Here’s why they work great as back-up or temporary earbuds but you probably can’t rely on them as earbud dailies.
As someone who listens to podcasts every day and can’t live without my earbuds, but is also cheap, unwilling to spend money on earphones that cost more than $15, Walmart’s Groove Onn Earphones with Mic for $4.25 was a no-brainer purchase.
But, as someone familiar with cheap headphones, who, at one point bought (4) dollar store ear buds week after week, in succession as they broke, I know these Groove Onn-brand earbuds are cheap for a reason, probably are not going to last, but are worth a try anyway.
So, are they any good?
For the price and what they are, yes, and here’s why.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, here’s what comes in the package. You get a pair of slightly larger and smaller sets of replacement ear bud tips. The in-between size is already on your pair of earphones.
The cord length measures 52 inches or 4 feet four inches, long enough but not too long where it becomes a burden. In other words, they’re average earphone cord length.
Sound quality
The sound quality on these Groove Onn earphones is one step above dollar store headphones, but not comparable to cheap Skull Candy earbuds.
They aren’t super tinny sounding, but there’s little to no bass.
If you’re going to use these headphones for ZOOM calls, with the included mic, these will do just fine.
These will also work OK for podcast listening.
Sure, you can listen to music through these earbuds, but these probably aren’t the best earphones for any kind of music listening.
Comfort
Since these Groove Onn earbuds are so light, you hardly notice the weight of the cord once you pop the earbuds in your ears.
The tips fit snugly into your ears and, during the hour-long zoom call I used them on, were quite comfortable.
Mic quality
I’m not a mic quality expert but, for my zoom call, the mic quality was good enough.
Everyone in my ZOOM meeting was able to hear what I said.
Durability
I’ve only used these earbuds three times since I bought them a month ago, and they’re not broken.
Here’s the thing, these are cheap for a reason. The weak spot on these, like so many other cheap earbuds, is probably the weld quality where the earbud cord meets the ear bud.
If you plan to use them for any other activity but sitting, like listening to music while you garden, listening to music walking on your way to the bus stop, or as earbuds for cycling, they’ll eventually break.
What will eventually happen is one of the earbuds will stop working and, unless you plan to continue to use them since one side still works, you’ll toss them.
How long that takes, I don’t know. If I were to guess, with regular, non-sitting use, they’ll last up to a month (and that’s being generous.)
I, however, would not be surprised if these Groove Onn. earbuds last less than a week.
As mentioned, these are great earbuds for when you’re sitting in front of the computer, for Zoom calls, in your carry-on bag for in-flight listening, and the like, listening activities where you’re not moving a lot.
If you treat them gently, plug them in and out of the mic jack without yanking it, and wrap the cord properly, I can see these Groove Onn Earphones with Mic lasting for a very long time.
That’s why these are great as a back-up pair.
Speaking of wrapping, this is the technique I use, it’s for mic cords but the principle and benefits remain the same and ensures you won’t get a tangled earbud cord.
But, if you need a pair of headphones for daily use around the house, on your commute, and for on the job where you’re moving a lot, these Walmart quality earbuds will eventually break and are a waste of money.
Conclusion
The Groove Onn earphones with mic have acceptable sound quality, are comfortable, but will probably not last for more than a week if you are active with your listening activities.
These earbuds are great as back-up headphones, if you do most of your listening in front of a computer or for any other listening where you’re not moving around a lot.
They are so cheap that buying two for $8.50 is no big deal.
And I guess that’s also a benefit, when they do eventually break, they were cheap enough that you’ll be glad they lasted as long as they did.
At $4.25, it’s worth buying these at least once in your frugal lifetime.