Gifts For Wizards

Gifts: Altec Lansing - Backbeat Noise-Isolating Ear Bud Headphones

I need some new earbuds.

More than that, I need a new receiver for my stereo, but for now, the ol’ budget is nudging me the direction of the under-thirty-bucks opportunity cost.

The chunks of failure I had up until a week ago were these things, Altec Lansing BackBeat Noise-Isolating Earbud headphones. I liked them a lot: good bass, fit in my ears, a cable wrapped in what appears to be climbing gear that’s really easy to untangle. In fact, I was really stoked about them until they broke.

Now if you click the Best Buy link in the previous paragraph, you’ll find your way to customer reviews. According to a lot of them, those Altec Lansing earbuds malfunction in basically the same way—the wires inside the cable break near the jack. Mine lasted for a couple of months, but they crapped out during a totally epic part of “Achilles Last Stand,” which is pretty much unforgivable.

Currently, I’m stuck with the ones that came with my iPod. While I like Apple’s design (except their stores, where it is not immediately clear where to stand when you want to purchase something) in most of its products, the earbuds are the worst. I’m not sure whose ear they are designed for—maybe they fit in a Nintendo Mii, but they fall right out of my head. They’re easy to clean (I know, kind of gross), and I guess they sound okay (not too tinny, but a little bit wimpy), but man, are they uncomfortable.

Anyway, after I win the Chili’s Guest Survey sweepstakes, I’ll get some nice ones that make me look like a serious audiophile, perfect for listening to low-fit punk that sounds like crap.