iHome Soundesign SD63 Retro Headphones

In the last few years, iHome has become a well recognized company for their fantastic iPod accessories. Not surprisingly, iHome has joined the headphone market with their own headphones in collaboration with Soundesign. While iHome succeeded in giving the SD63's a retro feel, the headphones look and feel cheap due to their plastic construction and overall flimsy feel. However, there were two aspects of the design that I liked. First, the volume control can be adjusted using the circular piece on the outer portion of the right earcup. Secondly, the cord is spiral and thick which helped give it a classic 70's feel.

Unfortunately besides these two design touches, there weren't many positives to the SD63's. No matter how much adjusting I did, I could not find a natural fit. Comfort-wise, the headphones are below average, especially if you have a larger size head. The reasoning behind this is that the earcups are slightly angled which limits you from having a proper seal. As for sound quality, I expect much more for $50, especially now with the growing number of options at similar prices. Sound quality is just not very good, mainly because of the the design flaw I discussed earlier. While I can appreciate iHome's attempt to create a retro designed headphone, the SD63's have too many design execution errors to warrant a high rating.

Price: $50
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Pros

• Thick Coiled Cord
• Retro Feel
• Volume Knob

Cons

• Uncomfortable
• Sound Quality
• Look & Feel Cheap

Overall Rating: 6/10

 

iHome iHMP5 Speakers/Headphones

The iHome iHMP5 are the first headphones that I have reviewed that also function as speakers. Why buy headphones and speakers when you could just buy one? While it sounds nice in theory, the execution from iHome is disappointing.

There are a few positives from these....headphones? The earcups are adjustable so you can play music at any angle. iHome has priced the iHMP5's at an extremely affordable price. The speakers run on two AAA batteries inside the left earcup. Unfortunately, there are many drawbacks to the headphones and speakers. Neither the headphones, nor speakers sound good. The headphones aren't comfortable and the durability is another major concern. While the iHome iHMP5's are unique due to the speaker capabilities, they don't succeed in performance, durability or comfort. They are available in 3 colors: Silver, Red & Purple.

Price: $25

Available Now

Pros

• 2 in 1 Product
• Low Price

Cons

• Sound Quality of Speakers & Headphones
• Hinges Break Easily
• Uncomfortable

Overall Rating: 4/10