red71rum
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2010
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A while back I saw that JLab Audio was coming out with some headphones that seemed to try to capitalize on people’s nostalgia for the 80’s. Recently JLab contacted me about the headphones and asked if I wanted to check them out. I had them send me a pair.
When I got the JLab Rewinds, I was at struck by how they resembled the headphones that I used to use with my Sony and Aiwa tape players(I do not miss tapes). The packaging was simple and straight forward.
Features\Acessories:
The Rewinds have 12 hours of playtime, and 3 EQ settings. The headphones come with the ubiquitous micro usb cable, and an extra pair of orange ear cushions.
Build Quality\Fit:
The Rewinds are very light weight, consisting of a metal headphone band and the rest is made of a hard black plastic. They rest on your ear and the cushion is fairly comfortable, and because they do not cover your ear, your ears do not get hot. Overall they have a minimalist design and remind me of something like the ones on the poster for the movie Footloose.
JLab used some sturdy adjustable metal headband that seems pretty durable.
Controls:
Here is a fairly closeup view of the one button control of the Rewinds.
The controls also take a minimalist approach. There is only one button, on the right ear piece that does everything. Press and hold the button for 2 seconds to turn them on, hold for 4 seconds to turn them off. The Rewinds take one click of the button to Play\Pause, Answer\Hangup. To advance to the next track, hold the button. Two clicks of the Rewinds button activate either Siri or Android, depending on your phone of choice. The Rewinds also have 3 equalizer modes built; Signature Sound, Balanced Sound, and Bass Boost. These 3 EQ modes can be activated via 3 clicks of the button and will stay on the mode that you leave it on.
Sound:
These headphones have a definite 80’s headphone sound, with ample bass and acceptable highs. They are on-ear so there is no isolation, just like the vintage headphones that they are modeled after. There is also a fair amount of sound leakage if you really crank the volume up. I found them loud enough on the lowest setting on my Samsung Galaxy S7, so I did not turn them up that loud. They definitely are not for audiophiles, but rather a fun headphone that someone could walk around with, not to be used for critical listening or anything.
Call Quality:
Of course taking calls is not the main purpose of these headphones, but I did take a call or two while using them. Initially on the first call, despite having my music on low volume, the call was crazy loud. I did turn it down and it sounded ok. I would not normally use these though for phone calls. The sound was decent, but I would rather use a dedicated headset for calls.
Cons:
With the minimalist design, these headphones cannot raise or lower volume, they also cannot go back to a previous track, that has to be done on the phone. It would have also been nice to control the volume maybe with the left ear piece. I also found it hard to use the charging cable, I had to remove the ear cushion to plug it in.
Overall I thought the Rewinds were a fun headphone for people who are nostalgic about the 80's and want something simple. They are only $20, so it does not cost a lot to try them out and see what you think.
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