Headphone News

The ever critical CNET have reviewed the Cardo S-2 Bluetooth Stereo headphones and given them an unusually good 8 out of 10. For most sites this wouldn’t be that impressive, but an 8 from CNET suggests these headphones might be something special.

The headphones use the A2DP Bluetooth profile to allow streaming direct from a compatible device and the review found the pairing process to be very straightforward, something that has been problematic with some competing headsets. CNET also have praise for the sound quality of the headset and the comfort of the behind-the-neck design.

The only real negative picked up in the review is some background noise picked up when using the Cardo S-2 as a handsfree headset for a cell phone, but even that is fairly minor.

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I have to admit to being fairly doubtful about surround sound headphones and CB Tech’s review of the Otto Surround Sound Headset hasn’t really cleared things up for me.

The headphones receive a decent 3 out of 5 and although the reviewer clearly appreciates the sound quality, some problems with it all sounding a bit “over-produced” are noted. However, little else is found of fault with the headset and at under $40 you can’t go far wrong.

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I4U News have a review of the Genius HS-04U gaming headphones and rate them as a pretty good 7 out of 10. Designed to connect to a spare USB port for use without a sound card, the Genius headphones are a budget choice at $39.99.

The review mentions some nice features like the back-lit volume control and they are described as being comfortable to wear. The sound is also rated as decent but a bit lacking in the bass department. Overall they seem a reasonable purchase for those short on money but there are better options for those willing to pay a bit more.

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New York Times writer David Pogue has an interesting round-up of 9 noise-canceling headphones. The article compares headphones like the JVC HA-NC100, the Logitech Noise Canceling Headphones and the Sennheiser PXC 450 against the market leading Quiet Comfort 2 and Quiet Comfort 3 from Bose.

As expected, Pogue has the Bose models as his favorite but does rate the Panasonic RP-HC500 and Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 as being right up there. It’s an interesting read and shows that you can get almost match the Bose Quiet Comforts and for a lot less money.

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MP3.com have the third review I’ve seen of the Logitech FreePulse headphones and, once again, they get top marks.

As with the CNET review, it’s the design rather than sound of these headphones that get all of the credit. MP3.com rate them as comfortable and light although, contrary to CNET, they love the basic controls.

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The Travel-Ease noise canceling headphones from Targus have interested me quite a bit lately, especially after seeing the $70 headphones compared favorably to Bose’s much more expensive QuietComfort headphones.

Now MP3.com have reviewed the headphones and they reiterate the conclusions of the CNET review - decent headphones but you get what you pay for.

As expected the review comments on how they look and feel like the Bose ‘phones, but just a bit cheaper. Again, the decent but not brilliant sound is noted. However, they do mention one handy extra that Bose have missed, the push-to-hear feature as seen on the Shure E500PTH.

Based on the reviews I’ve seen of these headphones they seem a fairly decent buy for the price, but don’t expect to be blown away.

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I have to admit to not really understanding the Bluetooth headphones craze (I’ll take 2 foot of cable over having to recharge batteries any day) and to be honest, InforSync World’s review of the Plantronics Pulsar 260 Bluetooth headphones hasn’t changed my mind any.

As usual, it’s the sound quality that lets these headphones down. I’m guessing the poor quality headphones plus the limited bandwidth provided by Bluetooth are the culprits here. Unfortunately, the review rates the set as even worse for making calls, which you would hope would be the saving grace.

However, if you can ignore the sound problems (though why would you?), InfoSync World do praise the usability and comfort of this headset. Still, for $110, I’d hope for something rated better than 62%.

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CrunchGear must’ve being bulk buying headphones lately cause they’ve got another review up, this time of the Sony MDR-NC22 noise canceling earphones.

Unfortunately, despite some good features, CrunchGear have reported big problems with hiss, something that can affect noise-cancellation systems. They also note the fit isn’t perfect but this will of course vary from ear to ear. Despite these problems they do note some positives with the sound and build quality which might make them worth checking out.

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HeadphonesRock have a in-depth review of JVC’s bargain basement Marshmallow earphones (aka the HA-FX33) and have rated them as amongst the best in their price band.

Comparing them mainly against the standard iPod earbuds, HeadphonesRock have lots of praise for the sound produced by the noise-isolating earphones. They also love the comfort of the “marshmallow” ear pieces which they rate as “extremely comfortable to wear for extended use”.

If you’re looking for a replacement set of earbuds for your iPod or just a cheap set of back-up earphones then it appears you could do worse than to spend your $15 on the JVC Marshmallows.

Full review.

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Here’s another in-depth headphones review from CrunchGear, this time of the Ultimate Ears metro.fi 2.

It’s obvious from the review that CrunchGear really like these earphones, rating them as “some of the best-sounding in-ear headphones you can get in this price range”. They also have praise for the noise-isolation provided and the fit. In fact, the only criticisms they make are so minor as to not matter.

Judging by the CrunchGear review, Ultimate Ears have came out with a great set of earphones at a great price of only $70.

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