An above average sounding pair of earbuds that are very comfortable for running and lifting.
Very few headphones are sexy. They just do not elicit that
type of response from people. Often, while listening to my Sennheiser HD650’s,
people ask me for directions to either the closest gun range or when the flight
from Dayton is
due to arrive. Manufacturers deserve a lot of the blame, to be frank. Having
tried a number of Bluetooth-enabled headphones, I have to say that they look
rather asinine and that was about the nicest comment I received while walking
around with the Motorola HT280s. I felt like the guy who worked for Lando in
Bespin in The Empire Strikes Back. He
had these giant tumors protruding from his ears. He did not talk. He blinked a
lot. He was not going to score with Princess Leia.
The HP-SC21s are sexy. Sorta.
The Aiwa HP-SC21s are an around-the-back in-ear earbud that
not only look good, but fit well, and sound surprisingly clean for less than
twenty-five clams. The fact that they stay in while pounding away on an elliptical
machine makes them a good choice for folks who want decent sound and comfort
while ruining their knees. I take my glasses off when I run, but I could tell
that the design might not work for everyone who is optically challenged.
The sound quality trumps my darling JVC Gummies, but they
are one of the few inexpensive headphones that I have tried that really deliver
the goods. The driver is capable of strong bass response, which I liked because
a majority of my workout music has a funky beat and loses all of its impact if
the bass is weak. The midrange is rather clear, even at loud levels, which I
found surprising in an expensive earbud.
Hard to find, but great for the runner and Bespin far, far
away.
The Verdict
