XtremeMac FS1: an iPod's best friend?
1. Fromt the EM3 to the FS1
What's an iPod's best friend, what is the ultimate must-have that will give an even greater added value to your Apple branded MP3 player? The answer is: a good set of earbuds. And what are the best earburds for an iPod? To this recurring question, my answer would tend to remain the same : the EM3 from Future Sonics. However this little wonder now has a serious competitor: its own heir the FS1...
Ever since I wrote that review of the EM3, about one and a half year ago, those earbuds have never left me. Let's make it plain: they've been part of my daily life for so long now that I won't pretend to be impartial during the review of their offspring. And indeed, I see subjectivity as quite legitimate when dealing with such a personal matter!
Apple's product has evolved, an iPod replacing another in my pocket (this nano is my 3rd iPod since the review of the EM3). But the earbuds have remained. For long I haven't even been considering - or even unpacked - the "official" ones.
My curiosity was of course aroused when, during Apple expo 2005 I first heard of the EM3's heir. What could the FS1 possibly have to make us forget the EM3? Now that I've had the chance to test it thoroughly (thanks to my friends Daniel and Dave from Future Sonics, who sent me a set many months ago), my answer is: not so much. Which by no way means I'm not happy with them. Indeed they've satisfied me as much as my EM3 has! And that's a reference for sure.
