iLounge

Available in two color schemes - dark bamboo with black and dark metal pieces, and light bamboo with white and light metal pieces, Reelfleet's Amadana-branded PE-117 earphones (featured in our iPod Overseas Report: Tokyo, Japan) are mostly distinctive in looks: their bamboo side pieces are made from real, lightweight wood and offer a natural visual touch missing from plastic and metal earphone designs. Developed in Japan and apparently sized for smaller ears - they weren't especially comfortable for extended wear on ours - they're extremely bass heavy and benefit considerably from use of the iPod's Bass Reducer equalizer, which is pretty unusual. PE-117s come with a flex-open fabric carrying pouch and a two-piece cable that can be split in half for use with remote controls; its earphone wires are asymmetrical, like many Japanese earbuds. They're available outside of Japan through importers.