Griffin SmartTalk Headphone Adapter and Control Mic For iPhone and Mobile Phones

Mr. Stuart J. Hurd

at 9:06 am

This was suggested to me by staff in a store that didn’t sell any iPhone earphones (earphones with the in-line mic) and I’m grateful they did. The clarity from using the mic is brilliant, the button is easy to press while on the move – whether it be via walking/running/cycling! The small clip situated next to mic and button (for pausing/playing/skipping/answering and ending calls etc…) is the perfect size for clipping onto clothes so the mic sits in the perfect place. The whole product is lightweight and the cable is very flexible and looks just as durable. Using the ‘Griffin SmartTalk Headphone Adapter and Control Mic for iPhone’ does give you one problem, what to do with your earphones cable. Your earphones plug into the Griffin adapter and the adapter sits right by your neck so you have almost the entire cable of your earphones dangling doing nothing. In this weather wearing a few layers it’s easy to hide the extra cable, in the summer this might prove a little more awkward or untidy but the Griffin adapter does such a fantastic job at allowing you to use the headphones you want while placing the great quality mic where you want. I wish I had brought this earlier before wasting my money on headphones that have broken or ones that don’t stay in my ears (Apples). Cheers Griffin.
Rating: 5 / 5

JP

at 10:41 am

In summary, the Griffin does exactly what is says on the tin, but using great headphones for chatting on your iPhone isn’t necessarily a good experience. Read on for a more detailed review…

Prior to getting my iPhone I was using a an HTC Touch HD and the earphones/microphone that came with it. From a music listening point of view, they were rubbish – classic freebie with a phone; tinny, badly fitting and completely lacking any bass. However, from a handsfree conversation point of view, they were absolutely fine.

As anyone who has one will know of course, the iPhone doesn’t come with handsfree mic earphones (which it should!) – just the standard, awful, white iPod earphones. Also tinny, badly fitting and lacking any decent bass. On that basis, switching to some half decent earphones is essential with your iPhone and for the last year or so I’ve used Sennheiser CX300s. Really excellent value for the sound quality you get.

I bought the Griffin SmartTalk Adapter to accompany the CX300s, but having used it once, it’s been consigned to the desk drawer. The Griffin itself is fine. Does exactly what it needs to, acting as the remote control interface between your iPhone and existing mic-free headphones. The problem for me is that my existing earphones are noise-isolating and very good at it, so when talking on the phone while using them, my own voice is so loud in my head that I find it incredibly distracting. So much so, that I had to switch back to the old tinny HTC handsfree earphones for, where the sound spills out more and feels much better for conversation.

If you don’t mind that weird audio sensation, then the Griffin is a great addition to your existing headphones. My advice would be to try before you buy if you can.
Rating: 3 / 5

I. Brown

at 2:31 pm

Didn’t work through both earphones if pushed fully into the unit, same result with two different sets of earphone.
Rating: 1 / 5