Verbatim 44400 earphone review: Price and competition
The earphones have competition in the market, with the SoundMAGIC E10S coming in at £37 and the Ultimate Ears 400vi at around £28. Other budget earphones include the Rock Jaw Alfa Genus V2 and RHA S500i, both of which feature in our Best budget headphones 2016 list – but given they are slightly more expensive, can the Verbatim earphones compete or provide something additional?
Verbatim 44400 earphone review: Build quality, design and comfort
Within the packaging you’ll find a set of small, large and two sets of medium silicone tips. There is also a very small carrying pouch, which ought to be a little bigger in order to properly accommodate the earphones.
Given its price tag, we’re happy with the package contents, but would have liked to see the inclusion of a shirt clip. The earphones are terminated by a gold plated right-angled 3.5mm jack which has a flat cable that connects it to the earphones’ drivers. Speaking of the cable, it is tangle-free due to its flat-cable design and useful cable cinch by the Y-split. However, the cable design introduces microphonics, also known as cable noise, with the earphones worn straight down. On the plus side, you can wear also wear them over-the-ear, completely eliminating cable noise from the earphones. In terms of design, the cable is red, making the earphones that little bit more fashionable.
On the right-hand side driver’s cable, there is a one-button remote, allowing you to control your music and answer/reject calls. This also means that the earphones have an in-line microphone, useful for taking calls. Moving to the earphones’ housing, there is a left and right indicator by the strain relief, with the right-sided one having a small dot; allowing you to easily distinguish the difference in low-light conditions. The housing is made out of aluminium and can be found in both silver and gold colours. Despite being made out of metal, we found the earphones to be lightweight and comfortable for long listening sessions. We found both the build quality and design of the earphones well thought out, especially at its price tag it stands out from the rest of the crowd.
Verbatim 44400 earphone review: Sound quality
Given the price tag of the earphones, they produce a fantastic sound reproduction throughout the frequencies. The sub-bass is well presented, with an impressive rumble in the low-end frequency. This makes the earphones suitable for gaming, watching action-movies or even listening to those trance songs in your music library. The mid-bass has a good, albeit slightly uncontrolled slam. The frequency competencies provide the earphones with a good bass reproduction. Unfortunately, the mid-bass does leak into the mid-range, meaning you get a slight V-shaped sound signature. Despite the mids being pushed back, they do sound accurate, meaning with a little bit of an EQ you can get the earphones to produce a more forward-sounding mid-range. The highs are slightly rolled off at the top end, but do provide a good sparkle and bring life to the earphones’ overall sound quality.
The earphones’ biggest trait at its price range is the impressive soundstage it possesses. The earphones have an open and deep soundstage, which provide the frequencies more space to breathe. Coupled with a good tonality and decay, the earphones have a fantastic soundstage. For example, when compared to the RHA S500i, the Verbatim earphones have a much better soundstage reproduction. Overall, the earphones have a fantastic sound quality reproduction and for its affordable price tag, it’s great to see a budget earphone that is capable of producing all the frequencies competently, similar to how the Rock Jaw Alfa Genus V2 was able to produce a great overall sound reproduction.
