Package

The AS-Feeling earbuds ship in a cardboard box. What surprised me a bit was how well they are packed. The cardboard box is filled with foam that should cushion any blow to the exterior of the box, keeping the earbuds out of harm's way.


Inside the box you find a carrying case along with a spare set of foam covers. One of the foam cover sets are of the "donut" type which means that their center has been cut out. This has a tendency to give earbuds a slightly clearer sound along with a slightly more powerful bass.

Closer Examination

The earbuds look quite bland, but the build quality is anything but that. The earbud casings are well put together and the PU coated cable seems very durable.


The jack reminds me of what is featured on current generation Yuin earbuds. The straight plug should be compatible with all media players on the market today, and it is even usable along with an iPod or iPhone in a thick case.


Design wise these earbuds are very close to both Sony and Yuin earbuds I have had over the past few years. This design means that they fit quite well in most ears. The shape of the earbuds is hook like and means that the earbuds stay in place most of the time.


The foam covers are of a really high quality. This is paramount both in terms of sound quality and comfort. The covers are thicker than average which also means they are easier to pull on and off without tearing them apart.


Unlike most in-ears, earbuds can create a sound stage somewhat like what you would expect from normal sized headphones. Earbuds provide no isolation what-so-ever and that can be both a pro and a con. If you are using them in a quiet office environment it is great that you can hear people approaching, plus they are easier to remove and insert than a set of in-ears.


Sound tuning has been all the rage ever since Sleek-Audio introduced their VQ system. The system used by Sunrise predates that by a couple of years. Donut pads have a tendency to increase both treble and bass giving the earbuds a more V-shape frequency response. This type of tuning has been used with all the high end earbuds and by some supra-aural headphones.

Performance

The earbuds were burned in for well over 150 hours before we began critical listening. To test these efficient earbuds we used the following setups: iPhone 4 headphone out, HifiMAN HM-801 headphone out (std. amplifier card), and the tried and tested Cowon D2.

One of the first things that strike you when listening to the AS-Feeling earbuds is their slightly warm sound signature. The AS-Feeling earbuds are best described as midcentric and fun due to the obvious coloration of the midrange. Compared to the JVC earbuds these are less sterile to listen to and convey details throughout the range way better.
In terms of sound quality these earbuds are right up there with the now elderly Yuin PK2s, but with a more fun sound signature. Yuin earbuds are great but these are just more musical and slightly more forgiving when being driven from a less than ideal source. And when it comes to price the AS-Feeling are almost half price of the Yuin PK2s!

The bass is quite good. Well defined and with decent extension for a set of earbuds. If you like loads of bass these earbuds are probably not for you, but if you can live with a normal amount of bass the AS-Feeling are great. Treble wise the AS-Feeling are not so great, they lack both extension and control, but that is to be expected of a budget set of earbuds.

What is really neat about the AS-Feelings is that they provide a sound quality that is way above that of the Sennheiser MX500s or it differently tuned and styled sisters the iPhone and iPod earbuds. Earbuds represent an interesting compromise between supra-aural headphones and in-ears. Unlike the supra-aural headphones your ears do not heat up while using earbuds which is a major plus comfort wise.

Overall the AS-Feeling do a fantastic job and sound really good especially price considered. Right now the earbuds are available for only $40 which makes them a brilliant deal.