I am probably in the minority when it comes to hating those very distinctive white Apple earphones. I’m not necessarily talking about their sound quality per se, but rather the way they stand out like a sore thumb when I’m using them. It wasn’t so bad with the iPod, as I can easily replace the white earphones with whatever I have. Then the iPhone came along, with its recessed headphone jack. All of my existing earphones are now useless with the iPhone, unless of course I spend more money and get some kind of adaptor. Even with the adaptor, I’m still going to miss out on some features that the original iPhone earphones have to offer. So, am I going to sacrifice the ability to use the earphones to make a phone call, or fast forward my music with a pinch on the cord, just so I don’t have to wear those earphones? Well, if you are in the same boat as I was a couple of weeks ago, then worry no more!
Note: This review covers the three (3) Upgrader Series Headphones from Altec Lansing. Namely the UHS301 Earbuds, UHS306 Earphones, UHS307 Earclips-S. Any feature or features that are unique to one particular model have been noted as such. Unless otherwise noted, all of the comments will be in reference to all the Upgrader Series as a whole.
Altec Lansing with their new Upgrader Series of Earbuds comes to the rescue. The Upgrader Series are designed to work with the iPhone and most mobile phones. Not only that, they are also compatible with most of the MP3 players out there including the Apple iPod, Microsoft Zune, and Creative Zen just to name a few.
Just a reminder that I will the talking about the three (3) headphones as a whole, unless otherwise noted. The UHS301, UHS306 and UHS307 are part of the Upgrader Series line of earphones from Altec Lansing.
What’s in the box: There are quite a few extras included in the box. The earphones of course are in the box (Thank goodness). In addition to the earphones, here’s some other extras that are included:
- Neoprene Carry Case
- S,M,L Silicone Ear Pads (UHS301)
- 6-Piece Fit Kit (UHS306)
- Washable Silicone Ear Caps (UHS307)
- 2.5mm Adapter
Look Good and Feel Good:
It wont matter how good I will look with an earphone, but if it feels like someone is drilling at my head, then forget about it. One thing I’ve noticed is that it seems like everyone is moving toward cloth-cable now a days. The Upgrader Series are no exception, as the first thing you will notice is that they are made with Tangle-free Cloth Cable. I would have preferred it be black, but the gray is definitely growing on me.
At the end of its long 1.2m tangle-free cloth cable is the the gold-plated plug. And look at that, the plug is slim enough to fit in the iPhone deep headphone jack. You will also notice that the plug is designed with a little bend at the end. To be honest, I’ve not yet found a reason why this is such. Nonetheless, the plug fits perfectly in the iPhone. Moving along and further up the cable line and you will find the in-line volume control with the microphone mute switch. At this point, we really are getting the realization that this particular series of headphones is designed so you can completely trash the white earphones and not miss them a bit.
One of the main features of the Upgrader Series is the in-line microphone, and the Call Answer/End Button located on the right side of the earbud cable. Like the earphones that it’s meant to replace, the Call Answer/End Button will also pause, and skip tracks while listening to your music on the iPhone. All these features are shared by all three in the Upgrader Series that I have tested.
Now on to the main event, the earbuds. I will talk about these features individually as they are significantly different from each other.
UHS301: The earbuds on the UHS301 are made of Patent-pending Soft-fit Silicone Ear Pads. This is great for walking or hiking, and the SnugFit design seals out the noise, and seals in the sound.
UHS306: The UHS306 comes with a noise isolating Smart-Design Soft-fit Silicone Ear Tips, which are designed for travel/airplanes.
UHS307: Meanwhile, the UHS307 comes with Spring Steel Ear Hangers, that is perfect when your are running or jogging.
All three are very soft and quite comfortable when they’re in my ears. To be honest, I thought the design looks a bit on the weird side, especially the UHS301. Once I get past the weird part, and actually put it in my ear, then I realized how good these earbuds are.
Complete Features
UHS301
- Moisture-resistant Design
- S, M, L Silicone Ear Pads
- In-line Volume Control
- Neoprene Carry Case
- Gold-plated Plug
- Tangle-Free Cloth Cord
UHS306
- iPhone™ Compatible
- Works with iPod® and most MP3 Players
- 2.5mm Adapter
- In-line Microphone
- Call Answer / End Button
- In-line Volume Control with Mic Mute Switch
- Silicone Tips Rest Comfortably In-ear
- Full Spectrum Sound
- 6-piece Fit Kit
- Neoprene Carry Case
- Gold-plated Plug
UHS307
- Moisture-resistant Design
- Washable Silicone Ear Caps
- In-line Volume Control
- Neoprene Carry Case
- Gold-plated Plug
- Tangle-Free Cloth Cord
Comfort and Fit:
I’ve been switching between these three earphones for quite sometime now, and as far as comfort goes, they all pass with flying colors. At the end of the day, it all boils down to your personal preference. If I had to pick one, I’d probably go with the UHS301 just because it’s the more traditional design, and is something that I’m already used to.
Sound:
All these nice things that I’ve already talked about with the Upgrader Series would mean nothing if they sounded like crap. Well, I’m happy to report that the Upgrader Series, is just that. While the iPhone earbuds are really not a bad thing, the Upgrader Series just took it to the next level. Even at the lowest volume the sound is very clear and comfortably loud. Bass is more than adequate, and pure even at various volume levels. While the majority of the testing was done on the iPhone, I also did some testing with the Creative Zen, Microsoft Zune, and also the 5G 60GB iPod. Again, the sound quality is just amazing. One thing I’ve found while doing the testing on the other devices is that the mute button seems to act differently. The first time I tried it on the Zen, I couldn’t hear any sound besides the low hissing sound. I was sure the Series is compatible with the Zen, so after some tweaking, I finally got it to work correctly. I had to switch the mute button on, and I’m in business.
Conclusion:
Altec Lansing is no stranger when it comes to audio, and with the Upgrader Series they just proved once again that they know what they’re doing. With the Upgrader Series, I’m no longer stuck with the white earphones, and yet still enjoy all the features that I thought I could only get with my original earphones. If you have been waiting for a great pair of earphones that will work with your iPhone, then your wait is finally over. The Altec Lansing Upgrader Series gives you the features you want, and then some. Go ahead, upgrade, upgrade to the Upgrader Series. It’s worth it.
FYI:
- Product: Altec Lansing Upgrader Series
- Price: Price varies
- Availability: Available now
- Manufacturer: Altec Lansing Technology, Inc.
- Website: www.alteclansing.com
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