Pros
-Seriously enjoyable sound
-Very comfortable
Cons
-Noisy headband spoils portability
-Design polarises opinion
Key Features: 50mm driver; Removable 3.5mm cable; Handsfree
housing
Manufacturer: Griffin Technology
Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear review
What are the Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear?
The Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear are full-size headphones
that are topped with wood to give them a look that’s a bit different from the
competition. These are not the first wooden headphones Griffin has made – the
WoodTones join a few different in-ear pairs.
Great sound and good comfort make them a solid purchase -
and great value at the price - although we’re not sure about the look and a
weirdly noisy headband ensures they’re not much good for use while out and
about.
Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear – Design and Comfort
If you know Griffin, it’s probably for its phone cases or
other accessories. However, these
Over-The-Ear WoodTones headphones are not the generic type of cans we
often see from accessory makers.
The back of each earcup is topped with wood. We expect it’s
a purely aesthetic choice, much as Griffin’s marketing implicitly suggests that
it’s responsible for some of the sound’s warmth. You can choose between three
finishes – beech, sapele (aboudikro) and walnut.
Although the look has won acclaim elsewhere, we’re not
entirely convinced by the slightly IKEA furniture look of the beech sample
we’re currently enjoying. However, if you’re reading this you may well be drawn
in by the distinctive style of the Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear.
Aside from the wooden parts, they are of a fairly standard
design, and not one that’s particularly style-driven. Rectangular cups, a
headband exoskeleton that sticks a way above your head and the fairly large
size aren’t going to win these WoodTones many fans among the Beats by Dre
crowd.
However, they are very comfortable indeed. The plastic
(apart from the wood, of course) construction keeps them light, the pads are
very soft indeed and we find the auto-adjusting headband particularly comfy.
The headband is a wide strip of fake leather that’s kept
taut on your noggin by an elasticated band inside it. As comfy as it is, the
headband does introduce a fairly serious problem. It continually readjusts from
your movements while walking, and it causes a seriously annoying creaking
sound. It’s the headband rubbing against the elasticated band inside. For
at-home use it’s no problem, but we don’t recommend the Griffin WoodTones
Over-The-Ear for commuters. It’s a
real shame because otherwise these are
easily comfy enough to wear all day long.
The Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear cable is removable, and
uses a standard 3.5mm cable. You get a basic handsfree remote on the cable, and
it features a single button for optimal compatibility with phones.
Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear – Sound Quality
So far the Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear have been a bit of
a mixed bag. We’re not in love with the beech finish and that creaky headband
is a real bummer. Thankfully, they sound lovely.
The Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear use large 50mm drivers
that provide slightly warm, detailed and generally well-balanced sound. There’s
a slight bass emphasis compared with what’s strictly accurate, but this is
something that most people want – it provides the little bit of extra kick
that’s needed to make music sound fun (to the average ear).
It’s a minor bass boost, though – one that still miles away
from making the Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear sound like truly bass heavy
headphones. The one minor criticism we could make about the sound is that bass
separation and detail isn’t stellar. However, it’s not something we really
expect of a pair of headphones at this price.
Treble detail is very good, but the sound is silky smooth so
the WoodTones never come across as particularly bright-sounding. Griffin has
managed to get the tone of these headphones ‘just right’, and from a
manufacturer that doesn’t just make these sorts of products, that’s pretty
impressive.
It’s perfectly possible that the WoodTones may use a pretty
standard ‘off the shelf’ driver, but that doesn’t alter their ability to square
off with much more expensive. A/B comparison testing shows they can comfortably
spar with many £150 full-size headphones.
Should I Buy the Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear?
For headphones to wear at work, at home, or anywhere else
where you’re going to be predominantly sedentary, the Griffin WoodTones are
some of our favourite headphones at the price. They’re comfy, they have a sound
we could listen to all day long and the standard 3.5mm cable jack means you can
buy a much longer cable from elsewhere should you need to (for use with a home
hi-fi, for example).
However, we don’t rate them quite so highly as a portable
set. The creaky headband spoils them for use on-the-go and our tip is to avoid
the beech finish unless you want people asking if you bought your headphones
from IKEA.
Verdict
The Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear headphones are a pleasant
surprise. Despite not coming from a big name in headphones, they offer great
sound quality and comfort, although some design issues stop them from being a
great portable set.
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