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My first reaction to the JBL Tour Pro 2 earphones was “They have a screen?” Then I thought about it for a bit and settled on “OK, they have a screen.” Then I used them for a few weeks, and now it’s “They have a screen!” I would not have guessed having a tiny touchscreen on an earphone case would be at all helpful, but it turns out it’s surprisingly handy. Sometimes.
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Measurements can be found by clicking this link.
I’m a fan of small companies that do their own thing, especially when it’s a bit quirky. Big companies just don’t have much room for individuality when they’re designing products to appeal to millions in an organization with 300 vice presidents of corporate interdepartmental proactivity synergy. Campfire Audio designs its earphones in Portland, the west one. It’s not exactly the first city that comes to mind when you think “audio,” and its legendary quirkiness is echoed in the Orbits, the brand’s first true wireless earphones.
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I’m involved in a mildly amusing running joke among several well-known headphone reviewers. It stems from the fact that I like my headphones and earphones to have a bit more bass than most. I say “a bit”; they say “gobs.” And to prove their point, they mention my love of the Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 earphones, which unquestionably have a lot of bass. But it’s good bass, I say, to eye-rolls galore.
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Measurements can be found by clicking this link.
I am the last person who should criticize the spelling of a name, but typing out “Akoustyx” makes my brain hurt. But hey, I certainly wouldn’t want to try to come up with a unique name for a headphone company in this age. At the very least, it catches the eye. So that’s all I’ll say about that.
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Measurements can be found by clicking this link.
I love inexpensive tech. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy expensive things too, of course, but if you can get something good for cheap, that’s a fantastic find. Not everyone’s budget can support $300 headphones. Or maybe your budget can, but you want an inexpensive backup to have in your car or backpack. There’s a sea of sub-$20 earbuds on Amazon, which is its own problem. The curse of choice, coupled with a lack of info.
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Measurements can be found by clicking this link.
There’s something quite refreshing, appealing even, about no-nonsense wired earphones. It often seems like the earbud category has been completely inundated by true wireless. This is largely because it absolutely has. But a handful of companies are still coming out with new models, either out of love for the design or desire for a larger piece of a shrinking pie.
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