Ferrari by Logic3 G150i Earphones Review

Music lovers who like the Ferrari brand but don't want to be overly conspicuous about it will appreciate the Ferrari by Logic3 G150i earphones. These leather-wrapped buds deliver detailed audio in a stylish package. But, like the car itself, the G150is come at a premium: are they worth their $189 sticker price?

Design

Click to EnlargeLike the larger Cavallino T350 headphones, the G150i earphones exude style. The buds themselves have the iconic Ferrari logo in chrome set against a black background, with a roughly triangular aluminum rim around the outer edge. Each earbud is wrapped in leather; you can choose either white or black.

Overall, we love the design of the earphones, but the outer aluminum rim dug into our ear, which proved somewhat uncomfortable, especially when removing the G150is from our ears. One colleague also experienced the same discomfort, but another did not.

On the cord leading to the right earbud are controls for volume and to start/stop and advance tracks. The controls worked well, but we wish they were encased in metal, like those on the T350s.

The earphones' cloth-wrapped cable never tangled, and it felt sturdy. At about 50 inches long, we could connect them to our iPhone in our pocket and still have a little slack, but we'd prefer if they were about 5 inches longer.

Performance

Click to EnlargeThe G150is are powered by 10mm drivers with Thin Film Acoustic Technology (TFAT), which, according to Logic3, creates deeper bass and a wider frequency range with high fidelity. In general, the G150is delivered detailed audio, but we found that the earphones pumped up bass at the expense of higher tones.

For example, on Michael Jackson's "Beat It," the King of Pop's voice sounded distant and echoey, and Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo was also buried behind an overly loud bass beat. Likewise, on Mumford & Sons' "I Will Wait," the banjo-strumming wasn't as present as on other earphones, such as the Jabra Vox, and the bass was so muddy that it was almost as if we were listening to a car stereo parked on the street outside.

On hip-hop tracks that emphasize bass, however, this effect was minimized. On Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind," for example, the lower tones rang through powerfully, but still felt slightly muddy.

Verdict

While they have a premium design, we weren't as impressed with the fit or performance of the Ferrari by Logic3 G150i earphones. The outer edge of the $189 earbuds dug into our ear, and bass, while powerful, was muddy on tracks and genres that didn't emphasize lower tones. For $89 less, the Jabra Vox, while not as stylish, deliver more balanced audio. But if you like the Ferrari brand with an extra helping of bass, the G150i earphones are worth a test drive.

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