Review: Griffin Earjams

First off, the Griffin EarJams are a relatively cheap addition to your collection of iPod accessories. I should really do a list of essential iPod accessories one of these days, and when I do you can be sure that these things will at least have a prominent mention on the list, maybe on the under $20 column.

I like the idea of the EarJams, something you add to something to noticeably increase its capability. Buying a whole new pair of earphones just because they look like they’d fit better is a bit risky. I mean, buying something because they exclude noise and allow you to hear a lousy little tin can speaker a bit better really isn’t that smart. I’d rather listen to the street sweepers.

The Apple Earbuds really are pretty good as earphones go. They just hang there in your ears and provide pretty okay sound. 20-20,000 Hz frequency response is nothing to sneeze at. It’s the fit I have the issue with and the EarJams fix that right off. Sort of.

Like everyone should learn to play the recorder before moving on to concert piano or something—that’s what my kids’ music teacher says at least—these are a great first step for everyone who is wondering what in-ear phones are like before spending serious coin on a really good pair.

Installation is a breeze. Snap, and they’re on. No worries there. They may look like white plastic mushrooms growing out of your ears, but that was actually a plus for me! I identified too much with Calvin and Hobbes apparently.

They come with a fairly useless soft zip case and the three sets of earpieces so you can size the Ear Jams nominally to fit best. In my experience, however, it really didn’t matter what size earpiece I used, I got roughly the same sound and fit out of all them. That’s sort of a plus for ear torture survivors who have tried some other less than excellent brands of in-ear phones. They really are comfortable. Eventually, maybe. Try using the small plugs for a while first, if you find them irritating, and work up from there.

So, you already know what your iPod earbuds sound like. You’ll start with a good baseline and get quite the rush with how much better they sound when they’re suddenly channeling a bit more music past your ambient noise. Even the 10 db these overcome is pretty neat. I think that’s worth $15 to play with.

If you want to quickly see how in-ear phones can improve your iPod experience, skip three lattes and buy these. You won’t regret it.

These should not be the final step in your quest to find good sound in a portable package. But they make a good first, no-commitment step.