Appletell reviews Sleek Audio SA6 earphones (2009) and W-1 Wireless Adapter

Provides: High end audio playback
Developer: Sleek Audio
Minimum Requirements: iPod, iPhone or other audio device with 1/8” stereo mini jack
Price: $249
Availability: Now

You may not have heard of Sleek Audio, but if you’re an audiophile, I hope you have. They’ve won awards for their products so far, and it’s safe to say I can hear why. The SA6s are an amazing set of earbuds that will bring audio to your ears the way it was intended to be heard.

First things first; if you aren’t an audiophile, you’re just going to shake your head and ask “Why!?” for the remainder of this review, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t necessarily disagree with you. Being a non-audiophile is economical, but money doesn’t matter to everyone. How do you know if you’re an audiophile? Just for you, I’ve assembled a short quiz to help you find out wether or not you are an audiophile.

1. Do you like the earbuds included with your iPod?
2. Do you find yourself using the phrase “good enough” (ever)?
3. Would you rather just enjoy music than search for the ultimate audio setup with which to properly listen?
4. Would you rather spend your money on more music instead of better equipment with which to properly listen to your current music?
5. Does the thought of spending money make you less than happy?
6. Is money hard to come by, or do you have a hard time saving money for any amount of time?

If you’ve compromised (answered yes) to any of these questions, you are not an audiophile Audiophiles never compromise. Never!

Okay, I jest, just a bit. But really, the guys at Sleek Audio seriously don’t even know what it means to compromise. The phrase “good enough” sends chills down their spines. They’re the type of people you’d want to have making headphones for you if you aren’t concerned about money. Good news, they can be. It will cost you, but that’s okay, because you passed the quiz with flying colors right?

The SA6 (version 2, 2009) earbuds are different from other earbuds. Different even from other high end earphones available today. First off, they don’t attempt to alter your music in any way by default. That means they have a flat response. This is probably not something you’re used to, and you’ll likely have to adjust. That’s a good thing. That’s like saying you’ll have to adjust to seeing yourself in a regular mirror when you’ve spent the last 20 years in front of a funhouse mirror.

Just in case you seriously do have a preference towards tweaked bass or treble, Sleek has you covered. The earbuds come with tiny attachments to adjust bass and treble up or down to your liking. But honestly, the standard earphone is great on its own. You might never even try to change them, and that’s fine.

The feature I most admire about the SA6s is, strangely enough, the cord. You have to remember that almost any high end set of earbuds is going to blow your iPod earbuds out of the water. So it’s no surprise that these provide amazing audio. Yes, it is refreshing. Yes, you will find yourself hearing notes and small aspects of songs that have gone undetected, by you, for years. But isn’t that what you expect when you spend this kind of cash on some headphones? Yup. And these deliver. But, like I was saying, the cord is amazing…

The earbuds connect to your audio device via a detachable cord. Yes, I said detachable. They connect via right angle connectors to each earbud and then from an eighth inch connector to your device. This means that if you destroy the cord, you don’t have to buy a whole new set of headphones. This also means that, while you might have an iPod nano right now, when you upgrade to an iPhone, the new Sleek iPhone cable may be available. It will have a microphone and play/pause button on it.

Or, maybe you disagree with me. Maybe you hate cords. That’s fine because Sleek thought of that too.

Provides: Wireless CD quality audio transmission
Model: W-1
Minimum Requirements: Sleek Audio SA6 earphones
Price: $120 (Available in bundle)
Availability: Now

The Sleek wireless adapter is just that; an adapter that makes your audio wireless. But these are high end earphones with quality audio. Do you really want that kind of audio over Bluetooth? If you answered yes, then you may have never experienced current Bluetooth audio technology. Needless to say, this doesn’t use it.

The wireless adapter works great, and best of all, it pumps your audio straight into your skull at CD quality. It’s amazing really. I actually forgot how bad Bluetooth audio was, mostly because I tried it once a few months ago and gave up on it almost immediately. This is nothing like that. All you have to do is plug the transmitter into your device and the receiver into the SA6s. Don’t you just love that removable cord feature? Yeah, it’s killer.

Sadly, they don’t work from very far away. I wouldn’t expect these to work reliably from anywhere outside of the room. And honestly, I don’t think that’s a huge deal breaker. Transmitting data through walls is not something done well by any device. That said, I’m not sure how many people are going to want to spend an extra $100 ($70 if purchased at the same time as the SA6s) to not have to have their audio device on their person at all times. Yes, it’s pretty fun to not have any cords attaching you to anything, but is it really worth it? Probably not, and that’s why the score is going to suffer on these.

But just in case it is, these work as advertised, and will likely make you the coolest guy in the office for at least a few hours. That’s because new gadgets only amuse your coworker’s for so long, not because the battery doesn’t last close to forever, which it does. I used these for a few hours a day, five days a week, for at least two or so weeks without charging them. I honestly didn’t think they would last a full week. It’s a well made product, but I question whether it’s completely necessary.

Appletell Rating:

Buy the SA6 and Wireless W-1 bundle kit

Overall, the SA6v2s are an awesome set of earphones. They provide superb quality for your discerning ears, while being amazingly customizable. The detachable cord is something that headphone makers everywhere should take note of; a broken cord should not mean broken headphones. But even further than that, it’s nice to know you can upgrade to a new cord with iPhone features in the not too distant future. If you think money spent on high end audio is money well spent, then you need to take a look at Sleek Audio’s SA6v2s. You’ll be happy you did. Note that the rating that follows is dependent on your love of high end audio, because if spending $200+ on headphones is not an option for you, then these will seem absurd no matter how awesome they are.

And they are awesome.

Appletell Rating:

Buy Sleek Audio SA6s