I got a serious tongue lashing for criticizing the WeSC Oboe headphones.
The idiotic tongue lashingI’m actually terrified that this website came up on google while looking for something constructive regarding headphone reviews.
Ill informed and ill featured are the two best things I can say.
I’d like to note that this is based purely on this being the last review I will ever read on this god forsaken hole of a website.
“Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”
My replyYes … with a comments on design and build quality, comparisons against two other headphones and a test that includes two popular headphones amps, I can really see where I’ve “Ill informed” you! We all look forward to your review!
If you’re looking for something “constructive” comments about these headphones, then it’s all there. BUY SOMETHING ELSE, ‘CAUSE THESE ARE GARBAGE! Some would feel that’s constructive enough. For those who don’t agree, there’s always Skullcandy!
WeSC Oboe review You want style with performance, then you go see the
Nixon Nomadic headphones! (below)
They look good (WeSC), but how do they sound?
I really, really wanted to like these. They look really stylish. Of course I wanted the ipod white version, but hey, ho, I ended up with a pair of Tangerine colored
WeSc’s, care of ebay. So where do I start?
FeaturesLet me be honest with you, the presentation box is out of this world. For the price there’s nothing else that can compare to it. Take the presentation box of the benchmark Grado iGrado (above) for example, no thrills or sense of occasion what so ever. However, don’t be fooled by such material things. When you see such extravagance on extras, alarms bells start to ring. You need to ask yourself: well, if they’ve spend this much on the packaging, how much have they spent on developing the headphones?
But such things are a distraction. There’s nothing much to say about the presentation of the headphones. Included in the box is a lovely booklet, with details and pictures on some of the various other headphones WeSC has to offer. And they are colorful. As for the headphones, they don’t fold; they don’t have a snazzy carrying pouch, but they do have a corded cable and I love corded cables. I find they are far easier to untangle than your average cables. CrossRoads MylarOne cable is a nightmare, where the Ultimate Ears Metro.fi 100 is so easy to untangle.
Ah, I bet you thought these were open because of the silver grill? Unfortunately that’s what I thought, and so I got my Sennheiser PX100 ready for a comparison test. But nope, they are in fact closed. The grill is for show, just like so many things on the WeSC headphones.
Build QualityThe design is a bit confusing. On one hand they’ve gone for the Grado SR style leather headband, which looks quite stylish actually, and on the other hand they have these tragic looking ear cups. The leather headband has better quality feel than the Grado’s it does have to be said.
It also takes on the Grado headphone adjustment method of having a sliding pole type action. Unfortunately unlike the Grado’s it never stays in place, and you can feel it moving out of position ever-so-slightly after you’ve adjusted them.
Test: Unamped WeSC vs. JBL 410 headphones And Benchmark iGardo’sYes, I know, we have to breech the topic sooner or later. To be honest they sound very congested. The sound staging isn’t bad, but the overall sound is seriously veiled. The Oboe’s are very forward in their presentation, but this just highlights the
WeSc’s sort falls.
Amy Winehouse - RehabWeSC: This doesn’t sound very good, and they can’t handle much volume. The whole thing doesn’t sound good. The trumpets have no crispness to them. The WeSC struggle to handle the complexity of this track. The bass slow and ponderous.
In the second verse the violins struggle to make an impression. And in the third verse, the bass line has no impact on my ears. I don’t just want to hear the bass, I want to fell it, and the WeSC’s just don’t perform.
JBL 410: This is an instant improvement. Although the
JBL’s sound stage isn’t the best, the cymbals are far more noticeable. On the second verse although once again at a high volumes the JBL start to show signs of struggle, they’re far more open and detailed than the WeSC.
You can also fell a bit of air moving with the bass line, which is what you want. The sound is far more grounded and detailed. Yes, the JBL’s are quite forward and Rehab is quite a demanding track, but the JBL’s are a better choice.
iGrado: Amy’s voice comes in dead center, and strong, and the backing vocals are well spread out. Unlike the WeSC and JBL, the iGrado’s can handle the volume. Only at the max output does the iGrado’s start to buckle under pressure. But that’s a whole lot more than both the WeSC and JBL.
It’s just the details you get, the maracas in the second verse coming on the bottom left hand side. The bass line is crisp and well controlled rather than deep. The thing is, that you can easily pick out whatever piece of the music you want, with consummate ease.
1st) iGrado
2nd) JBL 410
415th) WeSCWe could go on with other tracks, but I think you know what the results would be. The truth is that the
WeSc’s sound is stunted and it doesn’t help that every 30 seconds I’m having to re-adjust the headphone position, just to have them slowly slide back out of position. It’s so annoying.
WeSC with Juice2214 CMoy Amp and Fiio E3
iMac, Juice2214 CMoy Amp, C&C Mini Crystal Cable, WeSC Oboe
Golden Brown - The StranglersWithout the amp: They perform as well as can be expected! Slow, veiled and I’m grateful I didn’t pay full price for them, ’cause I’d be really hacked off by now.
With the amp: The CMoy amp injects a small but noticeable addition in the top end. It still doesn’t blow your socks of with pin sharp detail, but it is a slight improvement. It’s still veiled though. The midrange is coming through with a touch more definition as well.
Juice 2214 amp with Amy Winehouse - Rehab: I just wanted to hear the difference is. The track is cleaned up, again with a noticeable change. Noticeable, but not a huge change. You still know that you’re listening to a pair of WeSC’s and not a pair of iGrado’s.
iMac, Fiio E3 amp, WeSC Oboe
Back to Golden Brown - The StranglersWith the Fiio E3 amp: The same rules apply to the Fiio amp as the
Juice2214, although as predicted the presentation is more forward. There’s a slight adjustment in the highs and midrange, but not as noticeable as it is with the CMoy amp. Again, you won’t be fooled into thinking that you have a pair of iGrado’s on your head.
After opening the box, it’s all downhillO.K. lets wrap this up. In short the WeSC Oboe is a pretty poor pair of headphones by any standards, let alone headphones with a near $55 price tag. You could add an amp, but then this raises the price even more, and the question is: Why bother when even with the headphones/amp combo, you’ll still have a poorer sounding package than the standard Sennheiser PX100, JBL 410 or Grado iGrado?
It beggars belief why after reading this review, why anyone, bar those who don’t know better (but you now know better) would buy these headphones.
I cannot in any way, shape or form endorse these headphones. They are an absolute travesty and a total disgrace, given that they are now the most expensive headphones in their class (excluding the more expensive Ultrasone iCans and Audio Technica ATH-ES5). Yes they look nice, and the packaging is stunning. But after you open that lovely packaging, it’s all downhill from there.
My recommendation; buy the two coconut halves instead!Good PointsLovely packing
Wide choice of colorBad PointsRolled off highs
Muffled midrange
Slow ponderous bass
Performance doesn’t reflect the price or even half the price
