This is a review of Monster SuperStar wireless speaker. http://www.monsterproducts.com/speakers/superstar/
It takes a lot of confidence to label your product "The world's smallest audiophile speaker". That's exactly how Monster refers to their latest wireless speaker. I do have to agree, it's among the smallest speakers I have tested, considering a unique flat rectangular footprint with rounded corners resembling a smartphone shape. I also have to agree that it has a very detailed clear sound, not typical for wireless speakers. Here is more about this little SuperStar!
Following their flashy tradition, you don't expect anything less from Monster product packaging where SuperStar doesn't disappoint with a high quality box, detailed graphics, plenty of description, and traditional magnetic flap cover revealing a gift box setting of the product inside of it. In addition to a speaker, a usb to micro usb cable and storage drawstring mesh pouch was included. There is no exaggeration, but the speaker is small!!! Weighting only 230g and 140mm x 75mm x 22mm it had a footprint smaller than my Note 2, and about double in thickness. It was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, and soft rubbery texture felt very good to the touch which also should help to absorb a shock if dropped. Furthermore, the speaker has IPX-4 rating for water splash protection, so you will be safe around the pool or at the beach as long as you don't submerge it into the water. Also, the speaker itself was designed to work placed flat on the surface or in a sturdy upright position.
A closer examination of the speaker revealed some very unique design details. First of all, it has 2 top firing drivers placed in the corners under the perforated grill. In the center on the top and the bottom of the speaker you have a pair of cleverly designed passive bass radiators to enhance low frequency performance of SuperStar. One of the main problems with small speaker enclosures is not being able to fit enough of regular active drivers to cover a low frequency sound. Some speakers use bass ports to direct the sound outside through some clever filtering, while in here you get a pair of passive radiator cones pumping the air out. Don't expect an earth shattering bass you can feel, but you will be surprised to hear a decent bass punch with injection of sub-bass to make sound feel solid. With a lot of the smaller speakers, you typically get a thin high frequency sound or muddy bass distortion, but with SuperStar you get a well rounded detailed clear sound. As a matter of fact, I pumped it up to a max volume and experienced minimal distortion, only noticeable in low frequency range due to exaggerated pumping of radiator ports.
For sure, this speaker sounds VERY good for its size and has clarity surpassing a lot of other speakers I have tested before. Beside sound quality itself, you also get an impressive volume level where I compared it to another 12 Watt wireless speaker I recently tested and found SuperStar to be louder. Another big advantage is the use of Apt-X codec which helps transmit audio wirelessly without too much of bandwidth compression. It really felt like listening to a wired speaker. Speaking of that, there is 3.5mm Input port if you want to connect this speaker to your mp3 player or devices that don't support bluetooth. The port is located on the side and has a rubber flap to keep it's IPX-4 certification. On the other side of the speaker, there is micro USB port with a flap cover for battery charging and also for audio-over-usb connection. The battery should last about 5-6hr at moderate volume use, and micro-usb port also doubles in functionality to be connected to compatible devices where you can send audio through usb port.
Now, let's talk about the actual wireless performance. It wasn't very clear to me if it supports BT3.0 or 4.0, but regardless of that pair up with my smartphone was flawless, and it easily covered 30ft of operating distance. You have 4 dedicated sealed buttons on the top for power, volume up/down, and bluetooth, two led lights for power and bluetooth indication, and mic opening. Pushing Power turns the speaker on and pushing Bluetooth either puts it in a pair up mode for the first time or starts pair up if there was some issue with disconnect. Once paired up, it shows up connected to your phone and media audio, so it can be used to play audio from the phone as well as functioning as a speakerphone with a build-in mic. Volume adjustment is self explanatory. There is also one hidden control which is not obvious and you can only learn about it from manual. Bluetooth button actually functions as Play/Pause button where during a playback a short press will pause and resume playing the song.
