Maxell HP-200F Lightweight Stereo Headphones, Silver

I purchased the Lightweight Stereo Headphones (HP-200F) September 18, 2006 as a replacement for the default Apple earbuds that came with my Ipod. During my first night of using the HP-200F, they worked fine. I was actually impressed by their sound quality, particularly given their extremely reasonable price. However, the very next day, the audio in the left headphone began to cut in and out. I could only fix it by moving the cord around and holding it in an awkward position. I must reiterate that at this point I had had the headphones for less than a full day, I did not drop them or damage them in any way. While this was barely tolerable, I continued to use them because as I said, the sound quality was good, the price was right, and I had no other headphones. On the evening of the 20th, two days after my inital purchase, I attempted to listen to my Ipod using these headphones, only to discover that not only was the left earpiece cutting out, but now the right one was as well. Even...Read more

Obviously these headphones are not for the audiophile. Nor are they for the person who expects anything they buy to last for a decade or more.

These headphones are for the person who wants tolerably decent sound reproduction in a compact package. Commuters, some travelers and others with modest expectations will love these. They fold into a pretty small package that can be tucked into a somewhat large package or a fanny pack or backback or mesenger bag or what have you. The headband has a wide range of adjustment and maintains the position you set it in.

The earphones are large enough to cover most ears and are comfortable for extended wear. (I've been wearing them while sitting at the computer for the laat five hours without any discomfort.)

If you don't demand much in the way of bass or treble, the audio range is acceptable. As I said, these headphones are not intended for audiophiles. That said, distortion isn't a problem even with the...Read more

First of all, the price for these headphones is pretty hard to complain about. But from a company like Maxell, I was expecting at least a little bit better, even from a $6 set of headphones. The speakers in the HP-200 don't adjust their angle at all to accommodate the listener's ears, so you always feel as if they could just sat a wee bit better when wearing them. They aren't uncomfortable to wear, mind you, but they don't appear to give you the optimum angle for listening. As for the sound quality, you can turn up the volume on whatever your listening to without any significant distortion. But you may need to do that to hear most of the full range of your music. These sounded more 'mid-rangy' to me than balanced; there's some bass but not a lot, and likewise with the treble. Vocals and the middle notes of guitars and keyboards are almost too up front through the HP-200 as a result. I have a hard time recommending them for music as a result; you can certainly use them for that, as...Read more