thinksound

For most people bass quality and quantity loom large when judging headphone performance. Bass supplies the music's weight and power, so bass-shy headphones can sound thin and tinny.

Sure, the same argument could be made about speakers, but their bass is perceived in very different ways than headphone bass. Speaker bass is literally visceral, your whole body feels it, and you hear it filling the room you are in. Subwoofer bass is even more visceral, and there's no headphone equivalent for that.

So while a decent set of headphones can play low-bass frequencies that are in subwoofer territory, … Read more

The MEElectronics A151 balanced armature headphone ($75) is the best-sounding in-ear headphone for less than $100 I've heard to date. The headphone's very flexible, 47-inch-long twisted cable looks like the wires used on expensive custom in-ear models from Ultimate Ears and JH Audio, but the A151 headphone's build quality is otherwise average. Comfort was good, so the headphone was easy to wear for long periods of time. It comes with five sets of eartips (small/medium/large silicon; double flange; large triple flange) and a clamshell carrying case.

Listening to some of the quieter tracks from Miles Davis' "The Complete Bitches Brew" album, the A151 decoded the texture of the percussion instruments, every rattle and shake was crystal clear. There's a lot of atmosphere on this recording, and the A151 let me hear it.

Davis' trumpet cut through the haze like a knife, and switching over to the NOX Scout in-ear headphones the sound was different. I could hear a little more of what was going on in the bass, but the trumpet, percolating electric keyboards, and the shimmering drums were nowhere as clear. The A151's bass-to-treble tonal balance was better.

The A151 was almost magical in the way it made the strings on Peter Gabriel's orchestral "Scratch My Back" album sound. I could really hear Gabriel digging deep into the tunes' emotional power, and he really shined on "Heroes." The A151's refined sound didn't hold anything back.… Read more

Portable electronics aren't particularly known for being environmentally friendly, mainly because of how difficult they are to dispose of and the materials that go into making them. Headphones certainly don't seem low-impact, with their long plastic cords and metal, plastic, and silicone components. However, Thinksound is aiming to change all that with two new lines of earphones designed with the smallest eco-footprint possible. One of the models is the Thunder 10mm earphones, an $80 set that sells for closer to $55 online.

Read the Thinksound Thunder review