Turtle Beach is making the official Modern Warfare 3 gamer headsets, but Munitio has the license when it comes to earbud headphones — and oh, what earbuds they are. I got a pair of Call of Duty MW3 Special Edition 9mm Earphones to try out last week, and they didn’t know what they were in for. But neither did I.
Are these the earbuds that will make me a convert?
I am not strictly an audiophile, but I definitely know enough to be dangerous. My degree is in audio production, so I sweat things like sample rate and frequency response and all that crap. When it comes to equipment, I don’t believe that a higher price automatically means superior gear, but I have learned that I would rather pay more to invest in a quality bit of kit than suffer through constantly replacing or simply not enjoying the experience something that costs far less.
To date, my favorite pair of earbuds has been no earbuds at all. There’s always something I don’t like: They sound tinny, or they don’t fit correctly, or they look stupid, or they hurt to wear for long periods of time. I’ve had some pricey ones, but went back to over-ear studio headphones. It’s bulky, but I get exactly what I want out of the experience.
Well…this time I could not find anything I did not like. I was instantly taken by the strong but clear bass response. Paul McCartney’s jaunty bassline danced around “Octopus’s Garden” while Nate Mendel’s lines on the latest Foo Fighters record simply crushed. These earphones were clearly designed to let you know the bass was in attendance and would be counted on every track. Thankfully, that bass did not overpower the more delicate tracks; I busted out some Virgil Fox and got the full richness of Bach. [Update: Listening a bit more to different artists, the bass is juuuust on the line of overpowered depending on your source material -- the kick drum on Jonathan Coulton's "Blue Sunny Day" almost took over the jaunty piano and haunty harmonies -- but if you like hip-hop and strong low beats, the Billets will deliver. As they say, your mileage may vary.]
These earphones also feature an in-line mic, so I tried it out with my iPhone. The folks I called said I was easy to hear (thanks Kat!) and the single button handled answering and disconnecting the calls. On an iPod Nano, that button defaulted to a pause toggle.
The COD and MW3 logos appear on the cable, and they don't overwhelm.
For comfort, again, no complaints. The earbuds come with interchangeable “Silicone Hollowpoints” inserts, giving you three options for a snug fit. And unlike my previous silicone earbuds, I was able to wear these for several hours without fatigue or discomfort.
That leads to the visuals, which I almost don’t need to discuss. They’re machined from aluminum and designed to look like 9mm bullets, sporting a black and green finish to complement the MW3 colors. Bullets. In your ears. Hell yeah. But instead of that being a gimmick to mask an inferior design, it’s more like the cherry on top of an audio sundae. They sound great and they look great. Beyond the Call of Duty and MW3 logos at the cable split, there’s nothing else adorning the design — they’re not garish, even though you will probably wind up calling people over to say “Look at the bullets in my ears!”
They say "Munitio 9mm" on the edge. The tips are replaceable.
My set was final production but not final packaging; the retail edition will include earhooks and a carrying case.
Best buds? Yeah, for me. After years of resisting the design, I’m glad to finally say I have something that sounds great, feels great, and looks badass. The Munitio MW3 Billets get my approval.
