Maxell HB350F Digital Collapsible Headbud

by Maxell

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3 x 3 x 1.5 inches ; 2.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000001OMN
• Item model number: 190508
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

These neckband earphones feature an inline volume control for easy adjustment, silicon earbuds with vertical ear entry design for comfort and extended wear. The neckband design offers a more secure fit while active.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars These headphones sound just horrible!, August 22, 2005

By 

Carlos E. Sicilia H. "Carlos Sicilia" (Caracas, DF, Venezuela) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maxell HB350F Digital Collapsible Headbud (Electronics)

Please, don't buy these headphones. According to the quality of their sound they should cost half a dollar only. I've been searching for a vertical headphone during weeks and finally, after checking a lot of models and prices I decided and purchased this crappy little garbage. They sound just awful. Terribly awful. Also, they lie in the package since the package boast a frequency response of 16Hz-22000Mhz and the online info regarding this model says it's actually 20-20000. So, unless you wish to hear your music as coming from inside an empty Coke can, do yourself and your ears a gracious favor, and stay far, far away from these headphones which don't deserve that name.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars These are fine for what they are, September 6, 2010

By 

Sarah A. Werning (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maxell HB350F Digital Collapsible Headbud (Electronics)

I have two sets of standards for headphones, and for that reason I have two kinds of headphones. My "audiophile" headphones are of the large "earmuff" variety, with a thick cord, noise-canceling abilities, and a retail cost of well over $100. I spent over a month researching each of those purchases, and I only use themat home, when I'm listening to CDs or DVDAs directly from the stereo/receiver, or occasionally plugged into my amp when I am playing my guitar. These Maxell headphones are the other kind of headphones I have: a cheap pair for the gym. I use them at the gym, occasionally at work, and when I run outdoors, and only plugged into my iPod.

I have a real hard time keeping ear buds in my ears, especially when running. This goes for the budphones that came with my iPod as well as my Shure budphones with the expanding foam pads of different sizes. I also don't like the ones that clip on your ears; they either feel too loose when running or else pinch my ears. So I need headphones of some sort, and ones that go over my head are more stable than the ones that go behind my head. On the other hand, when I run I don't want enormous headphones covering my ears and adding weight to my head, I don't want to get my good headphones sweaty (water + salt = not good for electronics), and it's also not safe to run outdoors without being able to hear traffic (at least a little bit). These are a nice compromise: small speakers, light headband, comfortable. They have three points of articulation and fold up easily into about a 4"x2" bundle. This is great for packing into my gym bag or bookbag. The cord is a good length for sitting my iPod on the treadmill or elliptical and having enough room to run without catching my arms on the cord. These headphones adjust to a good range of head sizes. One of the other reviews said they don't cling to the head correctly; I am a normal-sized adult female, but might have a smaller head than that reviewer (I only click it out one from the smallest setting on each side). At any rate, I never need to adjust or move it back up over my head even after an hour of running or longer. If I wanted to, I could dance around my room in these and not have to worry about them falling out of adjustment.

The sound is not perfect; I would never use them to focus on a recording for technical, recording, or reviewing purposes. However, I would bet that for most people, it is good enough. Most people listen to music on a portable radio or iPod where the sound isn't great to begin with (most people do not use lossless encoding when transferring music to iTunes). I mostly use these with my iPod at the gym, where there is a lot of background noise, or running outdoors, where it would be dangerous not to be able to hear traffic/other people. In those conditions I don't have a problem hearing the quiet dialogue of my NPR podcasts. They're not super bass-y, but the distortion is not unreasonable at normal listening levels either ($30 Sony headphones, I am looking in your direction!). They're not great for airplanes when there is a lot of loud engine noise (although I could still hear music/dialogue), but then again, I don't expect noise-canceling abilities in a $12 pair of headphones. I am always amazed at reviewers who want optimum sound quality but don't want to pay more than $10 or $15 for headphones. For people who can't tell the difference between lossless tracks and 192kbps tracks (which, I find, is pretty much anyone who hasn't worked with sound professionally), these headphones will be fine. Do you want to know if you fit in that category? Ask yourself if the CD and your iPod sound about as good as each other. If the answer is yes, then you can go ahead and buy these headphones without worrying about sound quality.

I find the longevity reasonable for the cost. I am on my second pair after three years. The first pair worked well for about a year and then the left speaker stopped working; this pair has worked for two years with no problems. I have been more gentle with the way I wrap the cords on this second pair. I don't expect this pair to last forever, so I will likely order another pair soon as a backup. There are few comparable headphones (not many fold up as nicely), especially in the ~$10 range.

So, I agree with the previous reviews that these Maxell headphones aren't audiophile quality, the sound isn't perfect, and they won't stand up to a lot of abuse. But they cost TEN DOLLARS. I feel like once you factor the cost in, you actually get a pretty comfortable pair of headphones that work well for what they are. I would recommend them for the gym and not for home listening. And honestly, anyone who expects really great sound out of a $10 pair of headphones knows a lot less about sound than they think they do.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor Sounding and Designed Headphones from Maxell Once Again, December 29, 2006

By 

Person "qazwsx34651" (across the street) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maxell HB350F Digital Collapsible Headbud (Electronics)

When it comes to headphones I'm anything but easy on them. A pair, with me, usually lasts a maximum of six months. If they last longer than that they are lucky. Therefore, I decided to go on a search today to find a pair of earbuds that sound at least average, are comfortable, and seem to put up with some rough activities. I do have my Sony MDRE828LP earbuds, but the cord is starting to come off and the right side of the earbud gets blown out every once in awhile which is a sign that they're on its last couple of weeks. And I didn't want to get stuck without any earbuds for my iPod.

I bought these at...Walgreens. Yes, Walgreens. If I went all the way to Target or Wal-Mart my day would be gone. Walgreens doesn't typically have much more of a selection of headphones other than two brands, Maxell and Philips. Maxell had a pair of earbuds, but they were the deaded white. I looked at other selections and I found the HB350F headbuds. They seemed like a good deal and were on sale for seven dollars.

Hey, what do you expect for the price? At least something that has fair bass, good mids, and a clear sound. These do indeed have a clear sound. However, they have a really bad lack of bass tones. They don't sound BAD, depending on your standards, but to me were not worth it at this price-point. Even with the bass booster on, no matter what I tried I just could not get a good sound out of these headphones. I thought that since these were canalphones that they would supply much more of a solid low-end.

Unlike other earbuds, these are a bit different. As shown on the Amazon picture (although mine were red, not black) they have a band on the headphones, which makes these have a more secure fit so you won't have to worry about the earbuds falling off all the time while running or doing outdoor activities. But the comfort is killed by the design of the earbuds. The earpieces are huge and did not fit in my ears very well. After thirty minutes of wearing these my ears were in extreme pain.

For other extras, they do have a volume control, but don't get too excited here. It's more like a loud to a mild sound than it is very loud to off, but it could be useful in some cases. Also they have a nice folding action that makes them fit perfectly into my iPod's case.

I used to own the Maxell HB202 headbuds and was dissatisfied with the fit, and these are no different. They have a well designed folding action, and don't fall out of my ears, but are painful to wear and do not sound up to the price. If you find these at a very low price, like under five dollars, they may be worth it if you have big ear canals. Otherwise, not a good set to me at all. 2 stars.