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Jay Yoo

ESC101 - Praxis

Personal Design Decision

Introduction

Beginning at the age of 13, I have steadily developed a passion in both listening to, and playing
music. To further this interest, I have decided to analyze off-the-shelf earphones that are offered in a
variety of stores. The selection process is ideal for this opportunity because the earphone market is
already filled with numerous models, each with their own specific benefits.

Requirements

Objectives:

Choose an appropriate set of specialty earphones from focused brands that claim to offer higher
quality earphones.
Find earphones that provide higher sound quality.
Find earphones that are durable.
Find earphones that cancel noise in busy, student filled environments.
Find earphones that are comfortable to wear.
Minimize costs.

Metrics:

Lifespan Months (mo.).


Cost - Canadian Dollar ($ CAD).
Qualitative Rubrics:

Metrics Unacceptable Satisfactory Good Exceeds Expectations


Quality of Abrasive, muddy, Clear, somewhat Crisp, rich Crisp, detailed, rich
Audio Produced congested, choppy unbalanced balanced, powerful
Ambient Noise Sound from Sound from Only close Close conversation,
Blocking surroundings surroundings conversation or barely noticeable,
overpower present in loud sounds can overall silent
produced audio background be heard
Comfortability Painful, unbearable Uncomfortable, Unnoticeable Noticeably
to wear requires time to comfortable
adjust

Constraints:

Must not includes miniature speakers and surrounds the entire ear.

Must not be wireless.


Jay Yoo
ESC101 - Praxis

Must have a lifespan greater than two months.


o This criterion stems from the average lifespan of Dr. Dre urBeats which I have personally
used thrice. When reading through reviews on the Beats by Dr. Dre website, the lowest
noted lifespan that appeared frequently was two-and-a-half-months [1].
Must be less than $350 CAD.
o This criterion was evaluated by finding the price of the most expensive earphones within
the top 20 products from EarphoneShop, an earphone speciality shop with a strong
reputation [2].
Must not be within the unacceptable metric with regards to audio quality, level of ambient noise
blocking, and comfortability.
Criteria (in order from highest priority to lowest priority):

Higher audio quality.


Long-lasting.
Greater noise reduction.
More cost-effective.
More comfortable.

Regarding User Reviews

The resources used to investigate each alternative will be overwhelmingly user reviews. This is
because the producers of the model are extremely prone to bias whereas reviews are far less biased. There
is still some inherent bias that cannot be avoided.

Model #1: Apple EarPods with 3.5mm Headphone Plug

The Apple Earpods are the archetypal standard earphones that will be used as a reference when
comparing other models of earphones.

References Verdict
Sound Quality Acceptable Apple Customer review[3] Satisfactory
excellent for its price point, fails to stand up to
higher end models [5]
Lifespan 6-12 mo [3] 6-12 mo.
Cost $35 Excellent
Compared to 100 dollar other brand shit
Ambient Noise Not designed to block ambient noise, enough Satisfactory
that the ambient noise did not overpower the
audio [3][5].
Comfort The same article also went on to laud the Good
comfort of the earphones, noting how testing
Jay Yoo
ESC101 - Praxis

determined that it fit a variety of ear sizes [5].


Occasional reviews on the Apple store catalog
complain that the make is uncomfortable, as
such these earphones seem to have satisfactory
comfortability.

Model #2: Beats by Dr. Dre urBeats

References Verdict
Sound Quality 3.7/5 user rating on this model, none of the user reviews attribute Exceeds
the flaws of the model to its sound quality [1] Expectations
opinion on the audio quality ranged from above average to the
best among earphones [1]
Lifespan The average recorded lifespan of the beats is calculated to be 20/3 mo.
20/3 mo, which is nearly half that of the EarPods [1].
Many users noted that even on repeat purchases, the model
continued to break [1].
Cost $100[1][3]. $100.00

Ambient Noise Rubber tips of the earphones blocks ambient noise extremely Exceed
well, with some users even noting that it did so too well [6]. Expectations
Comfort The urBeats can become uncomfortable over prolonged use and Satisfactory
arent designed to fit everyone [6].

