Philips “Vibes” in-ear headphones.
- Disclaimer: I recently bought and tested 5 different pairs of headphones which were under the price range of NZ$20 at time of purchase. In all I have reviewed Moki 45 degree Comfort Buds, Xiaomi (“Mi”) Basic in-ear headphones, ifrogz Luxe microbuds (with microphone), Philips “Vibes” in-ear headphones and finally Skullcandy Jib headphones. Note that these were tested with music only; if a set of headphones had a microphone I did not test the quality of the mic.
- Packed in a plastic blister pack, but is a little more forgiving than traditional blister packs that cut up your hands trying to open them. You can usually pop one of these packs open without need of scissors.
- Doesn’t come with a manual or other materials (most of these cheaper headphones don’t).
- Comes with the headphones and medium sized bud tips as default, as well as 2 pairs of alternatively sized earbud tips (small and large).
- Uses a very thin round double-style cable (the one that looks like two thin cables stuck together), so is prone to tangling.
- Uses an L-shaped 3.5mm plug/jack. This was the only budget pair of headphones that I tested that came with an L-shaped plug.
- The headphones are made of a very shiny plastic, which almost makes the headphones seem metallic to look at. The plastic is quite cheap feeling when touched (feels like that cheap shiny plastic used on some Christmas decorations, although that may just be due to the paint finish).
- Noise cancelling – Quite good. For what appear to be very small ear buds they do a decent job of muffling ambient sound.
- Verdict – These headphones feel very cheap and have a cable that tangles easily, but they do sound pretty good. I prefer a bit more bass (yes, I’m a bass-head) but there’s more than enough for a good balanced overall sound.