iFrogz Timbre Earbuds with Mic: Just A Pretty Face?
11:38 am, October 1st, 2009, Ed Sutherland
(Image courtesy Gadget Lab)
When we think of wooden music devices, our memories go back to the hulking consoles that created mellow tones. You’d think that today’s release by iFrogz of their wooden EarPollution Timbre earbuds would be just as warm and fuzzy – and if you did, you would be wrong.
The $50 earbuds practically fell apart in the hands of Gadget Labs’ reviewer Charlie Sorrel, who told readers the earbuds produced harsh sounds and music akin to listening to your playlist over the telephone.
Not only did the iFrogz earbuds fail physically, they also made the music “seem to rush along,” Sorrel said. Maybe the earbuds needed to be ‘broken-in’ to best gauge their sound quality?
After also reportedly being disappointed, MacNewsWorld reviewer Chris Maxcer wrote he experienced “definitely better” results after letting the earbuds “run for a few hours” attached to his MacBook. By comparison, the Gadget Labs review product lasted “barely minutes” until the cables leading to the earbuds came loose.
If the wooden components were troublesome, the microphone received glowing comments. “The mic itself worked surprisingly well,” according to Maxcer. Skype calls were “loud and clear,” said Gadget Lab.
The end result: the iFrogz Timbre Earbuds are so-so, but the product’s saviour may be its microphone.
[Via Product, Gadget Lab and MacNewsWorld]
Posted by Ed Sutherland in News | Comment on this article
Doesn’t matter if the microphone is good. $50 earbuds shouldn’t *fall apart in your hands.*
GGeek, on October 1st, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Hey Ed, the pair I have have held up pretty well, and I’m not nice to them. Wad them up, throw them in the console of my pickup, jam them in a pocket, pull at the wires too hard trying to untangle them. And yeah, if I plan on walking and talking, I tend to grab them over my Apple buds — just because the mic is surprisingly good.
But if I look closely, the build quality is not up to what I’d say are Apple’s standards by comparison — a tiny bit of glue on the wire grille, for example, where Apple would tend not to let that fly. Not sure it affects anything, really, but it’s there.
And GGeek . . . I agree, $50 of anything shouldn’t fall apart. As I noted, I was able to find them for significantly less than $50 online, but if they truly fell apart, yeah, that’d make me pause.
Chris Maxcer, on October 1st, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I had a pair of iFrogz headphones a few months ago. They were a piece of s**t. Worst headphones ever. After trying a second pair, i discovered that they were not defective, just a piece of crap. Got my money back.
mario, on October 2nd, 2009 at 7:49 am