Design & Observations
H11
The white and silver look can always impress and the H11 earphones look great. The rubberised white cable to the all aluminium chambers will look right at home alongside your cybernetic fruit or other smartphone/ media player you happen to use.
FLY
The blue cable followed by the blue on the side of the earcup allow GIGABYTE to show off a distinctive and recognisable design without going over the top and losing that sleek modern feel. The 3.5mm jack turns off at 90 degrees which can be handy when considering the shape of mobile devices, it avoids having the cable jut directly out of the port. The cable itself feels good quality and though not the soft, tangle free, rubberised type, it is strong yet supple. The primary concern someone may have with a product like this would be the headband, so, to test out how robust it is, it was stretched out to almost 180 degrees and surprisingly it sprung straight back into place with no deformation. Giving it a little twist resulted in the same action which is evidence that they have used a type of spring steel. Don't be mistaken, it is likely that the headband could be deformed under the right forces but in practice this would need to be done with much deliberation. An impressive consideration to say the least!
Comfort
H11
As with most in ear solutions, comfort largely depends on the rubber cushions and weight of the chambers. At just 11.3g net weight, the use of aluminium has kept the mass of the H11 down, while the rubber cushions are soft and squishy while giving good hold in the ear.
FLY
On-ear headphones have taken off with many people as their go to audio peripheral due to their halfway home between portability and competent audio playback. Taking a keen note of the portable side, at just 79g, it feels like you are wearing nothing at all. Combined with the soft leather padding and flexible headband, long periods of wearing were fun and enjoyable, you can genuinely forget you are even wearing them.
Multi-Media
H11
Listening through Crystal Castles- Affection the H11 gives some crystal clear mids and highs without being raspy, though present enough to add a little warmth, the bass was a little underwhelming. A slight bass boost can help but if the boost is too strong, or you raise the low tones too high on an equaliser, the sound can become muddy and the low tones take over and drown out the mids.
FLY
Upon donning the FLY, those 40mm drivers were set to task. First, pushing out some Sabrepulse followed by CRIM3S. The mid highs and high tones are precise and clear but the high bass to low mid section can be a little squishy at times while the low bass is just about right to add warmth. Adjusting the equaliser extremely can cause the bass to soften some of the higher tones and found that for the most rewarding listening experience on the FLY, it is best to use a flat and neutral setting with any enhancements switched off. Moving towards a less bass heavy genre, Tom Mcrae's album 'Just like Blood' is played through and the FLY delivers exceptional performance. Every nuance from the guitar strums, percussion and drums and the strings are clearly heard, even through the crazy strings on the track 'Walking 2 Hawaii'. Going back towards a more bass heavy genre, the Pharos Remix of Little Boots - Earthquake shows a more schizophrenic side to the FLY as a great balance of bass mids and highs were portrayed.
