Aiwa headphones (Aiwa HP-AK100 Full Open-Air)

[fyleow]

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
The Koss Portapros for 25$ deal is much better. Grado-like (although obviously not Grado!) but for 25 bucks.

Of course if you want good sound it's all about the Bose Noise Canceling headphones!

 

[elimcpheron]

Originally posted by: SrikanthAG
Heh, ya, looks like someone has never listened to any Grado's headphones. This seems like an ok deal, but personally I'd rather put the money towards at least some sr-60's or sr-80's.

agreed, for under $100 open air, grado is the way to go.
I personally need sealed headphones(dorm use so I don't disturb roommate) so I picked up some Sennheiser HD280 pro's for $80 at amazon and I love em to death.

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: fyleow

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
The Koss Portapros for 25$ deal is much better. Grado-like (although obviously not Grado!) but for 25 bucks.

Of course if you want good sound it's all about the Bose Noise Canceling headphones!

You're kidding, right? :Q

Price of manufacturing the Bose headphones: $5.00
Marketing the Bose headphones: $40.00
Price of the headphones: $149.99 - to unsuspecting consumers
The look on the Bose executives' faces when they sell a pair: Priceless.

 

[weepul]

bleh, they're sold out now =(

 

[csiro]

Anyone got any news on these? I haven't got any email confirmation. Makes me wonder if I actually ordered anything...

 

[MOONKEY]

Bose? Haha. A well-marketed brand that it is.
Oh, well, at least you can show off to your clueless friends.

Originally posted by: wje

Originally posted by: fyleow

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
The Koss Portapros for 25$ deal is much better. Grado-like (although obviously not Grado!) but for 25 bucks.

Of course if you want good sound it's all about the Bose Noise Canceling headphones!

You're kidding, right? :Q

Price of manufacturing the Bose headphones: $5.00
Marketing the Bose headphones: $40.00
Price of the headphones: $149.99 - to unsuspecting consumers
The look on the Bose executives' faces when they sell a pair: Priceless.

 

[MrHappyMonkey]

I haven't heard anything either. I submitted an "order status" on thursday but haven't heard anything back. The 25th (today) was supose to be the ship date.

Originally posted by: csiro
Anyone got any news on these? I haven't got any email confirmation. Makes me wonder if I actually ordered anything...

 

[gtcrispy]

I sent a email and thursday for my order status. They said they were in transit and were supposed to get in either friday or today. Hopefully they ship out today.

 

[LongCoolMother]

out of stock

 

[stev0]

Originally posted by: gtcrispy
I sent a email and thursday for my order status. They said they were in transit and were supposed to get in either friday or today. Hopefully they ship out today.

mine shipped today, i guess im supposed to send an email back to them for a tracking number... hrmmm

 

[gtcrispy]

I sent a message requesting a tracking number and got a response this morning saying not all 300 orders shipped out yesterday so they will be shipped out today. I kind of wanted to have mine on Wednesday before I left but oh well

 

[stev0]

yes, i got the same message, sent another one yesterday after noon for a tracking number, no response, and sent another this morning, no response...

 

[Toasthead]

I just got this! :|:Q:frown:

Important notice regarding your order,

We regret to inform you that we have sold out of the Aiwa headphone(s)
that
you placed on order with us last week. We delayed this email until
today
because of the possibility that we would be receiving another shipment.
However, word came today that we would not be.

We strive hard to fill all orders. Unfortunately when a closeout
opportunity comes around we are often limited to our stock on hand. In
this
case we were able to triple our initial order but it was still not
enough to
cover all backorders.

We apologize and hope that we can find a way to serve you again in the
near
future. Your credit-card has not been charged and your order has
automatically been cancelled.

Thank you,

Customer Service
State Street Direct
http://www.ssdonline.com
support@ssdonline.com


grrrrrrrrr.

 

[dcdomain]

Got them on Tuesday I believe... overall good packaging. I haven't opened them to try them out yet since they are for my little brother and sister... how much noise escapes these headphones?

 

[MrHappyMonkey]

i haven't received a shipping confirmation message or an order cancelation. What gives? Where do these things ship from and what carrier?

