Polk Audio Buckle Headphones [REVIEWED]
Like Walking On Shag Carpet While You Listen To Your Music... BUT the Wired Components Fail To Impress!
When it comes to headphones, I’m a big believer that you get what you pay for. The more money you pay, the better the sound quality and build quality typically are. But there are times when you can get a great pair of headphones on a budget. One such example is the Polk Audio Buckle Headphones I recently reviewed.
Polk Audio Buckle Headphones [SOUND QUALITY] Review – Score: 9.5/10
✅ Dynamic and lively sound
✅ Silky smooth Bass
✅ Superior mids
❌ The treble is subdued, but not so much that you’d find the sound harsh or tiring.
Polk Audio Buckle Headphones [DESIGN] Review – Score: 10/10
✅ Ear cups pivot so they move naturally with your head when you’re wearing them
✅ Doesn’t dig into your head or cause any neck pain
✅ Soft and well-made padding
✅ Ergonomic design makes them easy to wear and use on the go
✅ Black design looks sleek and sophisticated while the brown one is more casual but still stylish
Polk Audio Buckle Headphones [CONTROLS] Review – Score: 6/10
✅ Intuitive controls
✅ Only one round grooved selector on the right ear cup
✅ Responsive buttons
❌ Commands are complex to learn on just one button
❌ A major problem with skipping tracks
Polk Audio Buckle Headphones [CORD & JACK] Review – Score: 5/10
✅ Tangle-Free cord
✅ Free cord replacements
✅ Uber sensitive microphone
❌ Jack is an old-styled 2.5mm
❌ You need an extension cable or adapter for usage with most modern devices
❌ Fragile jack quality
❌ Cord length is small
Polk Audio Buckle Headphones [CONNECTIVITY] Review – Score: 8/10
✅ Wired connectivity
✅ Fast connectivity across all devices
✅ Works best with Apple devices
❌ Controls mapping issues with Android devices
Polk Audio Buckle Headphones [COMFORT] Review – Score: 9/10
✅ Have a nice, tight fit
✅ Stay in place without feeling restrictive
✅ Don’t slip around when exercising or running
✅ Ear cups stay aligned with the ears
❌ Not enough padding on the headline for extended listening
❌ Might feel a bit heavy
Sound Quality Review
The Polk Audio Buckle Headphone is a solid piece of gear that provides decent sound quality and a comfortable fit.
I listened to some songs via the Polk Audio Buckle Headphone and let me tell you: they were all amazing.
The first song I listened to was “The Shape of Water” by Radiohead, and it sounded like an acoustic version of itself—it was so clear and beautiful!
Then I listened to “Piano Concerto No. 21” by Tchaikovsky, and it really brought out the melody in the song; it felt like I was listening through a window into someone’s soul.
The 40 mm driver, made of lightweight and durable PET material, produces a good bass response through its vented enclosure.
The adaptive sound on my Samsung mobile makes a tremendous difference; the song “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails just sounds so much more powerful now that it’s been boosted up to 120 decibels!
The bass is rich and strong, but it doesn’t get too boomy or overpowering as other headsets can do. It’s lush and full, but not so much that it sounds muddy or lacks clarity. The mids are clear and smooth, with no distortion or harshness even at high volumes. And the highs are bright without being too shrill or piercing.
In addition, the sound quality is good enough that even at high volume levels you won’t hear any harshness or other noises coming through your speakers. This makes them great for listening to music on your mobile phone or computer without bothering others around you.
Design Review
The Polk Audio Buckle Headphones come in two color schemes: black with silver accents, and brown.
They have an ergonomic design. It makes them easy to wear and use on the go. Just slip them over your ears and go.
The ear cups swivel on a hinge inside the headband. So you can rotate them to fit your ears perfectly. Therefore, you can adjust them to fit your head no matter your size.
Their lightweight aluminum construction means they won’t weigh down your hair or neck while you’re out and about.
The headband is covered in faux leather material. So it won’t get hot or sweaty on your skin. Plus, the stitched leatherette makes them look more high-end than most other models at this price range.
