I used to be sure that I am not a basshead. My favorite IEMs for the longest time were RE-0, my favorite headphones were (and still are) various variations of ATH "sweet treble" sound signature, and in general, my favorite music genres do not demand monster bass. All that being said, I am a curious person and for the longest time I contemplated getting a pair of real basshead phones. Enter the Wooduo.
Accessories: lots of tips (including triple and double flange), shellcase, shirt clip, cable winder. I would have liked to have more tips on choice, since none of the included ones fit me very well. Still, much better accessory set then some of the competition.
Design and build: better looking then on photos, cable is surprisingly usable (soft and with weak microfonics), wood and metal iems so far seem very sturdy, the only part that I am not too happy with is paper filter on the nozzle, which keeps ungluing itself whenever I change tips. These IEMs are like a hot readhead on your arm - everyone looks at you.
Comfort and isolation: Well, it turns out that my ear channel is way to small for the nozzle size - I still have problems finding good fit (ended up using some generic soft silicone biflanges), though when I do find it, they are secure enough that I can run with them. Their nozzles are (IMO) humongous and I would probably be better of if I had Ferengi ears, instead of normal human ones. Isolation is kinda average, but really, it depends on the tips used and fit. With double flanges, I can use them without problem in public transport, and really wouldn't want to jog with them on a busy street.
Sound quality:
Well, I am one of those weird people who don't detect any burn-in changes. By the time I feel like I know the phones well enough to review them, I really don't remember exactly how they sounded before a few hundred hours of listening. On the other hand, Wooduos blew my mind the first time I got a good fit, and finally gave me an example of huge, powerful, pulsing, precise and effortless bass. These really *are* the kings of bass. Listening to Massive Attack's Angel was unlike any headphone experience ever before, with visceral bass that was more felt in my chest then heard in my ears, with width, depth and texture I never knew existed outside of a concert. Listening to Mezzanine was like rediscovering new layers of meaning in a book you have read so many many times... Chemical Brothers Surrender was a similar experience, but also one where I discovered that Wooduos have very sweet and pleasant treble, with no sibilance that I could detect. Next I tried listening to Telemann's Trumpet concertos, just for fun, and my mind was blown away again - this minimalistic baroque music sounded better on Wooduos then on my GR07, or RE-0! At that point, I fell in love with them and there goes the objectivity for the rest of this review.
I listened to them for a few hours every day (during work commute) for a few months, and though I found their weak points, they are still one of my favorite pair of IEMs, incredibly fun and pleasant sounding with the right kind of music. So what kind of music are they good for? From my experience, they go very well with classical and baroque music, they make harpsichord, violin and trumpet sound just gorgeous. They go well with some forms of electronic music, but surprisingly not with all - Wooduos for me don't have V-shaped sound signature, but rather flat one for mids and treble, and they reveal flaws in music far more easily then I imagined it would be. For example, I like 60's and 70s underground latin disco music, and frankly, it sucks on Wooduos. Most of the modern overproduced rock music also sound pretty bad on Wooduos. On the other hand, songs that fill out the whole spectrum, from bass to treble, sound wonderful. Female vocals sound like heaven, acoustic music sounds awesome, in fact, any song which likes a bit "darker" sound, sounds good on Wooduos.
Conclusion:
Addictively fun par of IEMs. Makes a basshead out of people who really aren't. Difficult fit for people with small ear channels. Surprisingly forward mids and treble, not a V-shaped sound signature at all. Revealing of flaws with badly produced/encoded music. Easy to drive. Price was for me a bit too high, but then again, I know of no better bass IEMs up to 200+$.
Shonky Donky
Great review man, do you know anything about the Velodyne vPulse? i dont know which one has better sound quality, especially bass. Thanks if you can help.
iern
I am sorry, I have not tried vPulse, so I can't comment on them...
On the other hand, Wooduo's have been holding quite well during last 2 years - still my no.1 bass music IEM. The biggest problem with them is the fit - unless you get a proper fit (and I have gone through bags of tips before I found 2 that work for me - a diferent one for each ear), they sound boomy and thin. With good fit, man, its like being 20 and full of ...illegal substances
On the other hand, Wooduo's have been holding quite well during last 2 years - still my no.1 bass music IEM. The biggest problem with them is the fit - unless you get a proper fit (and I have gone through bags of tips before I found 2 that work for me - a diferent one for each ear), they sound boomy and thin. With good fit, man, its like being 20 and full of ...illegal substances