Overall, I was a little skeptical when I approached this review thinking it's going to be another "small" speaker claiming to have "big" sound. But as soon as I paired it up and start playing music, I realized it wasn't just an empty promise. This speaker truly does sound great, it looks very cool, has unique design elements with passive bass radiators, hidden playback control (only play/pause, though I would have liked to see track skip next/prev as well), and audio over usb playback. The negative comment I have, which could be a matter of a personal preference, I don't like voice guidance announcing "power on", "paired up", "power off/goodbye". It provides a clear feedback of functionality, but I wish it could be disabled. Price tag is a bit steep, currently on sale for $129.95 where $99.99 would have been a more reasonable price in my opinion. At the same time, you are paying a premium for its unique features packed into a very small footprint. Personally, I was very impressed with this wireless speaker and would definitely recommend it if you want a loud detailed sound and a design to make you stand out from a crowd!
Here are the pictures.
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This is a review of Braven 855s wireless speaker. http://www.braven.com/braven-855s.html
2013 is not over yet, but I can tell you with certainty that portable wireless speakers and external battery supplies were among the top popular gadgets of this year. A smartphone is a heart of today's portable entertainment system that holds our music, our pictures, connects to our TV, plays popular video games, and does so much more including actually making calls Such entertainment system needs a way to deliver the sound where using built-in speaker just doesn't cut it. Furthermore, it consumes a lot of juice which drains your battery fast. The solution? Braven 855s which combines these two functionalities plus much more, and does it in STYLE!!!
Before starting with my review, let me get something off my chest. Yes, this speaker is on a pricey side with a tag of $300, and No, it's not intended for audiophiles. So let's take a look at what you are actually getting for this premium price, and why you should seriously consider 855s if you are looking for a high quality portable wireless speaker and considering either Big Jambox (I'm making a very bold statement here) or any other wireless speaker with famous rapper name attached to it.
Even before you open the box, you can already get your first impression by noticing the weight of this speaker. At almost 4 pounds this is not your average light-weight speaker with wimpy drivers to make it sound just a bit louder than a speaker on your smartphone. This is heavy duty wireless speaker crafted on a front and a back with perforated aircraft aluminum grade material and wrapped around with a quality rubber bumper that will let you withstand a serious outdoor activities while also attracting considerable amount of lint With a dimensions of 9.75" in length, 4.25" in height, and 3" in depth - it's still very portable, although the weight going to be very noticeable when you carry it around. It would have been great to see some kind of a collapsible handle that stores/hides into the bumper, but the non-slip grip was adequate to hold it with one hand for me. The speaker itself is IPX3 rated which means it's water resistant, but not recommended to be submerged under the water. So in a situation where you are by the pool, or someone spills a drink, or you outdoors and light rain starts to drip - you will have a piece of mind knowing it shouldn't damage your speaker. In general it's optimized to work both outdoors and indoors.
The connection to your phone or tablet is a typical bluetooth procedure, pair up within seconds and you ready to go. If your source doesn't have Bluetooth connection, you can use auxiliary input with an included 3.5mm cable. Or if you have a friend with another 855s or 850 speaker, you can wirelessly pair them up to double the power of the sound. At $300 a pop I personally consider it to be too much to get a pair just for this purpose. The speaker is rated at 20W of RMS, this is serious power! The sound is delivered by 2 front facing speakers hidden behind the grill, with a passive bass ports firing from the rear mesh grill of the enclosure. The sound has a signature heavy bass profile which is very popular with a lot of the today's headphones and speakers. To bring up more high frequency content, you can easily activate SRS WOW HD mode which widens the sound and bring up more mids/highs up front. I would personally only use it with SRS setup. Also, support of Apt-X codec helps to deliver sound context with minimal loses typical for Bluetooth connection. I'm still standing by my statement - this is not a speaker for audiophiles because it does color the sound, and you need to crank up the volume while taking a few physical steps back to really enjoy it. But don't crank it up too high because you start noticing the distortion. The sound is very powerful and loud, enough to fill in a big party room or to take your party room outside and still enjoy the sound in the open area.
