Today we are going to be taking a look at the Steelseries Flux In Ear Headphones. You might think that the name sounds familiar, and you would be correct. Last week we reviewed the Pro edition of this same headset and were pleasantly surprised. This time around, at about a third the cost of the pro's, they should fit in more peoples budgets. But how will the lower cost effect performance. There is only one way to find out of course, test them out.
Product Name: Steelseries Flux In Ear Headphones
Review Sample Provided By: Steelseries
Written By: Brennon
Pictures By: Brennon
Specifications
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Frequency |
Speaker: 20Hz-20KHz Microphone: 100Hz-10KHz |
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Impedance |
Speaker: 19 Ohm Microphone: <2.2kohm p=""> |
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Sensitivity |
Speaker: 100dB @ 1KHz Microphone: -44dB @ 1KHz |
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Microphone Pattern |
Omni-directional |
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Cable Length |
1.2m |
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Cable Type |
Flat |
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Cable Connector |
4 Pole 3.5mm |
Packaging
The packaging for the Flux In Ear headphones is very similar to the packaging that we saw on the In Ear Pro. On the front we instantly get a look at the design of the earbuds themselves. We can see that the design for the In Ear version is a bit different than that of the Pro edition, but there will be more time for that later. We see the product name, Flux In Ear, front and center again, as well as the Steelseries logo in the bottom right hand corner just like last time. It also has the small pictures in a sort of short specification list just like the Pro edition, except these are a bit different as the specifications are different.
On either side of the case, we get to see more of the same, but something different at the same time. The similarity is that both sides have another picture of the earbuds on them. The difference is that both sides are the same and there is no information on them, just logos, pictures and product names.
On the back we get a ton of information, much like we did with the Pro edition. The product name is there again, as well as another shot of the earbuds from a different angle. Down at the bottom we get a glimpse at what products the earbuds are designed for, the style of the audio jack, and a picture of the carrying case that is included. At the top is another specifications diagram. Below that is a short list of different features of the product in four different languages. Also on the back is a QR code and a website URL that I didn’t remember seeing on the other box, but it was indeed there.
Inside it is very clear that the boxes for both sets of headphones probably came off of the same line and were just tweaked accordingly. Inside of the main box we find another smaller black box with all of the products inside. Inside the box we find almost all of the same literature as last time. We still get a sticker, an additional products paper, a warning, and a quick start guide. The quick start guide is obviously for the In Ear headset and not the In Ear Pro, which would just be weird.
Once inside, Steelseries has kindly located all of the important stuff inside of the provided carrying case. The case provided for the standard In Ear headphones is nice, but not nearly as nice as the one provided with the Pro edition. This case is simply a pocket like shape with a zipper on top, and if you want to put your earbuds in you will just have to stuff them in there. I worry a bit about them getting tangled up inside, but we will just have to cross that road when we get there. Inside the carrying case are two little plastic bags. One bag contains the earbuds, and the other contains the addition ear tip sizes that you can replace the originals with. The bags are sadly not as nice this time around and are the type that you just rip open and toss the plastic when you are finished, which is only worth mentioning because it would have been nice to have at least one reseal able bag to separate the replacement tips from all the wires when in the carrying case.
Audio Quality and Comfort
I have no doubts that the sound quality of this pair of earbuds is going to be different than the Pro edition. The reason for this is that these earbuds use the dynamic armature technology rather than the balanced. This is undoubtedly so that Steelseries could drive the price point down some. The headset also only contains the single four pole connector for audio. This allows for audio and microphone on mobile devices, but not on PC.
The only other feature that doesn’t really affect comfort or audio quality that needs touched on is the wire. Steelseries again boasts that they went with a flat no tangle wire design; however, this time the wire is much thinner. It is indeed flat, but it isn’t as thick as the wire on the Pro which I felt contributed greatly to keeping the wire from getting tangled. It was apparent right away that the no tangle cable doesn’t actually prevent all tangles, just limits them. Every time I tucked the headphones away into their carrying case or my pocket I managed to pull them out tangled, though less tangled than most other earbuds I have experienced. In fact if I had reviewed these before the Pro edition I would have been more impressed with the results, but seeing what was truly capable I longed for more. I would guess that this decision was made to try to cut costs as well, but I can’t say that for certain.
As far as audio quality and comfort I will be comparing the earbuds to their older brother, the Pro edition, as well as the Gigabyte earbuds. This is so that you can get an accurate idea of how they sound and how they feel in comparison to a range of different devices.
Bone Thugs N’ Harmony – The Crossroads – This time around the Steelseries earbuds did this song great justice. I was actually quite surprised because not only did my lovely bass resurface, but a lot of the details the Pro edition picked up managed to come through on these as well. I feel like the standard edition wins out in this particular case mainly because of the bass performance, but it also did a much better job than the Gigabyte earbuds, which I feel are the closest thing to an even match at this point.
