Headphones

Latest news on headphones

Review: Shure MPA-3C Music Phone Adapter

By David Klein Here's a situation that I'm sure many of you have encountered. You found the perfect headphones. For you, they might be in-ears, over-ears, around-ears, noise-cancelling, etc. For me, they are the Shure SE 420's (discussed here). You...

Sony Noise-Canceling Headphones Sound Like Silence

With headphones on, you generally want to get away from it all and experience the full, uninterrupted sound of your tunes. But the ability to pull the plug, as it were, is important in certain circumstances. Like, say, when a flight attendant asks for your drink order. Sony's MDR-NC500D 'phones allow outside sound in with the push of a button.

iPodObserver - Apple Releases 2.0.1 Update for iPod 120 GB Classic

Apple has released iPod Software Update version 2.0.1 for the 120 gigabyte iPod player. The update adds support for Apple's upcoming In-Ear Headphones and Earphones with Remote and Mac and repairs other bugs, including an issue saving Genius playlists.

24'' LED Cinema and In-Ear Headphones Shipping Soon?

Apple may be finally preparing to ship both the new In-Ear headphones and new 24" LED Cinema Displays to customers. Apple pre-announced the products at their September and October media events, respectively. According to sources, App...

Music Headphones Can Interfere with Heart Devices

Have a pacemaker or an implanted defibrillator? Don't keep your iPod earbuds in your shirt pocket or draped around your neck - even when they're disconnected. A study finds that some headphones can interfere with heart devices if held very close to them.

iPod cans menace pacemakers

Bluetooth no heart-stopper, however US researchers have warned that the magnets in iPod headphones and those used by other MP3 devices "may interfere with heart pacemakers and implantable defibrillators".?

MP3 headphones can deactivate pacemakers, study shows

Magnetic interference from iPod headphones could pose a risk to patients with surgically implanted heart monitoring devices, according to a study involving 60 pacemaker and defibrillator patients. Interference from MP3 player headphones could prove fatal by temporarily deactivating a device, and the research team said patients should keep headphones more than 3cm away from their pacemaker or defibrillator."For family members or friends of patients with implantable defibrillators, they should avoid wearing headphones and resting their head right on top of someone's device," said William Maisel, director of the medical device safety institute at Beth Israel Medical Centre in Boston, Massachusetts. Patients themselves should avoid keeping headphones in a chest pocket or draping them over the chest, he added.Maisel and his team tested eight different models of headphones, including clip-on and ear-bud varieties. These were all connected to an iPod, although any brand of MP3 player would have had the same effect. Most headphone types contain small amounts of the magnetic metal neodymium.The team placed the headphones on the skin above the implanted device of 60 defibrillator and pacemaker patients and detected an impact on the device's operation in 14 patients."When a magnet is placed on a defibrillator, it temporarily deactivates the device," said Maisel. "In other words the defibrillator stops looking for dangerous fast heart rhythms, and if a patient had a life-threatening heart rhythm problem while the magnet was over the device, it would not treat it."Pacemakers, on the other hand, are designed to treat slow heart rhythms. They are meant to send signals to the heart when the heart rate slows, but magnetic interference can cause a pacemaker to start pacing without regard to the patient's underlying heart rate. "This can cause palpitations (a feeling of heart irregularity) or can rarely induce an abnormal heart rhythm - although we did not observe any of these in our study," said Maisel.The team did not find any magnetic interactions when they placed headphones 3cm or more from the device.Maisel, who presented his work yesterday at the American Heart Association's meeting in New Orleans, said he did not know of any cases in which headphones had caused death or injury.A Food and Drug Administration report concluded earlier this year that interactions between MP3 players themselves and implanted cardiac devices were unlikely. A separate study presented at the conference found that wireless devices such as Bluetooth are also unlikely to cause a problem.iPodDigital music and audioHealth & wellbeingHealthguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Music Headphones Can Interfere With Heart Devices

Keep those earbuds in your ears: Headphones can interfere with heart devices if too close

Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 Bluetooth stereo headphones

Wireless earphones the way they should be Review Sony Ericsson has a lot riding on these tiny wireless headphones. Barely bigger than wired earbuds, they're a flagship product for a company known for its quality peripherals, and SE wants these boys to cement its reputation.?

The latest portable satellite radios--Ask the Editors

Editor Jasmine France answers all your questions about headphones, MP3 players, and accessories in the regular column.