Customer Reviews

Lenntek Sonix Earbuds - 3 Braided Cord with Microphone for iPhone 3G/SmartPhones - Black

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm amazed that for this and the model without microphone nobody has mentioned one of my favorite features: the construction of the cord. By that I don't mean the cloth braid, which is obvious even in the photographs and has been mentioned numerous times. Rather, I mean the way the plug/cord, split/cord and earbud/cord junctions are manufactured and reinforced with rubber. In the case of the plug, where it is needed most, the reinforcement is especially strong. As a bonus, the plug is angled at 45 degrees, which I find even better than the right-angle orientation that seems to be preferred by most people.

I have a son who routinely destroys earbuds because of the way he handles them. I doubt even he could get to these.

The most important thing about an earbud is its sonic quality, of course, and I rate these to be of acceptable quality. That means they're pretty darned good. They're probably closest to my Ultimate Ears MetroFi 200vs in sound. They're similar to Sennheiser CX500s (not to be confused with CX300s), except with less bass response; although extra bass oomph does come in handy for tracks that lack it, they really don't require it. The reason for the comparative lack of bass is undoubtedly that the Sonix have only a 9mm driver, which both limits the amount of bass one can expect and increases the possibility of detail. Because of the metal housing they're similar to V-Modas, except that due to their larger drivers the V-Moda gets more bass, of which it characteristically emphasizes the low end. Don't get me wrong: the Sonix have more bass capability than many, if not most, earbuds in their price range. Bottom line: I don't use mp3 players for my most serious listening, and I don't expect these to be the absolute best thing I've ever heard. They're not. With those expectations set, I'm elated with the Sonix when it comes to sonic quality for the purpose.

All I can say about the microphone is "nobody's said anything," and I've used these earbuds for several months now. Presumably it indicates transparency. What else can you ask for?

The braided-cloth cord, the metal construction, the synth-suede pouch, the gels (one reviewer characterized them as "thin" but I disagree, and I've got a bagful ) and of course the price (i.e.: value) all further contribute to this being my very favorite among several dozen pairs of earbuds.

I'm a long time owner of a Sonix 1, and I believe they are probably the best set of earphones I've ever owned. However, after nearly two years of extreme wear and tear (airport security, backpacks, exercise, pockets, etc.), the part where the braided nylon cord meets the housing of the 3.5mm jack seems to have worn to the point where if I were to move the cord around that area while playing music, I hear static. No problem at all...that's longer than any headphones or earphones ever lasted. Anyhow, it was time for a new set.

I'm searching for this same set again as it served me well in the past couple years, and that's when I discovered the Sonix 3. Not only did the tech specs read the exact same as the Sonix 1, but had its improvements. This time the entire cord is made up with the braided nylon, making it almost completely tangle-free. And the part I described in the first paragraph was "reinforced"...the jack is now at a 45 degree angle, and rubberized and ruggedized to withstand wear and tear. Then there's an added bonus...it has a microphone, so I can use it on my BlackBerry! This was just too good to be true, so I immediately placed an order, confident this set of earphones would be a better experience.

When I got them, I had to test them right out of the box. My initial impressions: The cord is longer and completely braided...nice! The angled, reinforced 3.5mm jack...awesome! The attached earbud looked kind of small, but that was okay since it came with other sizes. So, I immediately went on to switch the earbuds, but that's when I noticed something a little strange...the rubber material (or whatever it's called) seemed to lack in quality than the one on the Sonix 1. They seemed thinner and more flimsy, but I gave the benefit of the doubt and thought to myself maybe this design improved the sound quality. Anyway, I put them on and connected to my BlackBerry to test out the "music to my ears". That's when the "What the...?" happened. The sound seemed quieter...the bass lacked (a lot!)...the treble seemed a bit snappy. Overall, it seemed I had a set of tweeters up against my ears. I could not believe what I was hearing! "This can't be!" I thought. It felt like a lie. I could not accept the truth, so I tried all kinds of experiments... I tried all sizes of earbuds it came with hoping it had to do with how they fit into my ears...failed. I even tried all the earbud sizes that came with my Sonix 1...again, failed. I double checked the tech specs of both earphone models...they're identical. Out of desperation, I played with the equalizer settings in hopes I can recreate the previous experience of the Sonix 1...nope, didn't work. Even turning up the volume... simply makes the treble snap harder, but did not increase the richness of the mids or bass. I got even crazier in the end...I actually thought this set was defective, so I had exchanged it for another set...(sigh) let's just say a lot of four-letter words followed.

I'm very disappointed. I had these returned. I ended up going back to the Sonix 1 (price & quality considered). Sure, I'll lose the microphone capability...no big deal (lived two years without it, anyway). To me, it's absolutely not worth the loss in sound quality. Who knows? Maybe the microphone had to do something with it. Bottom line is the Sonix 3 did not live up to the Sonix 1 in sound quality.

