1More triple-driver technology gets really good sound in a tiny set of earbuds

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1More triple-driver in-ear buds
1More triple-driver in-ear buds

Earbuds are all the rage these days, some with built-in microphones and remote control for your device. Apple hands them out with some iPods and iPhones, or you can buy the Apple earbud-remote-mic combo online for $29 (maybe cheaper on Amazon). But their design just doesn’t stand up to the sound quality of a set of 1More brand triple-driver in-ear headphones that was recently sent for review purposes.

What does it mean that it says “triple-driver”? A whole lot, say the experts. The more drivers in your headphones/earbuds, the better quality sound you’ll get and, according to Gizmodo, a well-known online tech blog, it’s hard to get technology into headphones. Even making a single driver (like the ones in your big speakers) so small that it fits in a tiny earbud is tough. To fit in more than one is a true technological achievement. These buds have three of them inside, and they’re all about producing fine sound you can really appreciate.

Experimenting with the 1More headphones (~$99) gives a new appreciation for what good-quality buds can do for you. In a little personal comparison test, these 1More triple-drivers came out way ahead of the Apple product and light years ahead of the crummy disposable phones they hand out on airplanes. You can really tell they have been tuned to their final state by a professional sound engineer/producer/mixer. Good bass and crisp sounding brushes on drums and cymbals and nice piano in a jazz piece. Rich bass and fully twanging strings for a duet by blues giants Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Beautiful violin clarity in your classical favorites (you listen to Nutcracker all year long, too, don’t you?).

Once you find the correct eartips for the 1More – you get three sets to work with – these stay pretty well in your ears. The earpiece is set at an offset angle to the technical part and that helps make them feel more secure as well. Running with them might be a challenge, but with ordinary use and walking around, these minimize or eliminate the falling-out-of-your-ears frustration common with some. Truly handy, too, if you’re on a long call and don’t want to have to hold your phone up or put it on speaker.

Nice extra touches. The cord is strengthened with Kevlar and covered in a braided coating that makes it non-knot-forming (don’t you just love that?). The earbuds come in a classy pleather-covered black magnetic-closure case and also with a shirt clip and and a dual-prong airline adapter. Really nice for traveling, and they also work great with an audio extension cord** to listen to a movie streaming on your computer or your TV or other audio device when you want to listen yourself without bothering anyone else. Or in case your old McIntosh receiver is malfunctioning…

**Get the audio extension cord with three rings on the prong, not two, if you want to also use it on your phone. The third ring is what makes it connect with the remote (volume and call answering) and the mic functions.

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3 fun travel ideas for boomers

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We all love to get away sometimes, even if it’s to a park or a beach or even just a visit out to the suburbs. And some boomers who saved up over the years can now count on a nice nest egg to travel anyplace on their bucket list. So here are a few ideas for making your travels more convenient, or fun and fashionable or exotic:
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Droplet bag and Matador blnket packages
Droplet bag and Matador blnket packages

Handy beach/picnic/gym stuff. On vacation – or at home – you don’t want to lug along a clunky bag to put your wet suit or sweaty gym clothes in. You sure don’t want to worry your cell phone is gonna get wet on a beach or picnic. Matador offered a test sample of a couple of their practical little easy-carry items tohelp with travel/vacation situations. Their Matador Droplet Wet Bag ($14.99) comes in a 1.5-inch teardrop-shaped pouch and unfolds to a generous size (see photos). Although you probably can’t fit your gym shoes in here, you can certainly cram some shorts, a top and some socks in and know they won’t smell up your bag or dampen your other items. If you’ve got tiny grandkids and you’re out somewhere when they spill all over their clothes, this is a great place to stash the wet stuff. Or maybe you’re carrying around a bottle of red wine on your outing and don’t want it to stain anything in your bag…

The surface of the bag is waterproof, but overall the bag is not at the closure point. So don’t be thinking you can drop it in the white water rapids and be sure your phone will be dry. But for simpler challenges, it’s handy on your keychain and will keep water out or watery stuff in. And believe it or not, it’s not too tough to get in back into that little pouch.
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Also, say you’re out walking or climbing or whatever-energy-level activities you prefer. At some point you decide you want to sit down, but there’s no bench or the nearby rocks are wet. Or there’s only dusty, damp or muddy ground. Never fear. Whip out your Matador Pocket Blanket ($24.99) and lay it out for you and a friend to relax comfortably on. At 63″ x 44″ it’s almost the size of a throw, and more than two could sit if needed. It’s water and puncture resistant and folds up into a neat little package that fits easily in a pocket or purse. You could even use it as a cover in a sudden rain.
Crystal and black pack of 1More dual-driver earbuds
Crystal and black pack of 1More dual-driver earbuds
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High-tech in-ear sound with fashionista design. Big sound. Small package. Cool look. In a nutshell, that’s Crystal 1More Dual-Driver In-Ear headphones. We all want to look chic when we’re using our phones or tablets or whatever, and you can’t go wrong with these. Not only are these buds tuned by a Grammy-award-winning sound engineer, but they look good, too. 1More sent a pair of these to evaluate.

Sitting outside and integrated into the in-ear bud is a faceted Swarovski crystal – either sexy black or pretty pink; you get both colors in a single package for $79.99. Together with the matching-color, coated wires, these buds have a classy, fashionable look. They also come with a neat little storage case and several sizes of silicone eartips so you can get a better fit in your ear. If the plugs don’t stay in your ears, try the larger, triple-flanged tip. The earbuds themselves are fine-tuned by produce great sound – once you get them tightly seated in your ear. You may have to tug on your earlobe or pull on the back of your ear to open the canal wide enough to get them properly situated. Once they’re in you’ll hear the full and satisfying range of bass/treble tones in your music or movie or game.
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The cord is covered with a special Kevlar coating that protects the internal wires and makes the cord tangle-resistant – a much-appreciated feature for those of us boomers who are cord-challenged. The inline-microphone is very handy with its 3-button switch for answering/canceling calls and turning the volume up or down. Nice note: the phones automatically turn the music down on your phone when a call comes in. And it’s so nice not to have to hold the phone up on a long call.
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Use these while you’re on the plane or in the car/bus/train to listen to your music on Pandora, Spotify or whatever. Or if you want to rest or sleep – or just escape the guy-next-to-you-who-wants-to-talk – use them to listen to a white noise app like the simple Bed Time Fan or the adaptable Relax Melodies. The latter is an amazing app that lets you choose between nature sounds, guided meditations and multiple other relaxing sounds. You can even overlay sounds, like play ocean waves and rain at the same time. Cool. <Grin>
 
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Cruise and safari in Africa 2017! Yep. If you’re looking for exotic, this is it – the land of elephants and lions and giraffes and wildebeests awaits. CroisiEurope hosts a bunch of different cruises through Africa, but next year they’re introducing a new trip sailing up the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers with their new luxurious 16-passenger river cruise ship. Select a 6-day, 5-night cruise through Southern Africa in one of eight exterior-facing deluxe suites with balconies, a panoramic restaurant, lounge bar and rooftop patio with pool and chaise lounges. After that, enjoy a 4-day, 3-night stay in CroisiEurope’s own 5-star lodges, complete with safaris and a day at Victoria Falls. For a complete list of their cruise itineraries, visit their cruise website.
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Wherever you choose to go, relax, expand your horizons and open your mind. Travel well!
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