Maximo iP-HS2 iMetal Isolation headphones for the iPhone

Maximo iP-HS2 iMetal Isolation Headset for iPhone (in Black/Silver)
List price of $69.99 at Amazon

I’m not an audiophile, and thought that the stock iPhone headphones were adequate for getting the job done. But unfortunately, my left earphone has blown out. I can fix it temporarily, but I need a long-term solution.

I started out searching online for alternatives to the uber-expensive V-Moda Vibe Duos, Ultimate Ears, and the back-ordered Skullcandy FMJ’s for the iPhone. There are not many options to choose from initially, so I started searching for “iphone headphones” on the web. I still wasn’t finding many choices past what I already listed above - at least not anything really worth looking at. Let’s face it, if you need a replacement for something, you want to get the same or better in quality and performance. $12 to $20 for fully compatible iPhone headphones usually means cheap construction and cheap sound, so am looking for better than stock in quality and sound, but I am not ready to drop $80.00+ either.

I searched a number of retail sites, but still found the same options over and over again. Then I tried searching on Amazon.com, since I know they have pages upon pages of iPhone accessories, and found this nice looking metal set by a company called Maximo with button, mic and jack, all specifically made for the iPhone.



So I then searched for reviews of this brand I have never heard of. I actually found a number of reviews, with the most complete and detailed review from iLounge. All of them said pretty much the same thing. Nice and simple design, well rounded sound, all at a good price point. Most of the reviews I read were actually pitting the iP-H2s against the Vibe Duo’s because the specs between both headphones were VERY similar on paper. The big difference is that these do not over-accentuate the bass like the Vibe’s seem to do. (One review I found said that the bass was almost non-existent, but upon reading his review again, I noticed that he did not allow for any “burn-in time” as other reviewers had.)

Ok, lets break this down by category.

Appearance
Personally, I think these are great looking ear buds. You have the black rubber to go with the iPhone screen and antenna cover, the brushed aluminum front matches the back of the iPhone (almost exactly) in color and texture, and the chrome body matches the chrome bezel of the iPhone. Maximo did a very nice job with mating these earbuds to the iPhone. I’m not too thrilled with the rubber surrounding the plug, being that I know it doesn’t really protect the cord all that much, and that it doesn’t match where the cords reach the earbuds, but this is minor. My suggestion would be to make it more like the Apple plug, with a slim chrome jacket and a black shrink-wrap overlay starting halfway down the jacket and extending about half and inch up the cable.



I would also like to see better protection around all of the areas where the cord meets metal. Again, I am very nit-picky about this kind of thing, and it’s more a matter of just my preference. These headphones come with a lifetime warranty, so I assume that actual breakage doesn’t happen that often.



Performance
Microphone
I called my wife to test the mic out. It was my second-greatest concern about these headphones. I wanted to make sure that my voice was clear and could be heard well. She stated that it sounded like I had my mouth right next to the mic and was loud and clear. This is due to the fact that first, Maximo apparently used a quality mic, and second was the mic’s placement on the cord. It’s located on the LEFT ear cord (not the right like the Apple headsets) and only 4 inches from the earbud. I measured it. The visible cord is exactly 4 inches.

The mic is a round aluminum ball with a small flat side containing the hole for the mic. It really didn’t matter if it was facing my mouth or away from my face, the results were too close to differentiate.

While I haven’t had the opportunity to test in a noisy environment, I was sitting in front of the TV when I tested and she didn’t mention anything about it interfering with the call. One of the other reviews I read stated that they were walking around during CES and stated that they could hear and be heard just fine, even in a noisy convention hall.



Control Button
I love ingenuity. Apple’s integration of the answer/end button into the mic was genius. But having used the Apple headphones for a while, there are 2 distinct things I find displeasing. One is that the mic seems to get caught on just about any collar or coat I wear. It’s amazing how such a little rectangle could hold onto a shirt collar enough to at least loosen the earphone from my ear, if not pull it completely out. The other is that, while the integration is genius, the placement is not. It’s not visible, and you are left searching for it to end a call or advance a song.

