My requirements for a set of headphones are probably a lot simpler than those of most people. I don't care if it's bluetooth or wireless, I couldn't care less about the built in microphone or any of the other hands-free technology employed for smart phones. I'm looking for two things: ease of use and sound quality. I hate having to fiddle around with fancy ear pieces that have to be slotted into my ear in a certain way or, even worse, have to be constantly adjusting the ear buds because they're either hurting my ears or falling out. One of the first things you'll notice about the A161P is that they don't assume everyone's ear canal is the same size. Each pair comes with six sets of differently shaped and sized easily interchangeable cones. It takes only a matter of seconds to find a pair to fit your ears.
You also have the option of slipping wire guides onto the cable that will allow you to hook the buds over your ears to help hold them in place. I'm not a big fan of the over-the-ear hooks. No matter what anybody says, when you wear glasses they feel awkward. Being able to choose whether I wanted to use them or not was a plus. I decided to give them a try, and discovered not only did they help secure the buds in my ear, they were far easier to use than any I had employed in the past and they didn't interfere with my glasses. At least they didn't make it feel like my glasses were about to fall off my head all the time.
When it comes to performance I want my earphones to provide crisp and clean sound which allows me to hear each instrument and the vocals as distinct elements. I don't want my eardrums ruptured with mega bass or my eyes popping out of my head because the treble is too shrill. I want to hear the music as close to how it was recorded as possible. The first thing that happened when I started using the A161P headset was I had to turn the volume on my music player down. I was thrilled. Too many times in the past I've been forced to crank up the volume of whatever player I've been using simply to hear the music. The A161P have so little interference, I was able to turn the volume down by at least half and still hear the music clearly while wearing them while walking beside a busy street. I wasn't even listening to loud music either.
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