Get Better Gear!

Premier Sponsors

TechRestore

Other World Computing

Top 5 Free Apps

Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: August 29, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Release Date: August 07, 2009

iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: September 20, 2009
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: August 25, 2009

Top 5 Paid Apps

Release Date: April 22, 2009
StickWars $0.99
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Genre: Games
Bloons $0.99
Release Date: April 05, 2009
Genre: Games

Discover New Music

  • The Last 5 Years (2002 Off-Broadway Cast)

    • 10 out of 10
    • Jason Robert Brown
    • The soundtrack to this moving off-broadway musical is heart moving. The lyrics follow a couple in a relationship for five years, one point of view going forward in time, and the other tracing time fr
  • Suspended Animation

    • 8 out of 10
    • Fantomas
    • Mike Patton may well be one of the hardest working men in showbiz these days, and his latest with Fantômas underscores just about how far out he is willing to travel.

      Suspended Animation

  • Physical Graffiti

    • 10 out of 10
    • Led Zeppelin
    • This album bears every flavor of genius from the five records that came before. It is, I believe, the band's finest. With Physical Graffiti, Zep came raging back to their musical home territory -- har
  • Machine Gun Etiquette

    • 8 out of 10
    • The Damned
    • Punk rock is mostly associated with three chords and a bad attitude, but the Damned were one of the few bands of the era bent on bringing musicianship and a good sense of humor to the scene. And while
  • King James Version

    • 4 out of 10
    • Harvey Danger
    • The sophomore effort from Harvey Danger, I was really looking forward to this followup to "Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?" Unfortunately, "King James Version" failed to deliver any of the bri

Reader Specials

Visit Deals On The Web for the best deals on all consumer electronics, iPods, and more!

In-Depth Review

Mic Extender Cable for iPhone

The Mic Extender Cable by Newer Technology is an ingenious little device that combines a short cable and a microphone to allow you to use your favorite stereo headphones as your iPhone headset. Of course you can use your favorite stereo headphones with your iPhone without this device, but you will probably need a $5 or $10 adapter to allow the plug to fit into the iPhone's recessed headset port. And, of course, if you use your favorite stereo headphones with your iPhone without this device, you can use them to listen to music or video, but you'll have to unplug them to talk on the phone.

The concept is brilliant. The cable is a little over two feet and includes the microphone, an on/off switch (shown below) and a shirt clamp (on the back of the mic; not visible below). Just plug in your favorite earphones and you can enjoy great sounding music, video, and phone calls. That's the good news.

The bad news is that the execution isn't nearly as stellar as the concept. Unfortunately, the microphone just isn't very good. Of the five headsets I tested recently, this product almost certainly had the worst sounding microphone. On the other hand, it didn't totally suck and only one person commented that I didn't sound as good as usual during my testing.

P.S. To test microphone quality I created a set of short audio recordings using five different headsets (and the iPhone alone without a headset). If you'd like to hear them, you'll find them here.

The Bottom Line

If you're an audiophile or just wish the Apple iPhone Stereo Headset (the white one that comes with each iPhone) didn't suck so much, the Mic Extender Cable is just the ticket. If you can live with its mediocre microphone it's a bargain at $15.

Just The Facts

Pros:Lets you use your favorite earphones as your iPhone headset.

Cons:Microphone quality is marginal.

Post Your Comments

  Remember Me  Forgot your password?

Not a member? Register now. You can post comments without logging in, but they'll show up as a "guest" post.

Commenting is not available in this section entry.