Thinksound TS02 + Mic Wooden Headphones [Review]

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I love my iPhone, but absolutely hate the headphones that came with it. To me they sound horrible and always fall out of my ear. I suppose if you had ears like Dr. Spock or a massive cranium with ear caverns to match they’d work fine. But if you a) Love music b) Prefer the feel of a customized fit opposed to a one size fits all approach and c) Demand a functional call/music control button, then the Thinksound TS02 + Mic are a must have accessory.

Even if you don’t have a need for an integrated headphone + mic, the folks at Thinksound have something for you too; you bluetoothed cyborgs, check out the TS02. And Sport-O’s peep out the TS01’s…

Why they’re good: Great sound, four different sized flexible silicon ear inserts for a secure fit and smart eco-friendly packaging. 

Why they’re not so good: I was hard pressed to find something constructive… I’ve had my share of earphones over the years and these are by far my favs. A high-end sound at $89.99 MSRP

Check out the tech specs:

  • Wooden housing with 8mm drivers
  • Passive noise isolation (This really works, even in my noisy car!)
  • Lightweight (12g) with PVC free, tangle resistant cable
  • “Dynamic driver” features 20Hz – 20kHz frequency response
  • 3.5mm gold plated plug
  • Cord clip and cotton carrying pouch
  • One (1) year warranty

Before writing this review, I spent about six weeks taking these headphones through the ringer in a variety of situations. They made the San Francisco Bay Area Transit and CALTrain actually enjoyable. On the phone in the car, they were clear and filtered out a lot of the road noise. While exercising on my indoor cycling trainer, the fit was comfortable and the inserts didn’t slide out of my ear once I got a little sweaty. And even while working remote at my home office or in a coffee shop, the mic and passive noise isolation worked perfectly. I also listened to a variety to music genres from Rock, Jazz, Pop (no Justin Beiber) and Classical and was very satisfied with the how well they were balanced across the frequency spectrum.

Recommendation: Check em out! The founders of Thinksound have a lot of experience in this space and will not disappoint. To find out more, check out: https://www.thinksound.com

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Ceramic Speakers by Joey Roth: A Porcelain God? [Review]

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A hot item that has been around for a little while and has made quite a few gift guides for 2010 are the Ceramic Speakers by Joey Roth; a standalone speaker system made from “simple” materials for use with iPod/other portable media players, laptops, and turntables with phono pre-amps.

Everything about these speakers is interesting, starting with the ceramic materials they’re made of. I can’t help but wonder where Joey’s inspiration came from. Could it have been a flash of genius like when Doc Brown in Back to the Future slipped off the toilet hitting his head on the bathroom sink while attempting to hang a clock in his bathroom, conceiving the idea for the Flux Capacitor?!? Now I like to think I have my most brilliant thoughts and inspirations stimulated by ceramic bathroom fixtures, but the pairing of ceramic in use with speakers seems as unlikely as a Time Machine made from a DeLorean.