These are exceptional earbuds out of the box, and deliver the type of sound that much higher end earbuds typically offer. I used an identical pair of these earbuds a few years ago, however they were made by Tribeca (this is curious to me -- when I say identical, I mean absolutely identical, down to the color of the wood grain, to the cord, to the jack). The Tribecas were $40 which still seemed like a good price. These sound pretty incredible with iPads and iPhones, and the sound is extremely surprising with the well-balanced yet powerful bass and treble tones. No matter what type of music you enjoy, these sound dynamic, are as loud as you need them to be, and the buds comes with three different sizes for your ear canal. The good reviews really are true -- these sound pretty phenomenal. I've literally used dozens of high and low end earbuds in the past, and was truly puzzled to hear what high quality these produce, yet for such a bargain price. Once I started reading the other reviews, though, I noted a concerning trend....
What I'm noticing from a lot of people is the same thing that happened with my other pair, and is the main reason why I've had to buy a second set, and that is one side of the earbuds just quit working on me. This seems to be an extremely common problem, so I'm not sure if Symphonized is trying to move these at an extremely discounted price while mass producing these and ignoring the basic build of the headphones. These would easily be a $100 pair of earbuds if they lasted, but I have a feeling that most of these headsets may fail much sooner rather than later. I will say that Symphonized has included their business card with each set of these earbuds with their phone number and email promising to replace any headset that encounters problems. This, to me, says they are aware that the build quality is way lower than it needs to be, and that is unacceptable. Having said that, what are you willing to pay for some incredible-sounding headphones that may only last for three months before Symhonized sends you another pair? If your answer to that is "25 bucks!", then this package may be worth it to you.
I've decided to try these out again, and I sincerely hope they last a little longer than the last pair. They look great, and sound just awesome. I'd happily pay 100 dollars for these headphones with the knowledge that they'd last for 5 years, but something tells me that if these are selling for 25 dollars a pop, the company knows there are basic structural problems with these. It seems like Symphonized is attracting interest by stating that the regular price is $100, then having a sale for $75, then further slashing that sale price to $25, when these are worth $25 all along. Yes, they sound great, but they need to last as well, and I find it hard to swallow that so many people are having the exact same issue where one side of the earbuds is shorting out and failing to work. Why is this so common? Here's hoping this new pair lasts!
EDIT: April 3rd, 2016: So these finally failed on me after about a year of use. They lasted longer than my first pair, but I got the same issue as before: one of the earbuds stopped working. I was going to raise my rating to four stars due to them lasting a little over a year, but I dunno -- the "price slashing" still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I feel like a pair of earbuds that you know won't work after a year is a bummer. Having said that, these ear buds still sound fantastic!
***UPDATE 2/19/2015***
After about five months of regular use, the left earbud blew out. I e-mailed the company about the issue and they sent me a new unit in less than a week. I've noticed that this new pair of headphones makes less noise when brushed and the headphone jack is sturdier and built better. The audio quality is still amazing. Overall, I'm very satisfied with Symphonized's customer service.
***ORIGINAL REVIEW***
I don't typically write reviews (in fact, this is the first Amazon review I've ever written), but after using the Symphonized NRG headphones I felt compelled to type this up. Before I go in depth, I'd like to point out that I'm no audiophile, but I like to think that I've owned enough pairs of headphones in the past to provide an accurate review of the Symphonized NRG for the casual music listener.
First of all, I just want to say that I am absolutely satisfied with these headphones. The sound quality is spectacular, especially for the price; these headphones can easily hold up against top tier competitors that are quadruple its price. Whether the wooden build provides any real advantage or not, the audio is very clear and crisp and the bass is boomy, yet not too powerful. I listen to all sorts of genres, from rock to pop to rap to country, and these headphones made me feel like I was rediscovering each of my favorite songs. The noise-isolating feature works fairly well - definitely way better than the typical low-price headphones marketed as "noise isolating." If you're wondering how the microphone fares, I can't comment on that because I haven't used it yet.
There are still a few drawbacks to the Symphonized NRG. The nylon cable was a bit thinner than I expected, but it still feels reliable and durable. However, the cable does make some noise when it is brushed up against a surface, which I found to be slightly annoying. I also wish the button had volume control on it.
Overall, the Symphonized NRG gives you quality, top-tier sound for a very low price. I would recommend these earphones to anyone who listens to music daily.
PROS:
+ Amazing sound quality
+ Great price
+ Noise-isolation works well
+ Sturdy nylon cable
+ Cool aesthetics
+ Lightweight
+ Fits comfortably in the ear
CONS:
- Cable makes some noise when brushed
- Microphone button lacks volume control
I own many kinds of headphones ranging from the Sennhieser HD 650 (which I listen to using a Nuforce Icon HDP amp) to the out of the box ones like the apple ear duds. Not to brag, but to say that I know a bit about high end audio equipment.
I personally like warm music, not a big fan of the higher frequencies.
