LORELEI X8 Wired Over-Ear Headphones with Microphone: Worth the Money?

Picture this: your work has a Zoom call in five minutes, your wireless headphones died yesterday and are forgotten on the charger at home. Familiar story? That's exactly the scenario this whole category of cheap wired headsets exists for — and LORELEI X8 is right from that pile.

What This Actually Is

These are the most basic over-ear headphones with a mic on a 1.45-meter cable with a 3.5mm jack. No Bluetooth, no active noise cancellation, no app with equalizer — nothing extra. A folding construction makes them slightly more compact than full over-ear headphones, though calling it "compact" is still a stretch: these aren't earbuds, they're a full arc with ear cups.

The cable is a nylon braid, and this is probably the only detail that really affects the experience: regular rubber wire turns into knots in your pocket after a couple months, but nylon holds pretty well. Plus it's thinner and doesn't "ring" against the desk or keyboard when you're moving in your chair.

How It Works in Practice

Honest truth — these aren't the headphones you put on in the evening to listen to your favorite album. Sound here is mid: basses are flat, highs are slightly harsh at volume above mid, soundstage is narrow. If you've ever heard anything decent — you'll notice the difference right away. But that's not what they're for.

The real use case is work laptop or stationary PC where a 3.5mm jack exists, and either Bluetooth isn't needed or is already taken by another device. Calls in Teams, lectures on Zoom, quick office meeting — the mic completely intelligibly transmits your voice, colleagues hear fine, no crackling or dropouts. For online games too they work ok: there's zero lag in wired unlike budget Bluetooth solutions where milliseconds sometimes show. For hours of wear though, it varies. The ear cups aren't the softest, and after two to three hours your ears start reminding you about themselves. This isn't a headphone for an eight-hour open-space day — more for 30-60 minute sessions.

Why Compare Them

The main competitor for budget headset isn't other wired models but people's habit of just not buying wired anymore. Everyone switched to wireless, and that's logical: easier. But wireless comes with its own costs — in money and in compromise.

is an example of how you can get real Bluetooth experience at roughly the same price point, though with compromises on sound and battery life.

LORELEI X8 costs around $15 on the marketplace, and with delivery to your country works out to roughly 728 hryvnia — less than what many people spend on lunch downtown. At that price, there's no trick here: you get exactly what you see in the photo, no hidden surprises and no overpromised descriptions.

If you compare with serious tech like Sony WH-1000XM6 — that's a pointless conversation, different leagues, different budgets, different purposes. Sony is for when you fly, work in cafes, want quiet. LORELEI X8 is when you just need something to play and the mic to work, and you don't mind if it gets lost or someone sits on it accidentally in your bag.

Who Should Buy, Who Shouldn't

Buy if: you need a backup headset for home or office; you're often on video calls and want the mic to not let you down; your main Bluetooth headset constantly dies at the wrong time; or you just aren't ready to pay more for a headphone you use twice a week.

Don't buy if: you listen to music seriously and hear the difference between average and good; you wear headphones several hours straight; or generally don't have a device with a 3.5mm jack — modern smartphones, reminder, mostly don't have one anymore.

The compromise here is one but honest: you pay little and get little in terms of sound quality and comfort during long wear. Second compromise is less obvious — the wire itself: either it bothers you or you forget about it in a week. There's no third option.