Customer Reviews

Altec Lansing AHP-712 Headphones

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Sorry about your first faulty headset...but that happens. These are, by far, the best headphones in the price range, and have a pretty good sound quality (20hz-20khz). They come with a nifty carrying bag and an adapter for airplanes (so you don't have to pay the annoying $5 charge). What's more, the MSRP price of $149 has been nearly reduced in half to $79 at places like Buy.com and the king-of-all-stores Costco. The Altec website is not much help, though. So if you want a real review, go to http://www.thetechlounge.com/review.php?directory=altec_lansing_ahp712&page=1.
And, by the way, if money is absolutly no object, try the Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic. They are the best--period. Happy trails.

I had a pair of Sennheiser PXC 250 earphones and although they are quite good, I could make out the white noise and thought I would look for an additional pair of noise reduction/cancellation earphones.

I found a pair of Altec Lansing AHP-712 headphones at Costco and was able to try them after unplugging the music source. I was impressed and based on the price I bought them. I was ready to buy a pair of Bose earphone, but only if I could try them first. These earphones are about ¼ the price, so I figured I couldn't loose.

I have been wearing the AHP-712 earphones every chance I get. I find them to be comfortable and don't find any distortions. Since they cup the ear, unlike the Sennheiser that fit on the ears, I find that they may be slightly better then the Sennheiser for blocking noise.

The Sennheiser are far more portable and I would use them for trips, but the AHP-712 are my earphones of choice for the office.

The AHP-712 are a good buy at any price under $100. I paid CN$89.95 and I would recommend them for anyone looking for this type of earphone, especially for the office. I paid CN$149.95 for the Sennheiser which are also good, come with a nice pouch and are more portable.

Bad design - bad sound
The first set I received was defective - there was absolutely NO noise reduction when the switch turned on. Return & were replaced - but not in time to take on my long-haul jounrey - which was probably a good thing:

As I'm testing the new pair (with noise reduction that works - sort of anyway), I cannot imagine wearing them for more than a few minutes at a time. There is not a position on my head that is comfortable. They press very hard against my head/ears (I do have big ears, and I wear glasses). The band that connects the two earcups is angled very oddly - if you line the cups vertically with your ears, the headband will be about at your forehead.

Without noise reduction turned on, the sensitivity is low (volume of source needs to be cranked way up) and the audio sounds very dull. Turn on noise reduction and there is a large increase in amplification; but if you adjust volume level to make same, the audio response is way different - sounds like an equalizer has been inserted that sharply cuts mid-bass and boosts mid-upper treble frequencies. Wierd. Not only that, the noise reduction isn't nearly as good as the specs which lead you to believe it handles noise across the spectrum - only mid-low frequencies are reduced, and the microphones on the earcups are VERY sensitive to any disturbance near to them: put your hands on or near the cups to try and make the set more comfortable and you'll hear gross distortion of the audio. If you want to use them for noise reduction only, you will hear a background low-level hiss/white noise (common to most noise-reducing headsets).

I've been using the way less expensive Kensington set (Amazon sku 33084), and thought these Altecs would give me better audio quality with better noise reduction. I was wrong: while the Altec's do have better bass, the noise reduction is about the same and I can actually wear the Kensington set hours at a time without discomfort. And the truly 'new noise instead of the recorded audio' you get when the audio is distorted by someone or something getting too close to you is unnerving. I'm really disappointed with this product - would suggest the Kensington model mentioned above if you're looking for cost-effective, wearable noise-reducing headphones.

I purchaced the headphones a couple of weeks ago looking for a good sounding pair of headphones with a decent noise canceling feature.

I was very happy with the sound of the headphones without the active noise canceling feature turned on. I loved the phones ability to produce low level frequencys, somthing I look for when I purchace headphones. The low level didnt get mudded out by a high midrange song or sound. I currently use these headphones for gameing.

I am currently sitting In a room with them on, there is a pump running behind me pumping water out of my flooded room. The pump is very loud and annoying, there is also a dehumidifier running just to my left. With the active noise canceling on I cant hear the dehumidifier whatsoever even during silent periods between songs ect. I can barely hear the pump running and without these phones I would be driven up a wall and back. This said however....
When I turn on the noise canceling feature I have to completely adjust the equalizer on my X-FI so the sound still remains correct, it really takes the high end out and fills up the midrange so it sounds like my dads car stereo.

I love the phones for the price but having to change my equalizer to compensate for the noise cancelation is a hassle, 4 stars.

Just broke my headphones in on a long business trip.

No, they don't shut out 100% of the background noise (duh), they aren't the most dynamically responsive headphones on the market (double-duh), and they aren't so comfortable that you don't know they are there.

They *are* a good pair of headphones and do noticeably reduce the low frequency background noise typically found in a jet cabin environment, all for a very affordable price.

Battery life was good - maybe 20 hours worth.

They don't fold into a terribly compact arrangement - essentially the cups swivel 90 degrees so the unit is more flat. I don't think that's unreasonable, but some may think that's it's still too bulky.

Good ear and headband padding. All-in-all, I think I got my money's worth.

First pair broke within 2 weeks. Replacement pair is dead in the water after 6 months. I should have purchased a better pair... sometimes you do get what yo pay for. This time it was inferior quality at a great price.

I don't know what headphones you people are talking about, but I got the Altec lansing AHP-712 ones and both of the earphones fell off within 15 minutes of having them out of the package.

They are taped in with 4 small bits of cheap double sided tape. This is an outward sign of poor crafstmanship that is an indication of what is inside as well. Sure it comes with some trinkets, but the audio isn't that great. I haven't tried it with a battery in though so I don't know what they sound like with that. I have a huge head and they do fit!

The ear pads both came off within a few weeks--it looks like they were glued into place with a few dabs from a glue stick. I replaced them with additional glue, which has met with limited success. The shoddy ear pads, coupled with the poor noise-reduction quality (it hisses--how is hissing better than ambient noise?), was absolutely no match for the final straw: the left ear piece broke off. That's not glue-able and nobody is interested in refunding me the money. Do not buy this product! Get a Bose or Sennheiser--those guys are serious about their noise-reduction headphones. They may be pricier but they're definitely worth it.

Out of the box, the AHP-712's noise cancelation feature didn't work. No sound at all. Well, maybe that means it totally worked (ha!). Anyway, with cancelation switch off, they did sound pretty good. Awaiting replacement and better results.

Update 12 April 2006: Received replacement headphones. They are working as expected in noise cancel mode.