1 – Acorn E1
The E1 earphones from Acorn are made from a light coloured wood and sport a silicon cable with an angled 3.5mm jack plug. There is no microphone or button on these – its all about the music…and the bass.
The wood used in these gives them a fantastic natural warmth and a depth that has to be heard to be believed. We have found the E1 earphones feel narrower in the ear – this allows them to penetrate the ear slightly further, giving a much better bass response.
The mid range is very natural sounding with no unbalanced emphasis poking through. The treble is a little duller than some other earphones, but a quite tweak of the EQ at 6kHz & 16kHz or thereabouts is all thats required to give it a quick lift.
We love this earphones to bits – the simply styled wood, big bass, lightweight and a cable that doesn’t kink or tangle in use. Its also worth noting that these are great for gaming use – explosions are huge when listened to through these! You can check out the Acorn E1’s here, or read our Acorn E1 review.
2 – MediaDevil EB-01
The MediaDevil EB-01 earphones are crafted from wood that has been reclaimed from furniture manufacturers. The finish on the wood is exceptional – great detailing and quality throughout. These have the additional bonus of having a microphone and button combo inserted inline on the tough woven cable. To finish off the natural/reclaimed feel, these also come with a natural fibre storage bag to help keep them safe when not in use.
Truth be told, there’s not a huge difference in the sound between the Acorn E1 & the MediaDevil EB-01 earphones – they are very close. The MediaDevil EB-01’s didn’t deliver quite as much depth at the very low end. The warmth is still the same thanks to the wood, and they also still sound very natural.
The mid range is again natural sounding – perhaps with a smidge more detail than the E1’s. Again they also benefit from a minor treble boost.
The MediaDevil EB-01 earphones deliver a very attractive package. They look great and sound fantastic. They again work very well for gaming purposes – but with the extra bonus of the microphone makes them a good choice for use with a PS4. At this price, they’re very hard too beat – check out the MediaDevil EB-01’s, or read our MediaDevil EB-01 review.
3 – Eightball EX811
These are still some of our favorite earphones around. The EX811 earphones are made from metal and feel very solid yet lightweight. The woven cable is attractive, but can tangle easier than some other earphones. They don’t come with any form of storage, we’d recommend getting yourself a cheap earphones case to keep them in to help keep the tangling to a minimum. The microphone and button unit is very solid and is one of the most nicely finished ones we’ve seen.
The sound of the Ei8htball EX811 earphones gives the listener a lot of detail – particularly in the mid range. There is plenty of bass which is very tight and punchy – a little EQ will help bring up the sub frequencies to give it good depth as well.
The mid range and top end have lots of space and air that works well with all genres of music.
We’ve been using the EX811 earphones ever since we tested them several months back. They still sound great and look the part as well. While they don’t quite have the same low depth as the other earphones above, they do offer more detail and punch. These are a great choice for anyone wanting a good set of earphones to upgrade their smart phone. Check out the Ei8htball EX811’s, or read our Ei8htball EX811 review