Here is where it gets more interesting. I have noticed with a number of wireless speakers a trend of not including playback controls. You have a gadget that streams music 30+ feet away from your "entertainment system" and you have no way to play/pause or skip the track? With Braven 855s - you have full control of playback and volume! Buttons are at the top of the unit, rubberized and sealed to go along with it's rugged functionality and IPX3 water resistance. The speaker pairs up with both the audio output and the phone, and works great as a speakerphone. You play music, get a call - seamlessly switch between both, and once the call it done it fades back into the music. With noise canceling speakerphone people had no problem hearing me on the other end, and commented it was loud and clear. Also, you get about 20 hours of wireless play time which is above and beyond any other wireless speaker I have seen or tested. So, where do you get all this juice? From a built-in 8800 mAh rechargeable battery. Oh, and to take it to the next level - the output of this battery is made available as an external battery source to charge any of your phone or tablet or other gadget. There are no guess work here, you get 5-led indicators which partition battery reading into increments of 20% so you know exactly how much power is left when you discharging or the progress of charging the speaker. The actual charging is very fast thanks to AC/DC adapter which is rated at 12V/3A output. True, it's not your standard micro-usb connector, but you have to keep in mind we are dealing with 8,800 mAh battery that you want to charge fast rather than waiting half a day before its up.
Overall, I was very impressed with a high quality of it's built and the amount of technology packed into this compact speaker. One can argue about it's weight which is not exactly portable, but overall footprint is portable. It does come at a premium price, but I found it to be aligned with other premium speakers in this category. Considering all the additional features including ability to charge external devices, SRS WOW HD and Apt-X support, rugged design, and IPX3 water resistance - it actually makes Braven 855s a bargain if you were already planning to spend this amount on competitive speakers.
Here are the pictures.
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This is a review of Meelectronics Venture AirFi AF52 Stereo wireless headphones: http://www.meelec.com/product_p/hp-af52-bk-mee.htm
All of my previous wired and wireless headphone reviews were focused only on in-ear headphones (IEH). I decided to switch my gears with this review by looking at over-ear headphones with a very unique design that offers the best of both worlds - wireless and wired with an amazing array of features. So let's take a closer look.
The reason why I used to focus mostly on IEH because I don't like anything bulky and heavy over my head, but I also learned from reading a number of comments that some people prefer over-ear design because they don't like sticking buds inside of their ears. The perfect solution - 210g lightweight and super comfortable Venture AF52. With a soft earpad over-ear design and soft padding around the headband these feel very comfortable to wear and to keep on your head for an extended period of time. Headband is not too tight, yet balanced enough with a bend radius to keep these on while you are moving around, although I wouldn't recommend it for sports activities with a lot of jumping or moving. This design also makes a great passive noise isolation. The earcups can be folded flat for easy storage into the included velor drawstring pouch, and also can swivel to a degree into opposite direction for a better adjustment to your head shape around your ears. Made out of quality ABS plastic material with a metal spring inside of headband, the design feels very solid.
For convenience of operation, the audio playback, phone controls, and volume controls buttons are located on each side of earcups with 3 buttons in each side marked for easy identification. Right earcup has playback controls and also mini-usb charging port; not your typical common micro-usb although the cable is included. No need to worry about batteries, a full charge will last you up to 18 hours of talk and audio playback and 250 hours of standby time as noted by manufacturer. This is some impressive spec which also suggest about a decent battery size. Left earcup has volume up/down and multifunction power/pair up/phone button, a very generous mic, and 3.5mm audio input port. I was a little bit surprised that play/pause button wasn't utilized for handling calls since it's common with other headphones, but its a very minor thing which you get use to in no time. Pair up with a phone was seamless and afterwards took seconds from the time you power up headphones. I also was able to test Bluetooth range to operate up to 40ft before loosing connection. Once you loose the connection, I had to go back closer to my phone within 15-20ft to get paired up again. While playing music and loosing connection, I noticed music was paused until I got back within range to get re-connected again, and then hit play to resume. Also while making phone calls, I found connection and clarity from both sides to be excellent.