The Symphonized NRG Premium Genuine Wood In-ear Noise-isolating Headphones with mic (white) is a pair of headphones (or earphones) which makes you want to listen to your music more and more. There is something about certain musical equipment which makes them naturally musical (if there is a such a word for something like that).
I have expected these to be warmer, as they are made of wood (dummy). But, somehow, they have managed to make them sound brighter as well (along with the warm tones which the wooden headphones naturally have).
The main area where this headphone shines is the mid range, which is where the crucial tones lie, making us like the music more. This headphone also enhances the music, like some equalizer has been applied, therefore does not sound flat, which is a good thing if you are a music lover. But if you are expecting very low bass tones, you may be slightly disappointed with this one (you are better off with Denon or maybe Sony, if you want noticeable but jarring bass).. More bass is not a good thing according to me, it is tighter bass which people like (which you get with the Senn HD 650), which is kind of difficult to get with smaller drivers like the ones you find in earphones. So, this headphone is doing its best, given the size.
Same thing applies if you are expecting accuracy in the reproduction of music. You wont get it with this one. But I was not and so are many normal listeners here. We all want to listen to good music, not accurate tones.
Also this one is very loud, people wouldn't need to or want to listen to this at the max volume, as it might get a bit bright (surprisingly for a wooden headphone) when the volume increases.
If you are wondering what bright means, it is the high end, or screechy sort of noise, which occurs at the higher frequencies (near the upper hearing limits), hence the name high end.
Overall, this headphone makes the music sound more natural and musical (repeating this to emphasize this), with its fantastic mid range, bringing out the vocals and the upper end of the bass tones.
The one button remote works with voice control commands of my iPhone. it is used to toggle pause and play (with single tap) and even go to the next tract (double tap). Long press invokes the voice control. three taps make the song play from the beginning. You have to use the phone buttons to toggle volume, you cant do that with the headphone button.
I can't stop listening to my fav. tracks as of now.Didn't feel like this for sometime now, as I was using a crappy earphone earlier (got it with a nokia phone, was using it, as it was portable).
A worthy buy. The quality to price ratio of this one beats all its competitors and maybe even beats the ones which are priced much higher.
Finally. For years, I've been searching for a relatively cheap, sturdy pair of headphones that puts out the kind of sound that can keep up with my insatiable need for the highest quality streams and as much FLAC as I can fit into my ears. After researching a bevvy of options that I've trudged through before (Bose, Klipsch, Sony, Skullcandy, etc), I come upon these buds from a manufacturer I've never heard of, at a price I couldn't believe. Skeptical of anything I haven't read about before, I took to the reviews section to find out why so many people couldn't stop talking about a company I'd only just discovered for the first time.
Well, Symphonized, whoever the hell you are, you make a damn, damn fine headphone, and I can't thank you enough for doing it at a price point that doesn't make me terrified every time I leave them hanging from my neck without proper protection installed. The sound from these is warm, rich, balanced, and gives you everything you could want from your music and then some. Fully recommended to anyone who's shopping for personal sound on a budget, and even moreso for those who think they need to spend $200 to get a decent pair that plays their albums back accurately.
Left earbud separated from casing after one week, returning it and seeking a different product.
Before I get started, i should add some perspective. I'm not going to compare these to $100 earbuds because that's absurd and unfair. I'm also not going to compare these to $7 earbuds because that's absurd and unfair. These are $25 earbuds and, thus, do not stack up to the quality of sound that you'd get out of something far more expensive. On that same line of logic, these are $25 headphones, you'll get far better performance than you would out of $7 earbuds.
Let's begin.
Sound
1. These actually sounded fairly balanced to me. The Treble is a tad strong but a quick flick of the equalizer fixed that. I do wish the bass was perhaps a little stronger...but again a quick flick of the equalizer fixed that.
2. They're clear and of quality. The lows, mids, and highs mix together better than you'd see in a similarly priced pair of Skullcandy earbuds (which focus far more on low end). It's a much more even sound-stage than I'm used to getting at this price range. That is based solely on opinion though and I haven't used every pair of earbuds known to man. They're not perfect, but they sound pleasant.
3. I should mention that bass doesn't "thump" with these like you would see in Skullcandy. While I'm not a fan of that, I do see where that's appreciated. People who listen to a lot of EDM, Dance, Techno, and Pop music (where the bass is heavy) will probably not appreciate the more balanced approach these headphones take.
4. I should also mention that these do require a bit of "burn in". I know that in most cases, the old "burn in the speakers" thing is hocus pocus but I did receive these while it was cold outside. Once they warmed up and got a few hours of music play, they sounded much better. Not necessarily richer or deeper but more clear and pleasant. The treble especially sounds better once you give these several hours of listening.
Construction
1. They actually don't look like they're made of wood upon first glance. The wood is dark and glossy so it actually looked like plastic. But alas they are indeed made of wood. They're also smaller than I originally though which was actually disappointing because bigger earbud = bigger drivers = bigger sound. Anyway, they seem like they're well made. Not sturdy or durable, but well made...but let's face facts, who's throwing these things on concrete?
