Oh Canada! Land of infinite, lush wilderness, abundance of health care, friendliness on every corner, and now... science-rebelling earbuds. That’s what the Ontario audiophiles of ClarityOne Audio claim, with their patented “PureSound” technologies that will deliver the best performance possible on their new ClarityOne Earbuds.
At CES 2012, Dean Kurnell, president of ClarityOne Audio, greeted us with beaming confidence, doing his best to explain the technologies behind this flagship product, but excitedly wrapped up with “you guys just have to check these out!” And so, for the past two weeks, starting with the long bus ride home from Vegas, I did just that. Here’s what I’ve found:
First Impressions
They presented me with a simple, similar feel to most IEMs (in-ear monitors) of its class. The packaging also includes two smaller and two larger earbud tips, a warranty notice, an instruction booklet, and a neat protective carrying case with an attached carabiner. The literature jokes that I should stop reading, and invites me to immediately try them on.
The buds themselves have a solid construction, with what appears to be an aluminum casing, and come in an assortment of color options. It’s sometimes hard to tell which bud is which, since both look streamlined and identical, with the “L” and “R” labels barely visible on each casing. Other manufacturers would somehow color-code one of the buds, such as a Red dot or Ring on the Right side. While this is not a deal breaker, it may be jarring the first time around.
Both buds grip onto a hard-lined, equally firm cord, with a microphone and control unit anchored underneath the left side. The cord also has an extra plastic lining to it, allowing for more durability. The cord joins together down to a TRRS plug, allowing for stereo audio plus microphone input. Most current smart devices will recognize this connection.
Despite its minimalist aesthetics, ClarityOne wants to push their technology first and foremost.
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