REVIEW: Accessories to Jazz Up Your IPod

An Apple iPod is shown with an FM radio remote, left, Thursday, August 17, 2006 in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (Mark Lennihan - AP)

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Bose QuietComfort 3 and Shure E500PTH

If you plan on using your iPod when you're riding in cars, aircraft or subways, you'll do well to upgrade your headphones to ones that both produce sound and shut out noise from that pesky outside world.

There are two basic kinds of such headphones: "noise-canceling," which go over the ear and use electronic wizardry to dampen noise, and "sound-isolating," which physically block noise by filling up the ear canal like ear plugs.

Bose Corp., which makes noise-canceling headphones, and Shure Inc., which makes sound-isolating earphones, recently released new models at the top of their ranges. I took them through their paces on a number of aircraft, plus the New York subway, possibly the world's noisiest.

The $349 Bose QuietComfort 3 differs from its predecessor, the QuietComfort 2, mainly by being smaller. Instead of large cups that envelop the ears, it has pads that rest on them. But the carrying cases for the QC2 and QC3 are the same size and take up the same amount of space in your bag, so the difference is really one of style.

To compensate for the nonenveloping design, the electronic noise-dampening has been beefed up in the QC3, and it really works. In the toughest of conditions _ a turboprop flight over the Aegean Sea _ the QC3 actually did slightly better than the QC2 at drowning out the engine throb. At other times, there was no significant difference.

The QC3 has the same excellent audio quality as the QC2, with a rich velvety feel to the bass.

The QC2 is still available for $299. You'll look like less of an audio nerd walking around in the QC3 _ it's your call whether this is worth an extra $50.

Sound-isolating earphones have generally lagged behind Bose in sound quality, but that's changed with the Shure E500PTH, which has no less than three speaker elements in each earbud. This means great sound out of a small, but almost absurdly expensive package _ list price is $549.

The inconvenient thing about sound-isolating earbuds is that they take some time to put in properly, and removing them can be slightly embarrassing, because some of the sleeves have a tendency to pull out ear wax.

With the E500PTH, Shure has a fix for that: the PTH stands for Push To Hear. On the cable, there is a unit the size of a lighter that contains a microphone. Slide a button on the unit, and whatever you're listening to is muted. Instead you'll hear what the microphone picks up, so you don't need to pull out the headphones to know what's going on around you.

It works, but I think Shure tried to solve the wrong problem here. The problem is not that you can't hear conversation directed at you or PA announcements with the earbuds in. You can, as long as you pause your music, so the microphone isn't really necessary.

The real problem is that it's rude to talk to someone with headphones on. If you want to be polite, you have to remove them, microphone or no.

Most people will probably be happier with Bose-style headphones, which are more comfortable. But sound-isolating headphones have the advantage of being small, light, and much better at dampening high-frequency noise, like the screech of subway brakes.

_ Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer

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AV Cable

The cheapest item we tested is probably also the one that gives the most bang for your buck, at least if you have a video-capable iPod.

An AV cable allows you to plug your iPod into a TV set, and watch your movies and TV shows on a screen that's far more comfortable than the iPod's 3 square inches. You get audio from the TV's speakers too.

We tested a $20 retractable cable from Pacific Rim Technologies, and found it a great companion on a trip. Bring a season of your favorite TV show and forget the measly channel selection in the hotel!

Apple sells a similar, but nonretractable, model for $19.

iPod video files are of relatively low resolution and highly compressed. But on a standard-definition TV, the image looks good enough that it shouldn't be distracting.

_ Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer