Key Of Grey

Photo courtesy of AirDrives

August 18th, 2008 – While I’m partial to in-ear monitors when I’m listening to my iPod, I can understand the danger in such systems. In-ear monitors totally fill your ear canal, reducing ambient noise to almost nil. While this is great for frequency response (especially bass) and allowing you to use less volume (which saves your ears), not being able to hear what’s going on around you is dangerous. For one, if you are jogging and don’t hear traffic, you might not be prepared if there were an accident. Also, if a fire alarm goes off and you don’t hear it, you could die a horrible horrible death. Alarmist I know, but all realistic possibilites. Of course, even over-ear and normal ear-bud designs can have the same problems if the volume is turned up loud enough.

AirDrives are completely different from anything else on the market. They actually transmit sound through the bones and tissue of your ear. What this means is that your ear canal is open and free to receive sounds from the outside world. You still get to listen to your music without bothering other people, but you can also hear what’s going on around you. I’m not sure how good music sounds this way, but I’d love to find out. AirDrives retail for around $80 and are available now.

AirDrives via MusicRadar