Headphone

Sennheiser HD429s Over Ear Headphone Review

Today we're looking at the Sennheiser HD429s; a pair of mid level wired headphones that are designed to work with your smartphone.

If you are interested in this microphone kit, it will set you back $80-90 on Amazon

What's In the Box

  1. Headphones (1.2m Cable)

  2. 3.5mm Adapter (Required for some Smartphones)

  3. Documentation

Specifications

  1. Frequency Response: 18Hz - 22kHz

  2. SPL: 112dB

  3. Impedance: 32-Ohms

Performance / Features

The build quality of these headphones is decent for the price. The construction is all plastic, but it maintains a decent amount of flexibility and adjustability which means they should fit on most peoples heads. The cable measures in at 1.2m which is plenty long enough for your smartphone, and it offers an inline control and microphone.

The sound frequency response of 18Hz - 22kHz provide the headphones is natural and provides a nice amount of low end without becoming overwhelming or hindering the higher frequencies. Since they are closed back headphones, they do not have the greatest sound stage, and 

Pros

  • Natural sound

  • Full frequency response

  • Good amount of low end without sacrificing high frequency clarity

Cons

  • All plastic construction

  • Didn't come with a carrying case or any protection

Conclusion

Even though the sound of these headphones doesn't fit my personal preference, I can admit that they sound good for the price. These are a HUGE improvement over your cheap in ear headphones, as well as the majority of headphones on the market. This is mainly because the majority of headphones on the market are marketed has SUPER HYPER BALL BUSTING BASS, and these just have a nice full low end without overwhelming every other frequency response.

If you have been stuck using stock apple earbuds, or cheap in earbuds and are looking to upgrade to a higher end pair of headphones, I highly recommend these. Sennheiser, is well known for their great audio quality and these headphones allow you to dip your toe into the audiophile market without killing your bank account.

If you have any additional questions about these headphones, leave them on the youtube video, and I will try to reply ASAP. 

Buy the HD429s on Amazon
US: http://amzn.to/2kl8nbP
UK: http://amzn.to/2jx1ShF

How To Record a 3.5mm Mic on an iPhone

Another day, another video. In the first day of my last video, I received a lot of questions about what other mics work on the iPhone 6. So, I tested out the SF-930, SM-58, NW-700, BM-800, & NW-1500. Surprisingly, all the microphones technically worked.

This method consists of plugging the microphone into the Startech 4-pin Splitter, and then plugging the splitter into my iPhone and recording into the stock Voice Memos app. 

Some microphones performed much better than others in this test. However, none of the microphones even came close to their full potential. Every single microphone sounds much better when being recording on a computer in the appropriate fashion.

I have major concerns about this technique. I don't know the iPhones TRRS jack specs, but I don't think it was designed to handle the power needs of a 5v condenser mic. This could possibly damage your battery or damage your TRRS jack. I'm not sure. I would need to consult Apple on this, but I don't have the time. 

I guess, I should just say that I do not recommend using this method. It does not provide good results, and you could potentially damage your phone. The iPhone mic doesn't sound terrible. Just use that in the mean time. I think that the quote from Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park is surprisingly fitting. I was so preoccupied with whether or not I could, that I didn't stop to think if I should.

Each G2000 3.5mm Stereo Gaming Headset Review/Test

Alright ladies and gentleman. Time for another Mic test video. The search for an all in one gaming headset for podcasting is still underway, but I think I have found the current front runner.

This is a generic  headset that seems to be sold under a bunch of different company names on Amazon. But it works well for what I'm looking for and it runs between $22 & $25 on amazon.

The build quality is flimsy plastic, which feels cheap, but it does have nice ear piece and head piece padding to keep it comfortable. It also has a braided cable that leads into (2) 3.5mm Cables (Headphone / Microphone) and a USB cable (whose purpose I could not determine). It does have a small control dongle in the middle of the headphone wire that allows you to mute your microphone and adjust your headphone volume.

The headphones provide a frequency response of 20Hz - 20kHz, but they do not fit snuggly to your head, so if you are playing games in a loud environment, you will be able to hear everything going on around you. I tested the Freq Response on AudioCheck.net and the stated response seemed to be pretty accurate. I will blame the small discrepancy on my own hearing loss.

The mic is another thing that blew me away. It is a dang good sounding mic, but there is no listed frequency response, and I haven't developed an accurate way of testing that yet. The microphone is omni directional, which  for a gaming headset seems a bit strange to me. So if you are going to be gaming in a loud area, this may not be the best headset. Another thing that I was not a fan of, is the mic is not articulating, meaning, I cannot position the mic closer or farther away from my face. It only moves on one axis. 

A HUGE problem I have is with the way it was shipped. It came in an amazon box, and the headphones were inside, but only in bubble wrap. No directions, or spec sheets, or proper packaging were included. That makes the company seem pretty crappy, and it would make me hesitant to want to test out any more of their equipment, if this mic didn't sound so good for $20! 

Overall I would recommend this mic if you are going to be in a quiet room designated for gaming, or if you are going to be podcasting. If you are in competitions, or play with the sound on your TV or Computer turned up, this may not work well for you. Really cool headset though, and I'm glad that our viewer Cobra Gaming requested this device.

Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ja3Ip8

Corsair Raptor HS40 Gaming Headset Test/Review

Hey everyone. I apologize. I forgot to write up the supplemental review of this headset. I did this review as requested by our viewer The Gamin Kidz. 

I will talk about two aspects of these headphones. The audio output (headphones) and the audio input (microphone). 

The Audio output is great on these. Apparently, they are a 7.1 surround sound headset, but they are not compatible with mac computers so I am unable to test out this functionality. But the sound is great for the cost and they are incredibly comfortable. I could wear these for hours and play games without a problem. 

The microphone on the other hand is unusable for podcasting. There is a constant buzz in the background that I was unable to remove through troubleshooting, and the overall sound is rather cheap sounding. If you're gaming online in a group, the microphone may not be a big problem, but if you are trying to do voice overs with this microphone, I do not think that it will cut it. I don't recommend these headphones because you can get a gaming headset with just as good headphones for 1/3 the price. 

If you have any questions about this headset, leave them in the comments down below and I will do my best to answer them. 

Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1iHLtXt