Ever wish for earbuds with the disc-style fit of Apple’s original iPod buds, but with hi-fi-quality sound and a USB-C cable? Then I’ve got great news for you — but don’t expect them to come in all-white
- Sivga unveils M260 wired earbuds with huge 14.2mm driver
- They come in USB-C or 3.5mm versions
- The fit is like the old Apple Earbuds design from before AirPods
It’s been 14 years since Apple discontinued its classic iPods earbuds, which had a circular speaker grille — ditching them for the still-sold EarPods — but other brands occasionally still release earbuds in this style, and the latest one takes advantage of the design to whack in a huge driver.
Audio company Sivga has unveiled a new pair of cheap buds which share a lot of design traits with the older earbuds, except their clean white design and the sheer size of the driver involved.
These are the Sivga M260, which are newly on sale in two iterations. There’s a version with a 3.5mm plug, which costs $44 / £33 / AU$62, and one that connects via USB-C, which goes for $50 / £38 / AU$70.
We’ve mostly tested the brand’s over-ears, like the classy wooden Sivga Oriole or Sivga Robin SV021 Pro, but it sells plenty of earbuds and in-ear monitors too.
Budget buds with a big driver
The Sivga M260 gets a 14.2mm driver, which is on the big side for in-ear buds like this. It uses a dynamic driver with neodymium magnet and copper composite diaphragm.
According to the brand, the tuning is aimed towards a smooth and natural sound, with controlled bass.
In the box, you get four different pairs of ear pads, so you can make sure the M260 lock in your ears, and to block out a little bit of surrounding sound.
The cable’s another element that differentiates this from the cheapie earbuds that came in-box with your iPod. It’s a 4N silver-plated, oxygen-free copper cable, and it’s detachable from the buds so you can replace the cable or buds if one or the other is damaged (or if you make an upgrade).
There are some small differences between the two on-sale models. The USB-C version has a small control panel, with volume rocker and microphone, and it has a built-in DAC for hi-res audio.
Given how many products are losing the headphone jack nowadays, I imagine most people will opt for USB-C… unless you’re one of the people still holding onto your iPod and you want these to bring back that classic feeling.
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