; I use it for many things
that do not include phoning, texting, etc. |