Consumers will always love their wired headphones even with the mobile industry shifting away from the 3.5mm audio jack. Although Apple, Motorola and others (thankfully Samsung is not apart of this group)think the 3.5mm audio jack is no longer needed, there’s a wide base of users who prefer not to have to charge wireless headphones just to listen to their music. Wired headphones also have an advantage over wireless: they can transfer more data than Bluetooth. More data means higher sound quality if the source produces it. ZINSOKO, a third-party mobile accessory maker, has Type-C earbuds that work through your phone’s or computer’s USB-C port. What’s most impressive is they’re only $6.99 at Amazon (at time of writing).
What we like:
- Price
- Ceramic earbud housing
- Small size
- Sound quality
What we dislike:
- Plastic material surrounding cable causes microphonics
Build
Besides having a USB-C connector attached to the ZINSOKO earbuds, there aren’t many technological features built into them. No Bluetooth, microphone, noise cancellation or multiple drivers. That’s okay though as these earbuds are made to enjoy music at a cheap price. The earbuds themselves are very small. If you’re the type of person who cannot wear any wireless earbuds because of the size, the ZINSOKO earbuds are for you. They’re so small that they pretty much disappear in my ears. The diminutive size makes them very comfortable and they can easily be worn for several hours without issue.
The earbuds are made with ceramic giving them a very hard and shiny exterior. I got the ZINSOKO earbuds in black and they look pretty gorgeous.
You can even see the camera I used to take the pictures in the reflection of the earbuds. The polished look does show fingerprints, but the hard surface resists scratching.
The only downside with the build is the material ZINSOKO decided to use to protect the wire. It’s a semi-soft plastic that enables microphonics where any physical vibration can transmit sound to the earbuds. This is most noticeable when they’re in your ears and no music is playing. It’s also noticeable if you’re active and have the cable bouncing around. So if you want to use these in the gym or for runs, you probably won’t like them.
Sound Quality
I’ve listened to headphones of all sizes and in various price ranges and the ZINSOKO Type-C earbuds are impressive at the $7 price point. They’re even impressive at the suggested MSRP of $59.99. The sound is balanced, but leans towards the warm end of the sound spectrum. There’s certainly a decent amount of bass, but not so much that you’d mistake them for Beats. The highs are crisp but not piercing. The mids are rich and bring the music to life.
I tested the ZINSOKO Type-C earbuds for several weeks listening to various genres of music and came away impressed. I particularly loved listening to Jazz. Michael Buble’s The Best is Yet to Come is a good test of these earbuds. You can clearly hear the finger snapping in the beginning, but the separation in the instruments throughout the song is beautiful. Buble’s voice is perfectly balanced against the big band in the background. Beyond Jazz, I loved listening to these earbuds when I wasn’t moving around. The microphonics were simply too annoying.
Overall
I’m not sure why the engineers at ZINSOKO didn’t test the Type-C for microphonics. If they had, they might have made the best Type-C earbuds under $100. Regardless, they still sound fantastic when not moving. The earbuds are rich and warm and produce sound that can be listened to for several hours without straining your ears. At $7, the ZINSOKO earbuds are a recommended buy if you want high-quality sound and build-quality.
ZINSOKO also threw a free gift into the box too. It’s a ring that attaches to the back of your cell phone to keep it secured to your hand. These typically retail for $5-10 which is the price of the earbuds!
Get the ZINSOKO Type-C earbuds at Amazon.
Check out Deteched’s other accessory reviews here.
ZINSOKO Type-C earbuds
-
Price
-
Sound quality
-
Microphonics
-
Build
-
Comfort