Lift Audio Groove Series Noise-Isolating In-Ear Headphones (Black)
by Lift Audio
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Lift Audio Groove Series Noise-Isolating In-Ear Headphones (Black)
Customer Review: You get what you pay for...in a sort of good way
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
These Lift Audio Groove earbuds are an affordable option for your listening pleasure, just don't expect too much.
These earbuds are definitely a perfect example of you get what you pay for. At a price of around ten bills at the time of writing this review, I have a hard time complaining about these things. The sound quality is decent. In my experience, I find that they match up well with any earbuds in the ten to twenty dollar range, sound wise. From the outside, the Lift Audio Groove buds look nice, with a metallic finish and they do come with a small keychain pouch for storage as well as a couple different sized sets of replaceable silicone earbud tips. The fit was ok in my ears, and the buds stay in there much better than stock iPod buds, however, they're only good for listening during non-active times in your day. If you're looking to use them while running, I think you need to look elsewhere because these do not stay in my ears during a run on the treadmill.
I've been using them for about 3-4 weeks now, but only while sitting at my desk. I haven't been harsh on them at all and they haven't fallen apart. Still, these buds do feel chintzy. And the keychain pouch remains intact, but looks like it could fall apart if I just look at it funny. Also, the Lift Audio Groove earbuds are listed as noise isolating...do not confuse this with noise canceling earbuds, which actively work a whole lot better in noisy environments (like a train/bus), albeit at a much higher price.
In summary, for about ten bills you can get yourself somewhat nearly "disposable" earbuds that sound decent enough, as long as you don't mind probably replacing them every couple of months. If you want buds for a jog, something more durable, or really warm, rich and full sound, I think you're going to want to look elsewhere.
Customer Review: What I needed....
Summary: 4 Stars
I record many lectures to review material after the lecture, and have a good quality stereo digital recorder, however, with background noise, it can be difficult to pick up the speaker on occasion. These earbuds almost completely block out noise that is not on the recording, and have very good sound quality. In fact, when I first put these in my ears, my thoughts were that these should not be used if you are bicycling or running near traffic, as you would not hear approaching vehicles or noises around you.
I find many earbuds to be uncomfortable, but I have used these about a dozen times for 30 - 60 minutes at a time, and have found no comfort issues. Although I am not moving around, these earbuds stay in place and cause no irritation. Again, I use these for reviewing lectures, and have not used them for listening to music. But compared to other earbuds I have used to listen to lectures, these are far superior, mainly due to the elimination of outside noise.
I purchased these on a gold box deal, and paid a very reasonable price. For paying under ten dollars, it was an excellent value, and after more use and determination of durability, I might consider a paying much more for these. I am slightly concerned about the durability of the chord, but so far it has proven to have no issues.
These do come with a case, which is extremely small, and made of vinyl with a metal zipper and key ring attached. I keep the earbuds in the case which is stored in my backpack. The case does keep the earbuds stored nicely, but as others have commented, it does not appear to be something that will last forever. However, the size is small enough to fit in a front pocket, and keep the earbuds from damage, which may add to the longevity of these.
Finally, I'm not one to pay a premium for earbuds, but I would buy these earbuds again if I lost the pair I purchased. You should find they will last longer than a $10 - $15 pair of earbuds, and the sound quality is good.
Customer Review: Perfect for travel or the gym
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Price wise you cannot beat these. I have bought headphones in this price range and they have only lasted a few listens. If these headphones do not last long I still feel they are worth it with the faux leather case it comes with. The faux leather case has a key chain attached to it with a zipper. Inside you have two mesh pockets, one side has extra ear bud fittings, they come in size S, M, and L. I have been using the ones that were sent on the headphones and they fit my ears great! The seal is not perfect but I think if I were to buy a different type of fitting they might seal better in my ears. Sound wise I am impressed. Not superb but very good. I have been using them with my iPod Touch and also my iPod Nano and have enjoyed them. I also factor in though that my iPods have equalizers so the sound might seem better. The reason I would deduct a star is they do sound a tad `tinny'. The seal does not form well and I found myself having to readjust them to hear the songs better. I have listened to classical, pop, and metal with them. Does not seem to matter what type of music, they all sound good.
For the price I am surprised I did not locate these sooner. Again I have bought headphone that did not last for this price without the case and extra fittings. I think they are a wonderful value and perfect to travel with or take to the gym. Definitely something that could be replaced if you lost them but you are still getting a good sound with a secure case in the meantime. I plan to keep these in my purse since I take my iPod Touch out with me a lot. With such a small case to carry the headphones in I will always be prepared without feeling like I am lugging around too much.
Customer Review: Very basic headphones, keep your expectations low
Summary: 2 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
UNPACKING
They come in a nice little zippered pouch with a keychain attached. Upon opening the pouch, the headphones look attractive (like the picture here). The poach includes extra tips in case you don't like the standard ones. Stretched out from the tip to the earbuds, the cord is 48 inches long. Looking very closely, I cannot identify which is the left and which is right. I also see that, based on manufacturing quality, these are not $100 earbuds, but I was not expecting that.
FIT
They push into your ear canal relatively far and are comfortable enough for me.
SOUND
The sound is decent, but not great. Compared to the standard iPhone earbuds, the sound is quieter (at the same volume level), not quite as good at reproducing low frequencies and sounds slightly tinny. However, they are not bad. They are were not distorted with the high volume level I tried.
SOUND ISOLATION
These are not very good at isolating sound, so I wouldn't buy these for the purpose of ear protection while mowing the lawn, but they do cut unwanted sounds somewhat.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After using them a few times, I found that they were difficult to untangle due to the wire being more of a rubber-type texture than normal. Overall, these are very basic headphones, not to be compared to Shure SE115-K Sound Isolating Earphones with Dynamic Microspeaker II (Black) or Klipsch IMAGE S4 In-Ear Enhanced Bass Noise-Isolating Headphones.
Customer Review: Sub-par audio quality
Summary: 2 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I wasn't expecting high-end audiophile-worthy sound from these little earphones, but I'm also aware that inexpensive earphones CAN have excellent audio quality -- I have a set of Koss earphones that were less than $15 and they sound better than the $50 Sony earphones I used to have.
Much to my disappointment, the audio quality from these Lift Audio "Groove Series" earphones is completely unacceptable. The midrange is adequate, but the bass and treble are both very muffled. The only positive thing I can say about these is that they do an acceptable job of blocking out ambient noise -- which is sort of a no-brainer, considering that they completely block the opening of your ear canal.
What I like:
- They look cool/expensive
- Minimal packaging
- They do a pretty good job of blocking out ambient noise
What I dislike:
- Very poor audio quality
- No "left" or "right" markings (this is unacceptable if you care about hearing your music the way the artist intended it to be heard)
- Very difficult to remove or install the different-sized silicone fittings
- Uncomfortable after prolonged use
- Does not come with any documentation
- Does not come with a copy of the warranty (do they even HAVE a warranty?)
- The "leatherette carrying pouch" looks like something from the 99-cent store
- The $50 list price is either an error or a joke; I would not pay more than $5 for these
- Audio quality unsuitable for anything other than audiobooks/spoken-word recordings