Devil Horns earbuds review
Devil Horns earbuds
Pros
- Interesting design
- Comfort
- Sound quality punches above price
- Presentation
- Price
Cons
- Styling might not be for everyone
The Devil Horn earphones from EMIE look fun but how do they sound?
Let’s face it – earbuds, earphones or IEMs, whatever you call yours there’s one thing that they generally have in common and that’s how they look.
True, some are rounded and others are more angular but, on the whole, they’re pretty much barrels with a softer end that you shove in your lugs. Not the Devil Horns from EMIE under the GANK brand.
The Devil Horn stands out from the more rank and file earphones thanks to their devil-horn design but are they comfortable and how do they sound? Well, I’ve tested a set in order to answer those questions.
Devil Horns earphones design
I will be the first to admit that these look like something you’d find in a hen party goodie bag but there are some neat design touches that made me want to test them further.
Let’s start at the pointy end. These earphones have been designed by MACRHINO (nope, me neither) which appears to be made up of Mason Z and Bob W. Nah, still none-the-wiser.
The buds are made from nicely weighted metal which could be aluminum but can’t be certain. The buds I have been sent are finished in a nice metallic red finish (blue is also available) and I believe that this is a painted coat rather than anodised.
They do look good and at 16g feel like quality earphones.
The 1.2 metre anti-tangle cable has some neat additions too. Not only is there an in-line remote and mic, there’s a ‘chord zipper’ which adjusts where the cables split to go to each ear. Also fitted is a rubberised cable tidy.
The cable terminates in a standard 3.5mm plug whose top portion is finished in the same metallic red paint.
Now, that big demonic red nose that the buds come packed in also has a purpose.
This storage case, which will keep your Devil Horns safe and tidy, can be used to only unleash the length of cable you require. At the bottom of the case is an aperture which will allow you to run the jack plug end out of whilst the earphone end runs through the top. Clever.
The presentation tin has a secondary foam layer that packs another 4 pairs of alternative eartips (small single layer, small double layer, medium size double layer and large single layer).
This all very impressive but is this style over substance?
Devil Horns earphones performance
Devil Horns comfort
They don’t appear to be the most comfortable shape to wear but, sticking with the tips that were already fitted, they had a decent snug fit.
I have long hair so the little metallic horns didn’t make their presence felt with my hair down. To be honest, even with my hair tied back no one seemed to notice. The fact is, they’re not that prominent. Also, the horn part seemed to rest naturally on the back part of my lobe so, if anything, they looked like they were fitted to the shape of my ear.
Devil Horns sound quality
Up til this point I will admit to treating these earbuds as novelty items. I know that’s quite discriminatory as I was basing that purely on how they looked. Bad Jay!
Walking around with the Devil Horns in and my offline Tidal playlists playing, it soon became evident that these are actually pretty decent on the audio side of things.
These have a frequency range of 20Hz – 20kHz paired with a sensitivity of 93±3dB.
Steely Dan’s ‘Peg’ came through nice and clear. Little People’s ‘Basique’ really showed that these horns can handle the bass too. The low end is punchy and rounded without losing impact.
‘Friction’ by Imagine Dragons is quite a good range test as there’s some decent peaks at both ends of the frequency range and the Devil Horns really did handle it well.
The distorted bass line wasn’t muddied, the vocals clear with the highs sparkling without and nasty edges.
Devil Horns earphones review conclusion
From what started off as a seemingly novelty item aimed perhaps at ladies who are about to get hitched has really managed to turn me around.
I have made no bones about my earbud ambivilance, and this remains. But, I am an open-minded individual who is able to perform my journalistic duties impartially. This means that everything from £10 earphones through to £1200+ headphones will still be marked on their merits as well as their value for money.
I will admit that the styling of these earbuds will be a bit “love ’em or hate ’em” but their Marmite appearance aside, I was surprised by how good these actually sounded. Especially when you see their price.
Devil Horns price and availability
Looking on EMIE’s website it’s all in US dollars with the Devil Horns with inline control costing $42 and, without $40.
However, on Amazon.co.uk you can get either Red or Blue for under £15.
