Moshi Mythro Stylish Personal Earbuds review: Quality earphones at an affordable price
The well-designed Moshi Mythro earbuds feature quality sound and a comfortable fit for $30.
Moshi is probably better known for its stylish iPhone and iPad cases, but it also makes several different models of earphones with intriguing designs -- and names.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The in-ear model reviewed here, the Mythro, is named in honor of mithril, the fictional metal found in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Silvery in appearance, mithril is stronger than steel but considerably lighter. It's not surprising then that Moshi's Mythro Stylish Personal Earbuds are nice and lightweight. They're also comfortable, and feature excellent sound for the money, as well as an integrated microphone, making them a bargain at their price of $30.
Design and features
The Mythro earbuds come in a variety of colors, all of which have a two-tone design highlighted by anodized aluminum casing (aluminum may not be mithril, but at least there's a bit of metal in the case).
The shape and size of the bud portion of the earbuds are just right -- not too big and not too small. That helps with the fit, and the Mythros come with three different sizes of eartips, one of which should fit your ear canal and enable you to get a tight seal.
As I say in all my reviews of in-ear headphones, that tight seal is crucial to the performance of the earphones. If you can't get a tight seal, you lose a lot of bass and the sound will be thin.
I liked how the Mythros fit in my ears and I also appreciate that Moshi color-coded the eartips (one has some red on the inside), which allows you to easily distinguish right from left without having to look for a tiny letter on the bud. All earphone manufacturers should take this color-coded approach.
The cord terminates in a straight plug. L-shaped plugs tend to be sturdier, and I can't say these earbuds appear incredibly rugged, but I used them for a couple of weeks without a problem. However, it is worth noting that they don't come with any sort of protective carrying case. To prolong their life, I'd suggest finding something to stow them in when you're not using them.
As noted, there's an integrated microphone with a single-button remote (no volume controls). That button is a call answer/end button when making cell-phone calls; when playing music, you tap it once to pause or play, twice to skip a track forward, and three times to skip a track back. The microphone should work with all phones but the "remote" functionality won't work with every or tablet, though it should work with all Apple iOS products.
Performance
When I reviewed Moshi's
The Mythro earbuds may not offer quite as much bass and detail as the
Naturally, the Mythro earbuds' sound profile won't appeal to everyone. It's fairly aggressive, so if you like a more laid-back, smoother headphone, you may find these a little fatiguing over longer listening sessions. But for a lot of today's music -- and today's listeners -- the meaty bass will be an appealing trait. To reiterate, a tight seal is essential to maximizing bass response.
Conclusion
It's interesting to see how Moshi started out making stylish midrange earphones and has now moved into the entry-level market with a pair of well-designed earphones with quality sound. The Mythro's sound profile may not be for everybody, but it's a lightweight, attractively model with earbuds that fit comfortably and a built-in microphone and one-button remote. There are some other budget earphones out there, such as the $17