Customer Reviews

Targus AWM02US Active Noise-Canceling Headphones

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was happy with the noise canceling features, not the best but definitely works. Great for airplane rides - really helps cut out that background engine noise. My problem however with these headphones hwoever is the design - the first set i had brok near the earpiece hinge and was replaced by Targus (cheers to them). the second set broke too in a different place - the deisgn of these just isn't very sturdy. I'm gentle with my stuff too, so either I had bad luck w/two defective units or they're just not made well.

I am used to quality products from Targus but this did not do it for me. The headphones were quite comfortable to wear for long periods of time. I listened to audio lectures for upto 7 hours a day and nevere had any problems wearing them for such long periods.

The noise cancellation was well below my expectations, thye did cut down the noise but not by much. You get what you pay for I suppose. The biggest problem I had was that when I listened to something with these headphones people around me could hear it too. Not very helpful for me as I study at the library most of the time. People around you can hear everything you are listening to. I also tried a cheaper pair of Maxell noise cancelling headphones which were about the same performance-wise. With the Maxell headphones the sound did not leak out, so people around me could not hear what I was listening to. Noise-cancelling-wise, these were a little better than the Maxell headphones.

One strage thing I noticed was that whenever I used these while studying in the university library and turned on the noise-cancelling, I started to hear some radio talk show station. strange!! the headphones were actually picking up radio waves!! not much fun when u are trying to cancel out noise. Also on one side the copper wires were exposed!! wouldnt recommend buying them. I replaced with the Sennheiser 202 from Amazon for $20. even though the sennheisers are not noise-cancelling, they do a better job in blockin out the noise because they fit tightly around the ears.

Shortly after I began using my head phones, I noticed the wiring at the hinges was starting to crack the wire coating. Within 8 months of not-very-heavy use, the left earpiece wouldn't work any more. Guess I can't send them back, since I didn't keep the box!

Also, the battery pack is in an annoying place - every time I turn my head, it catches on something.

These headphones work just as described; very comfortable to wear for hours at a time. The ear cushions completely surround your ears to block out 90%+ of background noise. The quality craftsmanship is apparant; these headphones are well made and seem to be comparable to the Boise headphones you see advertised on TV for hundreds of dollars. The battery life, while I haven't tested it this extensively yet, is said to be 100 or so hours per set of AAA batteries, so they shouldn't need to be replaced frequently; plus, the headphones work wonderfully without even using the battery function to block out background noise (it's optional; there is a switch on the cord). In summary, these are wonderful headphones; let them replace the cheaper headsets you spend dozens of dollars on every couple of years. You won't be disappointed.

I bought and tried several higher-priced, name-brand competitors headphones to hear which ones actually cancelled out background noise. If you buy, try and compare you have a better chance of getting what you expect. The others that I tried had NO DISCERNABLE noise cancellation and/or, did not have sufficient volume for use within an airplane cabin. While this one lacks an auto-off switch, which can save batteries, and has no remote volume control, it works great at noise cancellation. I wouldn't argue that it has audiophile fidelity, but if you want to watch a movie on your computer, this makes it possible.

When I first tried this headphone, I almost returned it because I heard hissing in the background. But then I used another regular headphone, I heard the same. Lesson learned: although sometime I can't hear hissing from the speakers, it could be picked up by the headset... Another problem I had with this headset is that I sweat a lot and this one just make my ears too warm...

I absolutely sang the praises of these earphones. The noise cancellation on airplanes is amazing. I couldn't have been happier...until


Last 5 hour flight to Hawaii, I open them up and realize that the tiny pieces of plastic that hold them together to rotate, 3 out of the 4 pieces were broken. Only one was in my bag. So, two had previously broken off and gone by the wayside. I spent the whole ride having to search for this tiny piece of black plastic the size of a grain of rice every time it fell out.

They have a year warranty and I have owned them for about a year and two months. You really let me down this time Targus.

Have had these headphones for about 2 years, but used very rarely, maybe about 10-15 times total. Main issue is that these are big and take up too much space to put in my briefcase. Performance is ok, though sometimes there's a crackling sound just touching the control where you turn on/off noise canceling. Durability is a big problem...during my last trip, the cover over the ear cup foams literally went to pieces. I had to pick the pieces out of of my hair and clothing in the middle of the flight.

These headphones worked fine for a few days. The noise cancellation was OK, but not great. Then I knocked the headphones off my desk onto the carpeted floor and the left channel stopped working. If they hadn't proven so fragile, I'd have given them 3.5-4 stars, but if they break this easily, it's just a matter of time -- days, probably -- before they become useless. Buyer beware!

I have recently been working a lot with video tutorials on my desktop and have both this headset and a Bose QC3 headset. I've worked with both and have found that I actually enjoy the Targus one better for this application. The area where I work has a lot of mechanical noise or background noises, Targus set does a great job at eliminating these sounds. However if you're an audiophile or in the market for great music headphones I love the QC3's for that!

Pros:
- Headset works with or without the active noise cancellation (when the battery dies the sound doesn't).
- Ear cups that envelope the ear provide additional isolation from the world around you.
- Padding of ear cups and band allow for a comfortable wear over a period of several hours.
- Folds in on itself for easy storage.
- Rugged construction has survived many trips in overhead compartments and in my laptop bags.
- Long battery life.

Cons:
- Standard non-rechargeable batteries, takes 2 AAA's (unless you buy a rechargeable battery set).
- Cord length is too short while working at my desktop.
- Location of noise cancellation switch is about mid cord length. I've found this to get in the way on several occasions.
- For those with larger than normal ears ear cups may be uncomfortable.
- No volume control (however my QC3's don't have that feature either).