Introduction

Amazing Tech Products first ever ear buds are called PureBuds and feature an interesting mix of new and old technologies. The PureBuds are as the name suggests a new kind of ear buds which feature a backfiring driver setup which should make the sound stage more expansive and help you enjoy your music better at a safer listening level.

The design is unconventional because you have the driver flipped and actually emitting sound away from the ear, whereas most normal ear buds just channel the sound directly to your ear drums. The sound is actually bounced around the driver before it enters the ear canal.

Because you have the driver pointing away from the ear you should get the sensation of the sound coming from all directions helping to space out different instruments and voices. This could result in you lowering your preferred listening level. Responsible listening is one of the key issues with all things audio so any attempt to persuade people to turn down the volume is more than welcome.

The fact that Amazing Tech Products are taking a stand and trying to change people’s habits is a good thing. More and more people are suffering from tinnitus nowadays because of prolonged exposure to loud noises, and some of the sources are definitely iPods and other portable media players.

The Package

The PureBuds are shipped in an iPod white box with their logo on the plastic wrapping. The ear buds lay safely inside a small and practical carrying pouch. They are definitely packed to survive the harsh handling of postal services around the world.


Practical is probably the best way to describe the small pouch the PureBuds ship with. It definitely helps to protect your ear buds when you are not using them. It is exactly the right size, perfect for when you are not using them on the move. The pouch has two compartments separated by some fish net. It is very easy to just roll up the cable and throw the PureBuds in the case, instead of those annoying plastic cases where you have to be careful how you roll up to cable to make room for the ear buds.


Besides the ear buds and the tips you get a pouch and a manual. The different kinds of tips accentuate different areas of the sound spectrum. There is a tip that boosts the bass, one that is neutral or close to, and one that enhances the sound stage.

Closer Examination

These ear buds come with three sets of tips, each of them alters the sound quite a bit. The tips allow you to tailor the sound to your needs. Straight out of the box the PureBuds are fitted with the normal silicone ring which is made for shallow insertion and basically just turns them into ordinary ear buds.


The tips are made from a really tough kind of silicone much like the big silicone tip that is supplied with Head-Direct RE1s and RE2s. They cover the big ear bud style sound hole and channel the sound towards your inner ear, except for the silicone ring which really only helps comfort a bit. The double flange tip accentuates the sub bass, bass and midbass a lot, but mangles the highs a bit and has a tendency to compress the sound stage a lot. The natural tip does not alter the sound that much except for a tiny bit more bass and a slightly smaller sound stage.


From the side without a tip on you can see the basic shape of the PureBuds. They are really quite large compared to other more traditional ear buds. This could be because the reverse mounted driver takes up more space than usual. The people behind PureBuds have definitely enhanced the ergonomics by letting the sound hole extend quite a bit from the main body. This means that the body does not conflict with your outer ear, securing a good fit.


Above you can see a comparison between the three types of tips. The first tip is called "surround" and does provide you with the biggest sound stage closely followed by the neutral tip which is in the middle. With the bass tip on you get oodles of subbass, bass and midbass. It is a bit overpowering, but never the less it does what it is supposed to. The design of the tips varies greatly, as the surround tip is just a silicone ring that aides the comfort somewhat. The bass tip is a very smooth double flange tip which provides a good tight fit and boosts the bass immensely, while the neutral tip does not give you a tight fit, and has a textured surface.


The cable used is quite tough and heavy. Unlike the other ear buds I have recently reviewed these come with an L-style cable which is made so that you can easily loop the cord behind your neck.


The mini jack is pretty ordinary and is quite durable. Since it is a right angled connector you might have some trouble using it with the iPhone Gen 1.