Here at CES last year I was introduced to a new earbud company. YurBuds was offering their Inspire earbuds. The bright red earpieces stood out and promised a degree of comfort and “stay-putt-edness” that is in great demand among people who listen to music while doing a strenuous activity. I was skeptical but ended up impressed by their sound. Elana, who hates in-ear headphones, tried them on and within minutes co-opted the pair the company had given me for review. (The company kindly replaced mine.) A year later Elana’s YurBuds are going strong and she continues to evangelize for them every chance she gets.
Apparently she is not alone. The company had a fantastic 2011 that saw tremendous growth and a significant expansion of the offerings. Among them are the Inspire Pro headphones. The build upon the original version in some significant ways and take good headphones and make them great. Once again the company was kind enough to provide a pair for review (I expect to lose these to her as well) so lets take a quick look at what is new.
From the Company:
The sport earphone that introduces a new level of functionality with the addition of the convenient three button controls and in-line microphone. These features allow easy navigation of music as well as hands-free-calls, even during extended use. The “Dry-Mic” is water-resistant and sweat proof ensuring your music will always keep you going even if moisture comes in contact with your microphone or controls.
The YurBud Ironman earbuds have the same familiar in-ear gel insert. It looks a bit odd but it is super comfortable, stays in place and feeds the sound, which is excellent, into the ear.
The unique design is really an adapter that fits over the earpiece.
New on this model is an inline three button controller. It also has a microphone.
The plug is at a right angle now which allows whatever music player you are using to stay flat even when it flips over in your pocket.
The company has also improved the cable which is stronger and more tangle free than ever. The Yurbuds Ironman Inspire Pro- Dry Mic earbuds have an MSRP of $59.99 and can be found here.