Nokia’s Lumia designs so far have been very clean and modern, which set them apart from the ocean of black and white slates out there. Minimalistic styling has definitely gained popularity and is very ‘in’ right now, so it’d make sense that manufacturers are hustling to pump out products that follow that design. Coloud headphones have pretty much been the epitome of minimalistic design, so it’s no surprise that Nokia chose to partner with the Swedish company to create a beautifully crafted pair of headphones, which is what we have here, with the Coloud Boom headphones for Nokia.
Whilst I’m not a huge fan of the model name at all, the Boom has definitely turned out to be an interesting pair of headphones. Check out if it earns the ‘Boom’ name, in the review below.
The Unboxing:-
The Coloud Boom headphones come in a very uniquely shaped triangular box. It’s pretty light on contents, but its a pair of headphones after all, so you cant expect much, heh.
There’s a Coloud logo sticker and some literature, but that’s about it.
More details over in our Coloud Boom Unboxing.
The Design:-
When you pick up the Coloud Boom headphones from the box, one of the first things that you’ll notice, is how lightweight they are.
Admittedly it does feel slightly on the cheaper side because of all the plastic material used for the overall construction, but there’s a nice soft, smooth finish which means it can be very easily cleaned with just wiping it down.
As you can see, we got the cyan blue version, but you also get the Coloud Boom for Nokia headphones in Red, Yellow, Black and White. They all compliment Nokia’s Lumia line of devices very well.
In terms of design, things are really kept very simple. The Boom only has the essentials, with a headband and ear cups, and a tangle-free cable attached, which includes an in-line remote with a microphone built-in. There’s no obvious branding anywhere and even though you’ll notice the tiny inconspicuous Coloud logo on one side, you’ll see no Nokia branding at all on these, except for when you notice that one side of the remote has the Nokia logo, very inconspicuously.
The inline remote only has one center button, with which you can use to play/pause, skip songs, or answer and make calls. There’s no volume controls unfortunately but the built-in microphone does a pretty okay job.
The cable also has a tiny cable management system called the “Zound Lasso” but we’ll talk about that later on.
As nice as the simplicity of the Boom headphones looks like in images, there are some mild annoyances with the design in the real world. For one thing, the headband has sharp edges that can make carrying them a pain. It’s not a problem when you’re wearing them, though I wish there was more padding on the headband so that you couldn’t feel the not-so-awesome quality.
Thankfully, it’s lightweight enough so that it’s not a big issue, and they remained snugly on my head at all times. And as you can probably guess, they slide to adjust for bigger or smaller head sizes.
Moving on, the ear cups are pretty okay. I could have liked them to have been bigger perhaps, since it might be uncomfortable for folks with larger ears over extended listening sessions. They sat well enough on my, very averagely sized ears though. And there is enough cushioning as well.
Coming to the whole Zound Lasso deal, the unique cable management system means that you can wrap the tangle-free cable around using the flexible rubber end where the headphone jack is, securing your cable through a loop. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen/used this and while it doesn’t really look as clean as in promo pics, it does work. I’m surprised no other headphone company has thought of something similar, heh. As a result, they’re very easy to store in your backpack or purse, etc.
The Sound Quality:-
With a name like ‘Boom’ you have certain expectations out of this one. So how does it sound?
When you crank up the audio, the sound quality is definitely there. There’s very little distortion and things can get quite loud.
But that being said, the overall sound quality can be a little muddy with not much distinction between highs and mids. The bass isn’t as hearty as I’d have liked either. But considering the price tag, you cant really expect studio quality performance out of this one. Infact, for the price, it’s actually not too bad at all, and much better than the in-box earphones you get with the average phone.
The Conclusion:-
The Coloud Boom headphones have pros and cons. It might not be great for audiophiles or fans of intense bass, but they’re definitely going to sound better than most in-box phone headsets.
At the end of the day, they’re a very affordable pair of lightweight headphones with simple, minimalistic styling, that more than gets the job done and is solid value for money. If that’s what you’re looking for, these are the headphones for you.
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