Axent Cat Ear Headphones and their best alternative headset
Earphones come in many styles and functionality. Axent wear is one of the few companies that combine fashion with functionality to give users a different musical experience.
Axent Wear is looking to redefine the way headphones look and sound. To move away from conventional design, two students from UC Berkley Wenqing Han and Victoria Hu founded Axent Wear.
They wanted a design that came with a cat ear-design to start with, and this is what their first product is - Axent Wear Cat Ear Headphones. The duo have raised more than $900,000 in funding so far, as many people have bought their cat ear headphones through Indigego, a crowdfunding site.
The most striking aspect of Axent Headphones is its design. The usual head band has two ears that look like a cat, while the headphones are attached to the ears. This product comes with LED lights on the cat ears and on the rim on the back side of the headphones.
All these LED lights glow when worn, giving a cool feline look to users. These lights come in different colors such as blue, green, red and purple.
In terms of functionality, these headphones combine speakers along with the regular earphones. Users can choose to turn on the speakers present on the cat’s ears if they want to share music with people around them. Though this is touted as one of the most salient features of this headphone, it may not sound too comfortable because the speakers are located too close to the ears. Blaring music from such close range can cause ear pain over time. If these speakers are too much or when users want to listen to music privately, then they have the option to listen through their headphones by turning off their speakers.
These headphones are aesthetically designed too as they sit nicely on top of the ears to give a comfortable feel to users. The cushions around the headphones act as a padding for the ears. It does not cause discomfort even if they are worn for extended periods of time. The speakers come with 40 mm drivers that have a 20 Hz to 20kHz frequency response, so they can deliver a range of sounds for different kinds of music lovers. Other than these unique features in design, there is not much uniqueness in audio technology as it does not use any high-end hardware. Music sounds good, but there is nothing much to it otherwise.
There are no accessories that come with these headphones except a 3.5 mm jack with mic and USB charger. This jack is replaceable, so not all is lost if the jack breaks. The audio quality is decent for calls, though there is nothing outstanding or bad about it either. There are also no bluetooth or wireless options available for this model.
These headphones are priced on the higher side when one looks at just the performance. It costs $150 for a single headphone and $575 for all the four colors. .
In short, these cat ear headphones are for those who want to sport a stylish-looking headphone that come with external speakers right near the ears! For those who simply want to listen to good music without fringes, this headphone may be a tad too expensive.
Maxell AMP-B Amplified Heavy Bass Headphone
A possible alternate for these headphones could be the Maxell AMP-B Amplified Heavy Bass Headphones. These headphones come in a tribal blue color, and there is a nice glow to it too. When compared to Axent Wear, it does not have any unique design except the glow that comes from the design on top of the head band and on the back side of the headphones.
Despite this fairly regular design, it scores high on comfort and aesthetics. The black and blue combination make it a stylish and dynamic headphone that can go well with almost any outfit. It is comfortable on the ears, so users can wear it for long periods of time without feeling any discomfort.
As for the sound quality, it is is top notch, especially for bass lovers. In fact, one of the most salient features of this product is its sound quality. The 40 mm drivers provide deep bass for the bass lovers, and a generally superior quality of music for all the others. The lows, mids and highs are well-balanced and sound nice, making it a good choice for purists too.
This balance is due to the high frequency response range of these headphones that typically range from 10 Hz to 23,000 Hz, to give users a good feel of the crystalline highs, pleasant mids and the throbbing lows. The tonality and treble are also at the right levels. However, the bass sound can sound too overpowering at times for non-bass lovers.
Another good feature of Maxell AMP-B Amplified Heavy Bass Headphones is that they can be connected to a range of portable devices such as MP3 players, gaming consoles and portable DVD players. This flexibility gives users more options to use it with the device they want. Furthermore, the Maxell AMP-B Amplified Heavy Bass Headphones are lightweight and easy to carry, so users can listen to their favorite music or play their games wherever they go. They can even be folded into a bag when not in use.
One downside of these headphones is that they come with no noise isolating or canceling features. It does not keep outside noise away, which means, it interferes with music when users are in crowded places like trains and buses. Other than this drawback, the Maxell AMP-B Amplified Heavy Bass Headphones are a great value for money.
They are a good alternate to Axent Wear headphones in terms of sound quality. In fact, the sound of these headphones are way superior when compared to Axent Wear. However, Axent Wear scores high on style as it gives users a hip and cool feeling.
Overall, it is a choice between functionality and design, and it is up to the users to choose the one they deem is important.