The thing that I love about my AT&T Tilt and Windows Mobile in general is how flexible it can be. I can use it as a phone, messaging device (text and email), web browser, GPS or for music and video playback. For the music playback, I’m still trying to fine tune the way that I get the sound from my Tilt to my ears. I’ve used a couple sets of Bluetooth headphones (Sony Ericsson’s HBH-DS970 and Motorola’s MOTOROKR S9-HD) but both have quirks that make me crazy after a few minutes use.
This conundrum has me looking for a new set of wired headphones. First on my list is the Atomic Bass headphones by Radius. I’ve always been a sucker for bass, and traditionally that has been a low point for headphones (pun intended).
Follow the break to see how atomic these headphones are.
I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but device manufacturers seem to be getting the message that we want a full 3.5mm stereo jack on our handhelds. The Palm Treo Pro, HTC’s Touch HD and Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1 all come equipped with a plug for your headphones. Even if you aren’t one of the blessed few that have one of these devices, many handhelds will allow for an adapter to add a headphone port. With the economy the way it is, many people may find it more cost effective to outfit their Windows Mobile phone as their music player than it would be to purchase a new iPod.
Design
Radius decided to go with the unbalanced wire lengths for the atomic bass headphones. The idea behind this design for those of you that are curious is that you can run one wire behind your neck to your opposite ear. The earpieces themselves are a unique design, featuring an “angled tube chamber”. This angled design allows for a better fit as well as enhancing the sound quality.
Fit
The Atomic Bass headphones come with three different sizes of ear gels. These gels accompanied with the off center wires and the angled ear pieces make for an exceptional fit. The headphones can be rotated in order to fit the shape of your ear.
Sound
The sound that the Atomic Bass headphones put out is very clean. I’m not sure how much of a difference the angled tube makes, but it would seem to be an effective design feature. The fact that the earphones are rated at 32 ohms does make a difference in the sound.
Conclusion
Are there any acoustic engineers among our readers? I’d love to get a semi-technical explanation of what the angled tube does for the sound.
From a purely non-technical standpoint, these things are sweet. The sound is phenomenal for a $39.95 pair of headphones. The fit and flexibility that you get from the headphones and the wires are the icing on the cake. If you’re in the market for a new pair of headphones, the Atomic Bass headphones by Radius deserve a stong look.
| Ratings (out of 5)Design: 4Fit: 5Sound: 5Overall: | ProsInexpensive for the qualityExceptional fit and sound qualityConsOff center wiring may annoy some people |
