Phitek Blackbox C14 earphones

Posted by Bill on January 31st, 2010 at 03:21pm Comments

Phitek Blackbox C14 earphones
Reviewed by: Bill Henderson
Blackbox noise cancellation products | world leading audio technology
Price: $99

One thing you expect to give up when you use earphones is massive bass. I know, some earphones have lots of it, but on average, headphones have it all over earphones in that department. But not with these bass monsters. I was sent the Phitek Systems Blackbox C14 earphones because I was interested in a pair of active noise-cancellation earphones that operated on the same principle as active noise-cancellation headphones. Almost all earphones have what is called passive noise-cancellation which occurs by simply inserting earphones into your ear canal.

So then, what is active noise cancellation? Phitek has what they call ANR - active noise rejection. A small microphone picks up surrounding noise and then the earphones create an ‘anti-noise’ sound or an inverted copy of the sound wave. So basically, by creating more noise, you end up with less… much less. Weird, huh? But it works. Bose has made an industry out of it. But Bose ain’t the only kids in this playground. Phitek has been doing this for awhile and even make headphones for other companies, such as Audio-Technica (to that company’s specs).

But it’s that unbelievable bass that grabbed me. These things vibrate my brain. If you are a fan of hip-hop, metal or hard rock, you are going to be very pleased. But all this bass is not at the expense of the highs. The highs are there, but if you are used to an ‘armature’ accuracy with regard to mids and highs, these aren’t for you. The mids sound a bit soft to me, but not in an unpleasant way.

And - how do I put this - the C14s are kinda visually challenged. These are not earphones you parade around in to impress your friends. But hey, what a great personality they have! The C14’s 9mm dynamic speakers deliver a rich, extremely warm sound, maybe too warm for some. When I realized the bass in these, I went searching for some speaker-blowing songs.

“Johnny and Mary” by Robert Palmer is one of those songs that will buzz your subwoofer with just the slightest push. So hearing the song with all the low end sans artificial vibration was a delight. The bass will shake the wax out of your ears. Led Zeppelin’s “The Lemon Song” sounds even more sinister when the bass can be heard to full effect as they are here. Countering this to Jimmy Page’s guitar licks at the high end gives the song a brutal intensity.

“Bouree” by Jethro Tull begins with only Ian Anderson’s flute and Glenn Cornick’s bass. Cornick plays the bass like a lead guitar. Its both sweet and heavy at the same time. Roger Waters lets loose with a growling, snarling bass line in “One of These Days” by Pink Floyd. You can feel the sharp thumping of the strings as they are angrily plucked. This one is meant to be played loud.

One other thing that surprised me was how easily the C14s seal themselves in my ears. In fact, I have to be careful, because early on, I could feel the pressure change as I tugged on them. Scary feeling. I recommend twisting them as you remove them to alleviate this. Getting the correct seal has been an ongoing issue with me regarding earphones. No seal equals no bass. And although the C14s looked like they were not going to fit very well, I was completely mistaken. They fit me great.

Unlike noise cancellation headphones, you cannot turn off ANR in the C14s. It’s always on. There is a small box between the earphones and the mini-plug that houses a AAA battery and has an on-off switch and volume control. I’m not sure why an on-off switch is even needed, but its there. I did notice an audible ‘white-noise’ when no music was playing, but it either disappeared or was drowned out as soon as the music began.

The earphones come equipped with some nice pack-ins. Included is a very large and really nice hard case. And, if you prefer, there is also a soft pull-tie bag if you don’t want to use the case. Three different sized tips, airline adapter, lanyard, 6.5mm adapter and an extension cable complete the kit.

All in all, the C14 give you a lot of bang (or should I say bass) for your buck. In Canada, Future Shop is the Phitek vendor. You get quite a bit of technology for $99 as well as quality accessories. So while you probably won’t impress your friends with the looks of the C14s, no matter, because you will want to keep these all to  yourself anyway.

7/10

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