Packaging: The box came ready for hanging on a retail store peg in a small black and green box. It was tastefully designed, however the only logo on the box was that of Bluetooth. I turned the box over and over and found no indication of the company who manufactured the product nor any real sales copy on the box. Neither of these affect the quality of the headphones themselves, but do seem a bit odd, since most every product, expensive or not, has the name of the company prominently displayed on the box and at least a little boastful blurb about the product. Not so in this package. Now that I have used the headphones, it's not as big of a deal, but my first reaction was to think to myself, "Hmm, so I have to review a set of no-name cheapie earphones... awesome." That's not a desirable reaction if as a company, you are trying to build your brand in a competitive market so I thought it was worth mentioning. Inside the box, the spartan nature of the outside continues. A simple plastic receptacle holds the earphones and charging cable with a very basic instruction sheet and replacement earphone covers and tension springs. The instructions are clear, but again, there is no positive-leaning "You're gonna love our product" sales copy to be found anywhere. (Some may find this nice, but there is something to be said psychologically for the after-purchase sell-through.)
Feature set:
For the price, this set of headphones comes well equipped. Easy Bluetooth connectability and easy to use controls mean you don't need to pull your device out of your pocket to adjust for volume, to skip back and forth between songs, or start or stop the music. The tension spring built into the earphones really do a good job of securing them in the ear canal, and as mentioned before, they come with a replacement set just in case. I used them while working around the house and the garage and they stayed put through all types of activity. They do come with a short (around 6 inches) micro USB charging cable which will power the phones for a good 5-6 hours on an hour or so charge, which is more than adequate for most applications. The also feature very effective noise cancelling technology, so if you're looking for a headset that will allow you to be aware of anything going on around you, then this one isn't for you. It filtered out all of the sounds in my home, from voices, television sets, and many other kinds of background noise.
Real world usage: The audio fidelity is top notch. No it does not have the bass response of a pair of Beats or Sennheiser would, but they do send out a very broad range of highs and lows that seem to reproduce the breadth of sounds within my personal collection without a hitch. Never did I feel like they were tinny or cheap-sounding. Due to the design of the set, they do poke out from the sides of the ear about a quarter of an inch, so they would not be good for side-sleepers (such as myself) who like to have music on while they doze. Call quality was good, and I did not have a problem with anyone hearing my voice whenever I had to make a call.
Verdict: For a $39.99 set, it'd be hard to go wrong with this set. The sound quality is above par, the battery life and technical aspects of the product are great, and they seem well built. However, while the feature set is rich and there is much to like about it, the packaging and presentation don't do anything to instill confidence in the consumer. Get past that, and you have a great little set of headphones.
