The British house music brand Hed Kandi have launched a new range of headphones targeted at female listeners, and I’ve been getting to grips with them to see how they match up to the bigger brands on the market.
Firstly they arrive in a very well presented L shaped box, with a clear plastic curve to reveal the colour of the headset; they come in Black, White/Coral, Blue/Pink and Purple.
The headphones themselves are lightweight and the ear cups swivel inwards and flat to make travelling easier. The lead is curled in places to prevent tangling and although this isn’t as effective as it could be (I managed to get them tangled in the space of a few minutes), the firm plastic casing around the wires does lessen the grip of knots, making them slightly easier to undo.
The adjustable headband is very thin and unpadded, but designed so that it doesn’t mess up your hair, which I have to say, is a useful feature. The ear cups are outwardly encased in metal and inwardly are heavily padded to make them extremely comfortable on your ears. It’s possible to wear these for long periods of time without feeling a weight upon your head or ears.
Although these headphones do not claim to be noise-cancelling, they do a pretty good job of dissolving background noise so that the music coming through is much clearer. Equally when listening to music at varying levels no noise escapes so you can listen to fairly loud music without disturbing the people around you.
The sound quality is also much better than you would expect considering the price and the fact that the earcups are not full size. The sound works well at a range of volumes and music types (best on faster tracks with a strong beat or bass), although it does sound slightly distant at lower volume levels. These headphones are at the lower end of the price range at £29.99 and are excellent value for money, they are available exclusively at HMV stores and online. The only thing lacking is the absence of a protective carry case and I would be willing to pay slightly more to include this.
Overall they are excellently designed to look good cosmetically as well as sitting comfortably. The bright colour palette lends itself to the current retro colour trend and the admirable sound quality will please music lovers and DJs alike.
