Altec Lansing MZX116W XX Headphones

 (21 customer reviews)

Customer Video Review Length:: 1:37 Mins

** Comparing several earphones and prices
*** Audio fidelity, comparing the brands
**** Some engineering suggestions
***** Conclusion

* First of all, this is a low-end earphone that is marketed to, supposedly, teenagers or the very cost-conscious. I'm bearing that in mind and not being overly critical.

The earphones, considering all of my thoughts that follow, are too expensive and poorly constructed. This is too important not to mention because the wires are so thin that it's not if the connection develops a shortage but how soon will this earphone develop a shortage. My guess is, that under normal usage, 30 days max. (see photos in video) And, to whom these are marketed, $20 is an important investment.

** I have several earphones and I'd placed them side by side and the Altec is noticeably thinner than the...Read more

All my headphones break after a few months via kids with scissors, car doors, rabid cats, and other acts of God. So, I never pay more than $20 for a pair of headphones. These Altecs stay within the high end of my pricepoint but in my amateur opinion they don't sound as good as some of my other headphones. I used the Altecs side-by-side with a pair of my $15 JLabs. My pros/cons:

Pros:
+Build Quality: I think the best thing about these Altec headphones is build quality. The wires (or at least the casings) seem to be a bit thicker than most of my other headhpones. Maybe that will have them survive an extra month or two before an angry squirrel gnaws through them.
+Comfort: They are comfy in my ears. Also comes with extra tip sizes which is always nice to include.

Cons:
-Aesthetics: Not that sleek looking at least to me, large bulbous heads compared to my JLabs. White and Grey color scheme looks kind of PC Accessory-ish.
-Sound:...Read more

First off, I'm not an expert on audio. I can't get into the acoustics and the dynamic range that these earphones can offer or anything; but, since I have to review it, I'm going to tell you what my impression was as best as I can being a simple earphone user.

These earphones look nice and snugly, comfortably fit in one's ears to block out external noise. I used them for my iPod and the earphones I'm accustomed to are crystal clear...Everything sounds great and they block out exterior noise as well (they some type of Skull Candy earphones, in case you care). These earphones however made my music sound muffled...It sounded like my normal set of earphones if I had stuffed cotton into them.

I now use these earphones in case mine break, as they're decent just not anything particularly special. I'd say shop around before buying these ones, cause you'll probably be able to find better options.