Turtle Beach: Ear Force M1 Review

Ear Force M1 Price: $60, turtlebeach.com (Tested on a PS Vita, iPhone 4S,iPad 2 and Motorola Droid X ) You never hear people talking about their awesome ear buds when it comes to gaming headphones but with the massive popularity of mobile games, the idea of using a smaller audio devices is becoming more appealing. Not everyone wants to plug a huge pair of tuna cans into a tiny mobile device just to get the best sound out of the new iOS version of Dead Space or The Walking Dead. Turtle Beach is offering a better, more thought out approach with their Ear Force M1 gaming headphones. The 10mm driver ear buds look plain (at 1st glance) sort of like the hundreds of other products on the market but, looks are deceiving. Music on the Ear Force M1s sounds amazing. Bass is punchy without distortion and the highs get way up their but don’t sound tinny. Sound for sound, these are on par with other higher priced, “higher end” buds, including the noise canceling ones. If you’re using a phone or tablet device that can make and/or receive calls. the integrated mic comes in handy as you don’t have to worry about fumbling around and unplugging to catch the call. You’ve got the standard button to answer and end calls which is rubberized So it’s super easy to find, grip, and use. Games sound exactly like you want them to. There’s a significant amount of depth and effects sound isolation. Everything doesn’t sound like a compressed sound file. Rounds fired down range sound like it and a punch to the face gives you the concussive  impact you’d expect. The trouble with a majority of ear buds is they tend to not stay rooted in the ears. It would only take a sneeze,yawn, or hiccup and they shoot out of both sides of your head like a blow off valve in an import tuner. The M1 buds stayed in place quite well and the gel plugs which are packed with 3 different sizes for you, worked wonders for blocking out mad girlfriends,traffic,moms,ambient noise,siblings,barking dogs,pesky cops, and other loud gamers. The construction is one of the key features. The ear bud is built to sit flush in your ear with the cord going behind the ear and down the front side. The buds are branded with the Turtle Beach logo so people can see how cool you are. The chord is wrapped in a tangle resistant braid so you can bunch them up in the travel pouch provide and be worry free. As an added perk the “Y” junction of the cord has a rubber top that comes free (look closely) that allows you to tighten them right up under your chin for long trips or quick getaways. The Ear Force M1 headphones are one of those types of devices that you never knew you need it until you tried it. Then, you wonder how you went as long as you did without...