Review Griffin Woodtones

Headphone Review: Griffin Woodtones
Griffin Technology | In-Ear Monitors | $ 29.99



Wood is nothing new in the audio industry, in fact, it is known for improving sound, especially bass overall. It has been the staple idea behind companies like ThinkSound and Woodies, recently, Griffin has joined the wood bandwagon with their new Woodtones IEMs. This entry level IEM isn't bad by any means, and for the price is a pretty good overall pickup.

Specifications

• Driver: 8mm Dynamic
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
• Impedance: 16 ohms +/- 15%
• Sensitivity: 103 dB +/- 2.9%

In the Box

• Griffin Woodtones
• Carrying Pouch
• 3 Pairs of Silicone Tips (S/M/L)

The Griffin Woodtones come packaged with the same types of accessories as many ThinkSound headphones.

Design

Griffin's Woodtones really mirror ThinkSound's design scheme for their TS-01. It makes me believe both companies are using the same OEM. That said, the design of the wood is really natural overall. Griffin decides to go with a darker wood for their Woodtones and use silver baffles. The Griffin logo is carved nicely into each housing as well. Overall, the design is minute, but attractive and works well.

Griffin takes a few ques from ThinkSound when designing the Woodtones. It's attractive and professional.

Design: ★★★★★

Audio

The signature Griffin chooses to go with is an extremely bass-heavy one that focuses on the mid-bass and lush and sweet vocals with sparkling highs. These headphones really offer a smooth, warm, and inviting sound to them that is just laid back and enjoyable.

Bass

The low end of the Woodtone is pushed beyond limits. This is mostly a bad thing though. The Woodtones can sound very bloated and out of controls a little more than I'd like. It does dig pretty deep, however, the mid-to-low bass really overshadows most of the texture that is present. Although the bass does still remain well controlled most of the time. That said, it will rarely ever intrude upon the midrange.

Bass: ★★★★

Mids

The midrange is smoother and fluid overall. The lower mids really aren't as detailed as I'd like it, although clarity is ample. The midrange is a lot warmer and offers a nice amount of lushness with a few hints of sweetness to them. The vocal timbre is probably the best part of the midrange here allowing the dynamics to go to their fullest extent. The higher midrange still loses out on detailing, but does a better job with clarity with comparison to the lower mids. The mids really do not give too much energy. Instead, they aim for a smoother, warming; more inviting sound. Overall, the mids are the best part of these headphones.

Mids: ★★★★½

Highs

The high end doesn’t carry as much energy, like the midrange. The lower-highs especially don't have any energy in it. Snare snaps can be heard, but don't hit as hard as they should. However, there is a good extension to the high end which allows a nice sparkle to give some life into the high end. The highs don't separate as well as I'd like them to which can lead to a bit of smearing. Overall, I'd say the highs are still good.

Highs: ★★★★

Audio: ★★★★

Build

The build of the Woodtones has it's ups and downs. Starting off with the case, well pouch really. The pouch is the same one found with ThinkSound headphones, except it has the Griffin logo on it in a two-tone wood-grain sort of texture. The case is protective, and will yield any debris away from your headphones. They won't help if they get run over by a truck though.

A nice hemp pouch is included to stay green.

The housings are made of wood, and wood is strong. This wood is just as strong as the wood I find on the ThinkSound headphones, so it won't crack or break anytime soon. It's quality wood. The metal baffles are also a nice touch when it comes to build. The strain reliefs sticking out of the wooden housings are also strong and stiff. The housing is built to perfection.

The cables are a little thin though. They do have a more solid feeling to them though, so I'll give them that. They do tangle a bit though, which is always an annoyance, but can also affect how long the cables live.

The cables used with the Woodtones like to tangle since they're thin.

At the end of the cable, the headphone jack stands. It is a straight jack, actually, the same one found on the ThinkSound headphones. They have a nice strain relief on them as well. It's nice and sturdy, which helps the build, I still would rather have an angled jack though.

The headphone jack is straight and gold-plated. It's decently strong though.

Build: ★★★★

Comfort

The Griffin Woodtones offer a great deal of comfort. They fit just like ThinkSound headphones (who would of thought?). This is essentially a good thing though. The housings are lightweight, and can be worn up or down. Included with the Woodtones are three sets of single-flange silicone tips. They are enough to get a good fit.

3 pairs of silicone tips are included to ensure a good fit.

Comfort: ★★★★★

Value

These headphones cost just under 30 dollars, a penny less to be exact. Are they worth every penny? Well, that's iffy. Many headphones from Brainwavz and Dunu both tend to drop around this price range, but offer an overall more quality sound. Still, I can't say these are bad. They definitely offer a good sound for the price. I would want a better cable, but that's about it. Sound-wise, it may not be a you're-robbing-Griffin type of deal, but it is priced competitively.

Value: ★★★★½

Final Thoughts

Griffin may not be the first name that pops up when I say the word headphones. However, they did actually impress me with this offering. No, it's not high-end, but at 30 bones, I wasn't expecting it to be. It does well for where it's placed. Would I recommend it? If you want more bass than the M4s, but all means, go towards Griffin's Woodtones. The Woodtones are just a fun IEM at a cheap price point.

I'd like to thank Jennifer for the product sample.

Overall Score

Griffin Woodtones

† All prices are in US currency.
This review was written by the iFans.com Review Team. Cumulative scores are rounded to the nearest half or full star.
This accessory, product, or app was received as a sample. Thanks Jennifer for the product sample.

These look excellent. Great review!

LOL... It's hard to really describe something that isn't visible. Like tastes, touch, and sound you can only use metaphors and similes. It's all that sound description boils down to. It's just a bunch of metaphors on top of metaphors on top of similes. I guess the same goes for taste, touch and smell.

I think these look rather ugly. I suppose I'm just not the biggest fan of wooden headphones. But I like the top picture seen on the front page.

LMAO... This did make me laugh, I have to admit that. I just wanted to get across that the case wasn't a hard-case and rather a soft one Did it in a more creative and fun way XD

I haven't listened to the MEE M6 in about a year. I gave my pair away, so I can't compare. Sorry about that. From memory, I'd say it's an improvement though.

I love wooden headphones, they look professional and the extra wood adds some nice texture. It might just be me though. If you get polished wooden cups (on headphones, not IEMs) they look gorgeous. It depends on how it's done too though to add extra flash. If you look at the housings of UE's new Personal Reference Monitors you'll see what I'm talking about with the extra flash.

And if anyone is going to ask, at the moment, I will not be getting a pair of these (as much as I want to )

Meh, even those headphones I don't really like the look of. Just reminds me of the old cars with the wood across the doors. So ugly. Lol.

I prefer the look of the Moshi Vortex Pro's that you reviewed and similar looking pairs.

Those do look beautiful. I'll admit that.