This brings me to the most important factor of any headphone - the sound quality. For anybody who enjoys a deep bass, you will be in heaven because these 40mm drivers surrounded by marshmallow-soft earpads can really pump some enhanced low frequency content! The bass was deep without being too overwhelming but definitely noticeable and dominating over the full frequency range. The mids and highs do sound clean, but not as crisp and detailed though easily fixable with EQ adjustment if you need to. I didn't notice any distortion at high volume levels and sound didn't get lost at low volume level either. As an option to wireless connection, you can use a wired connection with headphones off or even in parallel when they are on. I found this feature to be priceless. Although we are talking about headphones with 18hr battery life, I have been in situations before where I ran out of battery and had too look for my wired pair of earbuds. Or maybe you are on a plane where they don't allow wireless connection, or perhaps you want to listen to a device you are not paired up with or which doesn't have wireless connection (like a laptop). You can even be paired up with your phone and have wired connection to another tablet watching a movie and once you receive a phone call the audio coming through wired connection will be paused for you to connect to the call and then switch back once you are done. This is truly amazing, and I honestly haven't seen it with any other wireless headphones before. Another thing that made me scratch my head - the sound quality through wireless connection and with power off through wired connection was almost identical!!!!! How is this possible?!? I have no idea considering wireless connection typically compresses the sound thus reducing it's quality. Here, it was almost the same.
Overall, I think these headphones are very unique in its design and hybrid wireless/wired functionality. With an incredible battery life and selection of easy to use controls, comfort of use due to soft earpads and headband, and current Amazon price of under $80 - these have an incredible value. But you do need to keep in mind their bass-heavy sound signature.
Here are the pictures.
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Hi
Thx for the review but...
How about they fit the sides of the head? Tight or loose
Enviado desde mi Z1 mediante Tapatalk
trouxx said:
Hi
Thx for the review but...
How about they fit the sides of the head? Tight or loose
Enviado desde mi Z1 mediante Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The clamping force is not bad, not too tight or too loose. But hey, it all has to do with a size of your head If you have a big head, it could be too tight, and if your head is too small - it will be loose
Head... Average size.
I bought those headphones and they arrive to me Friday to see that they are in that aspect because as far as sound I have good references and that for the price that they have they are not bad...
I'll see. Thanks for your answer
This is a Review of Inateck BTSP-10 Plus Bluetooth mini Hi-Fi speaker. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PFDT07Q and http://www.inateck.com/bluetooth-speaker-btsp10-plus-inateck/
For those who are skeptical about small speakers being able to deliver a big sound, the new Inateck BTSP-10 Plus mini hi-fi wireless Bluetooth speaker is a perfect example of how it should be done! It has been awhile since I reviewed any budget priced wireless speaker because I came across too many similarly looking “boxes”, nothing original or exciting. Inateck new release caught my attention because I found its spec to be quite impressive for such a tiny footprint. While being a fan of German design and engineering, I had to check it out, and here is what I found.
Arrived in a common environmentally safe all carton packaging, I was pleased they decided to spice up the appearance by adding details to the outer sleeve with glossy notes print. Under a sleeve on a cover of the box there was a very simple description of the features with corresponding icons – very clear and to the point with an overview of a high capacity 2000 mAh battery, support of BT4.0, Stereo Music playback (from 2 speakers), Super bass sound enhancement, and Hands Free phone (speakerphone functionality). Inside of the box beside a speaker itself, you will find a quality usb/micro-usb cord, 3.5mm audio cable, large velour storage pouch, and a detailed Instruction manual. Right away it’s a plus that a speaker uses a common micro-usb port, unlike some that still use mini-usb or a proprietary wall adapter with a round connector. Audio cable is also a plus if you want to play your music wired directly from your phone or a tablet in case if it doesn’t support Bluetooth or speaker battery is discharged.
