#1 AwesomeSauce Gift - show & tell (Read 646 times)

I scored a mess of cold-weather running gear (which I'll need if I go out tomorrow, here in Central Arkansas), some nice non-stick skillets, and those Meb Keflezighi Walkman earphones.  Haven't had a chance to try those out yet; they're charging.  They did pass the "stay-in-my-head" test, though (at least while sitting inside, shaking my head around).

I didn't know much about those headphones until today.  That's a really smart idea and I like the price.  I like my Sennheiser headphones with my iPhone, but those Meb headphones are a really slick solution.  They make running with a Shuffle seem cumbersome.

Still haven't taken them on the road yet, but I've played with them a bit more.  First thing you hear when you put them in and hit play is Meb giving you a...somewhat confusing message about how running can help you achieve your goals in life if you are successful in other endeavors, and if you aren't, it can inspire you toward them.  Something like that.  Hate to criticize, he's such a nice guy, but I don't know that the "pre-loaded tips" will be that big of a draw for me.

Sound quality seems pretty good, but here again - for running 'buds, not a major factor for me, as I primarily listen to spoken-word audio and want to hear as much as possible around me.  That being the case, I was a little concerned about them being inserted in my ear canal.  Seems like they may be a little better than I thought in this regard - I was able to have a conversation with my wife just fine with them in, but we'll see tomorrow what they're like on the run.

As for how transparent they are, I find them to be very comfy, indeed.  I'm a little worried the "headband" will bounce up and down on the back of my neck during the run and get on my nerves, but they're as lightweight as you'd imagine, they fit my ear canals very well, and I can already tell that, yes, they'll be even less "cumbersome" than the Shuffle.  They seem pretty stable in my ears; we'll see how well they stay when they're joined by a few drops of sweat.  And a big, big advantage over my current Shuffle/Yurbuds combo: water-resistant!

Using the software looks to be very easy - drag-and-drop onto a window in the bundled software's GUI.  Navigating between folders/playlists is pretty simple using the on-device controls (though I did have to consult the manual briefly).  One huge black mark that I've run into so far, however: it doesn't seem to play nice with Audible.com audiobooks, at least as they exist in iTunes.  There's probably a way to get them on there using something besides iTunes, converting them to a different format, etc..  Getting to be about time to do other things, though...I'll look into it more tomorrow!

 As for how transparent they are, I find them to be very comfy, indeed.  I'm a little worried the "headband" will bounce up and down on the back of my neck during the run and get on my nerves, but they're as lightweight as you'd imagine, they fit my ear canals very well, and I can already tell that, yes, they'll be even less "cumbersome" than the Shuffle.  They seem pretty stable in my ears; we'll see how well they stay when they're joined by a few drops of sweat.  And a big, big advantage over my current Shuffle/Yurbuds combo: water-resistant!

If you end up not liking them, I will say that the Sennheiser sport models are totally amazing for sweat and water tolerance.  I wash mine in hot, soapy water occasionally.  Ambient noise is easy to hear, yet sound quality is still really good.  I had a pair of similar Panasonics that failed at all of the above.

I ran 10 miles with my Dad today.

I got a bunch of cool stuff, particularly cold weather running/hiking stuff, but a double-digit run with Dad, by the river, is hard to beat.

 

 

Keep the lights!

I want to! We have a battery powered set of LCDs.  gotta find 'em!

Saaaa-weeetttt fat bike, zoom zoom!  I'm super jealous.

I imagine they are all the rage by you, too...?

I think its time Zoomy admitted she has bike problem and go on some sort of 12 step program.