Atomic Floyd SuperDarts + remote review

Now this is more like it. The SuperDarts comes with super charged bass that lets the MiniDarts design shine. Now the power is comparable to that found in Beats by Dr Dre earphones, B&W C5 and Apple in-ear headphones. Cranking up some old school goa trance from Astral Projection really blows my mind, and takes me back to the parties of my youth. Likewise the power of the bass is balanced, and rough bass found in the grunge era isn’t destroyed or muddied by bass. The sound engineers at Atomic Floyd has truly hit a home run when it comes to finding a proper balance in the sound that transcends music genres, and production techniques.

The design of the SuperDarts is the same as the MiniDarts. The cord enters the housing from the back, and it all feels like sticking a small dart into the ear. I had some concerns with the smaller MiniDarts when it comes to staying in the ear. The larger SuperDarts fare much better, and once inside with a properly fitting ear bud they stay in quite well. Of course a tug of the cord will dislodge them, and as there are no part of the housing helping to keep the grip they are a bit easier to dislodge than most standard earphones.

Back to the actual design of the SuperDarts I must say that these are probably the best looking earphones out there. They have a timeless design with inspiration from steampunk war machines, expensive jewellery and a great brand awareness. The Atomic Floyd brand name is seen in red on both housings, and in small print around the housing it says MINIDARTS SUPERCHARGED. I would rather not call these more powerful versions of the MiniDarts, but rather the product that should have been released instead of the MiniDarts.

The cord is still a bit too long, and even though it is made with a layer of fabric it feels unwieldy. On the other hand it becomes more versatile with a longer cord allowing it to be used with a computer with more ease. Everything is made with such elegance, and the attention to detail is spot on. The straight gold plated connector is great at reducing any kind of disturbance.

Atomic Floyd manages once more to create an outstanding product. With great powerful sound, complete noise isolation, a design to cherish and an overall attention to detail that is not seen elsewhere there are many strong points to the SuperDarts. The fact that the fit, and staying in ear power is not on par with ordinary in-earphones is still a problem. The price is also on the high side when competing with the B&W C5. Still the SuperDarts manages to create a personal bond with me, much in the same way Apple does with a lot of their products. It feels like me, and yes I am super charged.

Final Rating

great

Atomic Floyd SuperDarts at AtomicFloyd.com £199

Atomic Floyd SuperDarts at the UK AppleStore £199.95

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DeInit

I have a problem with noise isolation, or rather two: one, I think it’s dangerous for the use I have for earphones, which is walking around. Two, I can’t get a proper fit with these buds, or almost can’t. I have perhaps one Sony set that works when I stand still, haven’t tried walking with it.
Everything else, it falls off my ears all the time, or moves so that the rubber buds become deformed and so does the sound.

Also, guys, have you considered reviewing stereo bluetooth sets with microphone and call+media controls? I’ve had three so far, and I find there’s a woeful lack of them and information on them, especially when paired to an iOS device.
So far, I’ve tried the Plantronics 903+ (ugly controls, fragile, has those weird canals that do not get inside the ear and so the sound comes and goes depending on the set moving for whatever reason), the Philips SHB6017/10 (same as American SHB6000/28) which is ironically a sports-themed headset that won’t stay in your ears and will sound squeaky because it won’t achieve sealing, but has better controls than the Plantronics, and finally the iSkin Cerulean F1, which sounds better, controls better, stays better put, but has an incredibly stupid, backwards software that disconnects the media part upon returning to it from a call, or just randomly, and has a proprietary charging connector.

So, in conclusion, I’d like to suggest you perhaps look into other options, and offer your valued opinion. Just my two cents.

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