Better sound through wood – Gadling reviews the iFrogz Timbre headphones

Are you tired of the boring and bland white headphones that came with your (smart)phone? How about investing in a pair of headphones that not only look cool, but also sound fantastic? The iFrogz Timbre headphones on review here today may be just what you are looking for. Combining a wooden sound chamber with a high-definition microphone makes for a surprisingly impressive pair of buds.

Wood has long been known for its good acoustical qualities, and even though I’m by no means an audiophile, I did find the sound from the Timbres to be on par with a $250 pair of professional headphones I happened to have lying around.

Bass is rich, and thanks to the three different earpieces, you should be able to find a fit that makes them as comfortable as possible. Once inserted, they also provide a very decent amount of noise isolation.

The “high definition microphone” may sound like a marketing gimmick, but I really did find it to perform better than most products in this price range. The microphone also features the control button needed for picking up (and hanging up) on calls, but it is hidden behind a rubber sleeve so it took me a bit to even realize it was there. When on phone calls, most people could not tell the difference between a call directly on my phone, or on the headset.

The iFrogz Timbre feature a regular 3.5mm headphone jack, which will work on the iPhone, iPod Touch, most recent Blackberry devices and the Palm Pre.

The Timbres are available in two “flavors” – with or without a microphone. The microphone version costs $49.99, and the non-mic version is $39.99.

PROS: Great sound, nice looks, fantastic microphone quality
CONS: Price, rubber mic cover and earpieces pick up dust quite easily

I’m a big fan of headphones – especially those that are not the same bright white ones you find attached to someone walking down the street talking far too loud into his or her phone. The iFrogz Timbres feel well made, and produce good quality audio. Of course, the looks won’t satisfy everyone, but chances are, you’ll be the only person on your street that has wooden headphones.