notjustacarnivore

Ever have trouble with your headphones falling out of your ears while you’re running or otherwise working out?  Perhaps you get tired of having to pull out an earphone every time you want to cross the street because you need to listen for cars passing by.  Do your earbuds annoy you simply because one of the cushions keeps falling off and getting lost?  Or maybe you don’t notice these things because you just assume there’s no solution for them.

That’s where I was before I won Laura at Sprint2theTable‘s giveaway.  I didn’t mind my earphones falling out or constantly taking one out because it was the normal thing to do.  I had no idea how much more fun exercise would become once I didn’t have to bother with such things!

Auria has created an earphone that is meant for exercise, and they gave Laura a set to give away to a lucky winner to try.  Read about Laura’s good experience with Auria earphones here.  I was thrilled to find out that I was that lucky winner, and I now I’m here to tell you my own experience with these earphones.

About Auria’s Earphones

Auria makes three different levels of earphones for different prices.   Provoke is the most basic, and they retail for $23.99.

Source: http://www.auria.com/

These are the ones Laura has, so her review can give you a good idea as to whether they’re a good fit for you.  They come in either black or black and white (pictured).

They sent me a pair of their middle-of-the-road earphones, although I’d call them far superior to that description.  These are from the Exceed line, which retails at $33.99 and is worth every penny!

Source: http://www.auria.com/

The Exceed line gives you more color options (I have the hot pink and black – obviously the ones pictured.)  This line also comes with an audio control on the headphone unit, as well as a function button that allows you to control the audio (and video, if you’re using it) and to answer and end calls.  This is particularly useful for me, since I use my iphone for music while I’m working out, and I wear an armband so I can’t actually see the phone.

Finally, there’s the highest-end line, Zeal.  I can’t speak for whether they’re worth the price because I can’t imagine needing anything more than what I have, but if you’re a music junkie, I’d say these are probably for you since they have upgraded speakers (nano technology speakers, if that means anything to you.  It doesn’t to me.)  This line also has volume control and function buttons for integration with smart phones, and it retails for $59.99.

Source: http://www.auria.com/

For the price difference, I would absolutely stick to the Exceed (or the Provoke if you don’t run with a smart phone), but again, I haven’t tried the Zeal.

What Makes Auria‘s Earphones Unique?

Answer: The Xfit system.  What this means is simple.  Rather than placing the earphone all the way into your ear, it rests just inside the cushiony part of your ear lobe.  With 4 different sizes of cushion to choose from, you can find a size that fits your ears and the earphones will simply rest; they won’t fall out.  Having size options is also nice in case you’re a freak like me who, apparently, has two different sized ears.  Who knew?

The other things I love about these headphones is that, because they aren’t pushed inside my ears (and are, thus, probably saving my hearing,) I can hear outside noises without removing the earphones.  So, when I’m running outside, I don’t have to take an earphone out to listen for cars while crossing the street.  I can hear cars, lawn mowers, even kids playing outside.  But I can also still hear my music.

Limitations of Auria‘s Earphones 

The problems with these earphones are extremely minimal!  But here they are:

1. It can be a little tricky to determine your size.  But keep trying; you’ll figure it out and you’ll be so glad you did!

2. Because they are not in your ear, they’re not comfortable for sleeping, use on airplanes, etc.  These are definitely meant to be exercise earphones.

3. They take some getting used to.  This is key when you first start using these earphones – they really do take some getting used to.  Because they’re not inside my ears like most headphones, I always think they’re falling out.  I actually didn’t like them at first for this reason.  But I kept using them, eventually made myself stop fiddling with them, and quickly learned that they’re not going to come out.  Every time I think I should push them back in, I stop myself.  And they never go anywhere.  I’m hoping the urge to mess with them will go away pretty soon altogether!

Overall Verdict

For exercise, particularly outdoor exercise, these earphones rock!  Nothing beats them.  Well worth the cost!

Have you tried Auria earphones?  Are you fed up with the ones you have?  Let me know what you think!