Ipods, smartphones, and tablets are everyone today. Just about everyone owns some form of mobile device that plays video or audio. More attention is paid to the device than to the means at which the media is delivered. A $500 device could be rendered almost useless without the right set of headphones or earbuds to transfer the audio. Lucky for us, Gigabyte has sent over a pair of their GP-H11’s. While looking at style, comfort, and audio quality I am going to take a look and see if these earbuds can answer your everyday needs.

Product Name: Gigabyte H11 In-Ear Headset

Product Review Sampled Provided By: Gigabyte

Review By: Brennon

Pictures By: Brennon

Specifications:

Channel	2.0
Driver Diameter	9mm
Earphone Material	Silver, AL
Earpads	White, Rubber (Sizes: S/M)
Impedance	16?/Ohms
Frequency Response	150-20,000 Hz
Cable Length	1.2m
Connector	3.5mm Jack
Weight	11.3g

 

Packaging:

The packaging for the H11 earbuds is about what you would expect to see. It is a simple container with a small window in the front displaying the earbuds and the alternate set of replacement cushions. The container is a simple black cardboard with white lettering with a hook to hang it, I would expect to see these hanging up on a shelf somewhere at most stores.

On the side are the product name and a mysterious QR code that I will never know where it leads because my phone is only as smart as Hodor.

On the rear of the packaging are a few pieces of product information in English as well as product specifications in fifteen different languages. Music is universal folks!

Inside of the box is a small plastic container to hold the product in place while it ships. In this container there are only three things. There are the earbuds themselves with the bigger of the two pair of cushions attached already as well as a second pair of smaller ear cushions for people who like a smaller fitting pair of ear phones. Also inside is a small piece of paper that has the product serial code printed on it. Normally you would find the serial code on the product itself, but with such a tiny canvas to work on, it was probably the only logical solution.

Audio Quality and Comfort

When it comes to any type of audio headset comfort is normally most important. It doesn’t matter how good the sound quality is on a particular pair of headphones or earbuds, if they aren’t comfortable to wear then you likely won’t wear them. The H11 Earphones certainly meet that requirement, in fact while using them at my desk rather than my usual earphones, I forgot that I had the earbuds in, and instead of pinching my fingers to pull out each of the ears, I cupped my hands as to separate and remove a pair of over the head earphones. I found the bigger set of cushions to be more comfortable, but this is mainly because of how they fit in my ear. The bigger set made them fit more snugly and I wasn’t adjusting them at all, but with the smaller pair it felt like they were going to fall out constantly. This is undoubtedly due to ear size and personal preference and both sets were still rather comfortable. A minor issue I had was removing the earbuds from whatever device I was using. The rubber coating is somewhat slippery and can make it difficult to remove the audio plug. I would have liked to see some sort of texture on the rubber coating to make gripping it a bit easier.

To test the sound I used a number of different methods to get a good idea of what the earbuds would be good for.

Television – Fringe – This is my current television addiction. I like to watch show seasons at a time rather than wait week to week for a new episode I will wait for it to go off the air and watch the entire life of the show over a month or two. There are action scenes as well as the usual dialogue and the H11’s handled both very well. One thing that surprised me is that the ear phones still give a good directional sound. There are scenes in warehouses or big open buildings where the echo is still noticeable and sound coming from the right or left actually come from that direction.

Ludwig van Beethoven - Für Elise – This is a simple and light track with lots of highs and lows. The H11’s did an excellent job with the clarity of the highs throughout, but the lows felt a bit flat. I was actually rather pleased with how the song sounded through the earbuds compared to my usual pair of headphones.

Nat King Cole & Natalie – Unforgettable – This is a classic song with a great range of instrumentals and vocals. The difference between the highs and lows in Nat King Cole’s voice and Natalie’s are very noticeable and clear with the earbuds. There are a couple of times throughout, especially in Nat’s vocals that during the lows and in particular the S sound that the earbuds give sort of a scraping sound. I played the part again a few times to make sure it wasn’t a fluke and sure enough it was there again. It was only in this particular song, but it was bad enough that I didn’t want to listen to it again. Again the bass seemed a bit flat throughout this song.

Eric Clapton - Rush (Soundtrack) - 10 - Tears In Heaven- This song has a great display of bass and highs to test a headset. This song showed a tremendous improvement in the base department. It comes through quite strong and pairs nicely with the highs from the vocals and instruments.

Bone Thugs N’ Harmony - Tha Crossroads- This was by far the shining star for the H11’s. The bass hits hard and heavy throughout and comes through clean and crisp in the earbuds. On top of that it pairs well with the highs and lows of the vocals of the different choruses and verses. I don’t feel like anything was lost in the mix with this song and it really demonstrated what the headphones were capable of doing.

In game – Heroes of Newerth – Right away the earbuds are disappointing because of how it handles the games bass. The bass and lows all sound distant compared to what I am used to in game. In fact almost everything in the game sounds to be coming from a distance down a hallway. It all has sort of an echo and faintness to it that is unsettling. Overall it was a poor performance for in game, but it isn’t too surprising seeing ass these earbuds aren’t really made for gaming.

There are a few things worth noting about the design of the headphones. The first is that they are aluminum rather than plastic. This gives the earbuds a much better sound quality than similar plastic models. Along with this is the fact that in the back of the earbuds there are tiny holes which is said to help with the clarity of the bass the headphones provide.

The second design feature, which is often overlooked, is that the left and right earbud are labeled. This is pretty important if you use them for a movie or television show that has any sort of directional sound.

The final thing worth noting is that the earphones split down to a certain point, and there is a little stopper that keeps the two wires held together, but they cannot be split past a certain point. The only reason this is worth noting is because I sometimes like to run the two earbuds through different parts of a coat or jacket and this design won’t allow that.

Overall and Final Verdict

Overall the Gigabyte H11s are a good product. Their comfort and sound quality are better than most earbuds on the market especially for their price range. Earbuds don’t come much cheaper than these, and in this case you get way more than you pay for. The modern look and build quality make them an excellent choice for almost anyone. They give off very good mids and highs, but the lows and bass were at times shaky. I wouldn’t suggest using them for gaming, but for movies and music they definitely do the job.