These were my third pair of headphones that were of higher quality than your typical, horrible, "shouldn't-even-come-with-an-MP3-player" iPod earbuds. You all know what I'm talking about...those white earbuds that not only hate staying in your ear, but serve a better purpose in your garbage can. So it's only natural for someone like me to toss them aside and use a better pair of earbuds. However, I HATE earbuds, and after realizing that I also hate noise-canceling, on-ear headphones (the comfort is non-existent with the JBL's I had), I decided to give these a pair back when I was in high school.
And yes, the title is true. I've gone through three pairs, and they're all broken. But more on that later.
First off, the sound. While I lack the knowledge of your typical audiophile linguo, I can say that these headphones are about as clear as you're going to get for the $50 I paid for them. The newest editions (last I checked) went up 20 bucks, but you can always to go Amazon and nab a pair for around $40. But from the JBL Reference 410(?) I had before, they were lacking in bass......a little bit. It's there, and when you burn them in, you'll notice it. But it's not something that's going to make your ears vibrate like crazy. Bassheads, look elsewhere, unless you're like me and are impressed with being able to hear more than you could with your typical "basshead" cans. Then these will be the cans that'll turn you to the dark side (or bright side.....whatever) of clarity. Things I couldn't hear with other headphones can be heard with these. For example, my JBL Reference 410's were very VERY bass-heavy, but while playing "Wassup (Crookers Remix)" by Diplo & Rye Rye, I couldn't hear the other melody playing because the bass drowned it out. That wasn't the case with these cans.
However, when it comes to the headphones as a whole, I can't say I would buy a fourth pair. The first pair ended up leaving the very tip of the plug into my old iPod Classic (......yea, that was fun), the second had a cord that went bad, and the third suffered the same fate. You might say "Well why don't you just take better care of your headphones?" and make a good point. But if you're like me and will leave them somewhere and forget where you put them, your plug might end up being bent....and bending it back is A BAD IDEA!!!......and that I learned the hard way. The cord is also very very VERY thin, and super easy to break. That's how I broke cans 2 & 3. But my main reason as to why I wouldn't purchase another pair of these is the comfort. I cannot believe how bad they press against your head. The Audio Technica ATH-M40fs I have on right now (granted, the MSRP is more than twice the H205), are the most comfortable closed cans I have ever owned.....with the HD205's being the most uncomfortable. I would have a pain in my ear(s) just from being on the school bus for a half-hour. The noise-canceling, on-ear headphones I had before these were more comfortable. Not only do they literally CLAMP to your head, but the sound leakage is HORRIBLE. You would think that, because they're so tight on your head, they would at least keep most of the sound to themselves, right? WRONG! You all remember how close the seats on a school bus are, right? Well, basically anyone sitting at least two seats away from you, in either direction, can hear what you're listening to. Not that I personally care, but something to consider if you're one of those "I need cans that don't annoy people" type of people.
So overall, the sound quality, while amazing at their price point, cannot save the easy-to-damage cord, high sound-leakage, and being extremely uncomfortable. You'd do much much better looking for something else at just a few bucks more than what you'll find them on Amazon.
And yes, the title is true. I've gone through three pairs, and they're all broken. But more on that later.
First off, the sound. While I lack the knowledge of your typical audiophile linguo, I can say that these headphones are about as clear as you're going to get for the $50 I paid for them. The newest editions (last I checked) went up 20 bucks, but you can always to go Amazon and nab a pair for around $40. But from the JBL Reference 410(?) I had before, they were lacking in bass......a little bit. It's there, and when you burn them in, you'll notice it. But it's not something that's going to make your ears vibrate like crazy. Bassheads, look elsewhere, unless you're like me and are impressed with being able to hear more than you could with your typical "basshead" cans. Then these will be the cans that'll turn you to the dark side (or bright side.....whatever) of clarity. Things I couldn't hear with other headphones can be heard with these. For example, my JBL Reference 410's were very VERY bass-heavy, but while playing "Wassup (Crookers Remix)" by Diplo & Rye Rye, I couldn't hear the other melody playing because the bass drowned it out. That wasn't the case with these cans.
However, when it comes to the headphones as a whole, I can't say I would buy a fourth pair. The first pair ended up leaving the very tip of the plug into my old iPod Classic (......yea, that was fun), the second had a cord that went bad, and the third suffered the same fate. You might say "Well why don't you just take better care of your headphones?" and make a good point. But if you're like me and will leave them somewhere and forget where you put them, your plug might end up being bent....and bending it back is A BAD IDEA!!!......and that I learned the hard way. The cord is also very very VERY thin, and super easy to break. That's how I broke cans 2 & 3. But my main reason as to why I wouldn't purchase another pair of these is the comfort. I cannot believe how bad they press against your head. The Audio Technica ATH-M40fs I have on right now (granted, the MSRP is more than twice the H205), are the most comfortable closed cans I have ever owned.....with the HD205's being the most uncomfortable. I would have a pain in my ear(s) just from being on the school bus for a half-hour. The noise-canceling, on-ear headphones I had before these were more comfortable. Not only do they literally CLAMP to your head, but the sound leakage is HORRIBLE. You would think that, because they're so tight on your head, they would at least keep most of the sound to themselves, right? WRONG! You all remember how close the seats on a school bus are, right? Well, basically anyone sitting at least two seats away from you, in either direction, can hear what you're listening to. Not that I personally care, but something to consider if you're one of those "I need cans that don't annoy people" type of people.
So overall, the sound quality, while amazing at their price point, cannot save the easy-to-damage cord, high sound-leakage, and being extremely uncomfortable. You'd do much much better looking for something else at just a few bucks more than what you'll find them on Amazon.
It depends on what you like, really. But if you were to be a Dj or producing music, you should be going for headphones that offer the least bass enhance or treble enhance. They should have the "flattest" frequency response. Take for example a certain Mr A. He gets his bass enhancing cans on, makes music, and when his audience listens to it, it comes out less bassy. Get what I mean?
=D