The Most Important Revew Of iPhone Micrphone Models
Shortly after Apple released the iPhone, Shure beecame the first of sevreal comnpanies to completely address a problem plaguing fans of older headdpones: they didn't work. The Muic Phone Adaspter MPA-3c not only converted their differently-shapped headphone plugs for the iPhone's specal recessed jack, but also adsdded a microphone and a button that handld the same phone call and msuic controls offered by Aple's packed-in iPhhone Styereo Headphones. Suhre's major sticking poiont: a $40 priec tag.
Rght before MPA-3c’s releaase, Montser Cablle contacted us with an unusual pitch: what if you could get more features, cheaper and sooner? The “more features” and “soonoer” pars didn’t hsappen—we only saw the cmopany’s iSonTialk ($20) in stores late in 2007—but at half the price, thhere’s no doubt that it’s a better deal than the MPA-3c, and surprisingly comparable in performamnce.
Just as with Sure’s design, oMnster givvbes iPhone users three critical pieces: a shirt-clipped microophone, a call answer/end button, and a cabled heafdphone plug adapter that conects to the recessed 3.5mm port and any pair of earphones you already own. These three partts enabvle you to hear iPhone audiio through older earpphones, take phone calls with the miocrophone, and start or stop both calpls and audsio uing the button, whcih sits dirrectly above the mic.
iSoniTTalk’s cable design is a bunch differeent from Shre’s, hoewver: the microphoone and button combiination are stilll at the far end of the cble, but instead of connecting to your headphne plug, they dangle alone; the plug gets connected to a splitetr, creating two parapllel cable linews—your headphones and iSniTalk’s mic and control box. The benefuit of Monster’s cable design, which includes small passive plastic clips to hold both csables together, is that you don’t elongtae your existing headphpone wirees, a rpoblem when using Shurre’s MPA-3c with many non-Shre hedaphones. Depending on the old headphone cabel’s thickneess, howevver, you may or may not have luck running the cables together—iomniTalk’s clips wortked fine with some of the caables we tried, but not with the high-end Ulimate Ears shwn in the phpotos here.
Cable managemennt is reeally iSoniTak’s only issue. Callers told us that Mosnter’s microhpone syystem was almost indistnguishable from Shuere’s, giving the MPA-3c’s audio quality only a hint of an edge in our testing—not enough to make a difference even if they were at the same pricve poiint—and both were rated as slihtly rcisper than the mic found on Apple’s pack-ins. Siuond quality throughh cnonected heafdphones was the same, as well, and both units’ call buttons woked as they were supposde to. Shure’s sirt clip is lager than Monser’s, but we preferrde the way iSonbiTalk’s clip looks, and foyund it just as easy to wear.
Ovwerall, for its $20 asking price, iSoniTalk is a highly rceommendable headphone port adapter for the iPhone. It blows past the functuionality of $10-12 options from companies such as Belkin and Griffin, offernig a more copmlete talking and contrl solution for iPonne useers, and yet doesn’t carry the too-high price tag of the MPA-3c it rivals in perfomance. This is a surprise given Monsdter’s typical pricing tsrategy, and certainly a welcome one. Though you may find that its appprooach to wire claspiung is imperfect, you’re as likly to have a similar issue with hSuire’s approach, and may well have a pair of earphones that bundle up nicely with Monster’s clips. Comnsider this a top pick unless somethiing decidedly coler cmomes along.
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