iHome iB29 review: Affordable, great sounding metal wireless earbuds

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We’ve been reviewing wireless headphones and earbuds for a while now here on Techaeris, and until recently, wireless headphones were more of a preference. With devices like the iPhone 7 and Moto Z shipping without standard headphone jacks, they’re starting to become a necessity. Our iHome iB29 earbuds review takes a look at a very affordable pair of earbuds that offer decent sound, battery life, noise isolation, and a metal design.

Specifications

The iHome iB29 Wireless Noise Isolating Metal Earbuds have the following features and specifications:

  • Detachable ear cushions
  • Noise isolation for undisturbed listening
  • Stylish Flat cable provides tangle free use
  • One Year Warranty
  • Micro-USB to standard USB cable included for charging headphones
  • Durable metal housing provides detailed, dynamic sound & enhanced bass response
  • Perfect for tablets, laptops, cell phones, portable game devices, tablets, MP3 players, etc.
  • Convenient in-line remote control and mic
  • Earbuds attach magnetically
  • Bluetooth 4.0 audio with built-in mic
  • Voice prompts for easy Bluetooth setup

What’s in the Box

  • 1x iHome iB29 Wireless Noise Isolating Metal Earbuds
  • 1x Micro-USB to USB cable
  • 3x pairs ear cushions (S/M/L)
  • 1x user/warranty guide
ihome-ib29-review-02
Pretty standard “what’s in the box” fare.

Design

iHome’s iB29 Wireless Noise Isolating Metal Earbuds are pretty sleek and minimal looking. The earbuds are a brushed metal with the iHome logo printed on the outside and are roughly 7/8″ in length and just under 1/2″ in diameter. They’re definitely fairly discrete when you’re wearing them. The metal casing goes all the way to where the ear cushions attach, and there isn’t any external plastic on the earbud itself. The flat cable connecting the two earbuds is connected by a flexible rubber piece, and the cable is roughly 18″ long. Each rubber piece is imprinted with an R or L so you know which earbud goes in each ear. In addition, the earbuds attach to each other magnetically for easier storage.

ihome-ib29-review-04
iHome iB29 right earbud with inline remote.

About 2 1/2″ from the right earbud is the inline remote. It’s the bulkiest part of the headphones and is a black plastic rectangular box with three buttons: -, +, and phone. The +/- buttons are used for controlling volume and tracks, while the phone button is used for turning the headphones on and off, as well as answering/hanging up a call, and playing/pausing the current track. The Micro-USB charging port is located on the side, while the microphone is located on the back of the unit.

The iB29 earbuds are available in grey/black, blue/black, red/black, gold/white, or pink/white.

Ease of Use

The iHome iB29 earbuds are just as easy to use as most other wireless earbuds. Simply press and hold the power/phone button until the blue light turns on, and then pair it with your smartphone or another Bluetooth-enabled device. After that, you’re good to go. One thing that I did find a bit odd is the controls on the inline remote are “backward” from what I’m used to. Usually, you long press to change a track and short press to adjust volume, but on these you short press to change tracks and long press to adjust the volume.

Sound

I’ll have to admit, I was pretty impressed with the sound coming out of the iB29 earbuds. I’m a huge fan of bass in my music, and I usually have my equalizer set on my Nexus 6P in the Play Music app. I found with these earbuds I could actually turn the equalizer off completely and still get great sound and enough bass for my liking. These earbuds have a pretty decent range between highs, mids, and lows and everything from classical to rap to rock (yes I’ve been listening to the Forza Horizon 3 tracks on random quite frequently lately) sounded pretty good and I had no complaints.

In addition, the noise isolation did a great job of tuning out the outside world so I could enjoy my music without interruption.

Call Quality

Like most of us here at Techaeris, I rarely use earbuds or headphones to take calls — not that I get all that many anyways. During a couple of test calls I made while wearing the headphones, the call quality was about what I’ve come to expect from most wireless Bluetooth headphones. It was pretty easy to hear the other party, but I found myself having to speak up a bit for them to hear me clearly.

Battery Life

iHome claims you’ll get around 4 hours of battery life with each charge and we got right around the 4-hour battery mark each time during our tests. The earbuds don’t take that long to recharge either, taking under an hour to fully recharge.

Price/Value

Priced at $39.99USD, you really can’t go wrong with the iHome iB29Wireless Noise Isolating Metal Earbuds. You’re getting decent sound and build quality, as well as acceptable battery life in a pair of wireless earbuds.

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iHome iB29 earbud.

Wrap-up

If you’re looking for a decent sounding, affordable pair of wireless earbuds to use with your devices, the iHome iB29 will definitely fill that need.

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*We were sent a review sample of the iHome IB29 Wireless Noise Isolating Metal Earbuds for the purposes of this review.
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