Model #3: Bose - SoundSport in-ear headphones

References Verdict
Sound Quality According to user reviews, the sound quality is great with many Good
noting the quality to be excellent, with some claims to be among
the best available in the market [4]. However, there was a
common opinion that the product has an issue with volume and
pitch, struggling to maintain the same quality for greater volumes
and lower pitches [4].
Lifespan Although some user reviews stated that the earphones broke 24 mo.
within half a year of use, consensus seems to agree that the
lifespan of this model is approximately 2 years, which exceeds
that of the EarPods.
Cost $99.99 [1]. $99.99
Jay Yoo
ESC101 - Praxis

Ambient Noise Some users agreed that the product struggled to block ambient Satisfactory
noise, but many of those reviews noted that in populated areas
such as gyms, the background can just barely be heard [4].
Comfort A large portion of reviews found the earphones extremely Exceeds
comfortable, many of those reviews specifically stating that the Expectations
earphones could be worn for hours with no discomfort
whatsoever [4].

Model #4: Bowers and Wilkins C5 Series 2

References Verdict
Sound Quality An article from independent technology reviewer iLounge Exceeds
lauded this alternative for its clean and detailed sound [7]. Expectations
American magazine Sound & Vision shared similar opinions,
noting that the earphones are powerful, detailed, and transparent
[8]. Most notably, both sources claimed that the earphones
offered crisp and tight sounds, removing noise and accentuating
details within the audio [7][8]. User reviews shared similar
opinions with nearly no complaints regarding audio quality [9].
Lifespan There was little said regarding the durability of the make among Good
reviews but as Shai Cohen and Jason Foster said during their
respective lectures, a sign of excellent design is that it is
unnoticed by users [10][11].
Cost $149.99 [9]. $149.99
Ambient Noise Both iLounge and Sound & Vision articles noted how effectively Good
the earphones blocked ambient noise, but it did not seem to do so
amazingly [9].
Comfort Some user reviews noted that these earphones are uncomfortable, Satisfactory
but this was not a prevalent issue [9].

Recommendation

Between the four evaluated alternatives, the SoundSport in-ear headphones and C5 Series 2
stood out, however when comparing each criteria, the C5 Series 2 ultimately became the
recommendation. The C5 Series 2 was evaluated to have better audio quality than its Bose counterpart,
which was the most considered criteria. The durability was difficult to compare but the noise cancellation
of the C5 Series 2 also surpassed that of the SoundSport. Although the SoundSport was evaluated to
be cheaper and more comfortable, these are the two least prioritized criteria. In conclusion, the C5 Series
2 is the greatest alternative between the four evaluated models.
Jay Yoo
ESC101 - Praxis

References

[1] Earphones. (2016). Beats by Dr. Dre. [Store catalog and user reviews]. Retrieved from
http://ca.beatsbydre.com/en/earphones/urbeats/black/900-00066.html

[2] Best Products. (2016). Earphone Shop. [Store catalog and user reviews]. Retrieved from
http://www.earphoneshop.co.kr/

[3] EarPods with 3.5mm Headphone Plug. (2016). Apple. [Store catalog and user reviews]. Retrieved
from http://www.apple.com/ca/shop/product/MD827ZM/B/apple-earpods-with-remote-and-mic

[4] SoundSport in-ear headphones Apple devices. (2016). Bose. [Store catalog and user reviews].
Retrieved from https://www.bose.ca/en_ca/products/headphones/earphones/soundsport-in-ear-
headphones-apple-devices.html#v=soundsport_ie_headphones_ii_apple_charcoal

[5] Pollicino, J. (2012, September 18). Apple EarPods review: A $29 revolution in earbuds or another set
for the recycling bin?. Engadget. Retrieved from https://www.engadget.com/2012/09/18/apple-
earpods-review/

[6] Gideon, T. (2012, November 14). Beats by Dr. Dre urBeats. PC Reviews. Retrieved from
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2412010,00.asp

[7] Horwitz, J. (2014, September 29). Review: Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 In-Ear Headphones.
iLounge. Retrieved from http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/bowers-wilkins-c5-
series-2-in-ear-headphones

[8] Guttenberg, S. (2015, April 8). Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 Headphone Review. Sound & Vision.
Retrieved from http://www.soundandvision.com/content/bowers-wilkins-c5-series-2-headphone-
review

[9] C5 Series 2. (2016). Bowers & Wilkins. [Store catalog and user reviews]. Retrieved from
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Headphones/Wired-Headphones/Wired-Headphones/C5-Series-
2.html

[10] S. Cohen. [Personal communication].

[11] J. Foster. [Personal communication].

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