I spent the weekend testing out a pre-production prototype of Shure’s $40 Music Phone Adapter, which provides hope for all of us iPhone-usin’ types who don’t particularly like Apple’s stock earbuds.
I’m an in-ear headphone guy, and quite honestly, I will never, ever, ever go back to little earbuds of the style Apple provides. Not that I’m an audiophile, not hardly, but I can sure tell the difference in sound quality between a transistor radio and a big speaker system, and for me the difference between in-ear headphones and earbuds is similar. Also, earbuds make my tiny ears hurt.
So here comes the Shure MPA-3c, with its svelte iPhone-compatible mini jack at one end and, at the other, a nub with a microphone on one side, a clicker on the other side, and a standard headphone jack (to fit any sort of headphones you like) at the top. Plug it in to your iPhone, plug in your favorite headphones (I’m sure Shure hopes they’re from Shure, but my Ultimate Ears worked just as well) and you’re set — the MPA-3c’s clicker works just like the clicker on the iPhone’s included earbuds, letting you answer or hang up on calls, pause and play music, and double-click to go to the next audio track.
One of the side-effects of wearing in-ear headphones is that they tend to block off all sound coming from your surroundings. This can have some interesting side-effects when you’re listening to music — say, the distinct possibility you could get hit by a bus while crossing the streeet if you’re not paying attention. But when you’re talking on the phone, it’s worse. If you’ve ever tried to listen to your voice while plugging your ears, you get the idea — the person on the other end of the line sounds great through those snazzy headphones, but your own voice sounds like a troll on tranquilizers.
Not so with the MPA-3c, which channels some of your own voice (from its own microphone port) into your own headphones. It didn’t entirely eliminate the sleepy-troll echo inside my noggin, but it definitely dialed it back to an acceptable level.
As the first product of its kind for the iPhone, the MPA-3c does have some issues. Cable clutter is a major problem, because the MPA-3c tacks a couple of feet of cable onto your existing headphone cords. And you can’t just tuck the MPA-3c’s extra length away somewhere, because you’ve got to make sure your fingers can reach the clicker and that the microphone is relatively close to your head. As a result, I had a zig-zag of cables dangling in front of my shirt when I used the adapter.
This is a problem that’s somewhat solved by having headphones with extremely short cords. As with all of Shure’s recent models, the sample SE210 headphones Shure sent along with the adapter come with an extremely short cord and an optional extension, and using the short-corded headphones worked a lot better. (However, it wasn’t short enough to obviate the need for a clip, since the short Shure cord still dropped the microphone and clicker to down around my belly button.)
The MPA-3c does come with a small clip, so that you can attach it to a better place on your clothing. Unfortunately, it’s a tiny clip that clips on itself, and is prone to sliding around on the adapter’s cord. Since it can’t be attached to the microphone-and-clicker portion of the adapter itself, when you do use the clip the top of the adapter inevitably flops over unattractively. It works, but a better solution might have been to integrate a clip onto the microphone section of the adapter.
We’ll have a complete rated review when the final version of the MPA-3c ships. For now, what I can say is that it works as advertised, and for iPhone owners who aren’t fans of Apple’s earbuds some device like this will be a must-buy. Shure deserves full credit for being first out of the gate. I have no doubt they’ll have a lot of competition, but if the MPA-3c was shipping today (it’s due next August) I’d buy one. I have no desire to go back to those Apple earbuds ever again.
Am of similar mind when it comes to Apple's buds vs. Shure's in-ear stuff. While waiting for the new Shure adapter I've picked up a little kit that turns Apple's buds into a more in-ear approach. While still not as good as Shure's, it's quite an improvement over the out-of-the-box experience with Apple's
The cord management issue is why I hope that manufacturers like UE that make 'phones with removeable cords offer replacements with a mic, clicker, and compatible jack.
Glad you address the question of how weird it would sound having a conversation with ears plugged. That was one of my big concerns about this product.
