In my other life, the one where I’m not testing products and writing about them online, I’m an audio engineer for a large church. While most of my work is with live bands, there is a fair amount of studio work involved, so I was pretty psyched to try out Direct Sound’s EX-29 headphones. When working in a crowded space (as churches tend to be), trying to catch the nuances of sound as you mix or master, isolation is key. You have to cut out all of the voices, the random background sounds, and the endless string of ill-timed interruptions. The EX-29s offer 29dB of noise reduction, putting it on par with far more expensive over-ear headphones, all without the kind of active noise reduction that can affect the sound you’re hearing (making studio work almost impossible). Meanwhile, the headphones are comfortable enough to make you forget the long stretches of time you’re wearing them.
Of vast importance to me, however, is the EX-29’s high level of repairability. As somebody whose headphones usually get replaced due to cable or speaker-related damage, it’s nice to know that Direct Sound has made the EX-29 to be easily repaired by owners, and offers reasonably-priced repair kits to ensure that a single pair of headphones can last many years.
Direct Sound has everything from pre-wired speaker kits, built to snap in with fewer than 5 minutes of work ($39.95), to replacement headbands ($22.95) and replacement ear cushions ($18.95), allowing you to replace virtually every piece of the headphones.
The EX-29 headphones are available for $129.95 on extremeheadphones.com and $107.86 on Amazon.
GeekDad was provided a review pair for an honest review.
