Strauss & Wagner SI201 Sound Isolating Earbuds w/Certified Proprietary S&W DAC +HQ Mic
: nice deep punchy bass and decent blend into mid tones with V shape present nearing Harmon curve, warm, better alternative than iphone ear buds or skull candy ear buds, nearly as good as KZ10/HiFiHear BLON BL03 but has built in dac/remote - really a great choice for one cable solution for iPhone users, high quality microphone for calls- better mic quality than EarPods with Lightning Connector, does not fall out of ear- better for activities/workouts, nice cloth quality useful carry pouch, mids and highs are warm yet polite to most recordings, better DAC than Apple dongle, remote built in on cable, very effective sound isolation without deep insertion (SI The SI stands for Sound Isolating), nice long cord
: slightly micro-phonic cable similar to iPhone cable, but because the SI201 isolates a little more than the iPhone EarPods the micro-phonic cable is somewhat more noticeable, mids and highs are not the last word in detail, low key feel/construction- BUT maybe a positive since they will not draw unwanted attention (stealthy good sound with plain Jane looks), wire may take a while to unfold memory, decent but not class leading in detail, imaging and soundstage are decent but not class leading for price (KZ ZS10 & Blon 03 are better but both require a dongle making them less convenient and more expensive)
Strauss & Wagner SI201
Sound Isolating Earbuds
With CUSTOM Certified S&W DAC Certified Cable
Up front and always honest in all my reviews...
I am a customer of Audio46- just a guy who loves their service... so the owner reached out after reading some of my high end
reviews... and said hey you want to test a few affordable in ears? I said, "sure, why not..." so here we are.. these were sent to me for review without incentive for my honest review from
Audio 46. For more information
Strauss&Wagner.
I received these in earphones and wasn't expecting much. Boy was I wrong and pleasantly surprised. As soon as I unboxed these and removed them from practical cloth pouch, I was like... 'ok... this will be interesting. Maybe they will sound pretty good...' and well they do. Better than many other similar priced earphones I have bought; some examples :
Better than: iPhone EarPods $19, AKG Ear buds $59, RHA MA750i (Ear buds priced at $120 at the time). The si201 are nearly as good as HiFiHear BLON BL03 $39- which requires a dongle for DAC so not as good for convenience. The si201 are nearly as good as IEM from KZZS10 Pro with the same disadvantage of separate required dongle for DAC for KZ.
I do believe the company claim of "superior less compressed DAC” built in blows away the Apple dongle dac... and is a better one piece solution...
No more worries such as my everyday thoughts "where did I leave my dongle today?"
These are a simple grab and go solution for casual listening that generally makes all recordings sound warm and fun. Are they last word on detail - no. That's not their goal for design either. These are a real treat for bass heads and for those who don't like deep insertion to get deep bass. Just lightly touch these into your ear canal and you get very decent noise isolation and nice bass. Do I prefer deep insertion ear tips like my loved Penon Orb or my Etymotic ER4P/S or my absolute end game IEM the
Kinera Nanna 2.0? Not always....
One of the reasons I think these sound better than other earphones w/iPhone dongle
in this price range is the better designed dac built in to the cable-
"proprietary dac for less compression" is what S&W say... I tend to believe this when listening.
These are a worry free earphone- affordable enough to have a few pairs around- to 'lend' (and never to be seen again) to my kids and even for me when I am walking or exercising. My wife likes them too and well, I am glad since she knows good sound when she hears it. She said, "how much are these anyway?" I told her and she was like, "give these to me when you are done reviewing I want them for work outs and calls I make from work..." My response, was, "ah you like them... ha I told you they were pretty good..." I think I will just buy her a new pair and keep these for myself... anyway... She and I liked them probably because the sound is easy and comfort is so nice you barely notice them when you have them playing. I don't even know they are in my ears compared to the other IEMs I just mentioned. They just are good fun for the price and I really don't expect much else in this price range. They are not offensive in any frequency range- they are tuned warm and pleasing to the ear and to almost any genre of music I could throw at them. They drive very easily, as I was happy with volume on my iphone set around 60%. Do they get supper loud -yes at 75% they sound composed without distortion but not better- I remember listening to Vandersteen speakers which I wound up buying, but the dealer said you can always tell a good set of speakers not by how loud you can play them but how low you can play them and still hear all the details. Case in point here- these sound great at low, medium or high levels - all of these are a good sign. Often you don't get fidelity with Earpods- just decent sound at low volume and you need to turn them up to hear them sound some what decent. Same thing the Skull Candy - they like volume to come alive. With the S&W Si201 they sound full even at low and medium levels- which really defines them as well engineered. Again- they will play loud without a problem, but you don't need to in order to hear the details. These are not after all detail kings nor were they designed for that. Forward leaning bass gives tons of oomph to pop and funk music and plenty warmth to big rock tracks. There’s also some nice sub-bass response, making it suitable for hip-hop as well. But despite its thickness and depth, acoustic instruments, like double basses, still retain a natural timbre and tonality for this price point. Still, classical fans may opt for a more neutral low-end with more detail. So, although they present a relatively versatile sound signature, the low end is most ideal for modern genres. These are not analytical or cold- they are warm and musical. If you have a friend or family member using lesser earphones- this makes a great gift to quietly say, "I care about you and your music- try these and hear how good an iphone can sound." Technology has gotten to a point now where $49 ear phones sound better than $100-$120 earphones form just a few years ago (case in point the the RMA's I used to own and forgot all about since I got more serious about this hobby). What a great time to know your can actually strech your dollar to get better quality sound for less when it comes to products like this...
My conclusion:
A sure bet in this price point for a 'one box' solution for iphone users. Well done and recommended for warm fun sound, ease of use and comfort.
Features:
- Built-in lightning connection for compatibility across iPod, iPhone, and iPad devices
- Three-button remote with volume and playback adjustment, as well as a microphone for calls and voice commands
- Integrated microphone allows for clearer audio quality thanks to a sensitivity of -48 dB
- White Apple-style aesthetic with stylish yet durable aluminum housing
- Large and powerful 10 mm dynamic driver for better bass response
- Stainless steel mesh nozzle
- Includes: three sizes of silicone ear tips for personalized comfort plus a carry pouch
- One year warranty
| Frequency Response | 20Hz-20kHz |
| Impedance | 32Ω |
| Sensitivity | 92dB |
| Microphone | -48dB |
| Driver | 10mm |
| Cable Length | 47" |
| Warranty | 1 year |
A sure bet purchase buy for any iphone owner- grab and go solution I recommend
