Kid-Friendly Audio Players: iHearSafe Earbuds
Pros: Inexpensive, simple to use, works with most audio players
Cons: Crackling for one tester, reinforcement needed at plug to prevent drop-outs
List Price: $20
The iHearSafe earbuds from New Hampshire-based Ingemi Corp. work with any MP3 player or other audio source with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. They look like ordinary earbuds except for a small plastic block near the plug. This block contains the volume limiting circuit so the earbuds can only play at a safe volume, no matter how loud the signal is going into them. Ingemi sent us three pairs of earbuds for review, so I put the first through my own tests and gave the other two to testers in the target audience: eight-year-old Adam and twelve-year-old Zayne.
Testing
In my tests I compared the iHearSafe product with the earbuds that came with the Sansa Shaker as well as a pair of inexpensive Sony earbuds that I've had for far too long. I connected the three sets to a variety of sources. In each test, the iHearSafe greatly reduced the maximum volume. In fact, I quickly learned to adjust the volume before connecting one of the "normal" pairs of earbuds to avoid damaging my own hearing! So far so good.
Unfortunately, the iHearSafe sound quality was also reduced compared to the others. The earbuds just didn't sound as good as the other two pairs. In addition, jostling the cord near the plug frequently silenced the right earbud. This was easily remedied by jiggling the plug, but I don't think these would work for active users.
Adam also was not impressed with the sound quality. He didn't mention any problem with loss of sound, but did report crackling when listening to his iPod. On the other hand, Zayne gave the iHearSafe earbuds a thumbs-up and liked that they were loud enough that he could listen to music in the car while his grandmother played her music on the car stereo. He also used them with an iPod, but did not hear the crackling Adam experienced.
Final Thoughts
Volume limiting headphones are a great way to protect children's hearing. But while the iHearSafe earbuds limit the maximum volume to a safe level, the sound quality doesn't seem to match normal earbuds. Convincing kids to swap out their favorite headphones for something safer could be a challenge, but asking them to do so for something that doesn't sound as good could prove impossible.