This interestingly colored iPhone-ready headset — complete with an integrated in-line one-button control and microphone — was developed by Denmark’s AIAIAI design company, with tuning by C4 Studios. Pipe (€45) features three sets of rubber ear tips, distinctively jointed rubber cabling, and soft rubber-coated earpieces; other colored versions are available as well. Tube-styled packaging was even more eye-catching than the headset itself.

Preview: AIAIAI Pipe Headset CMYK

Though we’re not going to give Pipe a full, formal review, we’ll note that the sound quality of the earphones struck us as only passable. They’re relatively inefficient drivers, requiring 50% or so of the iPhone or iPod’s volume meter to perform at the same amplitude reached by other earphones at 25-40% power, and between some very evident bass distortion and limited dynamic range, they don’t sound great, either, unless you’re willing to turn them up to unsafe volume levels—it’s our impression that the drivers were optimized for the wrong amplitude. We consider them to be style-conscious listening devices, not serious audio gear.

Preview: AIAIAI Pipe Headset CMYK

Preview: AIAIAI Pipe Headset CMYK

Preview: AIAIAI Pipe Headset CMYK

Preview: AIAIAI Pipe Headset CMYK

Our Rating

NA
Not Rated

Company and Price

Company: AIAIAI

Website: www.Aiaiai.dk

Model: Pipe CMYK

Price: €45

Compatible: All iPods except iPod shuffle 3G, iPhone*, iPhone 3G/3GS

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Jeremy Horwitz

Jeremy Horwitz was the Editor-in-Chief at iLounge. He has written over 5,000 articles and reviews for the website and is one of the most respected members of the Apple media. Horwitz has been following Apple since the release of the original iPod in 2001. He was one of the first reviewers to receive a pre-release unit of the device, and his review helped put iLounge on the map as a go-to source for Apple news.