Looking closely at BTSP-10 Plus, you can’t help but notice how small and lightweight it is under 390g and with dimensions of 2" x 2.4" x 6.5". Even next to my Note 4 it felt small. The outer housing of the speaker has a rubbery texture and hexagon theme all over it – everything from hex buttons at the top, to hex shaped non-slip feet, and other design details around the top and the front grill. The grill itself is metal, a fine mesh painted in red and protected from outside by overlapping hex shapes. In general, it’s a fresh looking design which definitely going to catch the attention, though it’s not just the looks but the actual functionality that makes it standout.
Starting from the top you have 3 dedicated buttons, a multi-functioning Bluetooth pair up button which also works as Play/Pause/Call, and Volume Up/Down button for volume control. On a side, you have an auxiliary input for 3.5mm audio cable, a dedicated on/off button (no more guessing if you press soft power button long enough – always a problem with other speakers), and 5V micro-usb port to charge the battery. Fully charged, the battery can last up to 15hrs when you play music at a moderate volume level. Wireless pair up was simple, and within seconds I was connected to the phone and media audio. Speakerphone function worked as expected, and the actual wireless connection worked for up to 40 feet away from the phone.
When I got to the actual sound test, I had to take a step back because I didn’t expect such a loud and clear sound. Packed with a pair of 3-watt 40mm dynamic drivers, Inateck refers to them as “Rotunded 16-core NdFeB magnetic driver”. I’m not too familiar with such drivers, but I can tell you the sound was full and balanced and apparently under control of multi-band compressor, and had a nice bass response thanks to its bass port at the bottom of the speaker. Even at the max volume there was no distortion, and down to a minimum level I was still able to hear everything clear. A lot of budget portable speakers focus on appearances and just a basic delivery of a sound, while Inateck actually paid attention to a quality sound tuning. Also, this speaker has a wide soundstage with a nice stereo separation which is quite enjoyable when you take a few steps back. Bass is not necessary booming, you can’t expect that from such a small housing and with a pair of 40mm drivers, but it definitely has a nice clean bass rumble and a snappy mid-bass punch.
Overall, I found BTSP-10 Plus to be surprisingly good in every aspect from a catchy design, to a build quality, battery durability, wireless performance, and the most important – sound quality! It can really compete with a sound quality of a number of other wireless speakers that cost over $100. Unlike so many other portable wireless speakers with a tiny thin sound and thumping beat without any supporting bass, Inateck wireless speaker actually sounds like a mini hi-fi system which I really enjoyed. Definitely gets my recommendation!
Here are the pictures.
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This is a review of Anker BT wireless (A7909) speaker. http://www.ianker.com/product/A7909011 , also available on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RMYQU06/
It has been awhile since I reviewed a new product from Anker, and I was getting a bit worried thinking they slowed down with their new releases. Just as soon as this thought crossed my mind, I had a new BT speaker from Anker waiting for my review! I don’t have to tell you how saturated smartphone accessories market is with wireless speakers, so I was curious was Anker came up with to stand out from competition "crowd". Let’s take a closer look.
It’s no longer a surprise all Anker products arrive in environmentally safe carton packaging. As a matter of fact, they were the originators of that trend, quickly followed by most other accessory manufacturers. The cover sleeve has a nice clean image of the speaker, and after you slide it out and open the box, you will find A7909 model with included accessories.
Unboxing.
