Sleek SA6 review

Sleek's SA6 earphones are unique, as they come with interchangeable parts that enable you to tweak their sound to your taste.

The kit includes three sets of treble tips, which are the plastic parts that protrude from the front of the units. Changing these alters the treble, so you can emphasise the high frequencies of pop and rock music, or create a smoother sound that's better suited to classical instruments.

Even more dramatic are the changes you get by switching the rear bass ports. These create either powerful or more restrained bass tones by allowing more or less air movement from the rear of the earphone body. This had a noticeable impact on the sound without drowning out higher notes. The little interchangeable parts are incredibly small and easy to lose, but after experimenting with the tips you'll find a combination you like and stick with it.

We liked the beefy sound created by combining strong treble tones with a powerful bass, and the earphones' well-balanced audio output is up to producing this without overpowering the mid-tones.

Sleek provides a selection of rubber attachments to suit different ear sizes, but there is no choice of earplug styles as Shure includes with its earphones. We like that the earphone units have sockets into which the audio cable plugs. If it gets damaged, you can order a replacement for $25 (around £12).

The SA6's sound quality was good, but doesn't quite match that of Shure's cheaper SE210 sound-isolating earphones. Still, Sleek deserves praise for innovation, and we look forward to seeing new models in the future.

Author: Kat Orphanides