Coulax Cx10 in-ear headphones

These headphones came in a really nice box with a magnetic seal.  Very gift worthy and nice looking.  Inside, the headphones were set inside a foam and cardboard cutout.  Not as nice as the outside packaging, but still gift worthy and functional as a protective case.  

You get 3 different sizes of earbuds, a wire clip, and a very short USB cord.

The instructions are very clear and well written and explain very simply what the accessory buttons do and how they should work.  I will get into this more in depth later on in the review. 

The headphones are very nice looking.  The silver accents on the earpieces themselves are sharp looking and would make a nice present for a man. The rubber hooks help hold the earpieces in.  I think this is a nice touch and surprisingly comfortable.  

I do think the earpieces are a little big and a tad bulky and I did have some trouble with the right one falling out.  I tried all the different earbud sizes to try to remedy this, but maybe I just have an odd right ear.  The description boasts lightweight, and I agree.  For the size they are lightweight, though weight and bulk are 2 different things in my opinion. 

I was able to listen to music most of the day with these.  Again, the instructions say 8 hours of continuous music on a full charge, though I am happy to say I had them going about 10 hours total. 

I did experience occasional skipping while in use, with the phone right there in my pocket.  I am not sure why and it was barely noticeable; however, when testing range, I sat my phone down and walked away, getting about 7 meters away before there was regular, noticeable cutting in and out problems.  The description says up to 10 meters is the range.  I disagree.  They were not usable or enjoyable at more than 7 meters and were not usable at all at 10 meters.

The sound was actually very nice.  Isolating, though not noise cancelling in the sense that all outside noise is not gone.  The sound is rich and clear without excessive base, crackling, or at all “tinny.” As a medical transcriptionist, I tried these out on voice files as well as music, just to see how they would do.  Voice files are completely different than music files in how you need to listen to them, so I can comfortably say that I am rather picky when it comes to hearing voice files.  I am happy to say that I would be more than comfortable using them for work, as even the more difficult files were coherent.  This is actually a good thing, as transcriptions are often tethered to their computer with wires and big bulky over-ears headphones. 

These are sweat proof in that everything is sealed and rubberized.  I like the rubberizing anyway, because there is no wire nose, i.e. you don’t hear the wire rub on your shirt.  The wire is very flexible, though I would have been happier to see more reinforcement at the connections, especially on the right side where there is a little more abuse from using the accessory buttons.  

The accessory buttons.  Remotely, I was able to answer the phone, reject a call, manage the volume, and with 2 taps of the multi-function button, I was able to dial the last number dialed.  This was the only remote call-out feature I had.  Everything else had to be done from the phone.  Sometimes, the music went lower while on a call and did not pause.  I did not like that at all.  

Sometimes it did pause completely while on a call, but I was not at all in control of that. It kind of did what it wanted to when answering the phone, though it may simply be the player I was using.   Phone-wise, the description says Android compatible, so I am unsure why there was difficulty there.  

I was unable to pause, fast forward or repeat a song with my phone.  I was, however, able to do those things when synced up with my laptop. This may be due to my media player.  I was not able to confirm this anywhere online, so I will write it here as an issue I had personally on my particular phone.

Bottom line:  Nice sounding, nice looking, workout friendly headphones.  A nice, affordable gift.  Personally, I would say these would be better suited for a man simply because of the bulk of the earpieces and overall style.  I think they would fit a bigger ear better.  If you are looking for something wireless, affordable, clear sounding, and functional for an active individual, I feel that these would be a good choice.  

