Arctic Cooling / Sound

ARCTIC COOLING is a privately owned company founded in 2001 with headquarters in Switzerland, offices in Hong Kong and the USA and production facilities in Asia. The ARCTIC COOLING team consists of international highly educated people with business, technical and communicational skills. The attitude to work is based on Swiss principles of innovative spirit and high standards of workmanship for which it is recognized internationally.

This striving for excellence is integrated in all processes as a matter of course. ARCTIC COOLING´s core competencies are multifarious including systematic noise reduction, copper and aluminium heatsink development, customization of thermal solutions, as well as designing quiet fans. More recently quiet and cool PC Cases and Power Supplies have been developed.

Now they hit the audio market with the E361 in-ear headphone

AC or AS ?

Arctic Cooling or Arctic Sound, that's the question. Or can be the latest one be as great as the first part. Bringing out new products on the market can be a burden in these times. However it can be a blessing too.

So let’s see what mister postman delivered.

One plastic/carton blister, containing:

The E361-WM

an adaptor cable for this model with microphone



One carrying case (without the IPhone)



And three silicone pads in several sizes to fit all



And an user manual.

Sound of Quality - Specifications by AC

Its unique aluminium chassis and large drivers deliver deep bass and precise highs right into your ear canals. The ultra-soft silicone caps in multiple sizes block most outside noise, giving you comfort fit and undisturbed audio experience.

Main features:

Large driver coil leads to ultimate bass performance

The precisely milled aluminium chassis transmits a perfect balance of high and low frequencies

3 sets of silicone caps (S, M, L) minimize ambient noise and enrich bass response

Ultra-soft material fits gently in your ears providing hours of wearing comfort

Gold-plated stereo plug for uncompromised signal transmission

This outstanding earphone delivers high sound quality in every aspect. Deep and powerful bass is one of key features of the E300 series. Each model is equipped with large driver coils (Ø10mm / 9mm) which reproduce dynamic and super deep bass without any distortions.

Quality of the chassis is also critical for authentic sound quality. The E361 aluminium chassis is precisely engineered and sealed for top class sound isolation. It guarantees full and accurate sound transmission into your ear canal without internal sound leakage.

Comfort fit, sound isolation and enhanced bass by soft silicone caps

To achieve top-notch listening experience, E361 is packaged with 3 sets of ultra-soft silicone caps in small, medium and large sizes. Wearing comfort can be personalized by choosing the most suitable cap size that fits best for your ears, so that they stay comfortable even after prolonged use.

The “seal” in the ears blocks ambient noise efficiently so that you hear only the sound from the earphones and nothing more. Even when you are on a plane, with the ARCTIC SOUND earphones, you will hear your favorite music instead of the ambient noise. Such high-level sound isolation also enhances bass response and improves the overall sound quality.

Protect your valuable earphones with the ARCTIC In-Ear Case

E361 earphone comes with an ARCTIC In-Ear Case. This compact carrying case is perfect for storing and protecting the earphones.



Multi-functional and multi-compatible earphones

The E361 also features a microphone version. This delicate microphone is ideal for phone calls and online communications such as Skype and MSN voice call.

A 3.5mm TRRS plug is equipped for transferring both microphone and earphone signals, which is ideal for mobile phones. For devices such as PCs, which support only the standard 3.5 stereo plug, it is necessary to use the adapter provided to use both the earphones as well as the microphone


ARCTIC SOUND classifications

Sound different. Feel different. Each ARCTIC SOUND product is precisely engineered by Swiss and German audio experts. There are 3 product categories in this series: (1) Earphones (2) Headphones / Headsets (3) Speakers. Multiple categories are available in each class, offering diversified music and audio experience according to your personal preferences.

Microphone and colour options are also available for selected ARCTIC SOUND models. There will be a simple code after the numbering system as indication.

ARCTIC SOUND E-Series

Classification (Earphones)

Gaming ---
High-End E300
Mid-Range E200
Standard E100

A complete ARCTIC SOUND model name will be similar to this:

Specifications

Frequency response 18 Hz -26k Hz
Impedance 32 Ohm
Sensiticity 105 dB/mW
Output power 15 mW
Cable 1.3 m with 3.5mm stereo plug
Weight 5g
Warranty 2 year

Other audio products will follow later this year, like headphones and speakers systems

Bring on the music now ->

Testing gear

Mainly we will use the iPhone for this test.



There will be a Pioneer receiver VSX-AX2AS to see how SACD's wil sound



And lastly we will use a Laptop from Acer to test the microphone on Skype, MSN and other voice related messengers.

Music will be from various artists and from various genres, Rock till Classic. Comparing with the standard Iphone ear phone and a normal mid range Philips headphone.



There is only one way to use these in your ears, that’s called the on stage way.

How we tested: Time to plug it in baby

Testing sound quality is a very subjective test domain, I will try to give my honest opinion. As in-ear phones mostly are used by MP3 users who probably download songs from i-net, I will use the normal versions and the full cd or SACD versions.

The playlist:

Eagles Hotel California


Muse Undisclosed Desires
(For those who don't know this song)



Prodigy Spitfire
(For those who don't know this song)



Depeche Mode Home
(For those who don't know this song)

Conclusive Thoughts

For a new comer in this sound scene, I had high hopes. My first sound test inside my house was pretty good. Missing some on the highs, bass is good. Really liked the way you can pause and move through your MP3 files, but missing volume control.

My second test outside was really a “party pooper”. Most people come outside of their house, and you most likely use these headphones outdoors, well… unfortunately I could hear wind coming in, as these ear plugs have small holes. Also the silicone covers, to fit every ear, couldn't get my ears fit perfectly. I use my iPhone also on my motorcycle, but with my helmet I couldn't use these and had to use my original iPhone ear plugs or my Blue-Tooth Helmet.

Based on the website intended for use on smart phones, MP3 , etc we can only say:

these headphones are only good for use indoors.

We contacted AC regarding the sound quality issues we had when using the E361-WM outdoors, they told us there will be a revision 2 which addresses this issue. So for the time being we can’t really make a final verdict.

When we take pricing into account (€35/$52) it’s clear this product has to live up to a higher quality standard, making them use-able in- and outdoors!

We hope Arctic cooling can improve this product.