ZippEarz Earbuds Review & Giveaway

The ZippEarz folks sent me a pair of their earbuds to review and giveaway. They also gave me a hoodie that can be used along with the earbuds, and although it was a nice hoodie it was too big, so I gave it to my brother.

ZippEarz earbuds feature a 10mm speaker diameter, a conical fit (resting almost inside the ear canal vs resting in your ear like Apple earbuds), 3 sizes of soft ear cones for a perfect fit, detachable and adjustable ear loops to keep your ZippEarz in place during exercise, and a "zipper" feature to manage the cord.

At first, I wasn't sure how well these would work for me. The earbuds I use rest inside the ear instead of going deeper into the ear canal, so I didn't know how I'd like the fit and the fact that the sound would be a little more intense.

To begin, I fitted the earbuds with the smallest ear cones. I don't think my ears are very big, though perhaps the next size up would help keep them in place better.

I attached and adjusted the ear loops, then put them on. This wasn't easy; I needed to look in the mirror to see what I was doing since I had a hard time getting the loops to fit snugly over my ears.

The cord on the ZippEarz features a zipper to keep the cord from tangling. This is a really nice feature, as sometimes I forget to take my necklace off, resulting in a massive knot with the cord of my regular earbuds that I have to figure out post run. While the cord may seem long, the benefit is that everyone regardless of height can wear it.

I didn't want to run with excess cord flying around, so I tucked it under the waistband of my shorts and headed out for a run.

Unfortunately, my braid knocked off one of the ear loops. Once it fell off, I couldn't get it back on. For the first half mile it stayed in place, though. The sound was a little intense so I lowered the volume much more than I would with my regular earbuds. Had it not been for the braid incident, I think the earbuds would have stayed in place, but I'd have to try it again to be sure.

The pros for me: Despite the above, inconclusive incident, the sound quality is good. ZippEarz retail for $24.95 a pair and come in 3 colors (they sent me green, which works out nicely as its my favorite color!). For the price, you get good sound and a lot of extras, like the loops. I don't expect inexpensive earbuds or headphones to have the greatest sound, but when they do it's a nice surprise.

Update: After listening to tunes with Zippearz for the past few months, I've come to the conclusion that the sound quality is great. The music sounds deep, I can hear notes I never picked up as deeply with my standard Apple earbuds (cheap piece of crap). So if you're looking for quality with a good price, these are it.

The zipper feature is pretty neat. It keeps the cord near your neck together so it won't tangle or fly around.

I'm still unsure about the fit. I have stayed away from conical style earbuds because they push further into the ear. After listening to music with these for a little bit , the sound became more annoying earlier. In doses, I'd find these to work great, and they aren't uncomfortable to wear.

Second Update: I've been able to wear these earbuds while running without the attachable ear pieces by pushing the conical buds deep into my ear. This means I have to turn the volume down even lower than usual, but that's probably for the best.

Unfortunately, one of the cords somehow is partially sliced in half and that earbud went out. Luckily, my sweetie pie bought me a new pair. That's how much I've come to like these earbuds.

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ZippEarz Giveaway

Would you like to win a pair of ZippEarz? Enter for a chance to win! You'll get a pair of ZippEarz, a pouch, 3 sizes of soft ear cones, and ear loops. The value is $24.95.

To enter, follow these steps:

• Leave a comment. Tell me when you're most likely to listen to music - while you workout, during your commute, cooking in the kitchen?


• For an additional entry, Tweet the following: Win a pair of @zippearz from @RunningFoodie http://bit.ly/qsSspM. Leave a comment letting me know.


• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post. Include the link in your next comment.

Three ways to enter!

Giveaway ends Friday, August 5, at noon. Good luck!