Okay Geek Farm
Philips O’Neill The Stretch Headphones Review
Jason Tsay
Headphones come in all shapes and sizes but rarely do we get an athletically oriented pair with such an intriguing design. After glancing over its many features, we took “The Stretch” for a spin.
Features
- Dynamic 40-millimeter drivers deliver premium sound quality
- Tangle-free fabric cable, cable stress relief, and reinforced aluminum connectors for strength
- Durable, temperature-resistant TR55LX construction for active lifestyles
- Flexible outer headband; auto-fit inner headband with comfy and stretchy neoprene padding
- Deluxe, noise-isolating, super-soft ear cushions
- One-year limited warranty
Our impressions
The Stretch headphones come in a red “Mac Mini-shaped” box, containing the headphones and a cable. The first thing you’ll notice about The Stretch headphones is that their unique styling and cable design. Each earcup has a black matte finish and features stylish stripe design while the inside is lined with red cloth. The main headband is constructed of a gray/clear super stretch nylon material called TR 55LX. The Stretch is written in red atop the headband. A shorter 3.5mm jack cable clicks right onto the longer braided cable for listening. This allows the cable to be easily replaced and also acts as a safety feature in case the cable is accidentally yanked (we did test this out and found it to be exceptionally useful). The cloth cable itself is very tangle-resistant and lightweight.
At first I was skeptical about the strange design of the headphones but let me tell you, these headphones are incredibly comfortable to wear, featuring decently sized soft cushions and a double headband design. The flexible headband on the inside is covered by a cloth cushion and simply adjusts to fit your head when you put them on. On top of this, the pads actually go cancel out a considerable amount of noise.
The target audience of these headphones appears to be snowboarders and surfers; we think the Stretch will work just fine for those with a more active lifestyle. Build quality is top notch and the headphones are extremely light and comfortable on the head. Philips also claims these headphones are extra durable (most likely due to the headband) and we’d have to say they certainly can twist and stretch without any perceivable damage. The lack of an inline remote seems to be rather careless especially considering who these are meant for (update - the newer version of The Stretch features an inline mic and remote).
Right out of the box, our listening experience was fairly mediocre. Even after letting the headphones warm up for a period of time, we still felt that the audio quality could have been somewhat improved. Bass is not particularly impressive as claimed and the overall clarity was not something to write home about. Don’t get us wrong - the sound is not horrible by any means but we’ve heard better.
Overall
Philips The Stretch is a pair of super comfy headphones that has many notable features. We would’ve liked the audio quality to be a tad better, but would definitely recommend this set to anyone who isn’t trying to use them as stuio monitors. Priced under $100, The Stretch performs quite well and is reasonable unlike some other headphones…
Pro’s
- Comfortable
- Durable
- Stylish
Con’s
- Audio quality could be better
Price: $79.99
Where to buy: Philips Amazon
This review was done by Jason Tsay, who was provided “The Stretch” by Philips.
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