Meet the Echobox Finder X1 Titanium Earphones. These in-ear monitors produce some quality sound, worthy of true audiophiles and music-lovers alike. Initially, I preferred my Apple earbuds to the Finder X1 earphones, but after adjustments and practical application, I changed my mind. The sound that emits from the generic Apple earbuds is pretty good for in-ear monitors – though they are no match for the hi-fi audio you can enjoy with Echobox’s edition.
The Echobox Finder X1 earphones can be found for $229 list price online at the Echobox website, Amazon, Sears and dozens of other online retailers. You’ll find the best prices on Echobox and Amazon, however, as they’re currently offering these buds for $159 – other retailers offer it for even more than the $229 list price.
In this review, we will discuss the design of the packaging, what’s in the box, the aesthetic of the earphones, the manual and warranty, their technical specifications for audiophiles, their sound quality when listening to music, and how they measure up for professional audio work.
By the end, you will have a thorough understanding of what makes the Echobox FinderX1 Titanium Earphones stand out from the crowd and their pitfalls – enabling you to make an informed decision before you choose your next earbuds.
Packaging Design
Packaging design can make or break a person’s decision in purchasing a product – I generally will buy a beautifully packaged piece over one sealed in generic can’t-get-it-open-without-scissors plastic. Echobox does not disappoint. The box is smooth, matte-finished, and has an image of space printed on it. The Finder X1 buds are featured in the foreground.
These earbuds are made from titanium, which Echobox has dubbed, “the metal of the stars.” This statement is a bit extra. All metals on earth came from the death of a star, when their atoms were sent zooming across space and time. It’s just a little redundant, but hey, it’s good for marketing.
Speaking of marketing, these guys know their stuff. They’re marketing toward the millennial crowd, which is evident in the names for their product line. We’ve got The Finder, being reviewed here, and three other options available for pre-order. Two buds, called The Traveler and The Nomad, and The Explorer, an Android mp3 player with a wooden casing that looks like a flask.
This falls in line with the current trend that is sweeping through my generation. You may or may not have heard of the term “wanderlust,” but this is what Echobox is appealing to. Wanderlust is an insatiable need to travel and see the world, to live beyond the confines of societal constraints. With names like The Finder, The Traveler, The Nomad, and The Explorer, they’re speaking to the kindred souls of an entire generation. Way to go, Echobox.
What’s In The Box
The Echobox Finder X1 Titanium Earphones come with more than just the earbuds. When I opened the box (having no previous knowledge of Echobox and their products) I was surprised to see a small, attractive carrying case inside. The case houses six sets of interchangeable silicon ear pieces in a removable, smooth rubber slate for easy access to the tips. Easily missed are the two pairs of red and black tuning rings on either side of the ear pieces.
That’s right. These earbuds come with a total of three pairs of tuning rings (white comes installed) so that you can get the perfect sound. The white tuning rings provide the most balanced sound, while the red ones produce a brighter, more crisp sound. The black tuning rings are focused on bass, and are awesome for music where bass heavily featured.
In the box, you also get another pair of ear tips by premium earphone tip company, Comply. These are the tips I use, as they are foam and fit comfortably in my ear. They block external noise and fit securely, which is what I look for in an ear piece. Additionally, Echobox suggests that you wrap the cord around your ear if you want your buds to be extra secure, or if you are hearing cable noise.
Echobox also provides a warranty card and manual. The warranty is for three years from your date of purchase, and covers both repairs and replacements. Replacements require a receipt from an authorized seller, while repairs do not. The manual comes with six sections: Controls, Sound Customization, Insertion Instructions, Fit, Maintenance, and Safety.
Highlights
- Durable, Titanium Housing is Made to Last
- Lightweight
- Hi-Fi Sound
- Customizable Sound via 3 Removable Tuning Rings
- Balanced Sound
- 6 Interchangeable Tips, plus 1 Bonus Pair (Comply)
- Carrying Case
- Affordable
- Great Warranty
Sound Quality for Music
The Finder X1 Titanium Earphones are hi-fi earbuds that focus on the high end to produce bright, clear sound. Many other earbuds are lacking in the high end treble arena, and the result is muddy music – though you might not even notice until you’ve had a taste of hi-fi. There’s really nothing else so sweet to the ear, as hi-fi allows you to hear the true musical genius of your favorite bands.