Simptech Wood Earbuds In ear Headphones

So, here we go.  My first headphone review.  I'm not sure I would have ever really chosen headphones to review on my own, but a friend of mine in Germany gave me the opportunity to experience sound during my visit.  I was of the adage that you can get by just fine with XXX, but after really seeing the difference between low end and high end headphones, I have to say, it was something I wanted to explore.  So, because I am poor, I went with a lower priced product, that appealed to me in terms of looks first.  Wood. Not florescent green, pink, or purple.  Not sporty rubber.  Wood. So, here it is: Simptech Wood Earbuds In ear Headphones - With Microphone,Noise Cancelling,HIFI Stereo Bass,Crystal Clear Sound,Ergonomic Comfort-Fit Design Best for iphone 7 and Android Phones  

 I love the wood accents.  These earbuds are very classy looking, with neutral tones, earthy. The packaging was presentable, gift worthy, though when I received mine, one corner had been “smashed” a bit, so it must have had a rough trip.  

The cord is very flexible and “rubbery” not at all noisy like cheaper earbuds are when they rub over the fabric of your shirt or move around.  “Wire noise,” is what I describe that phenomena.  These buds do not have wire any noise.

The connections seem sturdy and well made, with a flexible rubber connection into the buds and the actual headphone connection is one solid piece.  The jack is advertised as “gold plated” though I have no way of testing that other than, through use.  If it does not corrode, then I suppose it is. 

The wire going through the accessory port, sadly,  was not reinforced in any way however, and I found it a bit disappointing that the care that went into all the other aspects of the headphones were not associated there too, especially since the cord will suffer some abuse when answering the phone or adjusting the volume. 

What I was particularly interested in was the Y connection.   This is a very sturdy area, with distinct separation of the wires-encased, right at the split, with flexible rubber reinforcements.  This is wonderful and the result is a very sturdy, yet flexible connection there. 

The sound itself was good.  I am not a sound nerd, so I can’t go into specifics that way; however, I do appreciate clear sound and always find it impressive when I can hear subtle noises that inadvertently pop up during a recording. I don’t, however, like excessive base.  Balance is the key with me and I was very skeptical when I read that “deep bass” was a selling point. I was happy when I heard a clear, balanced, pleasant sound.  Powerful, but not overpowering.  These could very well be a go-to everyday favorite. When reading the sales pitch, I was particularly looking for a better resonance due to the “wood.” In a side-by-side test with several other earbuds, I heard no difference there. 

They are comfortable.  The buds themselves are very squishy and fit securely to the earpiece and in your ear.  I had recently suffered a very long 10-hour flight with a very uncomfortable pair of earbuds.  After only a few minutes, I could tell these would have been infinitely better.

Taking a call, I had an issue, which I describe below in that section of the review.  The call itself sounds clear, with no crackles or skips. Alternately, the person I was talking to could hear me very well too.

Issues:  I will take 2 stars  away for a couple of issues.  The fact that, these are not what I would consider complete noise cancelling.  Not in the way as I have experienced in other, high end headphones.  I went through and tried all sizes of ear bud that were included to make sure I had the correct fit (this is actually a big factor) and then tried them first without music, sitting in a room where my family was having a conversation.  Aside from the fact that I had something in my ears muffling the noise, they were not noise cancelling.  After turning on the music, I was not able to hear the conversation at all with mid-to-louder volumes, but with the volume on the lower side, I was still able to hear what was going on around me.  The sound was still clear and the music close, and outside noise was brought to a lower level when the music was playing, though I can’t say if it was an electronic anomaly, or simply the music playing in my ears.

I was unable to answer or hang up the phone remotely.  While I could use my headphones while talking on the phone, I was unable to use the accessory button to answer the phone, or hang up or pause the music.  All of these things needed to be done on the phone itself, which resulted in fumbling with the phone, yanking it out of my pocket, and pushing buttons.  For the record, I am using a Huawei phone with an android system.  Since the earbuds clearly state that they are compatible with an android system, I am unsure why all the features weren’t working. 

Lastly, and this is personal preference, but I have always preferred Bluetooth headphones to wired headphones simply because they never make the cord quite long enough on a wired set.  IF I am to carry my phone, I prefer it in my back pocket.  Unfortunately, there I run into problems with strain on the cord, earbuds popping out, pulling apart, or the jack coming unplugged.  If you must have a wire, an extra 2 inches would make a world of difference.   

#notetoself