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Big thank you to OneOdio for sending the S1 to review! I’m not being compensated for this write-up – just giving my thoughts and impressions of the unit.
Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions leading to a beautiful audio experience that will make you fall in love with music (NOT gear) all over again, so…
All things considered, this is actually a pretty decent offering from the same folks who brought you the Q2 but the headphones still have plenty of issues.
Let’s start with the good.
Aside from being an obvious Beats Studio knockoff, comfort is rather good and the build is super solid.
They’re robust, fold up well, and are fairly easy to transport.
The headband adjustments are metal and don’t feel like they’ll break down any time soon (if ever).
In fact, I’m not very careful with these at all and they’ve held up just fine over about a year’s time.
I used them quite a bit at the gym without any issues, and the sound is a lot better than some other Bluetooth offerings I’ve tried.
Still, the mid-bass is a bit bump happy and tends to overshadow the rest of the sound signature.
The more you listen the more you start to feel as if you’re almost listening to music underwater.
Vocals and instruments tend to get drowned out (no pun intended), and the treble, while again not becoming strident/sibilant, lacks zip and zest.
In other words,
it’s much too veiled again and like the mids, gets overpowered by the bloated mid-bass area.
In all honesty, it makes everything sound loose, flabby, unrefined, and bad.
I’ll also caution you that this type of bass is not good for your hearing at all, so it’s a definite hard pass from me.
Mid-Range
As alluded to, the mids here are rather pushed back and pretty distant which doesn’t bode well for any type of decent listening experience.
In other words,
I never have any sort of desire to listen to these outside of the gym.
They’re simply convenient when I’m lifting weights as I don’t care much about sound quality when I’m busy tossing heavy crap around and being a meathead.
Outside of that scenario, you’ll likely never say something to the effect of “Man, I really want to listen to the S1 right now” as you would with other types of quality audiophile headphones.
Treble
The treble isn’t horrible per se, but it lacks zip and sounds kind of dulled over.
This is a trend I’m noticing in consumer products nowadays – they tend to place less emphasis on the treble whereas in years past the high end was always a little too bright.
Undercompensating here generally results in a rather boring portrayal of hi-hats and cymbals, and oftentimes simply melds together with the other frequencies.
So yeah, a pretty big problem and one that prevents me from recommending these outright.
Despite the sound issues,
comfort is very good and the buttons are mostly placed well.
Do keep in mind that the headphones have a tendency to slide around a bit when you’re in the midst of a heated workout, but it’s not a huge dealbreaker or anything.
The real issue I have is that the volume buttons are about the same size as the power button in the middle.
This means you may think you’re powering it on but in reality, are pressing one of the other buttons.
Once you get used to the surface texture, you’ll mostly be okay but in the future, I’d like to see them simply make the power button bigger and more obvious.
On the underside is a conveniently placed button that cycles between ambient, noise canceling on, and noise-canceling off.
As with the other products mentioned in this write-up, I found the Noise Cancelling feature to work rather well with no complaints on my end.
Overall,
I still wouldn’t recommend these due to their very flawed overall sound portrait, but they are certainly better than some other Bluetooth headphones and earbuds I’ve tested.
The other issue is that they’re pretty darn heavy.
Now I personally don’t really care about this, but your mileage may vary and it’s important to point out.
They’re not quite as bulky as something like an HD280, but it’s gravitating in that direction.
Battery Life
This is one aspect of the S1 I’m really on board with.
If you can believe it, I haven’t had to charge this thing one single time.
No, I haven’t used it every single day for many hours, but I’ve used it a lot over the last year or so and haven’t even unpacked the charging cable!
That’s right you heard me correctly.
It still looks like it just came out of the box.
This to me is astounding when considering every single Bluetooth product I’ve tested needs a charge about once a month or so (sometimes more often).
ANC
It’s pretty good here.
Most of the noise is drowned out which is great if you have neighbors with dogs that won’t shut the f up.
In any event,
let’s recap some things I liked and disliked before we give a final verdict.
What I liked:
The build is rock solid. I have no qualms about tossing these around and feeling like they’ll be completely fine.
Comfort. Pretty darn good all things considered. Though a tad bulky, they feel pretty great around your ears and aren’t intrusive.
ANC. Good noise cancellation.
Battery Life. Excellent. You couldn’t ask for better.
What can be improved:
Sound. Let’s be honest here; as a guy who’s demoed over 120 headphones, these don’t sound good at all and it’s something that needs to be fixed if I’m to recommend them. If you’re into clammy sound signatures and an overall wooly mess, the S1 fits the bill quite well.
Final Verdict
The S1 has a lot going for it, but the sound really holds me back and I can’t in good conscience tell you to buy it when I wouldn’t purchase one myself.
Interested in my current favorite wireless Bluetooth IEM?
Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Super EQ S1 Review and came away with some valuable insight.
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Would YOU purchase the S1? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…
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Stu is determined to help you make sound decisions, and strives to deliver the best and most in depth content on the internet! In his spare time, he likes to fish, paint, play guitar, pray, rap, make beats, take photos, record videos, graphic design, and more. His sense of humour, coupled with a knack for excellence and strict attention to detail are what allow him to stand out in an crowded industry.
