Description

The problem with all headphones, earphones and earbuds is that you simply can't hear what is going on in the world around you. I don't know how many times I have missed phone calls, knocks on the door, doorbells, car horns, smoke alarms, people screaming at me, trains, air raids, explosions, tornado sirens and more simply because I couldn't hear them with my headphones on. Well, with the cool new AirDrives Earphones ($80), I can finally enjoy my music and still be completely aware of my surroundings.

Unlike most earphones that block the ear canal from ambient sounds, the AirDrive speakers create less sound pressure levels because they rest comfortably outside the ear on the small protuberance anterior to your ear canal called the tragus. While delivering great sound quality at only 80 dB at the inner ear level, you will still be able to hear what is going on around you. These earphones are absolutely perfect for the office, jogging, working out or anywhere else you still need to hear the outside world. Even better, these earphones meet and surpass OSHA's federal all-day listening standard. (via Michael Kiely)

Updated Jul 21, 2008