NOX Audio sprang out of obscurity this year with two pairs of stylish 'phones -- the moderately disappointing Specialist supra-aural cans with a retractable, flexible mic, and the promising Scout earbud headset pictured immediately above, now on sale. Even at first glance the Scout's not your average pair of in-line earbuds, connected to your phone of choice via a piece of rubber linguini that acts as a no-tangle cord, but they also have balanced armature drivers that delivered some surprisingly good sound even in the bustle of a busy trade show. (They've also got a ludicrously tiny send/end button for the headset buried in the cord's joint, if you're fond of playing spy.) We haven't had a chance to put our review unit through its paces quite yet, but if you want to give NOX the benefit of the doubt, you'll find the Scout at "select retailers" and the company's online store for $80 right now.
engadgets.com