Customer Reviews

Logitech 980397-0403 Wireless Headphones for iPod, Gray

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(35)
1 star:		(61)

 

 

I have used these headphones through two recharge cycles before deciding to review. The construction is typical of most headphones that fit behind the head. The weight is comfortable. They do not hurt my ears, and I do not feel that they are too tight. They do not move considerably as I move about. I can wear them for several hours without problems. The foam earpads are comfortable. An extra set of foam earpads are included. The transmitter unit that connects to the iPod is a little large, but still fits comfortably in my shirt pocket or pants pocket. It does not add that much weight. Both the transmitter and headphones recharge simultaneously with the same recharge unit. I found the battery life between charges to be excellent. The sound from the headphones is excellent. The range of the unit is at least 20-30 feet. No static at all within the range of the unit. I recommend them if you are looking for a wireless headphone solution. It also comes with a small wire connector to attach the transmitter to an external earphone jack such as computer speakers to be able to use the wireless headphones for other equipment than just your iPod. Also works with the iPod-Mini. I expect it will also work with the new Nano. Price is high, but worth it to me.

As others have said, the sound is fine, battery life is fine, but there is a basic engineering flaw that guarantees that the band will easily break.

My headset has had very little usage and was always handled gently. The band still cracked. I wasn't too worried since it was under warranty, but the warranty is not acceptable. The company does not replace the defective item, but rather, makes you mail them the headset and transmitter and fax them a copy of the receipt. Four to six weeks later, they will send you a refund. I'm sure there is no refund for the shipping or sales tax.

To add insult to injury, the customer service person told me to rip off the foam on the earpiece to get the serial number. Had I known that they were not going to replace the unit, I would have tried epoxy or something to put the band back together. Now I have a cracked band and the foam is missing on one of the earpieces.

Personally, I think this is bad behavior on the part of the manufacturer and would be cautious when buying other items from them in the future.

I got the headphones and was excited about using them, and they didn't disappoint. After almost 5 hours of mountain biking, they were still going strong. The sound quality was great. They did feel warm on my ears, which wasn't great on a hot day. When I took them off at the end of my ride I found that the plastic band had cracked. Someone else mentioned this in their review.

I ordered these headphones with great anticipation. I had read a review of them in PC Magazine, and thought they would be the perfect solution for my work music needs... I move around a lot in a large cube, and like to leave my iPod on the desk.

Imagine my disappointment when I got the headphones, only to discover that they will not work with either iPod I own - an iPod Nano and a 60GB Video iPod. These headphones only work with the older type of iPod that has a little extra plug next to the headphone jack.

I was able to use them - sound only, no controls - by plugging in the included extension cable. But since the main reason I wanted these was to be able to pause and unpause music directly from the headphones, I reluctantly sent them back.

So - fair warning to owners of the newest iPod models: These don't work. Wait until Logitech comes out with a revised model.

The technology is great, but give it a few weeks and the headband begins to crack. They designed the band with a studier material because the headphones are a bit heavier than normal headphones. Unforunately, this means the headband cracks after prolonged use. Mine cracked after a week's worth of use. After this they are useless. Check the Logitech support forums for more information. This isn't an isolated problem, but a design problem with all the headphones. I would not recommend this product, since they are so expensive with such a short life span. Maybe wait till they fix the headband.

They work great until they break.

These are some decent headphones, but if you use them they WILL break. It's only a matter of time. I did some research and found the following tips to prevent/fix the breaking:

Solution #1:

Put the band portion of the headphones in boiling water for a while and slowly spread them open. Once you have them opened up some take them out of the water and let them cool while holding them in the spread position. This reduces the tension of the headphones against your ears and reduces the stress put on the headphone band. This results in two advantages, less pressure on your ears resulting in better comfort and no cracking of the band.

If you stretch them to far they will fit too loose and will lose some of there bass effect. But all you have to do is reheat them and close them up a little until you get the fit you want.

Solution #2:

Even if your headband has broken in two this will still work. It will only take a little patience and $5.00 of materials from a local hobby shop.

Materials:
- 3/4 inch or 1 inch nylon tape (all hobby stores that have RC Plane materials have this)
- CA (cyanoacrylate) the stuff that superglue is made of but I recommend getting some real CA at any hobbystore. Get the "thin" stuff.
- Saran Wrap. yes the sandwich stuff...
- Scissors

Side note: I call the nylon tape "tape", but it is really just a ribbon of nylon. There is no sticky stuff on the "tape"

1) First if your headset has snapped completely in two use a little CA to mend it as best as you can. It doesnt need to be perfect but just mended enough that it is technically one piece again and headphones are seperated to where you want them to be.

