By Odeisel

If there was ever anything that annoyed me about portable music, it’s cheap ass headphones. I know sometimes you get caught out there and you have to buy some on the run occasionally, but cheap headphones can totally ruin music for a two big reasons.

You’re probably playing some “music” nobody else likes but thanks to your poorly made headphones, everyone can hear every single word of your crappy music, even on the loud subway, even though you’re at least 10 feet away from others. Second, you’re already listening to an mp3 and the quality of your music needs all the help it can get to stretch itself into the realm of CD quality sound. (Tough luck trying to get that big echo record sound. We’re out on that). A good pair of headphones can bring out the lows and treble highs without sounding like noise.

You may prefer ear buds with noise reduction or ear muff style, over-the-head phones that block out sound. If you’re at the gym, those may not be the most conducive to getting your workout on (and not breaking your headphones). This column is about introducing you to the latest in headphones of all varieties and brands.

Over the years here at Planet Ill we’ve gotten bunch of submissions for headphones to be featured in our series Headphone Home. We try them all under various conditions, some on purpose (like switching media from cell phones to stereos to laptops) some accidentally serendipitous (leaving a pair of Griffin Woodens in my jeans and having them survive a trip in the washing machine and still functioning perfectly.)

We reviewed quite a few pairs of headphones in 2013 but when it comes to the quality and the flawless design, one pair stood out over the rest. Om audio dropped the INEARPEACE earbuds on us in the beginning of December and boy, were we blown away.

First off, their propaganda:

“Our special pressure-relief system will bring hours of comfortable listening by reducing air pressure in your ear.”

“Discover the harmony produced by combining a balanced armature driver for crystal clear highs and a 10-mm coiled driver for smooth, deep bass.”

“Our tangle-free cable eliminates the frustration of tangles, allowing you to focus on only what truly matters.”

The tangle free cord is the first thing that stands out. As a guy that goes from car to gym to car to work to bus to car then home to computer, I cannot tell you how tangled my earbuds can get, even when I call myself wrapping them neatly around my 4 fingers and putting them neatly in my bag or my pocket. They do NOT come back that way. INEARPEACE isn’t as long as the normal bud cord but when you unravel it from the included case it pops right into a usable position. I had ZERO issues with it.

The ear cushions it came with were a little bit big for my ears. They couldn’t get deep enough to get that air lock where the bass is perfect, but a quick switch with the included other sizes and it was goldilocks just right in my ears.

I tested the sound listening to Roc Marci’s latest release, Marci Beaucoup. He has a distinctive clear-dictioned voice with many soul samples. You can hear the crackle of the record  sampled on Soul Music, the jagged drums on abrupt tracts like the Freeway-featured Didn’t Know and the hazed-out electric guitars of Psych Ward. It was a real balanced sound that gave respect to the mids and highs and well as the bass. Switched from Cell phone to laptop to Stereo as always and they handled well.

Aesthetically the buds are slick looking and come in two colorways: Black and White. Their Om logo is can blend in on the boulevard and the boardroom. Intrigued? You can get them HERE for $149.99. A better buy than the Beats.

Here are the specs: