Review: iBlink headphones.

Overview:

Occasionally you get something through your door to review that falls into the WTF category, and the iBlink headphones are just such an item. They cost about £22.00 and are unique in that each earbud contains three LEDs that blink in time with the music. There are also three LEDs on the chord module that also houses the battery. I know what you are thinking; Whoah, that’s bling, nuff respec, legend, etc. etc. Because you are fifteen, and such headphones would appeal to your demographic. However, do they have universal appeal?

Reveiw:

Let us begin at the start, and give you the vital statistics you crave after:

• Patented audio-optic technology with lights that flash to the sound output of any device with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
• Built in Lithium Ion rechargeable battery with USB charging cable.
• The volume level controls the brightness of the flashing lights.
• 44 inch chord length.
• Frequency range: 100Hz to 10Khzj

The headphones come in one of those old person proof blister packs, to ensure that anyone above the age of 50 will be unable to wear these. They also come with three different rubber seals to go on the ear bud to fit different size lug holes. These are to keep any unwanted sounds out, or noise isolation as it boasts on the packet. My experience with these is that not much isolation goes on, but it’s still better in terms of fit than the sheer plastic ones that come with the iPod for example.

The look of the headphones is a touch on the plastic side, and the cable is a bit thin. They don’t particularly shout quality at you. The pair that I have are white, with blue LEDs. To charge the headphones up, you get a cable that is USB at one end, and your standard circular charging end at the other. Plug this into the module in the centre of the cable that houses the battery, and one blue LED comes on to tell you the charging magic is happening.

So, you have the iBlink fully charged, and you are ready to put on your IQ reducer baseball hat, your junior knife vest, and hit the streets with your Mad Dog 20/20. How do these perform? Well their performance is average at best. I tried these headphones out with the music that most middle class teenagers can relate to, the cerebral and much acclaimed “Straight Outta Compton” by N.W.A. And what a delightful ditty.

At the top end they seem lacking in any real clarity, sounding almost distant. The mid-range does not fair much better, but it does have a bit of a dynamism about it, and gives it a bit of body. The bass is OK, and benefits from a tweak of the old graphic equalizer, but don’t push it too far as distortion is never far away. The overall sound quality lacks any real substance, but I guess that those that would be buying these headphones would not care as to the sound quality, as long as what they are listening to is discernable.

So getting down to the nitty-gritty of the headphones, the LEDs do flash in an appealing way. When you play music, they certainly flicker away in time. Flicker like a badly connected bulb. Still quite fun though. And err… That’s it! You see, once you get used to the flashing, it gets old quite quickly, and you have to remember to plug it in and charge it. Otherwise, you end up with a pair of rather tacky average headphones. Also, you never really get to see the lights, as they are on the side of your head. My only other slight concern is that if you ever wanted to draw attention to your posh new set of headphones to the would-be muggers of the world, the you could do no better than putting LEDs on them. Luckily, you can turn them off, but then what is the point of them then?

The Gaj-It Verdict:

Design: 5/10
Usability: 4/10
Features: 6/10
Value: 8/10

What we say:

All in all, these headphones are a bit of a novelty, and once the battery runs out, and the novelty wears off, you are simply left with a pair of mediocre headphones.