PDF
Written by: Matt Weisse
When I was first offered the opportunity to receive and try my own pair of yurbuds (all “y”s are officially lowercase), I was both interested and skeptical. I was intrigued because yurtopia (the company behind the product) promised a pair of headphones that would be custom-fitted for my ear, and would thus be more comfortable than regular earbuds.
However, I was skeptical because they claimed they could make my custom-fitted pair by using only a picture of my ear next to a reference object. Could it really be that easy? I wasn’t sure, but hey, free headphones are free headphones. So with a picture of a quarter next to my ear and an e-mail to yurtopia, I was on my way.
Three days later, I received my pair of yurphones (the earbuds) and yurbuds (the earbud covers). What could I expect from my yurbuds? According to the press release, they are “custom-sized earbud enhancers developed by world-renowned audiologists that are guaranteed not to fall out, are comfortable for hours, and provide exceptional sound quality at lower volumes.” Needless to say, my expectations were set pretty high going in.
The initial insertion into my ear proved to be a little awkward, since the yurbuds have to be angled as they are placed into the ear. Many people will have an “am I doing this right?” moment when they first try their yurbuds, but rest assured this is only temporary – by my second and third uses it felt much more natural.
I found the custom molding of my yurbuds to fit quite snugly, so my doubts about the “photo of your ear” process were quickly laid to rest. The bigger question for many people, though, will inevitably be, “Are they more comfortable than regular earbuds, like the Apple ones?” The most honest answer I can give is, “It depends.”
First of all, while the yurbuds are custom-fitted, they are also distinctly larger, and have a portion that goes deeper into the ear canal than many people are accustomed to. Personally, it took a little time to get used to, but once I did I found them to be very comfortable, and they did not get irritating during long periods of listening.
This being the case, whether or not yurbuds are right for you will come down to personal preference. I know some people who absolutely cannot stand the way “regular” earbuds fit, and for those people it is definitely worth looking into yurbuds. On the other hand, there are also people who are happy enough with their existing earbuds, and in that case it might not be worth the money to get another pair.
As for the yurphones that hide under the yurbuds, they look almost identical to the Apple earbuds, but the difference can be heard immediately. I found my yurphone/bud combo to offer a very clear sound that comes across much louder than my normal headphones do. Case in point: my computer volume goes up to 100, but I can listen comfortably at volume level 5 with my yurphones.
Overall, I have been impressed by my yurphones and yurbuds. Are they a mandatory upgrade if you are happy with your existing headphones? Not really, but I would definitely recommend them to people who are (a.) traditionally uncomfortable wearing earbud-style headphones, (b.) looking for headphones that are less prone to fall out (for example, while working out), or (c.) trying to listen at louder volumes.
Yurbuds ($19.99) and yurphones ($19.99, $29.99 for both) are available now at yurbuds.com and Best Buy.
Comments on this entry are closed.