Review – ZealSound’s HDE-300s surprise and impress

In-ear headphones can be really hit or miss. Especially when talking about those in the under $20 category. They’re typically uncomfortable and lack any real punch. Thankfully there are some outliers, and the ZealSound HDE-300s are one of them.

These lil’ guys pack an impressive punch for their size and price, using a wooden encasement and tangle-free fiber cable. Not bad for some headphones that can be purchased for about the price of a movie ticket.

The wooden enclosure on these buds are supposed to help sound quality and while I’m not that versed in the acoustic capabilities of wood, I can tell you that these ear buds sound great. Highs ring out clearly and lows reverberate nicely, never truly bottoming out. As with most headphones, very low frequencies, typically those under ~34Hz, are sadly lacking, but it is hard to blame the headphones for that, they simply don’t have the surface area to expand and contract that is needed for those super low frequencies.

The black, fiber cable is a nice touch, keeping the headphones from tangling in your pocket or the included cloth carrying pouch. With the included varying sizes of ear tips, finding a comfortable fit is easy. There’s a lot packed in this sub $20 package, and while they typically are $40, it’s easy to find these for under $20.

If you’re in the market for ear buds to use at work or home (I can’t recommend these for physical activity, while they are snug, ear buds just typically have a tendency to rattle loose), then this offering from ZealSound is right on time.