gerG
Headphoneus Supremus
I saw these for $40 at buy.com, so I yielded to curiosity. How bad could they be? Well, let’s see...
Sound
BOOM ssss BOOM ssss
With the processor on there is a serious over-emphasis of bass. The treble is pushed up a bit as well. At low levels this is not so bad, except for the main problem. The NC circuit generated unacceptable amounts of hiss. It is clearly audible when listening to music at the levels that I like. At high enough levels to get out of the hiss the bass is too prevalent. The treble is not very clean, either, with a sort of smeared together sound. Mids are not terrible, but they sort of get lost in the commotion. Soundstage is very narrow. At first I thought they were monophonic, but I do detect off center instruments. They just aren’t very far off center.
Noise Cancellation
It works surprisingly well. It certainly takes out more of the LF than my Sen PXC250s. Are they starting to sound like a good car headphone yet?
Build
Well, a bit better than I expected for $40, but not much. They do fold flat (as all headphones should). They don’t fold up like the HD280 or others that use that ubiquitous headband. This one looks similar but is lighter and thinner. They fit nicely into a briefcase, and they don’t come out tangled. My Sens tie knots like a bored boyscout.
Ergonomics
The NC module is separate and is hard-wired by a ~3 ft cord. Thankfully the source connector cable unplugs from the module, and 2 different lengths are included. The cans are on the small side, but they are very comfortable for me. For my ears they are a true circumaural fit. The pads are vinyl, and get hot quickly. They also have some sort of decomposing tape on the back. If it gets on your ears you can get it off with isopropyl alcohol.
Observables
For a small headphone, they are very obvious. It is the combination of bright silver finish and a headband that adjusts as much wider as it does downward. I had the same problem with the HD595, before I tweaked them.
General
They were prone to thumping noises when the module/battery holder was bumped. My Sens have the same problem. A bit of de-oxit mostly eliminates the problem.
Keep or Return?
I haven’t decided yet. I could paint them black, recontour the headband, and maybe find some less sweat inducing pads (a must in Arizona). That leaves me with the killer hiss. The problem is that I have a mild tinnitus, and a constant hiss like this will bring on ringing. If I could work that out they would make a reasonable car headphone (just for passengers, of course).
I will let you know how it works out.
gerG
Sound
BOOM ssss BOOM ssss
With the processor on there is a serious over-emphasis of bass. The treble is pushed up a bit as well. At low levels this is not so bad, except for the main problem. The NC circuit generated unacceptable amounts of hiss. It is clearly audible when listening to music at the levels that I like. At high enough levels to get out of the hiss the bass is too prevalent. The treble is not very clean, either, with a sort of smeared together sound. Mids are not terrible, but they sort of get lost in the commotion. Soundstage is very narrow. At first I thought they were monophonic, but I do detect off center instruments. They just aren’t very far off center.
Noise Cancellation
It works surprisingly well. It certainly takes out more of the LF than my Sen PXC250s. Are they starting to sound like a good car headphone yet?
Build
Well, a bit better than I expected for $40, but not much. They do fold flat (as all headphones should). They don’t fold up like the HD280 or others that use that ubiquitous headband. This one looks similar but is lighter and thinner. They fit nicely into a briefcase, and they don’t come out tangled. My Sens tie knots like a bored boyscout.
Ergonomics
The NC module is separate and is hard-wired by a ~3 ft cord. Thankfully the source connector cable unplugs from the module, and 2 different lengths are included. The cans are on the small side, but they are very comfortable for me. For my ears they are a true circumaural fit. The pads are vinyl, and get hot quickly. They also have some sort of decomposing tape on the back. If it gets on your ears you can get it off with isopropyl alcohol.
Observables
For a small headphone, they are very obvious. It is the combination of bright silver finish and a headband that adjusts as much wider as it does downward. I had the same problem with the HD595, before I tweaked them.
General
They were prone to thumping noises when the module/battery holder was bumped. My Sens have the same problem. A bit of de-oxit mostly eliminates the problem.
Keep or Return?
I haven’t decided yet. I could paint them black, recontour the headband, and maybe find some less sweat inducing pads (a must in Arizona). That leaves me with the killer hiss. The problem is that I have a mild tinnitus, and a constant hiss like this will bring on ringing. If I could work that out they would make a reasonable car headphone (just for passengers, of course).
I will let you know how it works out.
gerG
