5. Performance

See the section Mechanics and Performance: A Summary Table for both the tests and test results this section is based on.

During testing, I and my assistant (for phone testing) securely placed the earbuds in our ears with the connecting wires hanging down, perpendicular to the floor. I used a standard set of songs to evaluate overall sound quality as well as the quality of treble, mid and bass tones. To test the phone quality of each headset, I engaged in live calls with an assistant who used a landline phone. I switched between the headsets during each test call. I also called a landline phone from the iPhone. The landline phone receiver was set up very near to a radio playing an FM talk show. Again, I alternated between the headsets. In all cases, the iPhone and landline phone were in good, but far from perfect sonic environments.

Musical Sound Quality

The Apple headset is an easy winner in this category. Compared to the Rivet headset the Apple headset produced rich, full tones that sounded more like a set of over-the-ears headphones than a small earbud-based headset. Rivet’s headset emitted weak bass, mid and treble tones. It sounded much like the inexpensive headsets that come with most music players and cell phones.

The difference between the two headsets is most likely related to the speakers used, the diameter of the sound output port on the earbuds and the number and diameter of ports on the rear of the earbuds. The diameter of the sound output port on the Apple headset’s earbuds (0.5") is four times greater than that on the Rivet’s earbuds (0.125"). I expect that part of the reason for the reduced sound quality of the Rivet headset is the headset’s small sound output ports. That narrow passage is more likely to restrict the range and other qualities of the sound, than the Apple’s larger sound output port.

Another factor is speaker size. Without damaging the earbuds on my precious and currently scarce Apple headset or those on the Rivet headset, there’s no way to know how large the speakers on either headset are. It’s very likely that the Rivet’s speakers are smaller than those on the Apple headset. Smaller speakers, especially speakers of the size you commonly find in earbuds, are more likely to produce less full bodied sound.

Also, the Apple earbuds have 5 rear sound ports (little holes visible in some of the photos), while the Rivet’s earbuds have only 3 smaller ones. Properly designed rear sound ports on one type of audiophile speaker help improve sound quality by, among other things, assuring that there is no air pressure build up to keep the speakers from moving freely. Rear ports on earbuds should work in a similar way. The fewer, relatively smaller holes on the Rivet earbuds likely play a role in reducing that headset’s sound quality.

Phone Sound Quality

The Apple headset wins again in this category, but not by as much as with music. Both headsets worked well receiving voice input, though as with music, the Apple had a stronger, heartier sound quality than the Rivet. The Apple headset required far less volume than Rivet’s to produce easily heard and understood conversational sound. When I raised the iPhone’s volume high enough for easy hearing and understanding with the Rivet headset, my assistant on the landline phone and I on the iPhone heard a fairly loud and distinct background hissing. We had to raise the phone’s volume beyond a comfortable level to hear the same hissing with Apple’s headset.

As I noted earlier, the distance of the microphone on the Rivet headset from the point where the wires enter the earbuds is 21.25". That put the Rivet mic far below my mouth, making for somewhat thinner voice quality. Additionally, some of the hissing we heard with the Rivet may have been due in part to the need to increase the volume received by the far distant mic. The Apple microphone, at 4.5" from where the wire enters the right earbud, fell just about at mouth level. With the sound having to travel less distance and requiring less amplification, the Apple headset mic produced better sound.