Senta-40 Wood Headphones by C. Crane

By looks alone, the Senta-40 Wood Headphones by C. Crane seem like a steal at $59.95 (direct), with real wood used for the housings on each ear. It's easy to then expect that the headphones can't possibly sound very good?inexpensive headphones designed with nice materials don't often leave much budget for actual audio performance. But while the Senta-40's no masterpiece?nothing in this low price range is?it does deliver far better audio than one would expect from a $60 pair of headphones. The reps at C. Crane boast that the Senta-40 sounds as good as some $100-200 headphones; the top end of that claim may be pushing it, but they definitely can stand up against some $100 models on the market. In short, the good-looking Senta-40 is a bargain, and I do believe they could sell for (a little bit) more.?

Design
Impressively, the earcups feature unique cuts of real wood. They look cool, and the headband is made of a ruggedized rubber that can be twisted and then snap back into place, much like the headband for the SOL Republic Tracks ($99.99, 4 stars). The overall black and dark brown wood-design is very regal.

It seems C. Crane didn't cut design corners from a visual standpoint or a functional standpoint. The cable is removable, for instance, which increases the value of the headphones because the cable can be easily replaced, rather than the whole headphone pair. The design isn't without some flaws, however?most notably, the supra-aural (on ear) earpads tend to get uncomfortable over long listening periods. The pressure on the ear can be pesky, and they also heat up pretty easily. None of this is a surprise for this price range. It's only incongruous with the generally high quality experience that the Senta-40 offers.

The Senta-40 comes with the aforementioned cable, which has an outer layer of black, tangle-resistant fabric, and an unexciting but useful zip-up carrying case, but no adapter for larger headphone jacks or airplane jacks.

Performance
It's really hard to make a good pair of headphones or earphones for under $50, and you are rarely going to seriously improve upon the anemic audio of cheap earbuds until you get out of the $50 range. It's still pretty rare to find a $60 pair with such a solid sound.

Make no mistake, the Senta-40 does distort at maximum volume, as just about anything in this price range will. But it does so only slightly, only at maximum volume (which is usually uncomfortable to listen to for more than a very short period of time), and only on songs with tremendously deep bass, like The Knife's "Silent Shout." Back the volume off just a hair, and the Senta-40 provides strong audio performance, with articulate, full bass and mids and highs that are clear and only occasionally too bright. Generally speaking, they offer comparable performance to some pairs that cost more like $100, like the aforementioned SOL Republic Tracks.

Classical music, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," sounds a bit more robust and deeper than it would on a flat-response pair. Here, the low register stringed instruments and percussion have palpable depth, while the high-pitched wooden percussion can sound a bit harsh at higher volumes. No one would ever accuse the Senta-40 of sounding muddy, however. Overall, it articulates the lows, mids, and highs quite clearly?and at $60, that is quite a feat.

The Grado SR60 ($79, 4 stars) is a fantastic headphone pair, and really one of the only others that is this inexpensive and sounds so good?it's less exaggerated response will appeal more to audiophiles than the Senta-40. In the in-canal earphone realm, AKG's K 350 ($79.95, 4 stars), an Editors' Choice, also outperforms for its price range, and even comes with iPhone controls?something the Grado and the Senta-40 both lack. The SOL Republic Tracks offers quality audio (with some serious bass boost) at what is also considered a good price?but still $40 more than the Senta-40. Does the Senta-40 sound as rich and rewarding as the Bowers & Wilkins P3 ($199.99, 4 stars)? No?but the price difference there is such a leap, it would be shocking if it did. The one thing reviewers can't really test is the longevity of a product, and with less-expensive headphones, this is always a concern of mine. But for $60, it's hard to resist recommending the Senta-40 to music lovers on a budget.

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