Finally, the padding on each ear cup is soft enough not to irritate your ear canal. But still firm enough not to cause discomfort when worn for hours at a time (or even overnight).
Controls Review
The Polk Audio Buckle Headphones are a unique take on the usual headphone design. I found them to be an interesting alternative to my Beats by Dre headphones, which I’ve been using for years.
The controls are intuitive, but there’s a little bit of an element of “gee whiz” involved in figuring out how to use them.
There’s a round, grooved selector on the back of the right ear cup that allows you to:
- control music playback (play/pause)
- adjust volume levels (push it up or down)
- take/end calls (roll it up or down)
This is a pretty standard setup—but it’s not necessarily intuitive to use if you’ve only used other brands’ headphones before!
However, once you get used to these controls, they work very well; the buttons are responsive without being overly sensitive or annoying at all.
But…
I found a problem when skipping tracks.
There’s only one button on the headphone itself (located on the left ear), and when you press that button three times in quick succession (as written in the user manual), you’re only able to go back to the previous song ONCE!!!
I tried everything: three quick pushes in a row, two quick pushes in a row, and one quick push in a row. The only time that I was able to go back to the previous song was once—and even then, it wasn’t even the right song! It was some other song on my playlist.
Although this is a minor issue, the functionality of a device not working properly is notable. So if you want to skip music tracks when you’re listening to your headphones, you’ll have to do it manually via the input device.
Cord & Jack Review
The cord is made of a special material that resists tangling. So there’s no need to worry about getting your headphone cord all caught up in itself.
The jack is 2.5mm (1/8″) but unfortunately not a standard 3.5mm jack (1/8″).
This means that if you don’t have an adapter or extension cable handy. Then you’ll have to either buy one. Or switch to using one of those little cables with buttons at both ends (like those found in most desktop speakers).
The built-in microphone is almost invisible–a little pinhole next to the plug-in jack. When I tried it, it was uber sensitive – the sound came through very clearly and loudly.
However, the jack on the headphone side is fragile. After my 2 months of excess usage, it came loose. And now I have to replace it with another one from Polk Audio.
I also noticed that the headphone cord was too short for desktop use. You see, my computer has an adjustable stand (basically a clamp) that lets me adjust how far away from my laptop’s surface I want it to sit; however, because of this cord length issue, my computer can only accommodate about an inch-and-a-half distance between itself and where the headphones sit. So if you have any sort of desk setup where you want the laptop to be farther away from your head than that, this cord length problem will be a real issue for you.
Connectivity Review
Polk Audio Buckle Headphones are a great product. But you’ll have to make sure that you buy them for an Apple product. If you’re looking for good headphones for Android devices, maybe try something else.
Polk advertises their headphones as being universal. But I don’t think that’s the case. They work best with Apple devices—specifically iPhones and iPads. And if you want to use them with other devices, you’ll have to do some finagling.
The headphones connect in no time at all. And they control and respond quickly and responsively when connected to an iPhone or iPad. With Android smartphones, I noticed that some controls on the headphone don’t work properly—the buttons aren’t responsive enough or don’t respond at all.
Comfort Review
The Polk Audio Buckle Headphones are one of the most comfortable headphones I’ve tried. They have a nice, tight fit that keeps them in place without feeling restrictive or uncomfortable, and they’re especially great for blocking out noise—I’ve gotten used to the sound of a commuter train in the background, but these headphones just make it disappear.
The only issue I found with these headphones was that they didn’t have enough padding for extended listening. This made the top of my head slightly sore after using them for an hour or so. It’s because the support mostly rests on the top of your skull rather than on the ears, so with this pressure, more padding would have helped the user enjoy these headphones even more.
Fortunately, they have a nice fit—I could feel the cups against my ears perfectly, and the headband fit perfectly around my head without being too tight or loose.
Bottom Line
Overall, the Polk Audio Buckle Headphones are a great pair of on-ear headphones, with some excellent features at an affordable price point. The sound has great clarity, the design is attractive, and, most importantly (for me), they’re comfortable to wear. If you’re willing to deal with their entry-level jack quality and look past that, then you shouldn’t mind spending $60 on these headphones. I hope this review was helpful!
