Whilst exploring the realm of technology to reduce EMF exposure, you may have come across ‘airtube headphones’. These can significantly reduce the amount of EMF close to the head region because they typically have a part wired component and a section of hollow flexible airtube, replacing the wire. This wire and hollow tube component transmits the sound from your device (cell phone for example) to your ear whilst a conventional headset has a wire cable and wire has metal in it. This metal conducts the radiation coming from your cell phone allowing it to travel up the wire and into your head. This means that wired headsets can act as an antenna attracting ambient EMFs, transmitting radiation directly to the brain, thereby increasing your exposure. DefenderShield’s airtube headphones have been praised by many for offering quality sound just as good as tradition wired headphones. In this article we dive into how we found testing them.
Design
In the box, you’ll find the headphones, a selection of earbud sizes, wire clip, small black pouch and instructions of use. When you first hold the headphones, or rather earphones, you’ll notice the sturdiness of them; unlike many other earphones we have tried, particularly airtube ones, we find the DefenderShield to have an air of quality in them. They don’t appear to have that flimsy design which you so often find.
There’s some small touches of course which add to the effect, including the magnetic earbud end-caps which mean they easily clip together when not in use and the small blue logo etched on the back of each earphone. One thing that is particularly nice about airtube headphones in general is the thick tube they have as opposed to a very thin wire which traditional wired earphones have. In this sense, they don’t feel like they can break very easily.
FiT & FUnctionality
We found the medium sized earbuds to fit fairly snug although they did require a little extra time to find the right position. Once you’ve got them firmly in, they should feel like they are locked in place. They don’t appear to come loose when moving around although we haven’t tested them while running, we think they would work just fine for your exercise needs. The small caps behind the earbuds also help to secure them in your ear and improve the comfort generally. Some earphones can get quite painful after an extended period of use but having tested them for at least 30 minutes, we didn’t find any problems here. This will of course vary from person to person based on the shape of their ear.
The function button on the cable works great for answering, muting calls and shuffling through songs. We tested all variations and found the button to be very reliable which is one of the important aspects of an airtube headset to get right given that most people want to utilise the hands free option when taking calls.
DefenderShield Headphones Front Box
DefenderShield Headphones Back Box
Features & Specifications
Magnetic earbud end-caps
Lightweight and highly flexible
Built-in hands-free microphone with On/Off – Play/Stop switch (Mute button may not work with all devices)
Small, medium and large silicone earbuds for a custom and comfort fit.
Compatible with most 3.5 mm audio devices
Sound Quality
After giving them an initial ‘warm up’, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the punchy base of these earphones despite the airtube technology. We found them to particularly excel at more upbeat music like dance or house although they were little light on the crisp vocals that you might find more often in other earphones. That being said, we found them to match higher range wired earphones on many levels with the added benefit of reducing EMF exposure. For the average listener, you would be hard pressed to notice that much of a difference between these and a similar pair of wired headphones.
Magnetic earbud end-backs & pouch
DefenderShield
Conclusion
Overall we think the DefenderShield EMF free headphones are a great choice if you’re on the market for a pair of high quality airtube headphones. Although the price range is slightly higher than the average, you definitely feel like this extra cost has gone to both the build and sound quality. If you want to find out more about the headphones or if you’re looking to make a purchase, visit the full product break down here.
EMF Home Team