The button on my Maximo set is right where the left and right channels split. It’s easy to see, easy to operate with a big soft rubber button on the front of it. The button itself has a bit of heft to it compared to Apple’s (it’s the only one I have to compare to at the moment) but I cannot see it being a huge deal or anything. It might be nice to have a clip or something on the back of it to hold it to a shirt or jacket if it does flop around too much, but I don’t jog, so it’s fine the way it is for my usage.

All the iPhone functions perform just as expected. Actually found a slightly new one I didn’t know about. If you click once and pause a song, and then double click, it queues up the next song at its beginning. Then you can click once and begin the new track. What can I say? The iPhone easily amuses me, especially when I find a new little function.

Cord
As with most in-the-ear buds or headphones, there is going to be some cord noise. It seems to be more noticeable from the left channel than the right, and I believe it’s due to the mic being on the cord. Some of the noise, while it’s not enough to interfere with my music or phone calls, could be dampened if shrink tubing had been used on all the beginning and ending points of the cord. It’s not that big of a deal, and to my knowledge, there is no way to totally eliminate cord noise from happening, since you have a physical connection from the cord to the inside of your ear. Sound travels through matter stronger and faster than the air.

If cord noise is going to be something that you just cannot deal with, then I suggest getting the other version of the Maximo headphones, the iP-HS1 iMetal Headset. These are more like the Apple headphone in design. Unfortunately, that’s all the information I have on them, but I would probably be safe to assume that they are on par with the iP-HS2’s.

One other aspect of the cord to mention is that it is on the stiff side, not like the Apple cord at all. While initially I found this slightly irritating, I was soon pleased to see that the reason for this was cord management. Because of the stiffer cord, the cable did not tangle up as easily, and it was much easier to remove from my pocket and go from a wrapped up state to usable state than I ever experienced with the Apple cord. (I’ve spend as long as 3 minutes untangling my Apple headphones before. Since then I put them on an auto winder, which solved most of the problem.)



Sound Quality
Well, I think it’s safe to say that we all know what the stock headphones sound like, and we all have different opinions on them, but I think it’s safe to say that given the opportunity, most of us would replace them in a heartbeat for something that sounds better. The Maximo’s definitely sound better.

When I first got the headset, I immediately plugged them in, and they sounded very treble-oriented. Treble and mid-range was about all I initially noticed. I wasn’t really worried though, because I knew from reading other reviews that there was a burn-in time that was needed before using. Several hours is what was stated, so I plugged them into my PC and set all the volume levels to half and let it start working down my library in iTunes. I took them off the PC sometime around 10:30 p.m. and they sounded MUCH better. I had my highs, mids, and lows all present and rich sounding. I am going to do another 3-hour burn-in time again just to make sure that I am achieving the full sound these earbuds are capable of.

I know that the Vibe Duos are known for deep, heavy sound, which I have heard referred to as “muddy” on occasion, but after their burn-in time, they are just more bass-oriented. The Maximos are not. They are geared towards an overall rich sound that satisfies the full multimedia range of entertainment. Thunderous explosions are still thunderous, dance tracks still bump and groove, rock and roll still rocks. You get it all, and if you need to, you can use the pre-set EQ to adjust the sound more to your liking, which is a bonus in my book, since you aren’t stuck with just big bass like the Vibe Duo’s.

By the way, I almost forgot to mention how absolutely DEAFENING these headphones can be! I can comfortably listen to the iPod at a quarter of the volume bar, drowning out just about everything around me without any ringing in my ears afterwards. I practically blow my eardrums out at the halfway point. This is mainly due to the isolation design, but also, I believe that they are simply running a stronger driver core.

Summary
If you are looking for some “high-end” headphones with a nice and clean all-around sound, I would definitely recommend these to you. As I stated earlier, I am not an audiophile, just a consumer looking for replacement headphones that are better than the stock ones for my iPhone. These pass with flying colors. I do have a few suggestions on how to improve the headphones, as I mentioned above, but overall, it was a smart purchase.

As with any product you wish to buy, I highly suggest that you do as much research and testing as you can before making any commitments to anything. Knowledge is always a formidable ally in the consumer market. I hope this review has at least helped you on things to think about when looking for the right headset for you.

Hawk Pettengill
Author of "Those are the Breaks" comic strip in Paintball Sports Magazine.
Matrix Paintball Gun Technician
1997 -2007 PC Technician
Cartoonist, artist
Independent Film Actor/Producer