In an attempt to look the best, stylish audio products often lose sight of their function. As a general rule, the sharper the guts of a device, the worse its performance. The Miffy MP3 player, for example, probably won’t put out amazing quality music. As with any rule, however, there are exceptions, with the B&W Zeppelin being a prime example. The Audio Chi W series headphones are said to be another such case, offering good looks and performance. To be too good to be true? you might think.
The way the W Series headphones are packaged gives a positive indication of the thought that went into their production. By that I don’t mean the physical packaging that they are presented in, but the equipment that comes with the headphones themselves.
The carrying case is useful as these phones are likely to be slipped into a backpack, purse or, dare I suggest, a man’s bag when not in use. A 3.5 mm to 2.5 mm adapter is similarly well thought out. This will no doubt please those looking to connect their W series to a cellphone with the smaller connector – a fairly common feature. Small details, yes, but they indicate that Audio Chi actually paid attention to the needs of its target audience.
Continuing the thoughtful design theme is the use of a detachable wired connector on the left ear cup. So if the wiring breaks, you don’t need to buy new headphones, just a new cable. The 1.2m cable also uses a woven, as opposed to a rubberized, coating which is said to prevent tangling – a claim I can’t dispute.
As a bonus to these practical considerations, the W Series headphones come in a range of funky colors. I’m particularly fond of the pink variety I borrowed, but they all look pretty chic. The stitched faux leather headband pulls off the look nicely and has the added bonus of being beautiful and comfortable. So does the ear cups, which apply enough pressure to stay in place without pinning my head in a vise-like death grip – unlike some headphones I’ve had the misfortune of wearing.
The W Series headphones sit on top of your ears rather than around them, so there’s not much noise isolation. This tends to be more of an issue for people close to you, as the sound will leak out and disturb anyone sitting nearby. Still, annoying fellow passengers on a subway or bus is certainly less likely than blasting your “tunes” out of your phone’s speaker, which clearly should be a hanging offense.
When it comes to audio performance, to my liking the Audio Chi W series offer better sound than the WeSC Bongo Art Marok headphones we looked at. There’s full, but not overwhelming, bass response and decent mid-range clarity. The very high end could be a bit sharper, but you’ll never get everything at this price point.
The W-series can’t match headphones like the Sennheiser HD 485 in terms of playback clarity, but the W-series are a lot less cumbersome, making them a particularly handy offering that you might be more likely to wear – an often neglected consideration .
If you were to spend a little more for a pair of Grado SR60i phones, the difference in sound quality would be noticeable as well. But as awesome as the Grados are, they feel far too fragile to carry around. Also, some would argue that the grado’s characteristic sharpness is too harsh to be heard for extended periods of time.
As much as other headphones may sound better, the W-Series’ design aligns better with real-world considerations, such as: B. connecting to a device with a 2.5mm jack or storing your headphones in a backpack when not in use. Plus they come in pink, that’s all that really matters, right?
verdict
The appeal of the Audio Chi W Series lies primarily in its styling. It’s a nice bonus, then, that they’ve got a decent dose of substance to go along with it.