Overview
If you've not heard of Phonak, then don't worry because neither had I until I reviewed their PFE 112 earphones. The Swiss company has a 60 year history in the hearing aid industry. Less than two years ago they crossed over into the consumer audio market in the US and now they're coming to the UK.
With their extensive history in hearing aids and a press release which places emphasis on hearing loss caused through overly loud MP3 players (experts predict one in ten thirty year olds will be wearing a hearing aid by 2020*) I unboxed the earphones expecting a set of unfashionable, frustratingly quiet earphones which looked more like a couple of hearing aids then something to plug into an 'iPod, iPhone or MP3' which the sticker on the box suggests.
*which means lots of money for Phonak!
First Impressions
But to my surprise they were smart, small and simple, like you would expect from any set of earphones. After figuring out what all the bits and bobs did (and there was a lot of bits and bobs) I plugged them into my MP3 player, cracked on some Velvet Underground and was greeted by crystal clear audio, and it would go as loud as I wanted it to. I turned up the volume as loud as my ears could handle and the audio was still great. What I then realised was that when I've been turning my old earphones to full volume I have been trying to compensate they're poor quality with extra volume.
Sound Quality
PFE stands for perfect fit earphones and that's exactly what they are. They come with two sets of ear tips, the classic dome-shamed silicon tips and their special Comply foam tips. Both tips were a snug fit. The silicon tips are provided in sizes small, medium and large to suit all ears and the foam tips mould perfectly to the shape of your ear (similar to how the Tempa mattress moulds to the shape of your body.) This means that background noise is practically eradicated (up to 23 decibels of background-noise reduction) and the noise you want (the music) doesn't escape, thus you don't need excessive volume to hear every little moment of an album.
It makes sense really, a hearing aid company has unrivaled knowledge of the human ear and this shows with the PFEs. The secret to their success is their snug fit and comfortable design.
Features
Another great feature is the interchangeable sound filters which screw into the earphones. Black tips enhance bass and treble frequencies whilst the white filters enhance midrange frequencies. Even with white filter the quality of the bass and treble sound was one of the first things I noticed so it isn't really necessary to change unless you want serious control over your sound.
It was however very fiddly changing the tips and filters so the accessories let down the earphones a little. Imagine changing the filters every time a new song came on, especially if you were traveling or exercising. Plus you only get one set of the Comply tips and in my opinion the Comply tips are one of the key features of the product so losing them would be a right pain, but replacements can be purchased so it's not a major problem.
At around £120 they may seem a little expensive to some people but if you are a serious user of earphones then these would be a great investment. After all you can't put a price on your hearing and for the quality of sound they provide they are fantastic value compared to other earphones. They come with two types of sound filters, two types of tips, an attractive carry case, ear guides, even a little tool to clean up all that wax and are available now. Check www.audeoworld.com for your nearest dealer
Gaj-it verdict
Features- 8/10
Sound quality- 9/10
Value- 8/10
Overall- 8/10