Some days it feels like all we do here at Techaeris is review Bluetooth speakers and various wired and wireless headphones — don’t get me wrong, we’re not complaining. One of the problems is that for the most part, they’re variations of each other with slightly better or worse design or slightly better or worse sound. Every once in awhile, a pair of headphones come across our desks that offer fantastic sound and value. Our Creative Flex review takes a look at a pair of very affordably priced on-ear headphones that are super light and sound fantastic. Read on to see why we’ve given them a Top Pick of 2017 Award.
Specifications
The Creative Flex on-ear headphones have the following features and specifications:
- Driver Size: 32mm (1.26 Inches) Neodymium magnet
- Frequency Response: 20Hz ~ 22kHz
- Cable Length: 1.2m / 3.9ft
- Microphone Inline microphone
- Inline Remote Music: Play/Pause/Next/Previous track
- Phone call: Answer/end call
- Weight: 136g
- Color: Black
- 1 year limited hardware warranty
What’s in the box
- Creative Flex on-ear headphones
- Four Pairs of Changeable Color Tabs (orange, blue, teal, brown)
- Warranty information
Design
The Creative Flex on-ear headphones are constructed almost entirely of plastic. Don’t let the plastic construction fool you though, as they don’t look cheap and the construction makes them very light which makes them comfortable for extended periods of listening. The headband has a roughly four-inch foam pad on the underside right where the headband rests on your head. This allows the headphones to rest on your head while providing a cushion from the hard headband. This is about my only complaint about the design of the headphones as the foam pad is totally exposed and I could see it deteriorating over time depending on how you store or use them. It would have been nice to see them covered with a leatherette finish like the ear pads are.
The ear cups are connected to the headband on an adjustable arm. One either side of the adjustable arm is a small L or R depending on which side to indicate the left or right earcup. A semi-circular silver piece connects to each side of the ear cup, allowing it to swivel down and also rotate back 90°. When rotated back fully, the ear cups can be folded up under the headband into a nicely sized semi-circle which allows for compact storage and transportation. The earpads themselves are covered with a soft leatherette material which makes them comfortable to wear. On the inside of each earpad is an L or R to indicate which ear it should go on.
The earpads themselves are covered with a soft leatherette material which makes them comfortable to wear. On the inside of each earpad is an L or R to indicate which ear it should go on.
On the outside of each earcup is an orange colour tab which slides into the center of the dimpled black glossy circular outer shell. This colour tab can be removed and replaced with a blue, teal, or brown colour tab for a bit of personalization depending on your mood and colour preference.
Being wired headphones, a cable is attached to the bottom of each earcup and they meet about 18″ further down. The remainder of the cable is roughly another 28″ in length, providing ample length for connecting to your smartphone or other device. On the cable coming out of the left earcup is an inline remote/mic with a multi-function button about 7″ down. The multi-function button allows you to answer or hang up a call, or play, pause, and skip to the next track or replay the previous track.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of on-ear headphones but these are quite comfortable and super light.
Sound
Don’t let the fact that these headphones only have 32mm Neodymium drivers bother you because the Creative Flex are fantastic sounding given the size. The default sound without any equalization enabled is crisp, clear, and there’s just the right amount of bass. Music from rock to classic hip hop and EDM sounded great with the right balance of mids, highs, and lows. Even at full volume — which is very loud — there was no distortion and vocals came across clear and the bass was nice and punchy.
If you wish, you can tweak the sound with the equalizer on your smartphone or other device, but the Creative Flex on-ear headphones sound decent enough when used with devices that don’t offer any type of equalization controls.
Call Quality
Call quality is usually the one feature that is somewhat lacking when included on headphones. The inline microphone on the Creative Flex sits roughly three inches below my chin and while people on the call could hear me o.k. if I raised my voice, I found that it worked much better if I held the inline remote close to my mouth. When I did this I didn’t have to talk as loud, and the other party could hear me much better.
Price/Value
The Creative Flex have an MSRP of $39.99USD, which offers amazing value given the sound quality and comfort. They are currently available on Amazon for $29.99USD which is a price that can’t be beat for these on-ear headphones.
Wrap-up
With its lightweight design, fantastic clear and balanced sound, and affordable price point, the Creative Flex easily earn a Top Pick of 2017 Award here at Techaeris.
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