Top positive review
9 people found this helpful
Good headphones
By Luke M on Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2012
After being on the fence and researching headphones for the last week or two, I settled on the AF32s. I have some nice cans at home which don't leave the house, and some relatively high-end IEM headphones, but wanted a pair of headphones that sounded good and weren't expensive enough to make me worry about them too much. I chose these because, even though I will predominantly be using them wired, the added Bluetooth functionality as a headset for my phone and/or PS3 won me over. Many other reviews comment that the audio quality is sub-par, and I have the suspicion that they've only used these wirelessly. Under those conditions, the music quality obviously leaves something to be desired, but that is simply a downside to current Bluetooth technology. I didn't expect these to sound amazing if listening to music wirelessly over Bluetooth, and they don't - but its acceptable enough for the rare times I'll use them for that. When connected to an audio source via wired connection, however, they sound great. I've put about 30 hours of listening into them so far, and for just $65, they really surprised me. The unit is lightweight but sturdy feeling and doesn't move around on my head. Ear cushions are super soft, and I am able to use these for an extended period of time without discomfort. I've been listening to these through a flat EQ so far, and they present clear, precise bass (that is not overpowering, but not underpowered either), no muddling of the mids, and the highs are nice and crisp. For the price range, I am very satisfied with these headphones, and I see the Bluetooth ability w/ built in mic as a great bonus. These compare, in my opinion, to many of the $100-$150 options out there. They sound as good to me as my old Sony MDR-V700s did, and I prefer them to all of the Skullcandy, Beats, and Bose headphones I've tried. Overall, I am satisfied with this purchase, and I'd recommend them to anybody looking for a step out of the `skullcandy' level of gear. I would give these a 4 star review if based solely on sound/quality, but since they were so affordable I feel like the money to quality ratio deserves 5 stars.
Top critical review
1 people found this helpful
A comfortable, isolating, and slightly-muddy-but-still-fun-sounding set of headphones, tempered by limited Bluetooth
By Joe D on Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2015
I've had these for about three months now, so I'll go ahead and give them a review. Sound Isolation: This is one of the biggest positive traits of this headphone. I've been on the Koss PortaPro train for awhile now, and love them dearly. Unfortunately, they're not ideal for quiet environments as they are very "leaky" as they're an open design. These aren't. In fact, my music can't be heard at all, really, not even in a library, and I can't easily hear anyone else, especially the librarian who loves to scan about a hundred books at a time throughout the afternoon, each with an accompanying BEEP that resounds across the floor. A big plus. Sound quality, with Bluetooth: Like I've said, I've been a PortaPro fan for a number of years, so it was inevitable that I would compare the Runaway to them. To keep it brief, they do fall short. Quality through Bluetooth is "meh", though I didn't expect perfection going in since I'd read enough about how Bluetooth isn't meant for sound reproduction, blah, blah, blah. Bass is on the muddy side. Not bad or overwhelming, just lacking in detail. Imaging grows confused in portions of music with lots of detail. Cymbals in particular make these phones want to run away. See what I did there... Sound quality, wired: However, when these things are plugged in, many of the Runaway's shortcomings go away. These still don't have the airiness and treble that the PortaPro can sport. However, bass does start to come alive, and much of the lacking detail comes up to play, too. Overall, these are very fun, and for techno and other alt songs, I think I may actually prefer these, as these are not fatiguing to listen to. Comfort: This, along with noise isolation, makes up much of the rating on these. I wear glasses, let's get that out of the way. Many headphones are uncomfortable for me, as the clamping pressure of the headband and/or the pads exerted on my head become too much. These are not like those. I have been able to maintain 1 hr (or greater) listening sessions with these, which I have not been able to do except for the PortaPro's. For my head, the headband is nice, with enough padding to be comfortable, and enough pressure to make for a positive-feeling fit. The pads are nice and squishy and conform to my ears. They do make my ears sweat a little, but it is not overly bothersome as I do the majority of my listening indoors in an air-conditioned environment. The instances where I listened to them outside definitely made my ears warm, but it is currently late summer and very humid, so I don't think that will be a problem all year long. Battery life: I've only had to charge this once. Seriously. Uses very, very little power. However, don't trust the silky female voice that says in your ear that the battery is "high." That's a dirty, dirty lie. Had the headphones dying a couple minutes after this message. I'd say, charge it once a week or something, and don't worry. Bluetooth signal: Alas, this I feel is a bit of a weak point for what is otherwise a solid headphone. "Runaway" is a bit of a stretch. It is closer to "you can run around, but only within about 10 feet of your source." Any further, and I start to suffer from clipping. It's not bad, but it's not as nice of a range as some reviewers have reported. Take note, however, that range could always vary per the source. I've used a laptop, my tablet, and my smartphone, and range has been roughly the same for each. Maybe a little further for the laptop. In addition, I have found that the source can have a HUGE impact on audio quality, at least over Bluetooth. I refuse to use my tablet as a source, it is that bad. I had considered returning these headphones when I first opened them up and listened to them on my tablet, and then later I decided to try my phone. Sound quality improved by leaps and bounds over my phone's connection. You really don't want to know what they sounded like on my tablet. As some others have noted, these headphones sometimes need to be re-paired to their source, or simply to have Bluetooth cycled on the source (on my phone, turning Bluetooth off, then back on again). I know when to do this when these things start clipping severely for no reason. Cycling the connection has, fortunately, solved this issue every time. Conclusion: A comfortable, isolating, and slightly-muddy-but-still-fun-sounding set of headphones, tempered by limited Bluetooth range, signal quality, and slightly underwhelming sound quality while wire-free. Let it be known that my three-star rating I consider to mean "solid", but for these things to merit four stars, Bluetooth connectivity would need to improve. Take care, Joe
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