Lenntek Sonix Earbuds (3 Braided Cord) with Microphone for iPhone 3G, SmartPhones (Black)

Best earbuds I ever had! 2010-09-07

Reviewer: Warden Chinbach

I have no idea why these aren't rated higher! These are AWESOME earbuds and worth every penny. The braided nylon feels great and very sturdy, they are a great deal harder to tangle than normal earbuds, sound quality is superb, feel great in your ears. Great investment. Buy them!

Best ear buds I've found 2010-08-06

Reviewer: Blues & Jazz Fan

These have lasted the longest of any earbuds I have had 12 months and counting. I admit I am probably hard on them, I wrap the cord around the iphone and stick in in my purse. I think the braded cord is a really good design he keeps the wires from breaking particularly in the winter when I wear them outside.

The sound quality is good enough for prog metal and jazz. Not the best I've had but the best broke in 4 months.

Disappointment. Not as good as the predecessor model (Sonix 1) 2010-06-10

Reviewer: Eddie

I'm a long time owner of a Sonix 1, and I believe they are probably the best set of earphones I've ever owned. However, after nearly two years of extreme wear and tear (airport security, backpacks, exercise, pockets, etc.), the part where the braided nylon cord meets the housing of the 3.5mm jack seems to have worn to the point where if I were to move the cord around that area while playing music, I hear static. No problem at all...that's longer than any headphones or earphones ever lasted. Anyhow, it was time for a new set.

I'm searching for this same set again as it served me well in the past couple years, and that's when I discovered the Sonix 3. Not only did the tech specs read the exact same as the Sonix 1, but had its improvements. This time the entire cord is made up with the braided nylon, making it almost completely tangle-free. And the part I described in the first paragraph was "reinforced"...the jack is now at a 45 degree angle, and rubberized and ruggedized to withstand wear and tear. Then there's an added bonus...it has a microphone, so I can use it on my BlackBerry! This was just too good to be true, so I immediately placed an order, confident this set of earphones would be a better experience.

When I got them, I had to test them right out of the box. My initial impressions: The cord is longer and completely braided...nice! The angled, reinforced 3.5mm jack...awesome! The attached earbud looked kind of small, but that was okay since it came with other sizes. So, I immediately went on to switch the earbuds, but that's when I noticed something a little strange...the rubber material (or whatever it's called) seemed to lack in quality than the one on the Sonix 1. They seemed thinner and more flimsy, but I gave the benefit of the doubt and thought to myself maybe this design improved the sound quality. Anyway, I put them on and connected to my BlackBerry to test out the "music to my ears". That's when the "What the...?" happened. The sound seemed quieter...the bass lacked (a lot!)...the treble seemed a bit snappy. Overall, it seemed I had a set of tweeters up against my ears. I could not believe what I was hearing! "This can't be!" I thought. It felt like a lie. I could not accept the truth, so I tried all kinds of experiments... I tried all sizes of earbuds it came with hoping it had to do with how they fit into my ears...failed. I even tried all the earbud sizes that came with my Sonix 1...again, failed. I double checked the tech specs of both earphone models...they're identical. Out of desperation, I played with the equalizer settings in hopes I can recreate the previous experience of the Sonix 1...nope, didn't work. Even turning up the volume... simply makes the treble snap harder, but did not increase the richness of the mids or bass. I got even crazier in the end...I actually thought this set was defective, so I had exchanged it for another set...(sigh) let's just say a lot of four-letter words followed.

I'm very disappointed. I had these returned. I ended up going back to the Sonix 1 (price & quality considered). Sure, I'll lose the microphone capability...no big deal (lived two years without it, anyway). To me, it's absolutely not worth the loss in sound quality. Who knows? Maybe the microphone had to do something with it. Bottom line is the Sonix 3 did not live up to the Sonix 1 in sound quality.

Design flaws 2010-05-25

Reviewer: Douglas Bowen

The earphones definitely stay in my ears better than the ones that came with my iPhone, but there are two major problems. First, the earbud seals come off so easily that I lost one of them the second day I owned them. It just fell off somewhere during the day. I have since been much more careful, but it's annoying that I have to constantly worry about that. They come with replacements which are different sizes, but the replacements don't fit in my ear as well. Second, the braided cord does seem to be much more durable than other headphones, but because of the braiding and/or the different material, as the cord rubs on your shirt or the side of your face, it transfers so much of the scratching noise into your ears that at times it overpowers the music. Just below the ear pieces I've tied rubber bands around the cord and wrapped with electrical tape to dampen the scratchy sound, which helps some, but it is still very irritating. Without my modification I find these headphones completely useless, especially when exercising. Otherwise, I find the sound quality acceptable, but no better than the default iPhone headphones. At least the iPhone headphones don't transfer much scratchy noise into your ears so I've gone back to those for the most part. And there is a volume control on the iPhone headphones which there isn't on the Sonix. They just don't stay in my ears very well which is why I bought the Sonix in the first place. I don't recommend the Sonix at all.

Great Product 2010-05-16

Reviewer: N. Wiegand

I love this product. It doesn't break down as fast as all the other earbugs I have had. In fact, it is still going strong after a couple months. I think the fabric like cord has a lot to do with it and I enjoy the multiple ear plug sizes they offer. I would buy again.