Review by Dom Vigil
Each pair of eyes sees things differently, and the same could be said about ears – so why is it that there aren’t more products like the Even earphones and headphones? Much like a pair of prescription glasses, Even’s EarPrint technology caters specifically to your ears, giving you a pair of earphones that will make any listening experience well balanced. How does this work exactly? Well, over the last few weeks, I was given the chance to test out the earphones, and overall, it’s a very easy process.
One of the first things you’ll notice about your earphones is their simplicity. The earphones themselves are clearly labeled for your left and right ear, easy to distinguish from one another thanks to contrasting black and white cords. In each package, there are straight forward, easy to follow instructions on how to use the earbuds, and step one is to charge them. This unfortunately was my least favorite thing about the product, as I was excited to try them out right away, but when it comes to the quality of sound you’ll receive in return, it’s a very small price to pay.
After you’ve charged up your earphones, you finally get to create your own personal EarPrint. This was the selling point of these earphones for me, and it doesn’t disappoint. To create your EarPrint (which you can try out on Even’s website HERE) you simply double tap the “Even” button and listen for a voice named Sarah to guide you through a setup that takes less than two minutes. During this, you will listen to eight pieces of music of varying frequency in each ear, alerting Sarah when you begin to hear each tune. This is to help the earphones understand what frequencies you hear in each ear in order to compensate and create a balanced listening experience.
As someone who attends concerts frequently and only started wearing quality earplugs within the last couple of years, I know that my hearing probably isn’t perfect, but I wouldn’t be considered hearing impaired, so I was interested to see what sort of affect the EarPrint technology would have on my listening experience, if any. Upon listening to the first song, there was a distinct difference between the Even earphones and the headphones I had been using before. For me personally, the most notable differences came in the bass, which seemed significantly heavier and fuller than normal, and the small details in each song that I would otherwise never noticed. A great example of this came when I listened to Too Close To Touch’s “The Art Of Eye Contact.” The sounds of the ocean in the background of this song, which were noticeable but not prominent without the Even earphones became very powerful throughout the entirety of the song – something I could never hear before. The same thing happened when I listened to “Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You” by The 1975. Little moments, such as an intake of breath or the sound of the piano’s foot pedals were much more noticeable with the earphones, making the song feel much more emotional than it already did.
From there, I gave The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” a listen, curious if the Even Earphones could give me a new listening experience from a song that I’ve heard countless times, and unsurprisingly, they did. Compared to other headphones or even speakers, the many different layers seemed much easier to pick apart while listening on the Even earphones. The lower frequencies of the song really stood out compared to previous listens as well.
With incredible sound, the Even earphones are absolutely worth the $99, a price that easily competes with most commercial earphones, but admittedly, they’re not without a few small drawbacks as well. As I previously mentioned, one of the biggest downsides for me was the fact that the earphones need to be charged. Once they die, they do not function as normal earphones without the EarPrint, making them useless unless charged. Another small gripe I had as I used them was the weight of the control panel, which does tend to wear on your ears a little. However, everything other aspect of the Even earphones made them easy to use and perfect for anyone who spends the majority of their day listening to music or is a sucker for good earphones, like myself. Compared to the $135 headphones which I had been using previously, the price and sound difference made me wish I had been using the Even earphones for longer. Whether you’re hard of hearing or not, Even is sure to give you a listening experience that is completely unique to your ears, something that is very hard to find anywhere else.
Tech Specs
Type: In-Ear
Headphone Jack: 3.5mm
Drivers: 10mm Dynamic
Impedance: 32 ohms
Microphone
Battery: Lithium Ion ~12hrs.
Weight: 0.8oz
Hz Frequency Range: 20-20,000 Hz
Total Harmonic Distortion: (THD) <3%
dB Sound Pressure Level: (SPL) 110+/-2dB
Controls:
Play, Pause, +/- Volume
Call Control
Remote
Inline