We look at some 'flashy' budget earphones
Most technology products, like USB hubs and wireless keyboards, are created to solve a problem or make life easier. Nevertheless, there has always been and always will be plenty of room for more frivolous items too. From telephones shaped like hamburgers to pen drives that resemble cartoon characters, these features add nothing other than a kitsch appeal and sense of fun. Quite often the actual functionality of these products is bog standard at best. Is that the case with the Neoglow earphones, though?
Their key selling point is the fact that the main cable contains an "electroluminescent wire" and "sound reactive technology", which basically means it lights up (in blue) and flashes in time to your music, so slow music should mean slow flashing, while more upbeat tunes should see you illuminated like a one-man disco. This function can be turned on and off using the silver button on the built-in control module, which is recharged via a micro-USB port on the side. (This button can also be used to answer phone calls on a smartphone.)
But ThumbsUp also promises a "Comfortable fit with high quality sound" - a potentially more difficult target to meet, considering their relatively low price. Sadly, they only succeed in one of these aims. The rubber earbuds fit snugly into your ears and provide a decent amount of noise isolation, so you shouldn't find your favourite Gene Pitney album being spoiled by the sound of your colleagues, friends or family trying to engage you in conversation. The problem is, if anything is going to ruin your enjoyment of 'Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa', it's the Neoglow earphones themselves.
Although not terrible, the sound from these earphones is distinctly muffled, like listening to a radio with a quilt over your head. On the plus side, we didn't hear any distortion at high volume, and the bass response wasn't the worst we've ever heard from budget earphones. But even taking that into account, the fact remains that the audio quality is just not good enough, even at £20, because you get the feeling that if they didn't flash, the Neoglow earphones would probably retail at closer to £10 (maybe £15 on the high street).
Unfortunately, this isn't the only problem with these earphones. In spite of the chunky module on the cable, which also houses a microphone, there are no volume controls. Why such a basic feature was omitted is a mystery, because it would have made these earphone far more appealing.
Ultimately, the Neoglow earphones are a novelty product, but their price doesn't quite reflect that. In their favour, though, the flashing effect is a lot of fun, and if you want to get noticed and to turn heads, they're sure to do that. It's a shame there isn't a choice of colours, but that's perhaps something that ThumbsUp will introduce further down the line. Regardless of the colour, though, whether you should buy these depends on how important looks are to you over sound quality. If you accept that your music isn't going to sound its best, then they're an interesting, if slightly overpriced, prospect. Anthony Enticknap
Sadly, they don't sound as good as they look.