sam-pro's Full Review: Labtec Elite 840 Consumer Headphones
The Labtec Elite 840 is simply the pinnacle of where value per dollar meets performance! OK, review over...Not quite but that pretty much sums it up though. In addition they are an attractively styled lightweight complete earcup binaural design with black and silver trim that fits indeed very comfortably over one's head. They are designed to seal out most noises but not quite all. Who cares? Well, ok someone might but when you find a product of this caliber at the ridiculously low MSRP of $20 it really becomes quite difficult to find anything less than wonderful to say about it! Yes, you can jog while wearing them if you so desire.
The two 50mm drivers are full range units using the latest Neodymium magnet technology which significantly reduces overall mass in itself. The phones use a vented system for improved bass response. This design approach also allows for some sounds to be heard by others in the room. They are quite efficient at their 102db rating which means they'll play pretty loudly at a low volume setting. The 840's are packaged with a gold plated 1/8" MINI PLUG and 1/4" full size home stereo adapter.
The sound itself is unbelievably detailed revealing all subtleties and harmonics in recorded material of all kinds from ROCK to BACH. Beware of recordings with flaws but also be prepared to have the hairs on your spine literally tingle!
Is the labtec ELITE 840 the best headset out there? No it is most definitely not but when you consider its meager asking price of $20...there's really no competition! Is the bass better than the Koss Pro 4X's? Again , it is cleaner but cannot go as deep. There are limitations but again for the money...!
The headphone wiring itself is rather lightweight and uncoiled compared to other designs like the Koss models but with care can be of little or no concern. One of the problems with the Pro 4AA was that the heavy coiled wire would tend to develop an internal break by the LEFT earcup over an extended period of time.
The Labtec ELITE 840 headphones simply prove that one does not have to spend a fortune to get great sound reproduction and yet be perfectly comfortable listening to music for hours on end. They can take plenty of headphone amplifier input and my impression of their overall Frequency Response is as follows...They are extremely flat [in a measuring way] from 35Hz to well beyond 20KHz. I really do believe that the response never varies beyond plus OR minus 1 db!! The 840's are in my estimation the first truly successful design attempt at combining high output high performance with lightweight comfort. The velvet like ear cushions add to the overall great comfort and should last longer than foam.
Having owned various Koss, Sennheiser, Sony, Superex, Pioneer, Coby, Stanton, Pickering and Pioneer models of both full sized sealed and lightweight non-sealed headphones, I'd have to say that these are definitely my favorite and easily fit the bill for reference stature.
On one recording in particular...Wings' "Mull Of Kintyre"...although the bagpipes were nothing short of hair-raising there seemed to be some intermodulation distortion inherent in the recording itself that I was previously unaware of!
Having been a Rock and TOP 40 DJ for Anerican Forces Radio years ago, I would have loved to have worn these for several hours on end during my shows! I prefer them to everything else. While bass is very well defined it is never heavy and the overall sound isn't constricted in the mids as it is to some degree on my former reference Koss Pro 4AA's and X's. But then again they don't have the Mack truck construction and swivel mic provision that the Koss models had!
I have two concerns with these units. One is that when abused the plastic earcup swivels are easily broken. With proper care this situation can be avoided. The other is that I have lent out no less than three Labtec Elite 840's... Two to my kids and one to my older brother. Everyone concerned has jokingly [with serious intentions]threatened me with bodily harm if I even think of asking for them back!
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