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Provides: stereo in-ear headphones with microphone

Developer: Icemat

Minimum Requirements: 1/8" mini audio out for headphone, 1/8" mini audio in for microphone

Retail Price: $49.95

Availability: Out now

Sadly, it's no longer just enough to buy headphones these days. Headphones have different uses, and are often designed specifically for said uses. Some are good for music, others for games, others for taking someone else's order while trying to count my change at the Taco Bell drive through. "Seriously, lady, I gave you a twenty, not a ten, and for the last time, there is too such a thing as a two dollar bill!"

The earphones included with Apple's iPod are barely good enough for the iPod, for example. I have a pair of Altec Lansing headphones that are decent for music, but not so much for movies and games (unless I press them against my ears). I recently reviewed the Griffin EarThumps, and found the lower ranges a bit muddy, but the highs and mids were quite clear. That's pretty much how it is with the Icemat Siberia In:Ear Headset, but there's more here to consider.

First, the obligatory specifications:

Headphone:

• Frequency response: 30 - 24.000 Hz
• Impedance: 16 Ohm
• SPL@1kHz, 1V rms: 90 dB
• Cable length: 1.0 m + 1.8 m = 2.8 m / 9 ft.
• Jack: 3.5 mm

Microphone:

• Frequency response: 80 - 15.000 Hz
• Impedance: 2K Ohm
• Pick-up pattern: Uni-directional
• Sensitivity (1V/P@1 kHz): -38 dB

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about how the In:Ear Headset performs. As the name implies, these are in ear headphones. Unlike Apple's, though, rather than just rest against the ear, these actually fit inside. There are two benefits to this. First, they're much more comfortable; they actually stay in place. Whereas Apple's are always falling out, you can jog, dance, even rake leaves while wearing the Siberia In:Ear, making them much more useful. Three pads of various sizes and designs are included to make sure you get a good fit, but I found that all three fit fine in my ears. Something to consider, though...the pads are white, so you'll want to make sure your ears are clean...especially if you'll be sharing the headphones with others.

The second benefit is that the pads, when placed in your ears, do a decent job of blocking out background noises. If you're in a crowded setting—say on a train or in a restaurant—you'll still be able to hear the din, but you probably won't be able to hear individual voices. Any noise cancellation is good, though, even if not complete, especially if you're listening to quiet music or music that deserves for every part to be heard, even when you're in a 737 flying over Pennsylvania.

And yet, there's a microphone, which probably won't do you much good on a airplane, but is pretty good for telephony purposes or online gaming. The microphone plugs into the extension cable, so you don't need to bother with it when you're only need to listen. That's a great decision Icemat made. Not a great decision, however, was to make the initial headphone cable only about three feet long. At work, this wasn't long enough to connect to the headphone jack on the back of my iMac, so I was forced to use the six foot extension/microphone cable just to listen to music. That's nine feet of cable when I only needed about four, and it's nine feet of very thin cable that's easy to get tangled up.

Whereas I don't feel that Icemat got the cable length right, they did nail a couple other items that may not seem like much, but that I greatly appreciate. First, the headphone/microphone jacks are clearly marked on the input side. The outputs aren't, so you'll have to deduce from the actual earphone and microphone plug-ins that green is the earphone and red is the microphone on the extension cable. Second, on both the earphone and extension jacks, the footprint is very small, making it easy to use these headphones with just about any iPod case. That may not seem like a big deal, but you'd be surprised how many headphone manufacturers ignore this, making their headphone unusable with some devices. And third, they included a small carrying pouch for the headphones, which will keep all these wires secure when on the go.

The headphones get good sound, more from the in-ear design than from the speakers themselves, which are tiny. Having them wedged into your ear may get uncomfortable after a while, but I'd rather have that than earphones that keep falling off my ear. The microphone is good if you need it, but I imagine most will opt for the headphone only package, which comes in $20 cheaper at only $29.95. For those considering a relatively inexpensive headphone/microphone combo that is a jack of all media but master of none, Icemat's Siberia In:Ear Headset should certainly be considered.

Hopefully, though, not by those at Taco Bell. Your food's already fast enough, people, it's your accuracy that suffers. Take off the headphones and pay attention, okay?