SlashGear Japan
Audio-Technica Japan have unveiled their latest headphones, the ATH-EQ700, which pack retractable cables to avoid in-bag tangling. With an adjustable over-ear clip and positionable driver angles to suit different ear shapes, they have a frequency range of 14 – 24,000Hz and 22 ohms impedance. Of course the clever part is the cabling: the cord between the two earphones can extend to up to 50cm, while the main cable can pull out to 1m.
Both retract at the push of a button, meaning there’s no chance of them getting knotted or, more importantly, pinched or even cut by anything else in your pocket or bag. The gold-plated 3.5mm jack clips into a slot in the left earbud to keep things tidy. Despite all the extra winding mechanism, the ATH-EQ700 set only weigh 29g.
In Japan they’re priced at 3,150 yen ($30) but so far I’ve only been able to find them for sale in the US from AudioCubes, who have them for $49.99. Six colors are available: silver, red, black, blue, white and brown. They’re available now.
[via acquire]
3 Responses to “Audio-Technica ATH-EQ700 retractable earphones”
Neztec June 2, 2008
I wear glasses, Should I buy this earphones?
NeutralChris Davies June 2, 2008
As a fellow spec-wearer, Neztec, I’d be interested in the answer to that too. My own experience with ear-hook headphones is that it’s generally on the miss-side of “hit and miss”, so you might be better off with in-ear buds. However I’ve not tried the EQ700’s, so maybe they fare better.
Perhaps someone who has tried them can comment with their experience?
NeutralIria June 4, 2008
I wear plastic frames and I just got these headphones recently from Japan. I’ve worn them for 3 to 4 hours at a time. I love them because they’re quite light and comfortable. The part of the hook that goes around your ear is thin so it didn’t feel like the frame of my glasses was pressing into the side of my head. The material for the foam earpieces is soft and very smooth.
+1By the way, I don’t think this headphone comes in blue, mine’s more of a purple.