Purebuds
Most earbuds take a direct path to your auditory nerves, aiming their miniature speakers straight down your ear canals like the Batmobile rocketing through the Holland Tunnel. Not so with the Purebuds, whose "reverse sound" design positions the speakers pointing outwards, towards the rest of the world. A plastic cover then bounces the sound waves back into your ear and through one of three different sets of silicone tips, which are intended to provide three different sound profiles: surround sound, bass heavy, and neutral. The advantage of this bass-ackwards arrangement? These buds, unlike others, deliver hefty beats without distortion — or danger to your eardrums. In practice, the Purebuds deliver decent quality sound, albeit it's a little muffled on the high end. And you can crank your iPhone all the way to 11 with no perceptible distortion. Your ears may be bleeding, but it won't be on account of the earbud speakers peaking. —Dylan Tweney
WIRED A damn sight better than the default buds that came with your iPod. Bass-boosting tips augment the bass only slightly — but they do stick in your ears nicely. "Safe listening" spiel might get your mom off your back.
TIRED Variety of tips provide little actual difference to sound. "Surround sound" tips prone to falling out of your ear. Still possible to hurt your ears by cranking Minor Threat all the way up.
