ClarityOne Audio EB 110BL - Cobalt Blue

Extreme Detail with Value

These headphones are what I have been looking for! And, for the quality you get for the price, N.O.T.H.I.N.G. comes close. They definitely need 2-3 weeks of constant use in order to break them in properly. THIS IS A MUST. Give them time to break in before making a final decision. It took about 3 weeks with 3-4 hours a day of use in order to have them level out. They start out extremely bright and harsh but will soften to a perfect level after this break-in period. I used to have specific EQ settings for all of the different headphones I used, but I have the EQ setting flat for the ClarityOnes. Most other headphones may have a heavy bass tone, but the mids to highs always have to be increased for more brightness. And other headphones still have a flat, tinny sound to them even after being boosted.

Pros:
The ClarityOnes are bright from the start and are much clearer than most earbud headphones without any equalization. Each instrument in a song can be clearly distinguished from everything else you hear and the left/right sounds are farther to the left and to the right making the soundstage a lot more spacious and wide. I now hear two guitar parts in some songs where I originally thought there was only one.

I love the answer/end button. The entire plastic button is the clicker, so you don't have to take the few-too-many seconds to find the tiny button on block of plastic.

The cable with the non-friction coating is quiet and you won't hear the rubbing in your ears if the cable rubs on your shirt or fingers.

Cons (more Quirk than con):
These are NOT for musical genres with heavy bass. They will not reproduce ear-splitting bass, but they will give you clarity and ranges of sounds that you have never heard before. The bass IS tight and punchy though, so it isn't lacking by any means....it just won't make your ears bleed with bass.

They will definitely work at lower volumes than most headphones due to being only 8 ohms, but I find the volume still needs to be a little louder than should be to attain good bass response and even good detail.

The fit is tough for me. I don't usually have issues with most earbuds (medium tips), but the size of the tube of the ClarityOne is a lot bigger than most. Also, the silicone tips that come with these headphones have a harder inner tube (part that connects to the metal earbud tube), making the amount of earbud that has to fit in your ear even larger. This made it difficult to get a good fit and my ear canals would start to feel worn and stretched if I wore them too long. I had to find a completely different brand of silicone tip (Samsung Galaxy S4 tips) in order to get a better fit and at the same time, got much better bass response. Since the ClarityOne metal tubes are much bigger than other headphones, I think there should be at least 5 size options instead of 3 because I could have used a size in between small and medium. (Obviously this is more of a personal issue for me, so this may be a non-issue for you)

And, with all in-ear headphones, be sure to try out ALL of the tips before picking a size. A tip may feel just right, but you may be lacking bass response because you aren't getting the best seal for your ear.

**If you have to go with other brand tips, make sure the size of tip opening/flange (part that touches your ear first) is equal to or preferably larger in diameter than metal tube of ClarityOne earbud or the clarity and spaciousness WILL suffer.**
I tried a cheap tip from Scosche that seemed to seal well, but would always slide out on it's own. I also tried the Sony tips with different color tubes, but the openings were extremely small. This gave tremendous bass response but completely ruined the clarity/spaciousness of the music. I ended up going with a medium-sized oval tip that came with the Galaxy S4 handsfree cable. These gave me great bass and kept the clarity that the original tips gave.


About me:
I have owned these for 1 month now and I use these with a DAC for my computer and with an Android phone. I listen to mostly Alternative, Rock, and Pop from MP3's and Slacker Radio. I don't feel like I've had them long enough, so I can't attest to durability, but I have had no issues there.

Overall:
I HIGHLY recommend these earphones if clarity is something you are looking for! I love re-testing old headphones just to be impressed again at how beautiful and clear these make everything sound. They seriously rival headphones in the $100+ price range! Most of the cons I listed aren't really a 'problem' per se, just things I noticed....especially when it comes to the quality of music I hear when I use them. It is always best to listen to lossless music instead of MP3's in order to hear more details in music, but the ClarityOnes will have you hearing a crazy amount of detail from lossy MP3's that you have never heard before!

BUY THEM BUY THEM BUY THEM!!!

Powerful Bass Response, Sold Build!

I have gone through 4 different earbuds in the last 6 months trying to find a pair that I can use while walking, or sitting at work. I know that iPhone's arent the best Audio Source, but still. Headphones shouldnt have that tough of a time getting enough power. I found these that were only 8 Ohms, and I thought I would give them a shot! Glad I did. They are very Bright, almost disturbing how accurate they are. However I did notice they were a little light on the bass at first. Assuming that my iPhone just sucked I tried hooking them up to amp..... WOW! Never before have ever heard a pair of in-ear headphone deliver such powerful bass! It blew me away. Apparently these just needed a little more power. Well worth the money, I like the color, and the Aluminum housing is durable, and offers a nice peace of mind as well. I dont want a plastic piece of junk when spending this much money. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend these to a friend, and suggest that they at LEAST TRY them once with a nice amp. I'm using the JDS Labs Altoid Amp with the Grady chip in it. Not only is it the coolest looking amp, but its a great conversation starter as well. Love my Audio!