Earphones that go the distance (Philips SHS8000)

Member Name: Vixstar

Product:	Philips SHS8000
Date:	16/07/09 (114 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Comfort; secure fit; cost

Disadvantages: Long wire

I have recently taken up running but I have found that after a while, when running inside or outside, my ipod earphones slip out of my ears repeatedly which is somewhat annoying. What I wanted was a pair of earphones that would stay in for my half hour running sessions, were comfortable and wouldn't break the bank. After a little browsing I decided to purchase these earphones from Amazon for the princely sum of £12.98, as they were a reputable brand, fairly cheap but not worryingly so, and had pretty good user feedback.

The earphones themselves are fairly dainty looking. The wire runs through the very flexible rubber earhook. The earbuds are covered in a soft rubber cap and are designed to sit inside your ear canal. Three different rubber caps are provided with the earphones so that you can select the best fit for your ears, these are very easy to exchange and although they feel like they'd fall off accidentally they haven't yet. Another advantage of the rubber caps is that they can esily be removed and cleaned if necessary. I feel these earphones are pretty robust - they have survived several days of being jammed into my handbag with no ill effects!

Although I have never worn earphones which sit in the ear canal before once I had hooked these over my ears I got used to them very quickly and found them very comfortable. My ears are about 7cm long from top to lobe and the hooks sat comfortably with only a slight gap at the top, this did not feel at all uncomfortable. The flexibility of the hooks should mean that these earphones will sit comfortably on the majority of ears. When I've been out running these earphones did not shake loose and even when I got slightly tangled in the wire they did not fall out or hurt my ears. Apparently they have an anti pull design for an extra secure fit.

I have worn these earphones when running outdoors and in the gym on a treadmill and they have not slipped once. I'm not a major audiophile but they seem to give a good sound level when played in conjunction with my antiquated ipod. When outside I am still able to hear traffic noise to a certain extent (although I'm sure increasing the volume would get rid of this if I wished) and at the same volume level they easily masked the music in the gym. I have found the 1.2m wire a little on the long side when running outside but I'm sure this can be easily overcome by placing the wire down my back.

I am very pleased with these earphones and would recommend them to anyone who wanted a reasonably priced set of earphones to wear whilst running. Now I must up date my mp3 player...

Summary: An ideal pair of earphones for running

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