So before you read this second look you’re going to want to take a look at Brandon’s recent review of the Z.buds.  In a rare JAMMcurrence we both happened to pick up the Z.buds, but Brandon was faster and slicker on the draw. He did a more than fantastic job of explaining every detail of these earbuds, but hit the jump anyway for a different set of thoughts and pics on ZAGG’s zany Z.buds.

Earpieces and tips (not hints)

ZAGG packed a lot of features into their nylon cabling, so we’ll start right at the top with the earpieces (Brandon started at the bottom – see? we’re different!). They’re half gun metal grey, half super silver grey, and all metal. Each earbud is small and fits very comfortably into the ear, but they do lack the standard "L" and "R" marks to tell you which side is which.

The business end of the buds can be fitted with three kinds of tips: black foams, thick frosted silicone, and black triple flanged tips. The silicone didn’t quite fit like I wanted, and the flanges went farther into my head than I was comfortable with, so I stuck with the foams for this review. Unfortunately, I was later forced to switch to the silicone tips when one of the foam tips fell off and refused to get back in place.  Once the foam is ripped or deformed it’s not going to play nice with the earpieces any more. I also had a spot of trouble with the silicone tips, which have also fallen off on a few occasions while "hangin’ tight" on my chest. I do hope ZAGG can make the tips fit more securely in a future iteration of this product. The "hangin’ tight" system really is a good idea, but the tips are the weak link in this nylon chain.

Carrying Case

This isn’t really a carrying case as much as it is a massive cloth pouch. I noticed it even has a smaller pouch inside it so that you can keep all the tips in the bag without them getting tangled up with the Z.buds. You can close the bag up with drawstrings to keep things ZAGG and secure.

Hangin’ tight

Below the in-line controls lies the three cable ties that make up the "hangin’ tight" system that makes the Z.buds stand out. I’ve seen an iteration of this design in certain Sony headphones, but those have looked a lot cheaper and less sturdy. The Z.buds and their nylon cord feel like they’ll last, and they also offer a lot of options in terms of how you want to wear your music. Beware of the length, though. If you’re not using the cable system you’re going to have a lot of extra wire dangling from your person.

The thing I had to get used to with the “hangin’ tight” system was the way it, well, hung. When you wear them as instructed the wires actually hang down from your head in an arc that leads to your chest (not shown in pics). Regular earphone wires hang in a straight line because they’re being dragged down by the weight of the rest of the cord. I was a little self conscious about this at first as it really does look very different from normal earphone usage, but I got used to it after a day or two.

If I could change one thing about the Z.buds it would probably be  some sort of magnetic design (like Zune earphones) or some sort of latch to keep the earpieces together when they’re just hanging. They don’t sway so much that it bugs me, but I’d feel better just having them fastened together when not in use.

Sound

These are in-ear earphones (I’d say headphones but I see those as the great big buggers that hug your head) so they already have two advantages over the stock crapphones that came with the iPhone — isolation and bass. The Z.buds go pretty deep (especially the flange and foam tips) so the isolation is pretty fantastic and on par with the Shure SE210′s I bought a while back. Unlike the Shures, however, these bad boys brought the bass with them. I think this was definitely a feature included by popular demand, as a lot of my friends positively love having brain bouncing bass. The Z.buds provide this while maintaining a very small and light form factor, so that’s a real plus. The bass does come at a price though, and I found it overwhelmed the mids and highs. The voices of my favourite bands sounded like they were being muffled, although this only really came through when I compared the Z.buds directly to other earphones. They’re easily an upgrade to the stock earphones just like Brandon said.

What I liked:

• hangin’ tight system is awesome
• nylon cable ROCKS
• mic, in-line controls, and volume wheel? I don’t even need my iPhone anymore! This has it all covered!
• lot of functionality and customization for the price range
• 3.5mm jack fits iPhone 2G!

What could use improvement:

• more sound clarity on mids and highs
• more secure fit for the earpiece tips

You can pick up your own Z.buds for $79.99 in Red or Black at ZAGG.com

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