Tag: Headphones

Design your own Sennheiser headphones

To celebrate the launch of the new HD 400 headphone range, Sennheiser announces a global headphone design competition.- Each winner gets an HD 418 pair of headphones made to their winning design. There are 45 prizes overall with 15 to give away during September, October, November. Sennheiser will choose the 30 best designs from all ideas submitted and these will subsequently be presented in an
online gallery. Everyone who has registered will be able to vote and decide which
of the 15 headphone designs should be produced as a unique model. To help you, Sennheiser offers a web-based Online Design Editor package with 70 different background designs – from bright pink, to classic black all the way to hearts and leopard
skin patterns. The Design Editor also includes 200 design elements such as shapes
and icons. Alternatively it’s possible to use your own images or lettering. Easy preview allows users to see what the finished design will look like. You can get started here.

Shinychris Competitions & Promotions

Mike Skinner's Glasto headphones – the Sony MDR-XB700s

If you went to Glastonbury last weekend, or even if you just soaked it up on TV with the Beeb, you may have been aware that Mike Skinner of The Streets made a crop-circle impression of his face on a field near the festival site.

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In the image he is sporting a pair of headphones. The same headphone he wore whilst he was performing. The same pair of headphones he described had become “part of my soul” on Twitter.

So what headphones were they? Well, they were none other than the Sony MDR-XB700.

The XB700s have a powerful, ultra-low bass response and a driver unit that reproduces low frequencies accurately. The XB stands for ‘eXtra-Bass’ and these headphones are aimed at the bass-heavy music fan. That’s a lot of ‘bass’ in one paragraph but I think you get the picture.

Their manufactured from synthetic leather and the king-sized ear cushions reduce sound loss. The urethane cushion spreads pressure evenly, providing comfortable wear over extended listening periods. The XB700s have a frequency response of 3-28.000Hz and the driver unit is a 50mm dome type.

Keep checking back on TD and we’ll give these headphones the once over in the not too distant future.

Sony Centres will sell you the XB700s for £100 although you can get them a bit cheaper if you search around. £77.49 on Amazon for example.

Paul Lamkin Headphones / Earphones

iPods save lives – it's official

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A 14 year-old girl’s iPod could have been her saviour after the headphones attached to it diverted a lightning bolt away from her body during a storm.

Sophie Frost and her, quite brilliantly named, boyfriend Mason Billington were taking shelter under a tree when the incident occurred. Frost wasn’t listening to music at the time, instead the headphones were hanging around her school uniform. She received burns to her chest, stomach and legs and is currently recovering in hospital.

Sophie’s mother Julie told the Sun: “I just thank God my daughter is still alive. The doctors say her iPod saved her. Her nan only bought it a few days ago. Luckily, she wasn’t actually wearing the headphones. If she had been, she might not be here today. Mind you, the only thing Sophie seemed worried about was that her new iPod was frazzled.”

Great PR for Apple then. Surely not even Steve Jobs can conjure up lightning bolts though – can he?

(via The Press Association)

Paul Lamkin iPod

Logitech releases Ultimate Ears 4 Pro headphones

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We’ve looked at some of Logitech’s impressive Ultimate Ear range a few times before on TechDigest and we’ve liked what we’ve seen.

If Logitech’s previous is anything to go by, the Ultimate Ears 4 Pro custom monitors should appeal to any aspiring rock stars or even some less aspiring audiophiles.

Let’s start with the price, which should give you some impression of what we’re dealing with here. £429.99, plus an extra £45 for an optional ambient noise feature.

So what do you get for nearly £500?

For starters, these aren’t your usual monitors. Each one is personally shaped to exactly fit the user’s ear. However, this requires an additional cost of visiting a qualified audiologist to create your ear impressions.

They come with “dual-armature, a patented dual-bore design with passive crossover which delivers reference-quality, evenly balanced frequency response for more detail, accuracy and versatility”. If you know what this means, you really should own these headphones.

The product is essentially aimed at performers. Logitech claim that 75% of the world’s top touring artists use Ultimate Ear products. They go onto state Leona Lewis is one of these artists, thus devaluing their statement somewhat. However, the fact remains that Ultimate Ear are the choice for the pros.

They also claim that the Ultimate Ears 4 Pro custom monitors will “fit better than even your favourite pair of jeans”. For nearly £500 I should hope so. My favourite jeans haven’t fitted me in months.

Grab yourself a pair direct from Ultimate Ears or via hand held audio.

Paul Lamkin Headphones / Earphones

HEADPHONE WEEK: Sennheiser MM 60s

Sennheiser’s new MM 60 may look suspiciously like it’s PX 100s, but they’re not, well they are, but they’ve been re-tweaked, honed, prodded and poked until they sound amazing – with the iPhone 3G that is. Because these on-ear marvels have been specifically designed for optimum performance with the iPhone.

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Short Version

Name – MM 60s

Type – on-ear semi-closed headphones

How much – £75.99

How much should they cost – No more than £50

Should you buy them – They’re good – better if you have an iPhone

The Long Version

Sound Quality

The MM 60s, much like they’re identical cousin the PX 100s, bring the bass. They’re the bassiest on-ears I’ve ever had the pleasure to put on my head. That being said, you can lose some of the higher notes and all that bass can on-occaision muddy the vocal. But generally this isn’t an issue and the MM 60s sound pretty sweet, and oddly do sound a teency weency bit better on my iPhone 3G than my iPod classic.

Build Quality

Sennheiser have in the past been accused of making some pretty shoddy mid-price products, espcially some of their in-ear range. The MM 60s certainly aren’t flimsy, but they’re by no means as sturdy as other similarly priced headphones. They’re a bit like watching Peter Crouch play football, you know his legs aren’t just going to break, but you can’t help thinking its a mircale they don’t.

The headband is easy to adjust and feels pretty comfortable as do the phones. Sennheriser have also included an iPhone compatiable mic which is a bit low down on the line so unless your head is the size of a small asteroid you’re going to have to hold it up to your mouth, which pretty much makes it pointless. Because you’re holding your hands free mic with your hands, so…nevermind.

The MM 60s phones do fold though, rather brilliantly, into an ultra portable package.

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Packaging

The MM 60s come in a box which leaves you in no doubt who they’re aimed at: “Giving the iPhone the sound it deserves.”

The MM 60s also come with a nifty little case which the folded Sennheisers slip nicely into.

Conclusion

The MM 60s do sound great in quiet environments, in the office or in bed or on the loo, they’re as good as a really high-end set of cans. But out and about even a moderate background noise can ruin the experience.

And they’re pretty expensive for what are essentially an only vaguely tweaked pair of £35 headphones. Personally I find the sound quality of Tuesday’s V-Jays superior and they’re £15 cheaper.

If you really like Sennheiser’s products these might suit you, but if you prefer substance then go for the V-Jays.

Oli Jones Headphones / Earphones