Cool Hunting

So you have an iPhone and high-quality earphones but never the two shall meet. Belkin makes an adapter that at least fits the recessed headset jack on the iPhone, but what if you want to talk on the phone? The MPA-3C from Shure will do the trick. With a plug that fits and a built-in microphone, this adapter will work with your Shure earbuds or any others for that matter.

I have been testing it for a week now and it works really well. There's even a button on the mic that works just like the standard iPhone earbud button, letting you answer calls and control your music playback. The only tricky part of this solution is managing cord lengths—I find that even with my Shure SE 530s the mic doesn't quite rest close enough to my mouth, thus requiring it to be held in place during calls.

The MPA-3C also comes in two other models, compatible with other music phones and will start shipping later this month for $50. Preorder now from Apple or Amazon.