I recently was fortunate enough to receive a review unit of the PureBuds Reverse Sound Technology earphones. The basic concept of these earphones is that sound is pumped outward from the ear canal and then bounced back into the canal to provide a ’safer’ listening experience. That is a basic synopsis of the device, so make sure to check out the company website for more info. On top of the Reverse Sound Technology, there are three different sleeves that are included with eahc pair of earphones:
- A surround sound tip
- A bass boost tip
- A full range tip
Let me start off by saying, that the claims of this being a safer listening experience MAY be true. When I was pumping my music, it did seem a little softer to say the least. However, this may not always lead to a BETTER listening experience. The watered down sound will not be for everyone, especially audiophiles. If you have sensitive ears, or even a really young individual, this sound might be okay. But audiophiles will immediately find the headphones to be rather muddy and, depending on which sleeve, to have a tunnel-like sound.
The inclusion of different ear pieces to vary the sound is a great concept on paper, but was, in my opinion, executed far too hastly in the PureBuds. Sure, you get three different tips, but they are all a specific size, and we all know when it comes to earphones, one size does NOT fit all. The bass boost tips are probably the worst tips. When you wear them, every low end sound seems to sound as if it were coming out of a tunnel. The surround sound tips are okay, but don’t sit very well in the ear. The full range tip seems to be the best choice out of the bunch. It delivers good sound, especially for you clubbers. They fit in the ear somewhat nicely and seem comforable.
All in all, these are GOOD headphones. They concept is cool but, from my grade 12 physics background, I can tell you that there is some inteference going one when sound is bouncing back into your ear. This ultimately dissapates the sound, giving it a watered down effect. It may be nice for a specific niche of people that want a softer tone, but the general crowd may not be to fond of effect. If theres one piece of advice I could give to the crew at PureBuds, it would be to scrap the Reverse Sound Technology, and come out with a pair of earphones that deliver great sound based on the different tips included. Include at least five different tips, all of which in conjunction with one another will hit a wider consumer group and satisfy a great deal of them as well.