 

[gtcrispy]

You have to go to their website to get status info and tracking info. I didn't have a chance to send another email before i left on wednesday to get my status. I got no email that says they had to cancel my order though. Will have to wait till Monday.

 

[gtcrispy]

Got mine today. They work decently. I guess not a bad deal for 30 after shipping.

 

[stev0]

Originally posted by: gtcrispy
Got mine today. They work decently. I guess not a bad deal for 30 after shipping.

decently?! are they comfortable? how to they sound? what is the soundstage like?

 

[gtcrispy]

Well I really have no other headphones to base them off besides some Sony Ear Bud type headphones that I bought for $15. Yes they are pretty comfortable but also quite big and thick because of the soft fabric cushion around them. The sound quality is better then the ear buds but that really doesn't tell you much. I'll have to compare them to some different headphones. I wonder if these need an amp at all? I'm running them off my Hercules Game Theater xp. I've also tried them on my portable cd player and my rio mp3 player. I would prefer a bit more bass from them. Overall I think i will stick with my Logitech Z-560 speakers but I'm happy for the money I spent.

 

[asuh]

I am not impressed by these headphones at all. They play the music decently but they are a tad bass heavy unfortunately. What I base my opinion on is what I've been using, which is the Sony MDR-CD180's. I've used these headphones for over a year now and they have been really nice for the $20 I paid for them. I paid more for these AIWAs and I think the sound is terrible compared to the Sony. I also just got some MDR-7506 headphones but I shouldn't base these either because they are professional headphones. So anywho, I'm overall not impressed by these headphones. I wish I hadn't opened them so I could use them as a Christmas present, however I might just do that anyway... haha

 

[kennethfine]

I respectually disagree with the folks who don't care for these headphones. I bought two sets, and I think they're great. Mind you I already own five different sets of closed phones that range in price from $50-$80.

I like these headphones because:

+ they sound great, very natural, very full
+ they are extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time. I've been wearing them for hours on end at work.
+ good construction.

All in all, I'm extremely pleased. I'm sort of a mid-range audiophile -- 5.1 DTS on my home setup, Celestion speakers with 12" woofers, A/D/S sub -- but I've always been happy to go with whatever sounds good to my ear, regardless of cost or what the audio elite tell me to think. Hence, I have $1000/pr speakers matched with a sub-$200 Technics amp (another hot deal from Anandtech.) It sounds awesome to me and my guests, so why spend more?

I class these 'phones in the same realm. If they make you happy and they're well made, that's what counts.

 

[craftech]

Aiwa is one of the few brands in my experience which I can honestly say consistently manufactures electronics which are doomed to failure in a relatively short period of time. Most companies produce some well made products and some poorly made products. Aiwa is in a league of its own.

 

[asuh]

Well, here's where I really made my discovery of what these phones are like. I own a nice digital piano, Roland FP-9. I have tested many phones with it and usually it gives me a really good indication of the headphones. My first headphones that I regularly used were the Sony MDR-CD150s and they, although the sound was a little softer, gave me a great sound with this piano. I then used the Aiwas and I heard distortion in the high range right away when I played a little louder. The mids were extremely bright and the bass was pretty full. I also like a nice full sound, but I enjoy listening to a better balance of music. With these Aiwas, I was very unpleased with the sound that I played on my piano and was moderately satisfied with the music I sent through it. I think for $20-30, the Sony headphones are a better buy even though they are a little softer.

 

[kennethfine]

That's cool. If you don't like how the phones sound with your piano, then they are lousy headphones for you.

On the other hand, I listened to Glenn Gould and Murray Perahia play their Goldberg Variations last night (the '82 and '00 versions) on the Aiwas, and thought it sounded terrific.

Different folks, different strokes. IMHO, these are the best sounding $20 phones I've heard, and they compete with the best I own.

 

[helyes]

I finally got my two pairs, and I have to say that I am pleased with them. They are comfortable and don't push on your ears, and look fairly durable. The only problem I find with them is that they are a little light in the bass.