Headphone News

Those clever fellows over at The Register have awarded the Logitech FreePulse Wireless Headphones a top-notch 95% in their recent review.

The review is positive about almost all aspects of the headphones with the sound quality and design coming in for extra praise. If Bluetooth headphones are your thing, then judging by this review, the FreePulse are just about the best you can get.

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Audio-Technica have expanded their headphone range with the release of the ATH-M50, a set of headphones designed for use in recording studios.

The full-size headphones are designed for high-levels of comfort and with a level of sonic accuracy suitable for mixing and monitoring applications. Featuring Audio-Technica’s proprietary 45 mm large-aperture drivers with neodymium magnet systems and CCAW voice coils, which Audio-Technica claim will deliver clear, natural, accurate sound with deep resonating bass and high-frequency extension. Quite a boast.

They also feature a number of studio-specific functions like padded ear-cups, tilting earpieces for one-ear listening and gold-plated connectors.

Available February priced around $200, they’ll have to be good if Audio-Technica are to crack the recording market.

[Found via ZioShow.com]

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Wired have posted a short review of the Sennheiser LX 90 headphones, a member of their new Style family.

Unfortunately, it’s not great and these phones receive a lowly 3 out of 10 with the lack of bass a real problem. It looks like this could be a set of ‘phones to avoid.

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CNET have reviewed the JVC HA-NC80 noise canceling headphones and although they like them, they don’t give the same gushing praise as previous reviews.

As is to be expected for a pair of $40 headphones, CNET aren’t completely blown away by the noise-canceling of these headphones which the reviewer found struggled with high-frequencies. The reviewer also found the small cups of the headphone to be uncomfortable after only a short period of use.

Overall, by rating these headphones at 6.3 out of 10, CNET can only endorse them as a good choice for those on a budget.

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Looking to win the coveted “Ugliest in Show” prize at the recent CES, Toshiba introduced a new set of Bluetooth headphones.

Looking suspiciously similar to a headphone-radio combo I had for a day in the 80’s (they were so big I dropped them about an hour after purchase) there are no real details about these headphones, but I’ve got a funny feeling they may never see the light of day.

[Found via Engadget]

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I have to admit, Southwing is a headphone manufacturer I’m unaware of but Mobile Choice’s review of their SA505 Bluetooth headphones show they have some promise.

Awarding the headphones 7.5 out of 10, the reviewer was fairly impressed by the sound quality but did find it occasionally muddy. They also had some doubts over the build quality of the headphones but that’s probably to be expected for a pair of Bluetooth headphones that can be picked up for less than $100.

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If you were interested in the highly-rated V-Moda Vibe earphones but found the standard colors a bit dull then you’ll love the new red and mocha colors.

The Red Roxx version has obviously been styled on the (PRODUCT) RED range designed to help fight AIDS in Africa and will perfectly match the (RED) iPod.

The Mocha version is, to put it bluntly, brown.

[Found via TechDigest]

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Anyone looking for a good pair of headphones for gaming might want to check out WHAS11.com’s review of the Audio Extreme 360 gaming headset.

Awarding them a B+, the reviewer certainly likes the sound of these headphones but does have some minor issues with the design of these $130 headphones.

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Sennheiser have used the Consumer Electronics Show to release two sets of noise canceling headphones, the PXC 350 and PXC 450.

These new full-size headphones aren’t Sennheiser’s first set of noise-caceling cans, but hopefully they’ll be better received than the disappointing PXC 300.

The PXC 350 uses Sennheiser’s NoiseGard™ Advance technology to reduce up to 80% of external noise and will be available from April for an as yet unannounced price.

For those with a bit more cash, the $500 PXC 450 will incorporate Sennhieser’s new NoiseGard™ 2.0 technology which blocks 90% of external sound. In addition, it also includes a new TalkThrough function which Sennheiser claim can distinguish between background noise like an airplane engine and speech allowing you to continue conversations with the headphones on. The PXC 450 will be available from May.

Both headphones are foldable, come with a travel case and are powered by AAA batteries.

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Of all the great gadgets announced at this years Consumer Electronics Show I think the RCA Jet Stream are the only headphones to really impress me.

As far as I’m aware, these earphones are the only wireless earphones on the market that don’t require a cable or lanyard to link them together making them truly wireless. They also forsake the now ubiquitous Bluetooth for Kleer Audio’s wireless technology that offers improved battery life over comparable wireless solutions. Unfortunately, this means they can currently only be used with the RCA Jet Stream MP3 player but if they’re a success I’m sure we’ll see the release of an iPod dongle.

Priced at $130, more info can be found on CNETs video coverage.

[Found via Engadget]

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