Wicked Audio Deuce Ear Buds - Review

Continuing our Portable Audio Showdown series, we turn our attention to the Wicked Audio Deuce ear-buds.  These pint size headphones will break your eardrums before your budget.    Here's our breakdown...

Fit: the headphones come with 3 different earpiece slips to allow the wearer to customize the right fit to their ear.  I tried all three, and it is pretty easy to determine the right one: to large and you can't get them out of your ear fast enough, too small and they fall out.  I am not sure where I fit for ear size relative to the general population, but I found the smaller ones to be the best fit.

Look: in the ear, these headphones are nearly invisible.  I was impressed at the way these disappear in the ear.  This is convenient for Northerners (like me) who need to wear something on your head in the colder months.

Feel: the soft rubber slips make for a soft feel in the ear.  They expand enough that you feel them in place, and after a while you tend not to notice them anymore.

Sound: the range and volume on these is pretty good.  Being that these insert into the ear, you get a better delivery than a standard bud-style headphone.  You aren't going to get real deep base out of these, but then again you shouldn't expect to from a piece this small.  I listened to several guitar-based songs to get a sense of the highs, including jazz, rock and pop, and it met my expectations.  Vocals were a little distorted compared to some of my other options, including the standard iPhone headphones, but they were sufficient.

Voice problems persisted in movies, as well.  The voices were muted and imbalanced against any backtracks or sound effects.  You can't turn the volume up or you'll blow your ears out if a sound effect or some music plays, but turning it down makes it difficult to follow the conversation.

Volume-wise these were some of the best I've tried.  Again, because of the placement in the ear, these provide much better volume than an over-the-ear set or earbuds.  I used these on a couple of flights, and the first time I turned my music on I had to pull them out to prevent permanent deafness!  I set my volume at just over half, which is a volume I have only ever seen with my Bose QC15s.

Overall: a decent set of ear buds.  If your one that has trouble with earbuds, especially while active, then you can't go wrong with these.  I would use these for working out and feel confident that they will stay where they belong.  I would not use these as an all-around set; music is about the only thing you can use these for so if you are a mixed-use person who intends to do music, gaming and movies there are better options out there.

With an MSRP of about $20, and available all over the web for closer to $10, how can you go wrong?

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Outdoor Technology's DJ Slims - Review

The deeper we delve into the labyrinth of options available in portable audio options, and headphones in particular, the more we realize that personal preference and the the conditions have a massive impact on what we like.  With sound quality coming in at the top of every testers list of requirements, we find ourselves moving past it once our standards are met in that department.  Combining style, function and features in a balance for the occasion, is what makes you take notice.

If you are looking for phones to accompany you on a 10-mile run, odds are you aren't going to rock a pair of noise cancelling over-the-ear monsters.  For around the house, and around-town, I found a pair that suits my needs exceedingly well.  The DJ Slims from Outdoor Technology are my new go-to option for most daily uses.  

First things first, these are wireless.  With Bluetooth connectivity, the days of fuzzy static laden wireless signals are a thing of the past.  These deliver clear, clean sound that is in line with top-quality on-ear options.  They are not audiophile audio, but few of us have that sophisticated of a hearing pallet and even fewer of us really care.  It's just not what we are after here.  Paired with my iPhone, these shine in the integration department.  Control volume, song selection, answer calls (with integrated mic so they can hear you too) without ever digging your device out of your bag, from up to 30 feet away.  Sitting in a coffee shop, crushing my keyboard, I barely miss a keystroke when answering the phone.  Auto pause and play-back during calls prevents in-call soundtracks.

They are pretty light, very comfortable, making those long work days a bit more bearable.  I have been getting a full day's use out of a single charge.  OT says 8 hours of audio playback and 9 hours of talk time, with 254 hours of standby.  If you can't get a full day, you may want to consider interacting with live human beings occasionally. 

They may not be for every situation, but this is a welcome change from the ear buds I have used as my daily option for years.  They are an upgrade in comfort and function on nearly every level. I do wish they folded up somehow for better transport and storage, but it really hasn't been much of an issue.  

MSRP: $70.  Considering what you get for the money, these things are a steal!

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