ZealSound, an upcoming company founded by a group of music enthusiast, recently released the ZealSound HDE-300 in-ear earphones. What sets the earphones apart with other traditional company was the usage of wood housing. The only color option available at the moment is the black edition. Let’s take a quick look at the features before diving in into the review.
Features:-
- Stunning wood housing with beautiful wood grain
- Built-in microphone and a multi-function button
- 53 inches of tangle-free fiber cable
- Gold-plated 3.5 mm audio jack
- Come with 3 sizes of soft silicone ear tips, a cable clip and a drawstring bag for travel and storage
Review
Design & Build Quality
The Zealsound HDE-300’s housing is made from wood; yet it has a very simple and clean design. While it looks aesthetically appealing, the company claimed that it helps achieve the desired acoustic.
Moving down along the earphone’s cable, users will find a built-in microphone with a multi-function button. A clip is provided to help keeping the cords in place. The multi-function button acts as a play/pause button and doubles as a accept/reject call button. However, it seems to lack the volume control button, which is something that we would prefer.
A feature we really like is the usage of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), which is a combination of plastic and rubber to prevent the entanglement of cords and increases its durability.
Audio Quality
The first thing which wowed us was the clarity of instruments playing in the background while the music is playing. It does not overpower the vocals while keeping the background sound in sync. However, do not expect to get a clear bass as it sounds a little muddy when listening to music with high bass.
The HDE-300 does a good job in keeping excessive noise out even though it is not a noise-canceling earphones.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the audio is great and can be compared with other available budget earphones in the market. The usage of wood, paired with the clean and simple design is really appealing. The usage of TPE, which help prevent the cords from tangle is also a nice touch. The downside however is the low bass, and the lack of volume control buttons.