Air tube earphones

[Fretless]

Years of using a wide range of earbuds from Sony, Sennheiser, Shure, Philips, etc. has given me a lot of experience with in-ear models. And left me almost invariably with a sensation of discomfort after having active magnets producing a strong EMF field next to my skull for a while. This felt like a dull, itchy ache in my ear and also a sort of high-pitched tinnitus would occur. Too long usage would lead to headaches. Full-size, over-ear headphones give me less of a problem as the magnetic field is more dispersed and a couple of cm removed.
My sensitivity to EMF also extends to Wifi and mobile telephones, I cannot, for instance, leave my smartphone on for long periods when I'm out and about as it physically tires and unbalances me. Our village is in dispute with the Dutch Ministry of Defence who are trying to place a new, mega-powerful military radar about half-a-mile from us which will give us all 24-hour exposure to EMF levels 30 times higher than people living in the middle of Amsterdam. At the moment it looks like the ministry is considering placing the installation somewhere else - but we will have to see.

Anyway, I spotted that a Dutch webshop (www.antistralingshop.nl who specialise in anti-EMF products) had these on a special price with free P&P, so got them from there and they came very quickly in the post, despite the Xmas rush.

Initial critical listen, Hooked up to the AQ Dragonfly Red, playing WAV files from ripped CD's via Foobar.

These DefenderShield earphones ooze quality and are certainly well-made, the metal pods housing the drivers hang at collar-bone level and flexible plastic tubes run from them to the earpieces which look like those from standard earbuds and fit well (3 sizes of silicone earpieces are supplied to ensure a comfortable, airtight fit).

Two factor impress immediately - stereo separation is excellent with a very wide, well-defined soundstage & imaging, and the bass is deep, full and punchy. Midrange is nicely rounded too. The 'but' comes with the top end which is somewhat velied and recessed - although this is a characteristic of many standard earbuds (especially Sony's) which tend to reduce treble and pump up the bass (excessively, in some cases). Vocals are a bit indistinct, but I can hear that already beginning to tighten up after only a few hours use. Does seem as if the treble is improving.
Watching films or TV on my smartphone was actually very enjoyable, no complaints at all with good, fat effects on my favourite Scifi epics ('The Expanse').

And none of that magnets-in-the-ears discomfort or tinnitus.

Yay! Result!

[tweet_my_ribbon]

Thanks for the response Fretless and the web link. I have bought a £10.00 pair of air tube earphones on Amazon UK and even though the sound quality is crap compared to my Sennheiser and Sony ear buds. Sound quality is not what's needed, just the removal of active magnets from my head area. So far so good.

I also don't use wi-fi and only use mobile phones on speaker at a distance. Cables rule. All my neighbours blast wi-fi/mobile broadband and nearby cell towers for schools and business. The only way I can measure stength is with a pocket PF meter electric and magnetic EMF detector ( EMFields - 20HZ - 500000Hz) but that doesn't include the microwave spectrum. There are small areas around my home where the levels are low but generally the lower one sits or lies the lower the electric field levels.