Earphones are a tricky thing to review. The reason is factors like sound quality, although objective, has such a wide range of acceptable levels that only the finely tuned are picky. But, while sound quality is certainly a huge factor to whether a set of earphones are successful, there are other variables at play too. Thee include, comfort, price, style, and additional features.

But with all f the earphones, earbuds, and headphones that I have reviewed over the years, there have been very few that concentrate on the health of your ear. That is, the level of sound that the unit spits out and how it affects the health of your inner ear. Sure, some throw in a small note about how their earbuds fit within the acceptable level of sound pressure to the inner ear by various groups, but it is always classified as “just another feature.” Most concentrate on sound quality, style, comfort.

So when I had the opportunity to review the AirDrives Interactive Headphones I was intrigued. This product bucks convention and decides to market itself as a “smarter listening” choice. This product uses this proprietary InAir™ Technology to deliver sound without blocking the ear canal. Sure, it may be safer, but can you hear your music or phone calls? Will you distract others? All of these questions made me skeptical of whether other factors were sacrificed.

I decided to test out these earphones over a course of 3 days. I use my current earbuds every day in the following ways:
- On the train listening to my iPod
- Walking from the train station to my office on my iPhone
- Listening to music through a computer at work
- With one bud in the car to make calls through my iPhone

I tested out the AirDrives in every one of these environments to mixed results.

ON THE TRAIN
A train ride is filled with lots of people crammed together in tight quarters and quite a bit of noise both from people chatter and the train itself. The AirDrives were comfortable to wear, sliding effortlessly over my ear. One thing to note is because the earphones do not actually block the ear canal, you may need to look in the mirror to see for sure whether it is in place. I got used to it pretty quickly after the first or 3 fittings. With in-ear units you have a sort of auditory confirmation when the ear canal gets plugged up. This is like positioning mini speakers just outside the door instead of blocking the doorway. On the train, it is important that your earphones do not fall off as sometimes it is so crammed that you can’t raise up your arms to reposition them. The AirDrives stayed put despite the jostling of the train. One of the selling points of the AIrDrives is your ability to hear your surroundings. I will explain how this feature is useful later on in the review. For this application on the train it is not useful at all.The train is a place where you don’t want to hear anything else. In addition, by allowing sound in, you are invariably letting sound out as well. I found that to overcompensate for the sound of the train, my earphones were turned up so loud that everyone around me could hear it. Not too good.

WALKING TO WORK
Coming onto the city streets with the AirDrives gave me a much different experience. Here, the ability to hear my surroundings was not only a nice feature, it was a safety issue. I could comfortably hear my music while fully aware of traffic, honking horns, and bike messengers whizzing by. When receiving phone calls, there is a handy button to answer calls and a discreet microphone. The people I chatted with had no issue of sound quality. The cord also has a handy volume slider and the call answer button doubles as a music pause button. Another thing to note is that because these earphones don;t jam into your ear, they are very comfortable and light and do not require as much cleaning or degreasing as in-ear units require. Finally, I did have some difficulty wearing sunglasses and the AirDrives at the same time. Both hang over the top of your ears and although I was able to fit them both, there was some level of discomfort.

LISTENING AT WORK
The AirDrives could be a useful addition to your work gear. Again, the comfort of the earphones over your ear is nice but depending on your workspace, the sound may distract your co-workers. If you work in an open environment these might not be a good unit for the workplace. I wore them in my office and was able to hear my phone ring, people knocking on my door, and other chatter outside my office while still listening to my music. Again, if you typically wear glasses, you may want to consider contacts

WHILE DRIVING
In-car use is where the AirDrives truly excel. The sound quality of incoming calls is excellent and if you don’t mind the cord, I could see this replacing the standard bluetooth in ear units. The ability to hear your surroundings is paramount while driving and with new laws being passed restricting cell phone use, this could be an excellent solution.

THE SPECS
The AirDrives Interactive Earphones from Mad Catz Interactive, retail for $99 and are compatible with the iPhone, iPods, other MP3 players, computers, and portable DVD players. The AirDrives exceed the House Ear Institute and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for all-day listening based on sound pressure levels detected at the inner ear.

The earphones sport a 4 ft. cable, a gold plated 3.5mm dual standard stereo jack, neodymium rare earth magnet speakers, and magnesium acoustic housing. It has a frequency range of 20-20,000 Hz and 16 Ohm impedance.

You can buy the AirDrives Interactve Earphones here.