"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.”

- George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian

Monday, April 5, 2010

Welcome To Yurtopia!


I must have weird-shaped ears. At least that's the conclusion I've come to after going through pair after pair of earphones. I hate buying new ones. I hate it even more when those new ones no longer work. It's a good thing I have my trusty generic earphones that came with my Ipod shuffle (my original one--the one that also went through the laundry). These things are indestructible. Unfortunately, it also feels like I'm jamming rocks into my ears whenever I'm forced to use them. That uncomfortable feeling doesn't last long though--they typically start to slip out of my ears within about 10 steps, so it doesn't really matter anyway. The point of all of this is simple: I either don't know what to look for in a suitable pair of earphones, I'm too cheap to buy a "really good" pair or I just have weird ears. I had resigned myself to never being comfortable with my earphones and thought many times about ditching my Ipod altogether. To have to fiddle with the darn thing every few minutes isn't worth the hassle or the energy.Then I discovered Yurtopia.

Yurtopia is a St. Louis based startup company that makes two products: yurphones (your basic earphones) and yurbuds, an earphone "enhancer." in 2009 they were named the 9th Most Promising Company in America by Forbes Magazine.

You can read about Seth Burgett, Yurtopia's President and CEO, but in short, he's a runner who struggled with uncomfortable earphones that always fell out of his ears. He also has a background in minimally invasive surgical devices. Put those two things together you have the creation of yurbuds -- a custom-fitted piece that slips on over a basic earphone and sits comfortably and securely in your ear.

It's a very simple process. Tell them what you want (personally I ordered a pair of yurbuds), take and upload a picture of your ear and submit your order. They'll use their patent-pending scanning technology to determine a size and shape that's made for you.

I put my order in on a Friday afternoon and on Monday I pulled them out of the mailbox, slipped them on my generic Ipod earphones and headed out on my run.

Best. Product. Ever.

The first thing I immediately had to do was turn the volume down. Yurbuds don't allow any sound to escape, so you don't have to turn the volume up as high on your listening device.

The second thing I noticed was the full spectrum of sound I could hear. Even through the generic Ipod earphones. Shocked.

Third, they were so light and comfortable it didn't feel like I had anything in my ears. They're that comfortable.

Fourth, I could hear other sounds around me. When I jammed other earphones into my canals I was literally deaf to anything and everything else going on. With yurbuds in my ears, I can hold a normal conversation (without hearing myself talk in an echo--like I'm congested) and maybe more importantly, can hear cars approaching from behind (or perhaps even a rottweiler).

Finally, through 4 miles in a driving rain storm, I didn't have to adjust them once. Not one time. They were solidly in my ears the entire run.

I've since been on multiple runs using my yurbuds, including a 13 miler on Saturday. Same result every time.

The yurbuds sell for $20. If you want the yurphones included, it'll cost you $30. It's money well spent. Personally, I take comfort in knowing that if my Ipod earphones ever do stop working, I can go buy the $5 Walmart pair, slip my yurbuds on them and continue to have a quality musical experience.

So take a minute to visit yurbuds.com and pick up a pair. Be sure to use Coupon Code WJPX5 for a discount. And let me know what you think.

(Disclaimer: I have not been paid or provided any products by yurtopia to write this review. I purchased a pair on my own, used them and loved them. Now I am passing the word along. I have, however, recently become an yurbud affiliate, and get a % of credit based on orders placed using Coupon Code WJPX5).


4 comments:

Courtney said...

I must have some.

Anonymous said...

I love these! They are simply the best headphone for any runner, triathlete, amateur athlete out there. I'm so glad I got some.

Anonymous said...

I've owned these for about 10 minutes and I'm so pleased I ran over here to leave a great comment about them. They are comfortable, easy to fit and even if I jump up and down they don't fall out. DONE with hassles and sure ears! I'm so happy I'm ordering a pair for each of my kids immediately! Great invention!

RAJ said...

Glad you enjoy them as much as I do. Be sure to use the coupon codes for your kids' yurbuds also. I appreciate it.