2) Next cut off a 6 inch piece of the nylon tape and using a VERY small amount of CA, tack the top edge of the tape to the BACK of the band where the crack has occured (which should be exactly in the middle of the band in most cases). Use just enough so it sticks as you don't want too much CA getting into the ribbon. It should be hanging down now in the back like a tail. Note: Use the saran wrap to help hold the tape in place as you are tacking it in place as you DO NOT want this stuff to get on your fingers...

3) Once the CA has dried enough and the tape is stuck, wrap the tape under and around the band one time until the tape is hanging down again in the back. Pull the tape VERY tight and use a little bit of CA at the top to keep it in place.

4) Wrap around one more time and tack it again one more time making sure to always keep the tape tight when you tack it. You should have wrapped the tape around twice at this point. If your set was broken completely in two you may want to wrap one or two more times and at a slight angle to cover a little more area. When done, use some scissors to cut off the excess tape at a point so the cut end of the tape is at the back.

5) Now you can saturate the whole band of tape with CA. Use the saran wrap to press down the cut end of the tape as you glue and it will end up perfectly flat. This is an incredibly strong fiberglass patch similar to carbon fiber. The patch will have a very small profile (not that thick) and be similar in color to scotch tape, however it could easily be painted to match the color of the headband if desired.

There you have it. This is a permanent and SOLID fix and only takes about 5 minutes. I'm wearing mine right now after i just fixed them. Also you can do this (and I strongly suggest you do) to a set that has not cracked yet, because they WILL NOT CRACK if you do. Just do it exactly in the middle of the band.

I bought these headphones back in November 2005 and they were fantastic. The sound was great, the wireless factor made things so convenient and then the dreaded cracking. My first pair snapped right in the center after about a month. Called Logitech and they replaced them. After about two weeks the new ones cracked as well. Called and was told they were made with a strengthened center so they sent me another pair. Guess what, cracked again. Now I call and they tell me they are no longer sending out replacements but rather refunding the purchase price. They want me to send in the receipt (which I faxed to them after the first pair cracked-seems like they didnt file my copy and now I have to find mine again) and they want me to pay to ship them back to them. Is Logitech insane? They make a flawed product and want me to pay to ship them back? Im about ready to ship every Logitech product I own back to them. I expected more from Logitech, I guess all good companies eventually start going downhill.

Do not get me wrong these are fantastic when they work, unfortunately their life span is usually a month or two.
For all those that say their's hasnt cracked I can only say its just a matter of time. I guarantee it will happen. I couldnt have been anymore careful with mine and they still cracked 3x.

I heard about these headphones and was eagerly looking forward to getting them. When I found them at a local retailer, I snatched them up, ran home, and fell in love. These things have very nice, clear, crisp sound ... a wonderful way to listen to your iPod without the tangle of wires.

But I had trouble within 2 weeks of normal use. The plastic headband cracked at the half-way point between the ear pieces. I took them back to the retailer, who replaced them for me with a new set. And sure enough, just about 2 weeks later, the plastic headband on the new pair cracked in the same place. I was so disappointed. I was able to return them for a refund, thank goodness.

If you have a small-sized head, these things may work out fine for you. But if you have an average or larger-than-average sized head, you will likely run into the same problem that I have and so many others who have posted reviews here.

If Logitech fixes the problem, making the headband adjustable, I'll buy a new set in a flash! It's a great product in all regards except for the defective headband design.

If you have an iPod these headphones are excellent. Even if you don't have an iPod they come with a small wire adapter to plug the bluetooth receiver into any audio device with a stereo jack. There is another model of bluetooth headphones offered by logitech that are black which I would've prefered over the white ones but they don't have iPod controls on the earpiece. Set up was as simple as pressing 2 buttons and I was on my way. These so far have been an excellent purchase, allowing me to listen to music without a wire constraining my movement. If you mountain bike or do any sort of workout where wires are a burden then I'd highly recommend these. My only disappointment was that i couldn't connect them to my Powerbook through a bluetooth connection, I had to use the included bluetooth receiver. Only a small gripe though because they still work well with my laptop and any laptop in fact. I thought the audio quality was excellent but I'm not a big audiophile so I could be wrong. All in all I would say they were worth the price considering the active lifestyle I lead and the constant trouble I seem to have with wires. These would've received 5 stars from me if they could've been paired with my laptop without the need of the small bluetooth receiver.

If you purchased this unit and the plastic band broke, call Logitech support at: 702-269-3457

Once you prove that you have the old model, and send it back to Logitech, they will cross ship you a the new Free Pulse model which has a high strength carbon spring-steel headband.

You will have to pay shipping, but you are getting a great pair of headphones to replace the previous defective model.