Although not as hot of an item as Bluetooth headsets these days, there’s still a place for wired headphones. For one thing, they’re a bit more portable, for another, they don’t require charging, and, perhaps most importantly, work with just about any device with a headphone jack.

The packaging for the FSL Xylem Wood Headphones.

The FSL Xylem Wood Headphones, as the name suggests, have a natural wood housing, which helps create a passive method for improved sound response, including reflecting bass frequencies and helping to absorb high frequencies. In my testing, this did indeed translate into an excellent listening experience, which is particularly impressive considering how inexpensive these are (only $14.99 right now on Amazon).

The contents of the box.

You not only get the headphones themselves, but also three sizes of ear pieces and a nice squeeze top leatherette (maybe it’s just plastic, but either way it feels nice) storage case to help minimize cord tangles in a bag or pocket. An integrated microphone and one button remote on supported devices (like your smartphone) round out its feature set.

What you get.

As with other FutureSoundLab products, there’s a three year warranty and a dedicated Website for support. With the excellent build quality, right down to the gauge and feel of the cord, I doubt you’ll need it.

Thanks to IHeadphones for the review unit.