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Accessories include a sturdy USB to micro-usb charging cable, 3.5mm to 3.5mm connector (for direct wired connection of the speaker), and a soft storage bag/pouch. Charging and audio cable is typically something you will find with many other wireless speakers, but not too many others offer a storage bag. Obviously, a pouch not going to protect your speaker from a high drop, but it could cushion it and provide some level of protection. Plus, if you leave fingerprints on the plastic surface of the speaker – a soft material of the pouch could be used to wipe them down.
Accessories.
Out of the box, you will find a relatively compact brick shaped speaker with a dimensions of about 6.4” x 2.6” x 2.6” and weighting aproximately280g. The speaker has a sturdy plastic enclosure with a metal grill on the front covering the drivers and on one side covering the bass port. On the top you have 2 recessed large volume -/+ buttons to decrease/increase the volume level, and the area for NFC pairing. Opposite of the bass port on the other side you will find a multi-function Power/Pair-up/Play-Pause button which also has a blue led backlight to indicate when power is on. The back has charging led indicator, micro-usb charging port, and AUX 3.5mm audio input port. It’s a very simple design with a clear layout of large easy to use controls. The bottom has a non-slip rubbery pad for secure placement on any surface.
Design.
Considering its slightly higher than expected pricing, yeah – Anker spoiled us with premium products at discounted prices, I was curious to explorer its spec and performance to figure out the value of this BT wireless speaker. First of all, it comes with a large 6200 mAh battery (that explains the weight) which can support almost 24 hours of playback at 60% volume setting or 18hr playback at a more realistic 70% volume setting. It sure is impressive for a small compact speaker that isn’t longer than my Note 4.
Inside, it has a dual 5W drivers and a dedicated bass port. Obviously, it could function both wired and wireless. Wireless pair up with a phone was seamless and I tested it to work 60’ away (!!!) from my phone in open space. That’s very impressive for a supported wireless distance. One important thing to keep in mind – it ONLY pairs up with a phone Media, not with a phone to work as a speakerphone. In my own personal experience with at a least a dozen of BT wireless speakers I have tested, I never ever used any of them as a speakerphone. Thus, I found a lack of speakerphone support is not a big deal. The only comment I have here, during pair up speaker produces a loud and a bit annoying beep, which I wish would have been a little quieter.
Pair up and performance with a phone.
Of course, the most important aspect of this review is to find out how it sounds.
Thanks to its 5W speakers, Anker A7909 BT wireless speaker can get very loud and at the max speaker and phone volume level – I sensed NO distortion what so ever. Obviously you have to be realistic that small drivers can produce a loud sound but it’s not a powerful room filling type of sound. The sound is very clean and accurate, not too boomy or too thin, but the further you step away the less bass you hear. Basically, this is not a type of speaker to entertain a big outdoor party or to fill in a big hall with a loud sound, it's intended for a smaller room listening where louder sound will fill in the room and where you will be able to enjoy better low end (bass) response.
Conclusion.
Anker usually doesn't disappoint with their new releases, and this new BT wireless speaker is no exception. It is not necessary the top performer or the best value in "small portable" speaker category, but it definitely offers some unique features to be very competitive. Battery life which can go up to 24hr is a big bonus. 5W dual speaker is loud and clean, and most important you can raise the volume all the way to the max without clipping or distortion. And unlike so many other portable speakers with only Volume control, I like the integrated Play/Pause which is SO important. The whole purpose of wireless speaker is to be away from the phone, and some manufacturers forget about it, making you go back to the phone to pause the song. I'm glad Anker implemented this feature. Backed up by their 18-month warranty, this is definitely a good product. Priced at $69.99, I think it's a bit steep and it would be more realistic to have it priced closer to $50, but if you are looking for all the features offered by this wireless speaker - it worth the price.
This is a review of iDeaUSA AtomicX S204 foldable BT wireless headphones. http://www.ideausa.com/atomic_x, available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z8PWGNG/
Every week I'm being approached to write different reviews. Often it's by companies I never heard of, most likely re-branded generic products with just a different printed name. I turn down a lot of such requests, but decided to take a chance on iDeaUSA (the name?!?) because I got intrigued looking at the picture of their wireless headphones. It didn't look like any other headphones I've tested before, and that peeked my interested. Let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed a bit!!! Let's me tell you why.
