If you love the look and comfort of retro DJ style headphones, then you might want to take a look at a special feature ifrogz has introduced to their EarPollution line – made to order Fallout headphones.
The Fallout style is a lightweight, cushioned headphone that offers fairly decent sound for a budget-friendly price. You have the opportunity to create your own pair that can be as wild or subdued as you would like. Armchair headphone designers can choose from a black or gray headband, multiple colored sidepieces, speakers, ear cushions, and side artwork.
I went with a red, black and chrome scheme, starting with the red and black dragon artwork for the sides…
Nearly every bit of the headset was customizable…
Within a few weeks, I received my personalized Fallout headset.
Specifications:
Driver Unit: 40mm
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 120dB+/-3dB at 1KHz
Frequency Response: 30 Hz to 20 KHz
Cord Length: 1.2M
Plug: 3.5mm
The Fallout headphones are lighter than many I’ve tried in similar styles, which should be good for extended listening or for younger audiophiles. At a $35 price point, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the “chrome” is a shiny silver plastic and not metal, but the plastic looks nice and isn’t cheesy at all.
As is usually the case with headsets like these, Fallout headphones have inherent background noise blocking properties because they cover the wearer’s entire ear. Sound through them is surprisingly clear and good; unless you are blasting your music at rediculous and deafening levels, you shouldn’t notice any bottoming out or obvious distortion. Songs with heavy basslines like Puscifer’s Queen B are easy to understand…and because you won’t be able to hear yourself (and how badly you probably sound) – quite easy to sing along with.
Be advised that these headphones are not made to work with the iPhone; beyond the fact that they do not offer call-answering capabilities, their 3.5mm plug is not long enough to insert into the iPhone’s recessed port. They work perfectly well with my MacBook Air’s speaker port however, which is how I usually use them.
The headphones are adjustable to fit a range of craniums from pre-teen to extra large.
I’ve got to say that for the price I was quite surprised by the Fallout headphones performance, never mind the fact that I was able to completely specify how I would like them to look. The ifrogz EarPollution Fallout headphones are a great value, and fun – not just because you get to design your own, but also because they buck the earbud trend.
The ifrogz EarPollution Custom Fallout Headphones are available directly from the manufacturer.
MSRP: $34.99 (currently on sale for 40% off)
What I Like: Personalized by you; comfortable; inexpensive; good sound
What Needs Improvement: You can’t use them with an iPhone, but that’s just a minor quibble