June 2013
The market for commuter headphones -- less than full size, but more substantial than earbuds -- continues to grow. Recently, Jabra has added two headphone models that can keep up with other leading brands due to innovative design and good craftsmanship. The Revo comes in wireless ($249.99 USD) and wired ($199.99) models. Here I review the wireless model.
Description
The Revos’ plastic box promises “massive wireless sound” and ensures the buyer that the headphones within are “engineered with solid materials.” The box also contains a USB cable, a 1.2m audio cable with a 3.5mm plug, a quick-start guide, and a code for activating the Jabra app. There’s also a soft, flimsy case; headphones of this quality deserve better.
The Revos’ design is simple yet striking: black and gray with orange highlighting. The headband is of shatterproof plastic with steel hinges, and adjustable aluminum calipers that hold the solid plastic-and-foam earcups. The headband is comfortably lined, and the earcups are cushioned with memory foam. The finely braided cables have solid connectors at either end, and are orange to match the accents on the earcups.
Everything about the Revos feels solid, from the ’phones themselves to the cables. Jabra claims to have dropped the headphones from a height of 6’ 6”, fold-tested the hinges 3500 times, and bend-tested the headband 10,000 times. They also tested the cables to withstand a pull force of 33 pounds, and tested everything for resistance to dirt, temperature, and humidity. Built to last, the Revos felt as if they’d do just that. Jabra says they were “designed to be used and abused.” I’ll take their word for it.
Nearly two years ago, I was introduced to Grace Digital when I reviewed the company’s 
Logitech shocked its followers and fans some months ago by announcing its new Ultimate Ears (UE) line of products and the discontinuation of its Squeezebox models. Owners of the Squeezebox Touch were up in arms, even though Logitech has promised continued support of all Squeezebox models. The UE Smart Radio seems something of a peace offering -- it’s very similar to the Squeezeboxes in many ways -- but the biggest problem is that the UE models use a different operating system from the Squeezeboxes, making them largely incompatible with each other. The UE Smart Radio will more likely sell to new buyers than to returning Squeezebox customers.
The boombox was introduced to the US in the mid-1970s, after enjoying great success in Japan. Boomboxes usually had at least two speakers (often more), AM/FM tuners, and played cassettes and, later, CDs. They operated on battery power or could be plugged into the wall, and were portable, though the ones we usually think of were very large and heavy. They became synonymous with “loud,” and were featured on TV and in many films. My favorite reference is in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, in which Spock subdues a bus passenger whose boombox is loud to the point of pain.
The packaging for Audio-Technica’s ATH-ANC9 QuietPoint Active Noise-Canceling headphones ($349.95 USD) is simple. Open the attractive display box (no plastic window, but a large photo) to find an instruction manual and a sturdy carrying case measuring 8.5” x 8.5” x 2.5”, at its center a coin-like Audio-Technica logo in hard rubber. Like many such cases, this one is designed to be hung from a belt, though I have yet to see anyone carrying a headphone case that way. But you can fit your middle three fingers through it and use it as a carrying handle, which seems much more useful.
The blurb on the box is dramatic: “Overwhelming Bass.” I wondered if my classical and jazz recordings were going to sound like 1970s disco, but Audio-Technica’s ATH-WS70 headphones -- with, as Audio-Technica puts it, Solid Bass -- proved entirely unthreatening, producing only solid, not overwhelming bass that was just right for most of the recordings I auditioned them with.
If, like me, you want headphones that produce enough bass, you’ve probably been using some of the larger designs, such as 
Imagine a cube into which a tennis ball could perfectly fit and you have a good idea of the size of the NuForce Cube compact portable speaker. It’s amazing to think that this tiny aluminum box contains a speaker worthy of notice, and even more amazing to know that it can also serve as a 16-bit/48kHz USB DAC and a headphone amplifier, all for $99 USD.
Logitech acquired Ultimate Ears four years ago, and have now come out with a line of UE-branded products that includes a smart radio, wireless speakers, and wired and wireless earphones and headphones. The wireless UE 9000 ($399 USD) is their newest model of what I think of as commuter or frequent-flier headphones. Such designs have large earcups (aka “cans”) that cover the entire ear and can often reproduce good bass. Most such designs are built to withstand abuse, have active or passive noise cancellation, are optimized to work with smart phones and iPods, and come with a durable, hard-shell carrying case.
September 2012