LGR - Meze Deco 11 Wooden Earphones Review

I use them the most when I'm traveling, they're especially useful when traveling by air. Otherwise yeah, the in-ear pain is crappy with a lot of earbuds!

LGR

I usually don't really like earbuds. They make my head hurt. But I work in a factory where there's a lot of noise and the way earbuds reduce those noises more than makes up for the headaches. I'm sensitive to noises so my head would hurt anyway. This way I can listen to my favorite podcast and music without going crazy from all the racket all around all goddamn day.

Kamil Bavlnka

Well, for me this is often not a problem because I'm only driving my headphones at a fraction of the volume output they can produce. Normal listening on my computer is about 24 of 100 points of volume. ;) But yeah, this would depend on the specific headphones too. Some take very little power to produce sound, others you gotta ramp the volume all the way up to hear anything. :P

Kris Asick

I'll take your work for it though in doing some diggin, my hunch about break in periods for headphones (much like speakers) is a bit of a hot button thing among audiophiles. from what I read on numerous sites it has been researched, tested, and found to be a real noticeable concept. Not for the average consumer, persay, but for those concerned about quality. I think what you said in the review works if you used them for a few sessions at 4 hours each, thats a fair time to break in the drivers. I was just curious.

Sterling Treadwell

Thanks! I try to remain fair regardless of the circumstances. If it's awesome I'll say it, if it sucks I'll say that too.

LGR

When the earbuds themselves smell so bizarre, I couldn't help but notice it mixed with my earwax as I was taking them out. With very strange results. So, that's who smells earwax!

LGR

Used them for probably 4 hours at a time, for multiple sessions, actually. But as Runefox said, this small hardware doesn't need any time to settle into their sound.

LGR

Using an equalizer assumes that the hardware can output what it's equalizing, of course :) As I mentioned in the video though, these earbuds only support highs to a certain degree. It doesn't matter how the software is outputting the sound, it still sounds fuzzy/limited in the high range, which is a deal-breaker for me.

LGR

I have to use headsets instead of buds. Buds make my ears hurt; always have, always will. :P Actually, ever since I bought my first really good pair of headphones over a decade ago I've pretty much exclusively used headphones with my computers since. I have speakers but never use 'em unless I have to entertain company. :B One thing that's good though is that, as far as computers are concerned, if you have audio equalizing available you can often make an expensive pair of cans/buds sound better just by messing with the equalizer to weaken the frequencies that are too strong and strengthen the ones that are too weak. I had to do that with my most recent headphones acquisition but managed to get them sounding almost exactly like my last ones with enough effort. ;)

Kris Asick

Interesting Ear bud Video. i only like that kind of thing when Jogging.etc Music i use SoundBlaster Sigma or Fury i knwo cheap ones but they are realy good in games&Music on pc and else where. buds like thees i dont like them feels like i put condom in my ear XD

StigDesign1

Ear buds are really just weird to wear, I totally agree they make your the inside of ears feeling unnaturally clogged. I use them all the time for work though!

Michael Flores

Earphones like these don't need burn-in time because of their physical size; There simply isn't enough room for a deviation from manufacturing that they'd need any stretch of time to settle in. What's more, at $80 I imagine most of the cost there (beyond markup) is the wood used in construction, not in the drivers themselves. These are boutique earphones, not performance earphones. Not to say that quality isn't there (and that's incredibly subjective as stated in the video and I've never listened to a pair myself), but they clearly put aesthetics first in this design. I bet they do sound better than Skullcandy and other popular choices all the same.

Runefox

I just do not like ear buds. I think my head is going to explode. I use headphones and find that a good pair can be worn for hours. I guess that is just my preference.

how long did you use them? I know some speakers and headphones need to play at a normal volume for a period to get to optimum sound, and if you just tried these for a few minutes it may never have reached that point. I haven't used these so I can't be sure.

Sterling Treadwell

Yeah, I think I've seen these floating around and the concept that wood somehow makes them sound better is… Iffy at best. It's kind of like saying vaccuum tubes makes amplifiers sound better, when in reality it's just different and 'tweakable' by using different tubes. Not that I have any experience in that. At any rate, good to know my marketing detector was firing on all cylinders on these. I've got a pair of Aurisonics Rockets on the way from their Kickstarter campaign and I'm kind of hoping I didn't fall for anything there. We'll see I suppose. Not to say Meze were being dishonest. Just marketing hype is tough to wade through sometimes.

Runefox

I really admire your honesty it would be so easy and maybe tempting to just say its great in the hopes other company's will vomit up free stuff for you but you don't

Darkireland

Who smells earwax? I could understand farts, because that is pretty much unavoidable.

Ezydenias

Never had the pleasure of using their headphones, I've only used their reel-to-reel tape recorders and cassette decks (one of which I use for my 80's micros)

LGR

I won't deny the wax. I smell mine all the time. Usually smells like...earwax. Sometimes fruity. But that's just weird. Also, out of sheer curiosity, what's your opinion on Realistic headphone stuff? Ya know, Realistic, Radio Shack's brand of audio stuff in the 70's and 80's. Ever tried any of those?

SwissArmyTin

Yeah, when you can maybe fix it with EQ that's cool. Wish that were the case here :)

LGR

I'm not really a fan of ear buds, but then again the only ones I have tried are ones that came with my iPod. So likely not a fair comparison. Regardless, I can relate to the lack of treble issue. When I went from my Sennheiser 212 HD Pros to my 280Pros. Though through a stereo receiver this can be remedied, but I prefer it to not lack it naturally. lol

ReeseRiverson

NO USE DENYING THE WAX. But yeah, I want my audio to not suck of course, but I'm not gonna go crazy if it's not perfect either. When it doesn't sound very crisp though, I notice!

LGR

I'm surprised you're not more of an audiophile. I know you're big into video stuff so I guess I just assumed you were into sound just as much. I appreciated your honesty of not knowing what any of the tech specs of the earbuds meant - I don't either! "One-kizzuh-whim" for everyone, I guess!!! :P But I can't say I smell my own earwax. Sorry, dude. You're on your own there... unless you can find a fellow earwax-smeller on the interwebs.

Lindsay Michelle

Same. I wanted to like these, cuz WOOD, but I couldn't get over the lack of high-end

LGR

I don't like the look of them, was expecting more.. And Sound quality for me is above all else.