Home > Consumer Reviews > Purebuds Digital Earphones: Pure Music, Safe Sound

I have tried all different kinds of earphones before including sony, panasonic, ipod brand, and other smaller brands. I would have to say that the purebuds are one of the better earphones I've tried. It includes three different tips (bass boost, surround sound, and full range)that are pretty comfortable in my ears. It also has this new "reverse-sound" feature that seemed to direct the damaging sounds away from my ear without taking away the loudness I wanted. I had some difficulty putting the surround sound tips on the earphone base and keeping them in my ears because of the shape. Overall, this is a great set of earphones and I'd recommend people to give it a shot.

As someone who has never had earbuds fit in my ears without them falling out every two seconds, I am very happy with my Purebuds.For being so small it really is incredible how much outside sound they block out. Comes with a handy carrying case and the service reps are nice too. With all the competition out there in way of earphones, I highly recommend PurEbuds. Great sound quality, comfy, affordable!

If you're looking for earphones that are comfortable, stylish, and deliver excellent sound quality, Purebuds earphones won't disappoint. I'll break down my thoughts on the three categories:

Comfort:
For me, I need to be able to wear earphones for long periods of time without discomfort while I'm working on the computer or on a long run. Normally, I have a hard time finding earphones that fit comfortably (I guess I have smallish ears), and after half an hour I feel a throbbing pain in my ears. Not so with the Purebuds. Purebuds come with three different earbud tips, each of which has a unique shape and type of acoustics: surround sound, bass boost, and full range. I found the flat circular tip (surround sound) the most comfortable. In fact, I can't even feel them, and I forget I even have anything in my ears as I'm enjoying the music.

Style:
I don't particularly care if the earphones are the most stylish things in the world of earphones, but actually these look pretty good. The white cord and button-like earbuds are a good stylistic choice--gives it kind of a futuristic look. The other thing I really like is the neck cord that allows you to take out one earbud (say, if you want to be able to hear what's going on around you or someone's talking to you,) without the cord's entire weight suspended from the other earbud. The Purebuds also come in a small round zippered carrying case, which is pretty cool. Inside there are separate compartments for the earphones and for the different earbud tips.

Sound:
What makes Purebuds technology different from other traditional earphones is the Reverse Sound Technology, which purportedly prevents inner ear damage caused by listening to music at high volume, while simultaneously creating superior acoustics. It does this by facing the speaker unit outwards instead of towards the inner ear; the reverse sound flows through the ear canal and mixes with delayed sound of the rear speaker, creating the special type of acoustics. I don't know whether this is what is actually happening, but I can say that the sound quality is excellent and no matter how high I turn up the volume, it does not hurt my ears. You can play with the different earbud tips and see what you like when listening to different types of music. For example, I found that the bass boost tip is the best for listening to songs with lots of beats, drums, bass. The bass can sound tinny on the other tips. But if you want to clearly hear instrumentals in a song, I recommend the surround sound tip. It truly sounds iike the band could be playing in the room. The full range tip keeps falling out of my ear, just not a good fit, so I can't really comment on its sound quality. But with two other great options, it doesn't bother me.

Overall, the Purebuds earphones fit my needs perfectly, and I'd recommend them to anyone else looking for a good quality set.

i opened the box and looked at these weird little silicon-looking tips and thought "how is this going to make my music sound better?" well, i still don't know how, but the sound difference is incredible. i tried the first earbuds, the flat, saucer-shaped "full range audio" buds, and i thought "this is ok" even though they kept falling out of my ears (i have that problem with all earbuds). then i put on the bass boost buds, and i was totally blown away--instant bass! in an earbud? but most of the music i listen to doesn't really need all that bass, except for my hip-hop collection. so i put on the surround sound buds. excellent. the sound is really good and these buds don't fall out of my ears, they fit super comfortably. i got these on a promo offer, so i can't imagine i would actually have paid $50 for them. but if you really love music and really want good sound quality from your earbuds, you might. they blow those crappy ipod earbuds out of the water. oh, and i like the little round carrying case they come in, saves me from having to untangle the wires all the time.

There are many reasons to love the Purebuds, but two features in particular make them stand apart from other earphones: 'Reverse Sound Technology' and interchangeable tips. Other features (like the cool and robost carrying case; the trendy white design; the long, durable cord) are great, but available elsewhere.

'Reverse Sound Technology' means, basically, positioning the speaker to face away from the ear. The sound reflects off of the internal surface of the Purebud and back into the ear. Rear-facing speakers are not a new concept, but it's the first time they've been tried in earbuds - and what a difference they make! The frequencies get a chance to blend and soften creating a smoother sound with a sense of space. Regular earbuds blast the sound directly to your eardrum and can sound harsh, shrill and unnatural. They can also cause ear damage. With the Purebuds the speakers have a chance to 'move some air' creating a fuller, more natural sound and a safer listening environment. I was able to listen for hours and never experienced ear fatigue. At high volumes there is no distortion; a good sign that at more sensible volumes the speakers are working efficiently and the Purebuds should have a long lifespan. I'm sure they will, but I'll be looking into a backup pair, just in case; I don't think I could ever go back to regular earbuds now.

The interchangeable tips are a means to tailor the sound to your listening material. Bass Boost, Surround Sound and Full Range tips switch out easily and provide a subtly different spacial effect. I'm a rock/folk/roots music lover and, after experimentation, pretty much exclusive use the full range tips. They seem the most natural for my listening choices. Having said that, the Bass boosts worked great when I loaded Electronica on my ipod. The kick and bass lines were slamming, but I never got the feeling I was being hit over the head. In fact (and this is a common feeling I have with the Purebuds) I forgot I was wearing earbuds at all. The music sounded like it could have been coming from my Bose system across the room. The Surround Sound tips sounded best to me with orchestral music, really giving it a huge space in which to be. I imagine they'd be the tip of choice for watching videos and films also. Like I said, I have the Full Range on mostly, but it's nice to have the option to mix things up.

I highly recommend Purebuds to anyone who values music and who values their hearing.

James Crocker