While wandering the show floor at CES 2013, we bumped into Munitio, a company best known for its 9 mm earphones. Munito was showing off its new SV headphones which we've been trying out over the last few weeks to find out what they bring to the table in terms of design and sound quality.
The first thing you will notice about the Munitio SV headphones is that the bullet design that made the 9 mm stand out from the crowd is gone. Instead, these feature a more traditional style, which should suit the taste of a wider range of users. Where the bullet theme does still linger is in the naming of the three interchangeable earpieces called "Silicone Hollow Points." These three pieces allow users to get the right fit on the earbuds, and in my experience, switching to the right ones makes a huge difference with this particular model.
When looking at a pair of headphones, sound quality is obviously a major deciding factor – and the Munitio SVs deliver. My first test was to throw on some dubstep to see how they handle the intense bass, and while the SVs were not the hardest hitting headphones I've used, the earbuds never distorted even during the hardest of drops.
As far hitting the highs go, the SVs are stellar. I switched over to some metal to see how the headphones handled some powerful screaming, and they never faltered. The same was true for cranking spoken word in podcast form.
On the return trip from CES I ran the earphones through the airplane test, which is always the best way to see how good the phones are at blocking outside noise. The SVs did well given the absence of any active noise-cancellation technology, but a substantial amount of engine noise did find its way through to my ears. While these were not the best headphones I have ever used on a plane, they were far from the worst.
The headphones are made from lightweight ABS and anodized aircraft-grade aluminum and come with the standard three buttons on the cords for controlling volume and pausing music. They also have a microphone, which worked quite well for call clarity. I have terrible cellular service in my home, and people I called said they noticed a discernible improvement in my voice while using the headphones with the microphone.
Speaking of the cord, it's one of the standout features of the Munitio SVs. It is completely flat, which makes it incredibly difficult to tangle. Even when rolled-up and shoved in the included carrying case, the earphones come out untangled. The 90-degree plug which keeps the cord from sticking out too far is also a nice touch.
Overall, the Munitio SVs are a solid pair of headphones. The sound quality is well above average, and while not the best I've ever used, they exceeded my expectations for mid-range set of headphones. The SVs have just gone on sale for US$129.
Product page: Munito SV headphones
