Sleek Audio SA1 Earphones

(4.0 star rating) Written by: Justin Whitaker

Sleek Audio is a relatively new audio company that specializes in in-ear headphones, or IEMS. After a successful launch of their high-end SA6 earphones model, they have now released a budget-friendly model that we are looking at today – the SA1. The company aims to allow customers to “find your own audio footprint.” What the heck does that mean? Essentially, they have designed a tunable acoustics feature built into their earphones that lets you pick-and-choose your audio signature by swapping out inter-changeable parts. More details on that later.

Sleek Audio has packed a number of features into the SA1 that you normally don’t find on sub-$100 earphones. The first is the tunable acoustics “VQ” system mentioned above, the second is a Siam rosewood finish for the housings and the third is the seamless Kleer wireless integration (optional and not part of the package reviewed today). How does the first sub-$100 offering from Sleek Audio compare to the crowded market of earphones? Read on to find out.

Design

The SA1 is the "little brother" of the first universal IEMs that Sleek Audio offered, which were the SA6. With a $79.99 price tag they do offer a lot of nifty features at their price point. Let’s take a closer look at the main SA1 features:

“VQ” tuning: Two treble ports are included with the SA1 to allow you to customize the treble (and to a smaller extent, the bass) response of the earphones. Each port can be screwed/unscrewed from the nozzle without needing to use any tools.

Rosewood body: Using wood as the housing material is quite unusual for earphones, but a common material used to build loudspeakers. Wood has long been renowned for its natural sounding acoustic properties, although metal and plastic have been the predominant material used in earphones due to their low price and strong durability. The rosewood housings with aluminum caps on each end of the SA1 give it a classic, retro look that is quite a departure from the plain, plastic look found in most other earphones. The wood does make these ‘buds feel a bit weightier than other earphones we have tested.

Wireless ready: The cable of the SA1 is detachable, which makes it compatible with the optional Kleer Wireless Hybrid system. While this is a nice feature, the bulky size of the wireless unit was unappealing to me and so I chose not to include it in this review.

Aside from these features, the SA1 has a straight nozzle design which allows them to be worn either over-the-ear or under-the-ear. Five sets of silicone eartips are included in the package (S/M/L as well as double-flange and triple-flange), and a sturdy and nice looking hard-cover carrying case is also included. A short user guide is also included in the package. Notably missing from the design of the SA1 is an inline volume control, as well as microphone / phone controls to use with an iPhone or other mobile phone.

Specifications

• Driver Type: Ultra Wide Band Balanced Dynamic Driver with Custom Porting
• Standard Cable: 52 inches
• Impedance: 25 ohm

 

Overhead view

Silicon ear tips

Hard cover carrying case

In the Box

The SA1 earphones came in rosewood color and the package included the following:

• SA1 earphones
• Clear silicon (S/M/L sizes) tips and double-flange tips
• Carrying case
• User Guide

Sound Quality Performance Testing
The sound quality performance evaluation of the SA1 earphones was performed exclusively by listening to MP3s and FLAC music stored on my Sansa Fuze MP3 player. I listened to a number MP3s with bit rates of 128kbps and 320kbps, as well as lossless audio tracks in FLAC format. A wide selection of rock, jazz, alternative and hip-hop music was used in the evaluation.

Black treble tips

Initial listening sessions with the SA1 were performed using the black treble tips. According to the Sleek Audio website, the black treble tip is used to “amplify the bass and tone the treble down.” I purposefully did not look at the user guide, or the website, prior to my testing. I did not want to have any bias about which treble tip was supposed to increase bass or increase the treble.

My further listening sessions with the black treble tips revealed an incredibly balanced, albeit unexciting, sound signature. The low frequencies blended very well with the mids, and the mids blended very well with the highs. The vocals and other mid-frequencies were not forward sounding, but sounded slightly recessed compared to other earphones. Using the black treble tips produced a sound signature that was very similar to bookshelf-size studio monitor speakers. This is commendable, although not exactly a thrilling sound when compared to other earphone models I have tested.

