aphidian
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2011
- Posts
- 8
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- 0
Skip to the end if you want the short version.
Ok, I've had my Sunrise SW Xcapes for just under half a year now (got them as a Christmas present last year) so I have a lot to say about them. I try to go in depth about everything I've experienced with them over the six months. I don't know any of the technical terms, either, so this review should hopefully be easy to understand for everyone.
Anyway, when I first got them out of the box the first thing that I noticed was that they felt a bit flimsy. The wire didn't seem (to me) to be as high a quality as I'd expect for £50 earphones. The metal sticker on the hard case also came off almost immediately. I wasn't too bothered about that, but I thought I'd give it a mention. Wasn't too happy with the sound at first. I could hear everything clearly but the bass was almost absent, especially when compared to the CX 300's which I had gotten used to (I know cheaper headphones put a focus on bass, but in either case). The sound also seemed kind of cold, it took a while to get used to.
After less than a month of heavy use (and by heavy use I mean I wear these pretty much all day every day and often accidentally fall asleep with them in), the case on the left bud came apart. I expected much more from these seeing as I had someone pay £50 for them, and compared to my CX 300's (that were less than half the price and have received the same treatment) that feel far more solid and haven't come apart yet even after a year, although unfortunately the sound stopped working on one side .
I did tape the broken case back up with some electrical tape, and all was well again. Another month or so down the line the wire was exposed where the wire meets the left bud. It was already evident that the build quality of them was poor, so it didn't really surprise me. I taped that back up and decided to reinforce the right bud with tape as well.
Back to the sound, after about four months there was a very noticeable difference in the sound. Everything started to sound a lot warmer, and the bass finally started to shine through. It doesn't overpower everything else like the CX 300's did, but it is certainly present. All the music I listen to (classical, jazz, pop, soul, electronic.. old and new) sounds wonderful with these. I also use these when I play PC games, I can now hear when creatures/players are trying to sneak up on me, which is always a good thing.
Skip another two months to today (just under six months after first getting them) the wire on the right bud became exposed, which again I taped up.I'm honestly surprised they're still working, and I hope they continue working for at least another 6 months. As of today, the sound in the right bud has started to get a bit funny. Fading in and out. It's gone.
TL;DR
- Sound is excellent across many genres of music, they seem to suit classical best
- If you like bassy headphones these probably are not for you
- Build quality is very, very poor (first started falling apart in under a month of heavy usage)
- Comes with a nice hard case with extra tips
Personally, I wouldn't recommend these to anybody. The sound is great, but they are just far too flimsy. Definitely not worth £50.
From now on I'll be sticking to known brands.
Ok, I've had my Sunrise SW Xcapes for just under half a year now (got them as a Christmas present last year) so I have a lot to say about them. I try to go in depth about everything I've experienced with them over the six months. I don't know any of the technical terms, either, so this review should hopefully be easy to understand for everyone.
Anyway, when I first got them out of the box the first thing that I noticed was that they felt a bit flimsy. The wire didn't seem (to me) to be as high a quality as I'd expect for £50 earphones. The metal sticker on the hard case also came off almost immediately. I wasn't too bothered about that, but I thought I'd give it a mention. Wasn't too happy with the sound at first. I could hear everything clearly but the bass was almost absent, especially when compared to the CX 300's which I had gotten used to (I know cheaper headphones put a focus on bass, but in either case). The sound also seemed kind of cold, it took a while to get used to.
After less than a month of heavy use (and by heavy use I mean I wear these pretty much all day every day and often accidentally fall asleep with them in), the case on the left bud came apart. I expected much more from these seeing as I had someone pay £50 for them, and compared to my CX 300's (that were less than half the price and have received the same treatment) that feel far more solid and haven't come apart yet even after a year, although unfortunately the sound stopped working on one side .
I did tape the broken case back up with some electrical tape, and all was well again. Another month or so down the line the wire was exposed where the wire meets the left bud. It was already evident that the build quality of them was poor, so it didn't really surprise me. I taped that back up and decided to reinforce the right bud with tape as well.
Back to the sound, after about four months there was a very noticeable difference in the sound. Everything started to sound a lot warmer, and the bass finally started to shine through. It doesn't overpower everything else like the CX 300's did, but it is certainly present. All the music I listen to (classical, jazz, pop, soul, electronic.. old and new) sounds wonderful with these. I also use these when I play PC games, I can now hear when creatures/players are trying to sneak up on me, which is always a good thing.
Skip another two months to today (just under six months after first getting them) the wire on the right bud became exposed, which again I taped up.
TL;DR
- Sound is excellent across many genres of music, they seem to suit classical best
- If you like bassy headphones these probably are not for you
- Build quality is very, very poor (first started falling apart in under a month of heavy usage)
- Comes with a nice hard case with extra tips
Personally, I wouldn't recommend these to anybody. The sound is great, but they are just far too flimsy. Definitely not worth £50.
From now on I'll be sticking to known brands.