To get the best quality sound out of these earphones, one must fit the ear pieces snugly into their ear canal. Play around with those interchangeable tips – there is enough variety so that you can find the perfect fit for your ear. My ears are small and I usually loathe these types of earphones that have the silicon tips, because they never stay in my ears.
After trying a series of uncomfortable-for-me tips, I broke open the additional Comply Premium Earphone Tips that are made of foam. These are the most customizable, as I simply pinched the tip around the bud as small as it would go before inserting into my ear, and the tips conformed to the shape of the canal. This blocked out most external noise when music was playing, and I didn’t get any of the cable noise I was getting with the ill-fitting tips.
With that said, as long as your Finder X1s are snug inside your ears, you will experience some really awesome bass. Since the tuning rings make your sound totally customizable, you can add even more bass with the black tuning rings. Your music takes on new life with these earphones, so much so that you will probably ditch your Apple or Android buds, or shove them aside as an emergency pair.
For comparison purposes, I used these in conjunction with studio headphones, Apple earbuds, and the Beats by Dre speakers in my Fiat 500C Lounge. The car speakers win every time, but it’s not fair to compare four speakers and a subwoofer to tiny earbuds, no matter how advanced, so we won’t bother with that. They performed just as well in terms of sound quality as my Sennheiser studio headphones, and better than those Apple earbuds. There is a lot of space between the instruments using the Finder X1s that you just can’t get with the Apple earphones.
Professional Audio Work – How The Finder X1 Measures Up
I’ve used the earbuds for audio production and post-production work in both music production and video/music post-production. Prior to switching to the Comply tips, I was not going to recommend these for production work. As I’ve already said, there’s a lot of variety in the Echobox interchangeable tips, so you’re bound to find one that snugly fits your ear canals enough to give you “dat bass.” For me, that sweet spot was the Comply Premium Earphone Tips.
I used the Finder X1 Titanium Earphones while working on some indie-pop and psychedelic tracks with freelance Producer David Yuvienco, and have been using these intermittently through producing vocals and composing orchestral elements and piano/organ parts for the songs. They are hi-fi, so the quality is there, just as they are in studio headphones.
What I noticed most was that there’s a lot of space in between main vocals and backing vocals, with no muddy areas, which allows for an easier time editing and figuring out where to place orchestral hits. The sound is so clear that if there are any pops or clicks, or intermingling instrument frequencies, you’ll find them and delete those unwanted sounds quickly.
For instrument production and editing, there’s a lot of space between instruments, allowing you to hear the intricacies of the tones and how they complement each other or are in dissonance. When you’re working with a band that has a maximalist mindset and are dealing with six guitar tracks, two keys tracks, distorted bass, and a cymbal-happy drummer, these earphones come in handy.
Once the tracks are mixed and bounced, I like to listen using various types of earphones, earbuds and speakers – in the home and cars – to see how the consumer will be experiencing the song, and make adjustments based on my findings. Listening to the songs on the Finder X1 earphones after checking the tracks with other speaker devices, I have to say that these are among my favorite to use for music.
I also edit Art Feierman’s videos for ProjectorReviews.com and for Smarter Home Automation, and have used these earphones while in post-production. I can hear every bit of static and room tone, which allows me to properly analyze the audio’s clean up needs – what plugins I need to use, and where.
The hi-fi aspect is incredible for earbuds – usually, I would not choose to edit with earbuds, but I found them acceptable when balancing dialogue and music in video. I could hear clearly where the volume needed to be automated so as to create space between the two elements. Before this review, I would only ever edit with earbuds when I was in a pinch, but now I use these for my on-the-go editing and sometimes even prefer them when in the studio.
