N00B Review: Altec Lansing AHP-512

[fraseyboy]

Price Paid: $60 at EB Games NZ

Product Model Year:
2003

Summary:
Well, the first thing I thought when I opened the package for my b'day is 'Wow! These look great' and they do. Altec Lansing has gone for Silver outside and Black inside and it looks hot! The second thing I thought was 'Damn those cups are small!' and they are making it hard for people who have big ears to wear them comfortably. And that brings me to the third thing I thought when I put them on. They are comfortable! Most of the time i just forget they are there. Ok now. Enough about looks and comfortabilty lets get straight down to the important bit: The Qaulity. Well, when I pumped em' up to full volume and turned Bass Boost on I was amazed at how much bass you could get from these! You can litteraly feel it! It was only when I turned Bass Boost up full that it distorted and that is pretty good for a pair of headphones! The highs sounded good to but not as good as the lows. Over all these are a really good pair of headphones, as long as you dont mind the small cup size.

Technical Specs:
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20,kHz
Impedance: 32 OHM
Drivers: 40mm neodymium Drivers

Strengths:
Great Bass! You can feel it!
Comfortable
Looks really good

Weaknesses:
Ear Cups not that big...

Similar Products Used:
TDK MP100 Headphones

 

[faX]

Nice

I was thinking to go with the Altecs first but i went for the Creative HQ-1700 and they are really good!
Why write noob review? I think it was quite good

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by faX Nice I was thinking to go with the Altecs first but i went for the Creative HQ-1700 and they are really good! Why write noob review? I think it was quite good

Thanks!

I can't seem to get the HQ-1700's in my country

 

[]|[ GorE]

Sorry,but your review says NOTHING about the sound quality.
A very n00bie review.
Next time,try to express about the entire sound spectrum.

 

[Nights_85]

just wait till he gets his hands on a pair of sr60's

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ]|[ GorE Sorry,but your review says NOTHING about the sound quality. A very n00bie review. Next time,try to express about the entire sound spectrum.

Well i did say n00b review...

 

[Cerebral_Mamba]

I think the review is great. Even if it lacks the technical details, the idea to post a review about an Altec Lansing headphone amidst the heavy weights is a wonderful thing. Though I am a Grado fan, it is darn clear that most folks here including me talk about and follow only the heavyweight cans like its a religion. More often than not, we make subconscious verdicts of what is good and bad just by the brand name. This Altec Lansing can may not be as good as the SR60, but may be sealed unlike the SR60s and better than the Senns at that price, but we just overlook it or simply refuse to accept it.

What is important is that you enjoy the music. If the Altec Lansing is fetching you that, its the end. Koodos to this non-conservative and non-homogenous review.

 

[South_Korean]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nights_85 just wait till he gets his hands on a pair of sr60's

with us around i dont think there will be any waiting hehe

 

[fraseyboy]

Here is a modified better version with details about specific types of music:

Price Paid: $60 at EB Games NZ

Product Model Year:
2003

Looks, comfortability and features:
Well, the first thing I thought when I opened the package for my b'day is 'Wow! These look great' and they do. Altec Lansing has gone for Silver outside and Black inside and it looks hot! The second thing I thought was 'Damn those cups are small!' and they are making it hard for people who have big ears to wear them comfortably. And that brings me to the third thing I thought when I put them on. They are comfortable! Most of the time i just forget they are there. The small cup size doesn't help but doesn't take away much comfortability. Another good thing is the in-line volume control which even has a clip on it so you could clip it on your shirt so you never loose it. The volume control is also silver and black so it matches everything else fine. It also has a nice long cord that does get in the way a little bit. Enough about looks and comfortabilty lets get straight down to the important bit:

Sound Qaulity:

Well, when I pumped em' up to full volume and turned Bass Boost on I was amazed at how much bass you could get from these! You can litteraly feel it! And its not too muddy either. It sounds good, as if there is a subwoofer in the headphones. It was only when I turned Bass Boost up full that it distorted and that is pretty good for a pair of headphones! The highs are crisp and a high-hat hit sounds great on these headphones. Mids are great but not as good as the highs and lows.


Testing:
I tested these headphones on different types of music so they can be tested with all sounds.

Rock/Pop: Wonderfull. You can feel the bass and high-hats sound great. Guitar sounds especialy good.

Soul: Crisp and soothing highs sounds almost perfect but a tiny bit muddy. Hard to notice.

Techno: In Basement Jax's 'Can you feel the bass' you really can and the later bit in the song where the claps and beeps come in and that, it sounds crisp and clear. Makes me wanna dance!

Jazz: Double bass sounds exeptional! You can hear the guitar frets well! Piano sounds crisp but slightly muddy... I Put them on someone I know who likes Jazz and she said, and I quote, "Mmmm... I feel like I'm at the concert!' She didnt think the piano sounded muddy at all...

Classical: Precise enough to hit even the highest highs and still sound good. No distortion at even the highest volume.

Overall these headphones would sound good on any type of music and might even match the qaulity of expensive Koss ones.

For the price they are amazing!

Technical Specs:
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20,kHz
Impedance: 32 OHM
Drivers: 40mm neodymium Drivers


Strengths:
Great Bass! You can feel it!
Comfortable except for the small cups
Looks really good

Weaknesses:
Ear Cups not that big...
Highs not as good as they could be...


Comfortability: 4.3/5
Sound: 4.8/5
Value: 5/5

OVERALL: 9.6/10

 

[leftshoe]

I used these for about 6 months before I found this forum(got me self ms-1's now). They have pretty good sound for the money. But in my area grado's are very hard to get, so their is nothing else for them to compete with.
Compared to the ms-1's they sound muddy and sort of "rough"(I'm no expert at describing sound). Oh, and they are uncomfatable, even more so then the grado design. They were always painful after only a few hours. Its mostly got to do with the supra-aural design.

I've suggested them to friends before, since they are so cheap here in Aus (~$35) and you can get them with a mic for not much more.