Tightness is not a problem with these phones because of the vinyl-wrapped metal headband. This is great because it’s impossible to overextend them–you just bend them back into shape with no trouble.  The Sheckler Signature model of these phones is the least expensive by at least 20 dollars when I bought it (maybe his sponsorship contract ended?). The red color had gotten lots of compliments and the skater’s signature isn’t out of place at all.

New from Panasonic Japan comes the retro style RP-HTX7 with leather style headbands and high quality piano painted large, closed headphones. Not to be confused with conventional looking headphones, these are stylish lookers. Large aperture 40mm drive unit for clear sound reproduction and powerful bass. Cord length of 1.2 meters suitable for remote and non-remote portable players. Unlike the basic American version, the Japanese RP-HTX7 also comes in original Japanese color combinations (ie. light blue, beige headband) with a 2 meter extension cordng and additional accessories.

Specifications

• Type: Encapsulated, Dynamic
• Driver Unit: 40mm
• Magnet: Neodymium
• Impedance: 40 ohms
• Sensitivity: 99 dB/mW
• Power Handling Capacity: 1000mW
• Frequency Response: 7 - 22,000Hz
• 1.2m cord with gold-plated stereo straight mini-plug

Accessories
2 meter Extension Cord, Stereo Standard Plug, Carrying Pouch

A great idea or just another pointless use of wireless technology? I’ve spent a few months using the Sony DR-BT30Q stereo Bluetooth headphones, and thought it might be useful for some people for me to post my thoughts on this desirable gadget and my views on the technology behind it.

A2DP, more commonly known as Bluetooth stereo, still has a way to go before it’s considered mass market. Will it ever get there? I don’t know. What with Apple refusing to allow it’s Bluetooth 2.0 equipped iPhone or Bluetooth disabled iPod Touch to make use of the technology, and mobile phone manufacturers not making a big deal of it in their specifications it could remain a niche market for a while to come.

The best feature of Sony’s DR-BT30Q is that it cleans up its own mess. Push a button, and the cord connecting the two earpieces automatically winds up, the remainder being very compact. In general though, how does this Bluetooth headset perform?

As Bluetooth headsets go, the DR-BT30Q is pretty versatile. Designed for avid phone users, the headset allows users full control over music playback, and has a button on the right earpiece for answering calls. There are also two buttons to set volume, which are positioned for easy use along with the rest of the headset’s controls. Audio quality is decent, typical of Bluetooth headsets. Listening to music through wired earphones or headsets is still a better experience.
Product Features

It’s hardly surprising considering that, while the budget end of the headphone market is swamped with companies, Sennheiser’s main competitors in the high-end space number only three or four. And most of these are hardly household names – AKG, Grado and Stax are the main ones that come to mind, certainly for on- or over-the-ear headphones.

This is where the firm’s latest product unashamedly sits – firmly at the high end of the market – and with a price to match. Its PXC 450 noise-cancelling cans will set you back anything between £180 and £300.

They’ve certainly got a quality feel to them. As soon as you open up the box with its posh, magnetised flap, you know that you’ve purchased some serious gear. The headband and circumaural earcups (the kind that sit over and around your ears) are wrapped in luxurious soft leather and are beautifully softly padded. The chunky hinges and headband, underneath their luxurious cladding, are constructed of hard-wearing steel and aluminium. The cable feels thick and hard-wearing and can even be replaced should you ever trap it in a closing car door. The whole set has a pleasing, industrial feel to it, like a pair of luxury, high-tech ear defenders.

The PXC 450 is a large headphone set, but it folds up into a fairly compact shape for travel, and it comes in a slim, easy-to-pack black zipper case a bit larger than the Bose carrying case. It also looks similar to the QuietComforts—silver plastics and a heavily cushioned black headband and earpieces. Volume, Power, and “Talk Through” controls rest on the right earpiece. Although it’s great to have these options, you can’t see the buttons when you’re wearing the headphones, and most of them (except Talk Through) feel the same—which makes it hard to know what you’re pressing even if you memorize the layout. I think most folks are likely to keep the volume setting on the headphones constant and adjust levels on their sound source instead. The right earcup also holds the single AAA battery used to power the unit, just like the QuietComfort 2 (the QuietComfort 3 has a more convenient rechargeable battery). The left earcup houses the detachable audio cable connection and the normal/bypass switch (more on that later). The cable itself is 55.1 inches long and of a substantial thickness more like Grado’s cabling than Bose’s. There is a double-mono airplane adapter included, as well.

A comfortable respite from thin sounding earbuds and uncomfortable behind-the-neck earphones! The Motorola S805 Bluetooth DJ Headphones are a great balance of wireless freedom and captivating sound.

The DJ-style headphones moniker refers to their styling, not their functionality. The drivers of DJ headphones swivel upwards, keeping the headphones stable so you can listen to what the audience hears with one ear and preview with another, all while frantically mixing. The closest resemblance to DJ functionality these headphones have is the ability to swivel the drivers 90 degrees at the joints, flattening them for more manageable transport in the included hard case.

While the S805s are advertised as wireless headphones, they do come with a 2.5mm headphone jack and a 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable, so you can run them via a wired connection if you like. This improves the clarity a little and also removes the delay that is always present on Bluetooth headphones, but of course you sacrifice the convenience of no wires.

While the S805s are advertised as wireless headphones, they do come with a 2.5mm headphone jack and a 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable, so you can run them via a wired connection if you like. This improves the clarity a little and also removes the delay that is always present on Bluetooth headphones, but of course you sacrifice the convenience of no wires. Generally, the bigger and more expensive headphones get, the more comfortable and better sounding they are. The DJ headphones were not as comfortable as we were expecting, because the earpads are made of soft leather, which is nowhere near as forgiving as velvet and other soft materials you see on headphones for the same price. The flipside of this design is that they reduce a lot of ambient noise.

Features

• Play time: up to approximately 17 hours
• Weight: 5.5 ounces
• Circumaural ear interface
• Speakers 40mm diameter Neodymium
• Music controls: Jog dial for track/volume; push button for call answer/play and pause
• Noise, echo and wind cancellation
• Wired connection for use with all stereo MP3 players
• Bluetooth class: Class 2
• Bluetooth Stereo profiles - A2DP, AVRCP
• Bluetooth Headset profiles- HS 1.0, HF1.2

Take the foldable HN110 headphone with you on your travels and enjoy great music everywhere – even in noisy environments like buses, trains and airplanes. It’s a full-size headphone that covers your whole ear, yet it folds up for compact storage in the soft pouch supplied. The active noise canceling technology is easy adjusted using the controls that are conveniently integrated into the headphone shells.

As any frequent flyer knows, apart from industrial-strength knockout pills from a cooperative GP, noise-cancelling headphones are the best thing since eye masks and knitted slippers for the long-distance traveller. Not only do their noise-cancelling circuits make it far easier to hear movie soundtracks and music broadcasts but they also make it easier to drift off to sleep, by removing the intrusive drone of plane engines and air conditioning.

Of course, headphones of this type needn’t be restricted to use on long-haul flights, they can be just as handy on trains and buses or in any other noisy environment. The Philips SBC-HN110 headphones have been designed with just this idea in mind. They sport a retro-cool look, are lightweight, fold up to next to nothing and come with a handy, soft carry pouch. A 6.5mm adapter is also provided for hooking into home audio gear and a two-pronged aeroplane adapter is included as well. A single AAA battery provides the power for the noise-cancelling circuitry.