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Altec Lansing AHS423 ‘Behind-The-Neck’ Headphones With Mic

Since I screwed up my old and cheap Intex headphones, I decided to treat myself and get new ones, but this time, a little more durable and of a comparitively superior quality. So I went to Nehru Place with Sneezy Melon and got myself a brand new set of Altec Lansing headphones.

Altec Lansing has a very good reputation in the sound equipment industry. This, and the recommendation by a friend was the main reason I went for Altec Lansing rather than other competitors such as iBall and Creative. But sadly, I was disappointed.

* The one thing that grabs your attention at first is obviously design and ergonomics. The set is sleek and has the obvious ‘behind-the-neck’ coolness factor. Pads of three different colors - black, orange and pink are provided.

* When you start using it, you notice the awesome and clear sound quality. However, there is no option for size adjustment. So the headphones are practically unwearable for my sister as they are too large for her tiny head. They keep falling off when she wears them.

* Because of the ‘behind-the-neck’ design, the whole weight of the headphones and mic is on your ears. So your ears would hurt like hell if you wear the set for 4-5 hours at a stretch.

* Though the connectors are sturdy, but their is the usual problem that develops after some time, the one of loosening of connection, and particularly breaking of wires in this area -

So you have to adjust the connector until you start getting clear sound. For me, this problem has started a bit too early. It has just been over 3 weeks since I bought it.

* The wire is quite long (2.6 metres to be precise) as compared to other headphones. This comes in handy when you want to lie back and watch a movie with popcorn.

* It has gold connectors to ensure minimal loss in transmission of audio signal. I have no idea if this actually does any good, but I’m sure it definitely adds to the price of the headset.

* In-line volume control - The inline volume control is not a new or unique feature, it is present in almost all headphones in the market, but the 3 level volume control for the microphone is something new, and can come handy during voice chats, if you want to suddenly mute or lower your sound input.

In all, I think the pros outweigh the cons, and it is a good buy. However I would recommend going for a headphone with similar features but an ‘over-the-head’ design. I got this for Rs. 550 with a 1 year warranty, from Computer Empire, Nehru Place.

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