Woodees IESW101B review (Brown)

The Woodees' arrow-straight earpieces aren't the most ergonomic we've seen, meaning some users will certainly have fit issues. For our part, however, we were able to achieve a surprisingly secure fit with one of the four pairs of silicone eartips that are included in the package. You also get a soft velour pouch for storing and transporting the earphones.

One thing can be said for certain of the Woodees earphones and that is that they sound noticeably different from any other earbuds we've tested. First of all, audio comes across as much more open-sounding than what is typical with in-ear 'phones. Also, lows sound exceptionally natural--there's really no other way to put it. Sure, bass is not going to compare with what you experience with actual speakers, but the resonance of the lows coming from the Woodees is comparable to that of wood-encased speakers. That being said, the reverberation inside the housing could give bass a muffled quality in certain cases.

As for general sound quality, we found that some genres tended to shine more than others. Almost unsurprisingly, "older" music--i.e., classic rock, new wave, oldies, jazz--sounds great, with good high-end detail and warm mids. Mellow electronica and downtempo tunes are also well-represented by the Woodees. However, rap and pop have a certain harshness to them and just didn't stack up to the other genres.