The Maroo Timaru Noise Isolating Earbuds or in-ear headphones are very affordable at just $14.99 with free shipping for US residents and if you live outside the US, shipping will cost a mere extra $5. But are they even worth that?

Despite the currently exceptionally low price, the Maroo Timaru Earbuds are well made. Very strong rubber coats the cable and the buds are crafted from metal. Four different interchangeable silicone tip sizes are included within the box ranging from small to large and one textured pair too. I switched out the tips to small and it took around a minute to complete the process. Also included within the box is a little carry bag/ pouch for the earbuds to travel within.

Now an inclusion Maroo has made that impressed me was the attached control. Perfect to use with an iPhone, iPod or iPad. You can answer a call, pause and play music, skip tracks and adjust volume. The buttons are a little cheap feeling, but at this price any inclusion of a control is impressive. A microphone is also built into the control and the audio quality presented is legible for calls.

Lets get what I didn't like about the audio quality out of the way first, the bass is far too over powering at rare occasions, it drains the life from instruments and vocals. But when this isn't occurring the sound is perfectly acceptable, with clean audio, great treble and a good depth. The sheer detail is incredible, especially at this price point. Also volume can get exceptionally loud without becoming muffled in the process.

I believe a huge factor to the surprisingly good audio quality is due to the also surprisingly good noise isolation. It heavily reduces your audio from being heard and does the same with external sound when listening to music. I literally cannot hear any external sounds when walking in public and I am left with just my music.