Accutone Gemini In-Ear Headset - Retail Packaging - Black/Gold

At least, if you listen to primarily electronic music. If you enjoy a no-nonsense experience, then like me, you will get a long well with the marketing team up at Accutone. They don’t sugar coat it; The Gemini is never presented as a giant killer, and is never claimed to have crystal clear highs and booming lows. It is toted as having “powerful sound” and “Amazing Bass”. While I think “amazing” is an exaggeration, I find that bass response is good enough to make me want to write a whole review on it. Anyways, let’s get into it.Sound SignatureHighs were a little disappointing. It’s not that they aren’t clear, it’s that they seem to be pretty recessed. At times, certain vocals can sound as though they are behind a cloth. This wasn’t a deal breaker for me, as most of my music remained fun to listen to.While listening to Explosions, by Ellie Goulding, I was surprised by how well the vocals were able to stay in control of the song. Even the violin in the back of the song remained clear and separate. I am genuinely impressed with the amount of instrumental separation there is in these earphones given their haughty bass response. Even more surprising is that they can often be found on sale from various vendors for as little as $50.45 by Shinedown had similarly good results. The guitars were well separated from the rest of the song. However, the vocals and drums seemed to take a back-seat to the well-defined bass line.Mids are present, but not too focused. They can perform well at times, but are easily overwhelmed in complex or busy songs.Lows are very good, and detailed. Even when compared to earphones like the Thinksound Rain2, which has a warm sound signature and double the price, the Gemini is a good performer. The entire Tron: Legacy sound track was fun to listen to, and was able to take on a more sonorous and epic feeling.Bass is the main focus of the Gemini, and is very good. With impressive extensions into the lower-bass, the Gemini continually provides powerful and tight sound.If you listen to electronic music, you will be continually pleased by the booming audio reproduction it yields. Derezzed by Daft Punk, 101 South by Two Fingers, Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex, and Lights (Bassnectar Remix) by Ellie Goulding, all had wonderful overall reproduction and were a lot of fun to listen to, which is not something any old pair of earphones can accomplish.Sound Isolation is very good on the Gemini. In fact, it’s among the best I’ve tested so far. Even when playing music at a low volume, background noise is completely blocked out. The noise from my loud mechanical keyboard is negated, which is a very important factor for me when deciding on which headphones to use.Sound Staging was surprisingly good. There was separation between layers of the music, with the stage being both wide and respectably deep for a pair of in-ears. Left/right separation is on par with other earphones within this price-bracket.Sound Type: Bass-heavyComfortThe Accutone Gemini is supremely comfortable. Made from plastic, with a thin band of colored aluminum, the build is among the lightest I’ve tested. Combined with the included Comply eartips, the experience is very pleasant. Even during extended listening sessions, such as those longer than two hours, the Gemini did not fatigue or irritate my ears. Unfortunately, laying down on my side while using the Gemini was not as comfortable as I would have liked. It’s not as bad as some other earphones I’ve tested, but is still not something I would use while trying to go to sleep.PortabilityAccutone chose to sacrifice the overall portability of the Gemini in order to beef up the construction quality and add in useful features. There is a 1/5 inch protrusion out of the bottom of the driver-housing that loves to get caught when being pushed into a pocket. There is also a twistable cylinder on the cable that adjusts the volume which is rather large, and makes it a little difficult to coil the Gemini too tightly. I find that anyone wearing cargo shorts or regular pants will be completely fine when putting these headphones in their pockets, however, tight pant-wearers are going to have a little more difficult a time.DurabilityThe Gemini appears to be durable, owing mostly to its solid plastic design. However, I question the Gemini’s designers’ choice of a cable stress-relief mechanism for the driver housing. It appears to not cancel out or mitigate the point of stress on the cable, just move it further away from the driver itself. This may be a concern in the long run, but shouldn’t impact casual listeners.The inline controls appear to be solid and connected well to the cable. The pause-button could be a little more tactile, but there is only so much one can expect from a pair of $50 headphones.Inline Controls & MicThe inline-controls and mic are compatible with both Android and IOS, ensuring that you won’t be left out in the cold when you need to pause your music, regardless of the kind of phone you have. There is also an innovative, if not appropriately sized, twistable volume cylinder unique to Accutone products. I find that is slightly too large for my tastes, but functions well enough. Something I couldn’t quite understand is why, even when turned all the way down, the volume cylinder did not silence my music, just make it very quiet. Since there is a pause button, this isn’t a big issue, but still worth mentioning, as it can cause some confusion initially.AccessoriesAccutone stocked the Gemini’s packaging well with accessories. Included in the box you will find 3 sizes of standard earbuds, an alternative pair of Comply eartips, a leather carrying pouch, a cable-winder, and some informational leaflets. I give Accutone a big thumbs-up for their inclusion of Comply eartips, as it greatly enhances the comfort and sound isolation of the Gemini.ConclusionThe Gemini is a very compelling pair of earphones for any bass head. It offers strong lows, excellent bass reproduction, superb sound isolation, and lots of comfort. It’s simply fun to listen to. The discounted price-point sweetens the deal, and makes the Gemini a pretty good value.However, if you are looking for a more balanced and flat sound signature, you may need to look elsewhere, as the Gemini is anything but.