Being a huge music fan, I love to branch out and find musicians who pique my interest, often with eclectic sounds.
I recently found that with a couple of groups who each displayed vastly varied sounds. While I promptly downloaded several of their songs to enjoy, the trick is finding the best way to do that.
where it’s @
The SMS Audio Street by 50 wired headphones require a 3.5mm headphone jack. The headphones retail for $179.95. More information is available at smsaudio.com. The Jabra Move wireless headphones require a 3.5mm headphone jack or a music device with Bluetooth wireless. Charging cord is included. The headphones retail for $99. More information is available at jabra.com.
As it turned out, I had a couple of sets of headphones to test, so this seemed the perfect time to try them out.
The first set was the SMS Audio Street by 50 wired headphones. Rapper 50 Cent lends his name to these over-ear headphones, hence the "50". After testing a previous model from 50 Cent's line, I liked them so much that I still use them today. That gave me high expectations for the Street headphones.
I wasn't disappointed.
The Street headphones have sweat-resistant cushions and mesh covers for the earpieces that can be removed and washed. They also include an audio wire with a built-in remote control and a hard-cover case to transport the headphones. The headphones also fold above the earpieces for easier storage.
The band sits comfortable atop the head thanks to a thick cushion, and the cushions on the earpieces reduce exterior noise and provide softness and comfort. I was able to wear the headphones for several hours without any major discomfort.
The wire on the Street headphones includes a small remote and microphone, so you can answer phone calls if needed. The remote also allows you to control the play/pause and forward/back track commands of the music player. While these are great features to have, I greatly missed having a volume control. It would have been nice if the long button on the remote would have allowed a user to toggle either end to control the volume. As it is, the button must be hit once to play or pause music, twice to move forward a track and three times to move backward.
While I like the idea of having a remote to answer calls and control the music, the remote wasn't as responsive as I liked. I often had to use the click commands more than once to achieve my goal.
The real key, of course, is the sound. As I said, these headphones didn't disappoint. The sound reaches into some serious bass and reverberates it well. Midtones are rich and crisp. Because the bass is so enhanced, the treble loses a slight bit of punch near the top. But it's not terribly noticeable, and it isn't lacking enough to really harm the sound. The headphones deliver sharp sound at nearly every level.
The wire can seem a bit cumbersome when using the headphones while playing sports or working out, but it wasn't too bad. They do actually make a wireless version , called Sync by 50 Wireless Sport. They're about $50 more, though. One little wire isn't too bad, in that case.
The SMS Street headphones also come in a special Star Wars edition, featuring logos and characters from the popular franchise. I tested the Stormtrooper headphones, which have the face of -- you guessed it -- a Stormtrooper on each earpiece. Several designs are available. The headphones themselves are nearly identical to the Street by 50 model, minus the headphone covers.
I also tried out a new set of headphones from a company called Jabra.
The Jabra Move are wireless headphones designed to provide a rich, deep sound.
They connect via Bluetooth and can last up to eight hours per charge. They did just that for me before a woman's soft voice let me know the battery was low. The voice also explains how to connect via Bluetooth and lets users know when the headphones are connected or disconnected from a wireless connection.
The Jabra headphones have buttons on the left earpiece that adjust the volume and play or pause the music. Holding down the volume up or down button will advance or move back a track. It's great having all the controls in one convenient spot.
Like the SMS headphones, the Jabra headphones don't claim to be noise canceling, but they certainly do block out a lot of exterior sound. The over-the-ear design and thick cushions go a long way toward keeping outside sounds from disturbing the music's clarity.
In trying out a variety of music, I found that the Jabra headphones sometimes scattered the deep reverberation of bass notes. It also wasn't as clean on the reverberation as the SMS headphones. I discovered that only by listening very hard and doing a lot of comparisons. But it really isn't enough of an issue to notice unless a person is looking for it.
The Jabra headphones really surprised me. They have a much richer sound than I expected, with crisp, clear quality from one end of the scale to the other. In fact, they were pretty strong competition for the SMS headphones, but at nearly half the price.
Frankly, you can't go wrong with either of these headphones. The Street headphones provide richer, more penetrating bass, but the Jabra opens the treble a bit more while still providing more-than-decent bass.
Both sets of headphones made it a joy to listen to the new music I discovered and really get a feel for the groups' varied sounds. Variety certainly is the spice of life.
SundayMonday Business on 10/06/2014