Review: Noontec Zoro headphones

Jun 19, 2012

For those of you who still opt for headphones and a clip-on mic instead of headset for your gaming, we recently recieved a pair of Zoro headphones from Noontec which may be to your liking.

You may mistake these for a pair of Beats from Dr. Dre, however they cost just a third of the price, but that doesn’t mean they’re only a third as good. Instead, the lower price of these headphones from Noontec is seemingly more reflective of the build quality than of the audio quality, which is surprisingly good.

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If value for money is important to you, you’ll recognise that the real-deal Beats are somewhat overpriced and overrated, which is why it’s no surprise that these don’t fall far behind for a fraction of the price. While good, don’t expect remarkable. The audio on show won’t satisfy an audiophile, but with overall balance, reasonably detailed mids and decent bass response, they’ll do enough to impress a broad range of listeners.

Of advantage to listeners who would plan to use these on the go is the attractively flat and tangle-free cable. This tangle-free cable doesn’t just work as advertised, it also plugs into the headphones themselves with a standard 2.5mm jack, so they’re easily to replace if the cord ever fails. Both of those aspects of this cable solution were truly appreciated, quickly becoming my favourite feature.

The Zoro’s are also very light, sporting a convenient fold-down design for storage, which means for trouble free travel. This lightness and ability to collapse does come at a price though, feeling notably flimbsy when compared to higher priced alternatives.

My one and only real issue with these headphones is unfortunately fundamental to the design of having them fit “on-ear,” akin to Sennheiser headsets which I know many Counter-Strikers are familiar with, resulting in leakage. This leaking of sound is due to there being no “seal” between the drivers and your ears, like you would find with in-ear or over-ear options.

The consequence isn’t merely bothering your room mate and fellow passengers on the bus, rather you’ll also be exposed to all of the sounds around you due to a lack of decent isolation. If you’re playig in noisy environments or don’t like the rest of the world interrupting your listening, these headphones are not for you.

Final thoughts:

Ultimately, Noontec has delivered mixed bag of highs and lows, boasting some good design decisions and some poor ones. The audio quality is good however, which is after all the most important feature of any piece of audio equipment. Based on their on-ear design alone I can’t ask you to rush out and buy these, but don’t be shy to include them on your list of considerations when you’re in the market for your next pair of cans.

Supplied by: Mwave.com.au