Nat King Cole & Natalie – Unforgettable – Again we get to listen to the light recording with great mids and highs and just a few lows. The song is light and beautiful and sounds great on the In Ear headset, much better than the Gigabyte headphones. It did however seem to be lacking something after hearing it in the In Ear Pro. I can’t really explain what was missing, it just seemed like it wasn’t as lively this time around.
Eric Clapton – Rush (Soundtrack) – 10 – Tears In Heaven – Another light recording with a lot of mids and highs and great instrumentals. Again the In Ear did a better job than the Gigabyte, but failed to meet my expectations once again. The music is certainly enjoyable, and there isn’t really anything wrong. I can’t really point out what I feel is wrong, maybe I was just spoiled by the Pro edition.
Ludwig van Beethoven - Für Elise – The always enjoyable Für Elise is a light and mellow recording with lots of highs and the occasional low and mid. The In Ear headset did a fantastic job of playing all the pitches and sounds that Beethoven had to offer. Once again I feel the In Ear outperformed the Gigabyte earbuds, but was outshined by its bigger brother. I suppose it’s not fair that I keep comparing them to the Pro edition of the same line, but with that review still in my head it’s hard not to. I did feel though that the little something that I felt this song was missing with the Pro edition is back with the In Ear. I think it might be the light static sounding noise that you get from it being an old record that the In Ear Pro just seemed to remove all together.
Television – Doctor Who – Once again I used the In Ear headphones while watching my newest addiction, Doctor Who. With equal parts of dialogue and action, with just a bit in the ways of musical scores, Doctor Who is an excellent show to test the abilities of the earbuds. The mids and highs were all crystal clear and the lows from the explosions and action sequences were also great. As far as TV and movies go, I would say that the In Ear are better than the Gigabyte and on the same level as the In Ear Pro. I actually had to go back and forth with the different earbuds because I was surprised that I didn’t notice a difference when first watching, but they are almost identical.
Games – League of Legends/Dead Space 2 – The audio in League of Legends was nice, but it wasn’t anything special but that is more or less due to the game I reckon. The audio in Dead space 2 was nice and clear and the bass that makes you jump out of your seat is back once again. I did find the earbuds a bit loud at time again, but I am beginning to think that it is just a quirk with earbuds, being a relatively new user of them I wasn’t sure until now. The only complaint I really have as far as gaming with these earbuds is the lack of working PC microphone which I will touch on in the very next paragraph.
Microphone – Seeing how as the In Ear headphones don’t have an audio jack that works on PC I had to turn to my phone for some testing. I plugged the earphones into my Nexus 4 and gave my buddy a call on Skype. We chatted for a bit and afterwards I asked him how I sounded. He said that I sounded different than normal, and maybe a bit more muffled, but other than that I was perfectly clear. He also said that he heard some faint audio cracking, but that was only AFTER he started to listen for it. The quality of the microphone is good, but the fact that it can’t be used on PC or anything really other than mobile devices is a little saddening. The in line microphone controls were really cool as well, being able to answer and hang up a call at the click up the button is really convenient for when you are on the go.
The headphones certainly are comfortable as well. The three different sizes of earplugs give a comfortable fit for a range of different ears. The earbuds went in easily enough and stayed in securely. I didn’t often adjust them or think about the fact that they were even in. The one thing I did notice about them was actually when removing them. Because of the material and design of the plugs, they sort of stick to your ears when removing them. There is definitely some suction going on and it makes a weird noise when removing them, and it does feel a bit weird, but it isn’t really an issue.
Overall and Final Verdict
All in all I think the Steelseries Flux In Ear headphones are a pretty good set of earbuds. Most of the complaints I had with them were less about what they are capable of and more about how they failed to live up to the standards that the Pro edition set. The audio quality was pretty good for most of the tests and the earbuds were actually pretty comfortable. The in line microphone controls were incredibly handy even though the microphone was only for use with mobile devices. The no tangle cord was helpful, but not as helpful as the thicker cord on the Pro edition. I really do think the In Ear is a nice pair of earbuds, but I feel like if you are willing to spend the $50 to buy them you should probably just go ahead and get the Pro Edition. The versatility it offers, as well as the better technology built in just makes it worth it in my eyes. These are better than the Gigabyte earbuds I reviewed previously, but I feel that the difference between those and these is much smaller than the difference between these and the Pro edition. That being said at $50 they are certainly cheaper to the golden standard of Apple In Ear Headphones and have all, if not more of the same features. I am going to put a recommend sticker on the Flux In Ear headphones because I feel that on their own they do a fine job, and they are cheaper than other similar earbuds, but I will end in saying that if you can afford the extra money, I would certainly suggest ugrading to the pro edition.