2. The cloth-y, nylon cables are awesome. These never get tangled.
3. The actual jack part is this weird gun shape (I'm sorry I don't know what it's called). Seems like it'll last a while but only time will tell.
Overall
Overall these are nice headphones. They're definitely among the best for their price range. The sound may be too "balanced" for bass lovers and a little too "trebly" for normal people, but that's why we have equalizers. To fix those little problems. The blue/wood color scheme is unique which is why I bought these to begin with. They probably won't compare to $150, $100, or even most $50 headphones, but for their price range, these are really good.
Just remember to keep it in perspective! You're not getting Bose here folks, you're getting Panasonic, Sony, etc stuff from Best Buy quality here. In that race, these are winners (or close to it).
ByChrison January 12, 2015 Pros: Sounds good, feels sturdy, bumping bass, nylon cord. The mic in the cord is nice, there is a button that lets me pause or play music or hang up calls.
These have an angled jack which is a good thing for extending cord life, and the cord is nice and long.
I liked how full these sounded, the bass is there, the high and mids are a bit dampened, but thats the whole point of using wood in your headphones, wood gives the sound a warm feelings, aka, heavier bass, lower highs. I can still easily understand music, and its not even noticeable to those of you who are newbies to headphones and critical listening, but to a trained ear, its something worth noting.
I own a pair of Sony MDR-XB800's, and I got these earbuds to use when I'm out and about, because these are infact very portable, in case you did not know that earbuds were portable, yes, they work with just about any audio device.
Cons: Slightly uncomfortable after long use, and when putting them in I get a popping/crackling noise from some diaphragms being forced in and out.
If these didn't have that annoying popping when I put them in, I would give them 5/5, but that popping is just annoying.
I WOULD recommend these to other people.
Cool at first with good bang for your buck. Barely two months in and one of the ear pieces is already going bad. A damn shame. Hopefully I can contact manufacturer and seller to get this taken care of.
I bought these earbuds because I was looking for something small and stylish, but still affordable. I was really impressed with the overall quality of the earbuds, as well as the quality of the sound. I also like the built-in mic.
The sound: The sound is pretty amazing, nice even tones and overall excellent clarity.
The fit: These fit snuggly and are really comfy in my ears.
The price: Right up my alley.
"Wood" I recommend these to a friend? Yep... I'll admit that since using them I've noticed that the sound of wood definitely seems to have a better quality than my old plastic buds. The only thing I wish these earbuds had were volume control buttons. Other than that, they're awesome!
Well, I came across these Symphonized NRG Premium Wood IE headphones while looking for something I can just "pop in" and wear in a pinch. I already own several sets like the RHA MA750i (Best sound ever, but too heavy), Sennheiser CX200 (ok sound, won't stay in), Logitech UE 500vm (good sound, funky controls) and the BOSE IE2i (good sound and comfortable, but horrible noise isolation). These are all great, but I needed something simpler. I needed to go back to basics; something I can keep in my pocket and not worry about it (take them out of their case etc.) I must admit I was intrigued by the "wood is better" idea. Plus, at that price I had to try them. So here are my thoughts, hope it will help you in considering these little guys.
LOOKS -9 Ok, the housings look pretty nice. It is a type of natural red wood that gives it a very classy look. Too bad most people do not stare (except me?) at what others are wearing in their earholes so they can be admired. The white cord is supple and does not keep the "folded" or tangled shape for too long. Sorry, I like my headsets' cords to be straight.
BUILD -7 Frankly, I would not want to conduct a stress test on these headphones. While the plug into the device seems sturdy, and the fact that it goes in on a 45° angle (preventing over-bending) is a big plus, the place where the cord connects to the actual headpiece seems very weak. I'm afraid it could possibly create a failure in them as it has happened so many times in others (Skullcandy) rather quickly. The control button also seems a bit brittle, but so far it has not failed me.
COMFORT -9 These are a pleasure to wear. I tried the different silicone buds and settled on the original size. They are extremely light and the cord can be easily forgotten (which can be a problem if you forget that it's there, and catch it with your hands and stuff).
SOUND -10 The most important aspect of any listening device. These babies pack a great punch! I really do not know if the wood actually does help but these headphones produce very distinctive and solid bass. It does not reverberate nor cloud the other ranges. The mids are pronounced but not to the point where all you hear are rhythm guitars and vocals. The highs are very clear and do not "bleed" all over the other frequencies. While they are a bit bright, they are definitely no jarring.
OVERALL -8.75 Again, I was looking for something simple that I can keep around in a pocket and the Symphonized NRG Premium Wood IE headphones fit the bill perfectly. I just hope they last, as I wouldn't want them to be too "disposable". I did buy a second set, just in case. These are highly recommended and at that price, it's a steal!