Wraps bracelet earphones review
Wraps wristband earphones
£20Pros
- Neat idea
- Sound good
- Look good
- No need for pockets
- Affordable
Cons
- Earbuds could get damaged
- Earphones could pick up dirt
Wraps earphones, if you remember my article announcing their release at the end of last year, you will recall that these earbuds wrap around your wrist.
Wraps are an intriguing offering. You may already be aware that I am more a fan of over-ear type headphones than shoving something in my lug-holes. The thing is, when the weather gets warmer (it will happen, promise) and there is no longer a need for jackets, where do you put your cans?
For me, heading to a watch a gig, the last thing I want to be doing is carrying a bag for the sake of my headphones. This is where I fall back on earphones.
Earphones can be slipped in to jeans or other item of pocketed clothing.
That’s all well and good but T-shirts generally don’t have pockets and some jeans are decidedly skinny. What happens if you’re rocking up poolside in your Speedos or bikini?
This is where Wraps might have the answer. You see, these buds literally wrap around your wrist to become a funky bracelet.
I have spent a week-or-so living with the Denim blue variety of this earphone/jewellery hybrid. So, have they won me over, or are they just another gimmick to lure teens away from their money?
Wraps design
The Wraps earphones at one end are pretty much like any other set of earbuds.
The business end consists of a light, spherical alloy housing that encases a large 10MM driver. These drivers have been tuned by world renowned British Audio sound engineers.
The set I have been kindly sent to review are the Talk: Denim variety and so are in a rather nice pale blue colour and so will go with almost anything.
The cables run from the buds in to a single braided cloth sheath which terminates in an angled gold 3.5mm jack.
There is a single button in-line control which also contains a hands free mic, and a sliding divider. The latter is extremely important on these earphones. Not only does this manage how much split cable you have running free but it has another duty.
Wrapping the Wraps around your wrist, or bottle, hip flask, etc works by pulling up the divider that splits the earphone cable wires right to the top so that it abuts them. You then can proceed to wrap them around your body part or drinks receptacle.
Once wrapped, the 3.5mm male jack goes into the centre of the divider which secures it. I have to say, it is a good fit and withstood a couple of band rehearsals and more than one session in the pub.
Wraps performance
Wearing the Wraps they ares very comfortable, to the point that you almost forget that you are wearing a pair of headphones on your wrist.
As a bracelet they actually look good, apart from the fact that the earbuds do look a bit weird on one’s wrist – not weird enough to draw any unwanted attraction though as I found myself pointing out that the denim blue wristwear were also my noise-bringers for the day.
I also liked the nice braided texture to them and, should you not like the blue colour, there’s many other colours, materials and even beaded ones.
Now this is all well and good, but what we really care about with earphones is the sound quality.
Wraps sound quality
I wasn’t expecting much from these to be honest but they actually delivered a far more impressive sound than I could have hoped for.
You get a selection of tips so that getting a good fit for your ears isn’t a problem.
The treble is sweet rather than the harsh hiss that you get from the more budget realms of earpleasers. Even ramping up the volume didn’t cause the 10mm drivers to distort or muddy up the low-end.
Talking about the bass range, these aren’t going to make your pants rattle but there is enough low presence to kick through your playlist. Mids are focused and perhaps lean more towards the high mids a touch.
They are also pretty loud and your ears will probably give out before these will.
Wraps review conclusion
I am so pleased that there is still room for innovation, even in the tried and tested waters of sub-£30 earbuds.
I for one would be happy to wear these, as I have done, when hanging out with my mates. The earbuds aren’t really noticeable if you have them on the underside of your wrist but a neat cover might have been a cool addition.
Sound quality is pretty good too considering that these only cost around the £20 with the premium braided leather versions just adding a few more quid.
So, if you’re in the market for some inexpensive earphones that can be stored about your person, even when you have no pockets or a bag, then you should really check out the Wraps. These are actually useful bits of geek chic.
Wraps price and availability
You can get Wraps now direct from the MyWraps website:
- Classic Wraps – £15
- Talk Wraps – £20
- Natural Wraps (leather) – £30