I honestly don't think that cords with integrated microphones is practical, because of the cost of the microphone hardware. Maybe if it was modular. But more likely, others will follow Shure's lead and provide a microphone module that attaches to super-short headphones or some other cord-management device.
Of course, Apple's selling buds with integrated microphone for $29. So who knows? But I'd think that it'd be more likely that they'd make a better microphone that you wouldn't want to be disposable.
Thanks for the review, but I have a question. I use a similar cable for my Kyocera 7135 Palm phone (www.pc-mobile.net/ky7135.htm). As you can see, it has the advantage of a retractable cable. I use this with in-ear headphones, and also use it as a nice way to turn the 7135 into a car phone by plugging it into my car stereo's aux input.
My question is about how the button works on the Shure cable. On the 7135, pressing the button activates the voice recognition calling. Also, when a call comes in, pressing it answers the call. What's really useful is that when listening to music, pressing the button pauses the music and if a call comes in while listening to music, pressing it pauses the music and answers the call. Pressing it again after the call ends restarts the music.
Does the Shure work like this?
Thanks!
Hmm, seems to me you want an adapter that plugs into your iPhone, you plug your headphones into the adapter and a cable connected to that adapter clips to the headphone cable to put the mic near your mouth. Are we really anticipating that every headphone maker will start making really short cables?
"Every headphone maker?" No. But some will, especially if the iPhone (and other music phones) become wildly successful.
I agree, another way to approach this is to have the headphones plug in at the base (near the phone itself) and then just clip the microphone/clicker higher up on the headphone cord. I'm sure all such variations will appear on the market in due time...
I'm also an in-ear headphone guy, so this little accessory from Shure will be a welcome addition to my iPhone. What would be a more welcome addition? If Apple would add the A2DP and AVRCP Bluetooth support to the iPhone via a software update so the cord clutter could be eliminated altogether and we could enjoy wireless stereo sound AND hands-free communication like many Windows Mobile owners currently do...I love my iPhone, but Bluetooth implementation is one area where Apple seriously dropped the ball.
Maybe the next logical step for Sure is to make an e4c or a 410 or 510 series with a microphone/button snake that could clip on to your collar. I wear my e4c behind my head with the chord hidden inside the back of my shirt with the iPhone in my front pants pocket. At a glance you can't tell that I have anything on, because everything is so slim. Perfect for the airplane or office. It would be nice to have a microphone that was integrated just to reduce all this mess of an extra chord. However, that would require a new set of headphones.
All I can say is that I'm willing, provided I can sell my old pair to someone who would give them a good home.
A thought that I'll bet has been proposed at Sure. I've been thinking of doing a hack job, integrating the e4c buds with the iPhone chords and jack. You could just strip the wire clean off and play connect the dots with a magnifier. But I'd rather pay the money and sell the old pair.
Right now, there is no perfect solution. Only compromises. And that's kind of a bummer.
We could do better. Maybe Apple will license Sure's drivers for an upgradable solution?
Or maybe I could hire a very small person to do my hack job?
What we really need is bluetooth stereo headset with microphone. Then, there will be no cable issues at all.
Here is an interesting piece of news that I have not seen reported anywhere else:
Shure's new SE line of noise isolating earbud headphones are iPhone compatible, even without the $50 Music Phone Adapter.
I just got a pair of the SE 210's at the Apple Store for $150, and to my surprise, the included extension cord has an iPhone compatible jack. I bet the other 4 SE headphones come with the same extension cord.
The extension cord is part of a new 'modular' design that allows you to swap in the Music Phone Adapter. With the extension cord attached the total length is just right for having the iPhone in your pocket.
If you ride the subway in NYC and want to listen to music without all the clatter, these headphones are perfect.
This product would be amazingly usefull with my 180s Tec Stretch™ with Headphones. The earmuffs come with a long cord that plugs into the headphones and then into your MP3 player. This way the earmuffs can be worn without being attached to the music device or with them attached. An adapter like this would allow a user to have all the functionality of the iPhone answer/disconect and microphone without having a long cord attached just the Shure adapter. When is this product available? It's cold outside and I want this now!