We all know, pictures could be very deceiving, especially on the cover of the packaging box. Regardless of that, the packaging of this AtomicX headphone pair was high quality. Besides a very detailed description, list of accessories, and a tech spec, the box itself was high quality, sturdy built carton with a magnetic flip cover - all together a nice presentation. And once opened, you will find a headphone case with everything inside of it.
Unboxing.
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Starting with a case - this is a pure quality EVA hard shell zippered case, nice slim design. When you open the case, you see headphones folded on one side and meshed pocket on the other side with usb and audio cables. Being wireless headphone, it needs usb to micro-usb cable for charging, and also for a dual mode of operation (wireless or wired) - an audio 3.5mm cable. Both cables were of a good quality, especially audio cable which has thicker more durable shielding, in comparison to junk thin cables I found with other headphones.
Accessories.
Obviously, the first thing you notice about the design is that it folds by collapsing inside of the headband. Once folded, the footprint is significantly reduced and you can fit it inside of a slick headphone case. I actually found a lot of things about this headphone to be of a high quality. First of all, headband has a perfect bend radius with a comfortable clamping force. In addition, it is padded all the way around with a nice soft pleather and extra foam padding inside of the headband where it rests on top of your head. Headphones are very light weight with an even distribution of the weight.
The headband height adjustment is precise, and all the hinges are sturdy with a high quality material. The bending part of headband actually has a real aluminum metal surface that looks very premium. Earcups have 360 degree of tilt to adjust comfortably around your ears to fit the shape of your head, and they have a marshmallow-soft earpads. The earpad opening was comfortable for my medium size ears, but for those with large ears it could be right at the threshold. But I think it will still be ok due to a soft cushioning that just going to press on top of your ears.
All the controls are located in the right earcup and very easy to access. At the bottom of earcup you have micro-usb charging port (enabling 14hrs of continuous play!!!), 3.5mm audio port for wired connection, and Mic pinhole port for wireless phone talk. The controls are on the back of the earcup where it's very easy to reach them, including a multifunction Play/Pause/Call button, power led (bi-color blue and red), and volume up/down. The buttons had a solid click action and nothing was rattling or creaking - solid build all around.
Design.
Pair up with my Note 4 was flawless, headphones were recognized right away and connected to my phone and media audio without a problem. Either talking on the phone while wearing these or listening to the music was high quality and I was actually able to use it within 50ft of distance away from my phone (in open space, of course).
According to the spec, this model supports Bluetooth 4.0 and apt-X codec - VERY important in order to maintain high quality fidelity of the sound. Furthermore, it supports all popular BT profiles such as A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, and HFP. Also, very conveniently it could pair up with 2 devices so you can switch, for example, between wireless listening on your tablet and picking up a call on your phone.
Phone pair-up.
Ergonomics, functionality, and comfort of the design is important, but without a good sound quality this package is not going to be complete. Even with support of apt-X, you can still mess up a sound by using sub-par drivers and poor D/A converter.
To my pleasant surprise, iDeaUSA team got it RIGHT!!! This AtomicX S204 model headphones have a very nicely balanced sound with a decent sub-bass extension, great mid-bass punch, warm detailed mids, and crispy non-fatigue extended treble. I really didn't expect them to sound that good. Especially I was very surprised about their soundstage - an average depth and way above average width - a nicely spacious expanded sound.
Overall, it was nice to see a company that introduced a product with an original design that doesn't try to look like another "Beats" pair of headphones. The lightweight comfortable fitment, quality build and slick aluminum design accents, 14hrs battery life, both wired and wireless performance, a premium quality case, and a rather good sound quality makes these headphones a great value under $60. These actually get my high recommendation!