We’re in the age of the celebrity headphone. Everyone from Jay-Z to Quincy Jones to, um, Snooki has headphone deals now. Those celebrity endorsement deals don’t come cheap, which is why it’s common to see certain brands costing several hundred dollars. But not everyone wants to drop several bills on a pair of cans. So we rounded up some more moderately priced headphones and put them through their paces. And the results were surprising.
The CS40 headphones from iFrogz come in seven biohazard-themed color schemes. The earcups are covered in a thick foam that--coupled with the brightly colored plastic--didn’t inspire confidence. But there’s that whole thing about not judging a book by its cover, and iFrogz proved our gut instinct wrong. Though they’re candy-colored, the sound from the CS40s was big and booming. The mids are a little murky, but the thumping bass is satisfying, and the high end is surprisingly crisp. Plus all that marshmallowy foam is actually really comfortable. If your tunes are more about pounding beats than subtleties, iFrogz is worth a look.
On the other end of the spectrum, Turtle Beach’s M5 over-the-ear ’phones are aimed at mobile gamers. They’re comfortable to wear, and you can still hear a bit of the outside world around you. When it comes to performance, it’s clear that the M5s are tuned more for the treble-y boops and bleeps of your favorite iOS games than they are for music. Bright jangley guitars sounded crisp, but there’s a definite lack of bass in these headphones. And even at top volume, we sometimes wished we could crank them just a bit more.
Nu-Force’s NE-770X earbuds aren’t as flashy as either of the other two we reviewed, but the minimal polycarbonate shell is available in three different colors. They’re extremely light and comfortable to wear, but the real treat comes when you turn them up. The sound is full and balanced, and the 770s offer a good bass punch, without sounding too heavy. Of the three budget ’phones we tested, these were the clear favorite overall, and they tested favorably against a similar pair of earbuds that sells for three times the price.
The bottom line. Each of the three headphones we tested had different sonic strengths, but Nu-Force’s balanced, punchy sound and minimal styling kept the best beat.
NE-770X
NuForce
nuforce.com
Price: $49
Requirements: Audio source with 3.5mm jack
Pros: Balanced sound. Good bass response. Subtle but cool styling.
Cons: Moved around a bit in our ears.
Ear Pollution CS40 Chromatone
iFrogz
ifrogz.com
Price: $49.99
Requirements: Audio source with 3.5mm jack
Pros: Deep bass. Thick foam earpads are very comfortable.
Cons: Muddy midrange. Inline mic/remote is flaky. Feels fragile. Color schemes are a bit gimmicky.
Ear Force M5
Turtle Beach
turtlebeach.com
Price: $49.95
Requirements: Audio source with 3.5mm jack
Pros: Light. Comfortable earcups. Inline mic/remote.
Cons: Lacks satisfying bass and midrange. Not very loud.
