ClarityOne Audio Buds a Fresh Perspective to Listeners

How Do They Work?

Magnetic fields. Magicians love ‘em, sound engineers - not so much. Speakers by nature can create unwanted rebound forces that can find their way back into the signal, creating distortion. ClarityOne believes their PureSound technology will eliminate this problem by combining elements of a traditional speaker, allowing for more efficient flow from coil to cone.



Their website summarizes their processor system, saying it “connects the speaker as part of the amplifier circuit so that its two way coil moves back and forth in unison with the signals in the amplifier. In essence it “couples” the speaker to the amplifier”.

At CES, Kurnell briefly explained how their custom technology creates opposing magnetic fields that would effectively cancel each other out, resulting in an undisturbed signal. When asked if he could elaborate a bit further on how this is achieved, he replied that this is a patented technology.

Comfort & Lifestyle

I wore these in-ear headphones for many hours straight, mostly during bike or bus rides around the city, with minimal discomfort. They barely sit in my ear canal, with the tips pushing up against the outer opening of my ear. The tips offer great isolation from my surroundings, even in very noisy environments. (Always remember to check both sides of the road)



But its sleek design can sometimes lead to a loosening grip if the cords are jolted around. On the treadmill, or any quick vertical movement, like running or jumping, the heavier cords can bounce the bud out of my ear. The cords are advertised to be “tangle-free”, but I have yet to see exactly how. I can tell that they are heavier duty than ones on other models, but I usually practice safe cord wrapping anyway.



The in-line controls are basic at best, when compared to those anchored onto other popular models that can at least raise and lower the volume of media, and even manipulate menu navigation. A ClarityOne rep mentioned functionality on Android, Windows Mobile, and other devices may also be possible.

The single clicker can answer and hang up calls, pause and unpause tracks, and houses a mic. Nothing more, nothing less. My Samsung Galaxy S2 recognized a long-press (3 seconds) as launching the default Music app, but I wonder if there’s way to change this action. The iPhone didn't react to the long press. With the growing mobile lifestyle and gesture controls, I hope this feature is more scrutinized in a future revision.