Sleek lightweight designs tailored towards your personal audio needs, we take a close look at GIGABYTE’s latest ‘Fly’ lightweight headphones and the H11 earphones.

Product on review: GIGABYTE FLY GIGABYTE H11
Manufacturer: GIGABYTE
Street Price: £39.99 inc VAT and £13.99 respectively

One may not immediately think of GIGABYTE when considering personal audio peripherals, however, since the quiet release of the FLY and H11, it is clear to see that they are cautiously dipping their toes in that realm. Though listed as ‘PC Peripherals’ these are definitely more catered towards the use on portable gadgets. The H11 is a sleek, all aluminium set of earphones powered by 9mm drivers and for those who do not find earphones all that pleasing, the FLY is an ultra lightweight on-ear solution with 40mm drivers crammed in.

About GIGABYTE

GIGABYTE was founded in 1986, establishing our uncontested position in continuous technological innovation. By focusing on key technologies and achieving strict quality standards, GIGABYTE has been regarded as an innovative and trusted motherboard leader in the globe. To keep pace in a rapidly changing world, we have offered a comprehensive product line covering Motherboards, Graphics Cards, PC Components, PC Peripherals, Laptops, Slate Devices, Desktop PCs, Network Communications, Servers and Mobile Phones. We are dedicated to building up a full-range digital life, responding promptly and sonorously to consumer needs and desires.

Specifications & Features

FLY
Driver Diameter: 40mm
Impedance: 16Ohms
Frequency Response: 15-20,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 122 dB/mW
Maximum Power Input: 40mW
Cable Length: 1.2m
Connector: 3.5mm Jack
Weight: 79g* Not include cable

DJ Headset Driver Units Designed for Heavy Beats

FLY’s tailor-made 40mm drivers deliver crystal clear acoustics and rich bass response. The audio performance brings you back to the original recording. FLY’s customized Neodymium magnets produces powerful bass performance and outstands the others with excellent low-frequency sound extension.

One-of-a-kind Headband Design
Express yourself with FLY. Inspired by crystals, FLY’s headband has rhombus pattern and is designed for music lovers to make a statement. Reinforced steel material gives incredible durability. Adjustable headband makes it easier when wearing.

Perfectly Blocks Outside Noise
Soft leather ear cushions keep you comfortable for hours. The unique pressure-free earcup design blocks outside noise and keeps music in without squeezing your head.

Lightweight Comfort and Convenience
At 79 grams, FLY is ultra-lightweight and made with a busy city lifestyle in mind. It’s so light and comfort you’ll forget you’re wearing an on-ear headset.

H11
Channel: 2.0
Driver Diameter: 9mm
Earphone Material: Silver, AL
Earpads White, Rubber (Sizes: S/M)
Impedance: 16Ohms
Frequency Response: 150-20,000 Hz
Cable Length: 1.2m
Connector; 3.5mm Jack
Weight: 11.3g

Chamber Absorbers for Pro Bass Performance
With the specially designed chamber absorbers, H11 is able to deliver pro bass performances. Locating in the back of the headsets, absorbers absorb those low-frequency sounds that usually are lost or masked easily. H11 has complete and more powerful bass beats due to the fact that all low-frequency sounds are well-kept in the drivers.

Aluminum Headsets for Amazing Mids and Highs
The specially crafted aluminum body, which is a monocoque technology, allows the H11 to reproduce its mids and highs with crystal clarity. Due to remarkable rigidity and malleability, aluminum promises outstanding higher frequency sounds as well as a wonderful listening experience.

Modern Outlook
With an aluminum base and color casing, the H11’s silver-white outlook offers users a modern and elegant design. We integrate the ideas of innovation and high-tech into the headset design, a style that can be easily matched with other fancy gadgets. It is all about fashion!

User Friendly Ear Pads
For a premium listening experience, the H11 comes with comfy ear pads with advanced noise-isolating technology that replicates your choice of music with no distorted noise. Moreover, two different sizes are available to choose from based on personal needs.

Closer Look (H11)

The box front

Coming in a sleek glossy black box with the product clearly on display, first impression is of a quality product.

Reverse side of packaging

At the back we see some key features highlighted and specifications in various languages.

Product overview

The 1.2m long sleek white cable is of the rubberised soft feel type and compliment the all aluminium chambers at the end.

