Despite our best attempts, my family of four goes through a lot of headphones. We all need them for homeschool and work on a daily basis. But things happen. People roll their chair over their cord one too many times. The cats get extra playful and bite-y. Or, in one famous event that I would prefer to forget, the cat goes nuts, gets caught up in your headphone wire, runs off still entangled, and completely disassembles your headphones. So we’ve had plenty of opportunity to try out different models.
The company Plugged, with Kevin Liles (former president of Def Jam) as an advisor, has recently put out the over-ear Plugged Crown headphones. Their object was to create a new offering with style, quality, and performance but at a price that most people can afford. At $99, I’m not sure it’s as “accessible to everyone” as they hope, but many people who use headphones regularly can definitely justify it.
The Crown headphones are packaged in a very sturdy box that you will be tempted to keep for storage. The box closes with magnets, so I had a nice first impression there. Then, when you open the box, all you see is the headphones. You’ll need to dig under the interior packaging to get to everything else.
The Crown comes in black/gold and white/rose and is packaged with two cords, one for iPhone, one for Android, both with an in-line mic and sound/music controls. Since they come with these specialized cords (which can plug into either ear), they seem to be intended to use with your iPod or smartphone, but they also work just as well with your computer. They have a 40mm driver system, are sound isolating, and are scratch-resistant. The best part for me is the cushy, silky-feeling over-ear headphones. These are soft–so soft. They also come with a padded, canvas zippered pouch for storage or transport. (There are even pockets inside this pouch–a nice touch–along with an insert describing their limited warranty.)
As you can see from the photo, the ear cans turn so that the headphones can lay flat for shipping or storage. They are quite adjustable and very comfortable to wear. I could wear these for hours at a time. I have come to prefer over-ear headphones instead of on-ear ones, so as to not put pressure on my ears (which can be rather uncomfortable when you wear glasses).
How do they sound? The Plugged Crown headphones excelled at isolating noise. The sound seemed quite clear at first, but after a while I noticed that it was actually slightly echo-y, but not in a distracting way. It just makes it feel more like you’re actually there for the performance (or YouTube video). They aren’t as clear as my V-MODA Crossfade M-100s, but, at a fraction of the price, these are a great buy for most anyone.
The Plugged Crown over-ear headphones cost $99 and are an effective and oh-so-comfortable mid-level headphone for mid-level users (or high-level kids). Check out the Plugged website for more information about the company.
Note: I received a sample for review purposes.
Looks like you may be better off looking for new cat models
Ha!