I've been using these for several months now and highly recommend them. The braided cord is great...I can easily fold them up into a small pouch that I keep on my keychain. The cord is also longer than most that I've used. Many other cords are stretched to their limit and the buds pop out of my ears when the iPhone is in a front pants pocket (I'm 6'2"). I've only had one other pair of buds that have a microphone, Apple's, and that's a key feature as well. Sound quality is very good. For the price I don't think you can find a better value.

The earphones definitely stay in my ears better than the ones that came with my iPhone, but there are two major problems. First, the earbud seals come off so easily that I lost one of them the second day I owned them. It just fell off somewhere during the day. I have since been much more careful, but it's annoying that I have to constantly worry about that. They come with replacements which are different sizes, but the replacements don't fit in my ear as well. Second, the braided cord does seem to be much more durable than other headphones, but because of the braiding and/or the different material, as the cord rubs on your shirt or the side of your face, it transfers so much of the scratching noise into your ears that at times it overpowers the music. Just below the ear pieces I've tied rubber bands around the cord and wrapped with electrical tape to dampen the scratchy sound, which helps some, but it is still very irritating. Without my modification I find these headphones completely useless, especially when exercising. Otherwise, I find the sound quality acceptable, but no better than the default iPhone headphones. At least the iPhone headphones don't transfer much scratchy noise into your ears so I've gone back to those for the most part. And there is a volume control on the iPhone headphones which there isn't on the Sonix. They just don't stay in my ears very well which is why I bought the Sonix in the first place. I don't recommend the Sonix at all.

I bought these a couple of months ago. The sound quality is good, and I was satisfied with the microphone as well, but the earbuds stopped working after a few months. First, songs would start/ stop playing randomly, and calls would end (it seems like a problem with the microphone, where a signal is sent to start/stop a song or call without me touching it). Now the right earbud doesn't work unless the wire is held in a particular position.

I've emailed Lenntek but haven't received any response from them. It was a good set - but only lasted a few months.

The earbuds are very comfortable, you can hear things very clearly, and the microphone seems great, BUT unfortunately there is a quality issue. I bought my first set in early December and within a month the right earbud stopped working. I contacted their customer service, and they were great. I received a replacement set (I just had to pay to ship the old set to them). It's now mid-April and the right earbud stopped working again. Products are going to have problems but something is wrong when the same problem occurs over and over again (especially for the price).

I would highly recommend the product if it was made better but as is I have to recommend staying away.

I'm generally the kind of person that likes to give something a chance before I return it but in the case of these earbuds, I was extremely disappointed right off the bat. I purchased them to replace a pair of Sony earbuds that are starting to become aged and wanted to have the mic as well. I read many great reviews before purchasing and many had praised their sound and how good the bass was. In short, when I first plugged them in I felt let down. The bass was almost non-existent and after trying different EQ settings on my iPhone there was almost no difference. No matter what I tried it sounded very "tinny." Using the bass-boost setting they became extremely distorted and unbearable even at "normal" volumes. Within about 2 minutes they were boxed back up and ready to go back.

About the only thing I really did like was the reinforced connector and the solid build in general.

Definitely not worth the price unless you're only going to use them for phone calls since, in that case, sound quality isn't really a necessity.

I bought these earbuds for the microphone since people tell me I sound muffled when I call them from my smartphone (an old Samsung BlackJack II).

The earbuds are extraordindary! The sound is loud and clear. Even louder than my Scull Candy earbuds. In fact, I could not turn my phone down low enough to keep the sound from hurting my ears. However, when I made some outgoing test calls to test the microphone, the person on the other end said I sounded "far away." I sounded better without the microphone from the earbuds.

I faced a similar phenomenon when I plugged the earbuds into my iPod Touch (4th gen). The sound was loud and clear (too loud, in fact), and then when I wanted to do a voice note (voice recorder), I had to turn the sound up to come in loud enough.

Unfortunately, I have to return these earbuds.

Pros: The buds fit in your ears well, the sound is loud and clear, the braided cord is awesome.
Cons: The microphone is just auxiliary to the earbuds. The mic is not loud enough. The earbus over-amplify your sounds.

I've had these for 4 months and they have held up very well. I somewhat frequently work outdoors in hot and dusty conditions and these head phones still work just fine despite the sweat and dust they've been exposed to. I recently lost one of the ear pads and am ordering the Sonix Silicone Seals replacements from Lenntek's website. With a touch of glue to keep the replacement pads from getting lost I expect to be completely happy with these.

The biggest negative in my opinion, and this is very trivial, is I think the cord is about 5 inches too long. The way I wear these, either from my hip pocket to my ears or from my shirt pocket and around the neck then to my ears, leaves just a little extra cord that sometimes hangs in my way when I bend forward working on things. (I'm 6ft tall)

These Audio buds are BUILT and the mic is as good as my Jabra for vox pickup (and they don't fall out of my ears) Well constructed and durable I'm havin' a great time with them without having to baby them.