Included accessories

Included with the H11 are 2 pairs of rubber ear cushions. Other than the warranty card, the H11 takes a no nonsense approach to accessories though at this price point you wouldn’t really expect more.

Nice length of cable

There is no in line controller to be seen nor is there a microphone. This suggests that this product really is aimed at music and entertainment listening. There is an adjustable cable splitter but it seems fairly pointless though some may find it useful.

The H11 bare

Removing the rubber ear cushions we can see the bare chambers. The modern, minimalistic look of that aluminium will certainly get an appeal.

Closer Look (FLY)

Front face of the Fly packaging

The box is decorated with a geometric rhombus design with a large view of the product inside. Through the window we can see the product name on a metallic badge along with what seems to be GIGABYTE’s slogan for their audio product range. ‘Sound of Heavy Beats’, this was also seen on the H11 packaging.

Reverse side of packaging

At the back we find a customary list of features and multilingual specifications.

The Fly Overview

Once you get past the striking blue cable, the first thing we can notice is the narrow strip of metal for the headband that holds the two earcups together.

Side view

The side of the earcups is made from what seems to be brushed aluminium and has a strip of metallitc blue in the middle to add a little character.

Rhombus design on the headband

Along the headband is an engraved rhomus design similar to what is seen on the packaging.

Inside the earcups

There is a generous helping of soft padding covered in soft leather (may be PU). Under the black fabric there is a firm guard protecting to drivers.

Performance Testing

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.

Conclusion

Stepping into the realm of pure audio isn’t all that surprising for technology giant like GIGABYTE. In a time when we see new technology emerging from many places, having a product one could over look such as earphones, can really allow a company to stand out, especially if you think about the possibility of throwing the product in as part of a bundle with other devices. GIGABYTE has shown us a great looking product with the H11 and doesn’t sound too bad either. Included in the package is a pair of smaller ear cushions to allow greater comfort possibilities.

The only really down side to the H11 is the weak bass but it is likely a limitation of the 9mm driver. A slight change in the equaliser may slightly improve the bass but too strong a boost can muddy the whole overall sound with dips in the mids and highs. However this is only in an extreme circumstance which most people will not do, and should the H11 be paired with an MP3 player or mobile phone, just a simple ‘bass boost’ may help improve the overall balance. Though in consideration to the price, the sound is competitive and you could certainly do a lot worse than the H11.

The GIGABYTE H11 is a good sounding, stylish looking set of earphones that competes well at this price point, for these reasons, we happily award the Vortez Silver.

Pros.
+ Highly Portable
+ Sleek modern design with all aluminium ear pieces
+ Great performance in the mid to highs
+ Price

Cons.
– Weak bass
– Increasing low tones can muddy the overall sound

For those who enjoy listening to music on the go, but do not enjoy ramming earphones into their lug holes or prefer a better audio experience on the move yet do not need ear pieces to stay firmly in place while being active, for example, at the gym, on ear headphones can offer that halfway point between lightweight portability and good overall sound experience. The FLY looks great with the GIGABYTE blue and brushed aluminium as well as the engraved spring steel headband. The soft leather pads combined with the next to nothing weight provides remarkable comfort of likes I have not experienced before allowing for long periods of use without fatigue. Overall the sound quality is pleasing with enough bass for the average person to enjoy with an overall balanced sound output.

The most notable draw back to the FLY is that, one may expect more from the 40mm drivers used. While the sound is a solid ‘good’ for the price, it is approaching the arena of some notable on-ear solutions from AKG, Audio Technica, Sony and others of note that have excellent sound reproduction in the on ear market. However, this does not detract that the GIGABYTE FLY does bring something fresh to the table and is well worth considering for those where comfort, weight and portability are key considerations.

The lightweight FLY with its sleek aesthetic is exceptionally comfortable and provides a substantially better Hi-Fi experience over in-ear solutions. GIGABYTE have done an excellent job to cram in 40mm drivers in such a lightweight unit and so with this appeal we proudly present the GIGABYTE FLY with our Silver Award.

Pros.
+ Lightweight
+ Attractive aesthetic
+ Incredibly comfortable
+ Good balanced sound

Cons.
– Will not appeal to audiophiles or bassheads

Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to GIGABYTE for providing today’s review sample.

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