A stylish and affordable pair of earphones that ultimately lack finesse
Although excellent sound quality is without doubt the most important feature to look for when investing in a pair of earphones, with so many viable options on the market, it also takes a great design to help differentiate a product from the competitors. The primarily white NS500 Aluminum earphones are the latest from Swedish manufacturers, Nocs, and cut a remarkably svelte figure when being handled. A beautifully thin layer of aluminium surrounds each bud, while the tangle-free cable is a good long length and includes a handy module with playback controls. There aren’t any clear markings on the playback module to signify what each button does, but with a bit of guessing you’ll find basic volume controls and a pause button. A prolonged press on one button will activate the earphone’s mic capabilities, a useful addition when needing to make calls on the go, and there’s even an included clip to attach the mic to your shirt.
For the sub-£60 price tag, expectations are often mixed when manufacturers promise high-quality sound from their product. Though the range of tracks we tested out on the Nocs NS500 showed that high volume levels are possible, there are also several noticeable downfalls where compromises have been made. Songs are nowhere near as crisp as we would normally expect, with distortion a definite problem if songs were particular heavy with their bass usage. The distortion also leads to problems with the overall sound balance, which leaves certain areas tinnier than others. Although not directly linked, noise cancellation was also another problem here. More often than not we had to vastly increase the volume to make sure we couldn’t hear any outside interference, which proved to be more of a nuisance than anything else.
That’s not to say that the NS500 Aluminum are unusable, because that simply isn’t true; it’s just that the sound isn’t as enriching as many similarly priced earphones, and a more discerning listener will instantly pick up on the problems we’ve highlighted.
While the NS500 Aluminum’s price may make them an enticing purchase, they certainly leave a lot of room for improvement. Bass-heavy tracks offer noticeable distortion throughout and the overall balance needs to be tweaked for a more polished sound experience. Although the design is pleasant enough and the mic capabilities are a good addition, the NS500s from Nocs need to be reworked before we can recommend them.