Musical details were produced very clearly with the black treble tips and I did not miss any of the nuances from my favorite tracks. Instrument separation was impressive, as well, and the SA1 earphones did not miss a beat with any of the fast-paced music I listened to. High frequencies were clear, but were not particularly crisp and were not impressive. They sounded rather flat and did not have any sparkle that I had hoped to hear out of these rosewood finished earphones.

In addition, the low end of the spectrum was missing a good bit of bass. There was a bit of low-end texture and some solid sounding thump down to 200hz or so, but the sub-bass was practically non-existent. This was my largest complaint with the SA1s – the low bass simply fails to impress.

Silver treble tips

Replacing the black treble tips with the silver colored tips produced a more lively sound signature, with more pronounced high frequencies. There was a bit of the added sparkle that I had been missing, and the vocals also became more forward sounding. I preferred the silver colored tips with nearly all of the music that I listened to, with the only exception being that I preferred the black tips for a few of the slower classical songs I use for in my testing process.

Detail and instrument separation remained very impressive for a sub-$100 set of earphones. I found myself humming along to the music and becoming much more involved in the listening experience. I would not describe the SA1s as aggressive sounding - especially when compared to more mainstream consumer offerings such as the Skullcandy FMJs – but they have a much more balanced sound with slightly forward mids and highs. The mid-range was not as warm sounding as it was with the black treble tips, and not as warm as most other previously tested earphones.

Finally, the sub-bass impact with the silver tips was identical to the black tips. The majority of low-frequency information and was weak at best, and missing completely at worst, and I came away disappointed in this respect.

Overhead closeup

Nozzle with silver treble tip

Black treble tips

Comfort and Isoloation
The SA1 earphones were comfortable for the most part, with small nozzles that should fit well with just about anyone’s ear canals. The tips do need to be inserted deeply to achieve a tight seal, and this one small complaint I have regarding comfort. Deep insertion is needed to achieve optimal sound using the double-flange tips as well as the normal oval shaped tips. This deep insertion is fine for the most part, but gets uncomfortable for long listening sessions of 1+ hours.

The straight nozzle design makes these IEMs equally suited for wearing over-the-ear or under-the-ear. They do not sit quite as securely as angled-nozzle design earphones, and this is the only other small complaint I have in the ergonomics department.

Isolation was good, but not great, with the SA1s. Using either the standard ear tips or the double-flange ear tips blocks out a good portion of outside noise. In any noisy environment, however, you will need to up the volume level in order to drown out the noise that creeps in and disrupts your music listening.

Cable / Cord Noise
The 52-inch cable is quite average in terms of cable noise. Using it outside of your shirt requires wrapping it around your MP3 player, or some other method of securing the cable, in order to remove cable noise. Keeping it lose and moving around results in a noticeable amount of noise. A slider along the cable allows you to loosen or tighten the amount of slack, which also helps to minimize cord noise.

Sleek Audio SA1 Earphones

You’ve all heard the saying - “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” - and this summarizes the Sleek Audio SA1’s to a tee. The rosewood finish has a timeless look to it, which will appeal to some and will look old fashioned and outdated to others. From a sound quality perspective, I cannot say with certainty that the rosewood housings offer any sonic improvement over the traditional plastic/metal housings used in other earphones. Each individual will have to decide that for themselves after hearing the SA1’s in person.

What is not up for debate is the added level of sound customization provided by the two sets of treble tips. The VQ treble tip system allows you to change the sound to the way you like it for each particular music genre. The process of changing out the tips can be done in 1-2 minutes, making it a reasonable alternative for customizing the earphones to your personal music taste. In this respect, Sleek Audio has indeed succeeded in building a set of sub-$100 earphones that allow you to “find your own audio footprint”. For anyone who is looking for a balanced sounding set of earphones that can be customized, and they do not need an abundant amount of bass, I can indeed recommend this set of IEMs.

Pros: Striking rosewood finish; well balanced sound signature; detachable cable can be adapted for wireless use; sound can be customized with 2 sets of treble tips; a lot of value at $80 price tag.

Cons: Weak bass; so-so comfort, ergonomics and microphonics.

 

Rating: 4.0 out of 5