QUALITY, POWER, REAL-BASS

NONE

BEST IN-EAR HEADPHONE IN THE MARKET. BLASTING POWER! FREQUENCY: 6 TO 25,000 !!!. THIS AND NOT THE PRICE IS THE INDICATION OF QUALITY. STORES SELL HEADPHONES WITH FREQ. 20-20,000 AT $30 OR MORE. IF YOU ARE ALMOST DEAF YOU CAN BUY THIS ONES. IF YOU LOOK QUALITY AND YOU ARE TRYING TO PUT YOUR SUPER-BASS TO GOOD USE, THIS AIWA HP-V165 ARE THE BEST. ALMOST NO SOUND ESCAPES THEM (YOU DON'T BOTHER PEOPLE AROUND YOU) THE SILICONE CUSHION (AIR FILLED) THAT GIVES COMFORT TO YOUR EAR. ALSO HAS A VERY USEFUL VOLUME REMOTE CONTROL. AFTER 10 YEARS SEARCHING FOR THE BEST HEADPHONES AVAILABLE, NOTHING HAS BETTER QUALITY, AND FOR THE PRICE ($15.00) IS A NO-BRAINER.

Similar Products Used:

PANASONIC, SONY

Very comfortable, good bass response, inexpensive.

Midrange is too high for my taste, hard to wind cord in carying case.

Aiwa's latest attempt falls a little short of their previous marks...

For basis of comparison, my pair of Aiwa in-ear phones from 1996 have tight bass and crisp treble. My 1998 pair have less treble response, but due to a larger resonance chamber, they have incredible bass (the most I've heard in the in-ear style). Both pairs have in-line volume controls and storage cases. I rate both pairs A+, even with their age!

Now with the V165's, I expected a little more. Because of the smaller size of the drivers, the frequency response has changed. They have great bass, given their size, but the midrange to high-mid's are way too sharp. Try to imagine boosting the mid/high-mid (but not high) channels of an EQ, and that's what you get with these.

On the plus side, due to their small size and Aiwa's latest invention, "acoustic plus" cushioning (an air-filled rubber cusion surrounding each phone), the V165's are very comfortable. You can wear these for hours and your ears will not hurt at all. 9/10 for the comfort factor.

The phones come with an in-line volume control and a storage case. A volume control (or a mute switch), in my opinion, is essential equipment on any headphones. No more fumbling with the player controls to try and find Volume, Stop or Pause, just grab the cord and turn it down. Unfortunately, the included storage case is incredibly hard to wind, not due to cord snag either. It seems the movable plastic parts are dragging against the case, making it nearly impossible to wind. My older Aiwa cases never had this problem.

In conclusion, I only wish Aiwa had continued with their larger driver design. When you're dealing with speakers this small, size does matter, and the difference is obvious in the sound. Dispite this shortcoming, I think these phones are great for the money. While they don't measure up to their older siblings, they still beat every other brand (Sony, Panasonic, Koss, etc.) of in-ear phones in comfort factor alone!

PS: I strongly suggest (as a previous reviewer did) buying a pair of foam pads (sold separately) for a tighter fit and increased bass response. (Sadly, my older phones came with pads... just goes to show they don't make them like they used to!)

Similar Products Used:

Aiwa In-Ear Pipe Phone headphones (1998), Aiwa in-ear headphones (1996)

Inexpensive (depending on where you get them), good looks, lightweight, better fit than most earbuds, good sound quality with strong bassline

A bit flimsy feeling, lacks a bit in the upper frequencies.

These Aiwa earbuds are priced nicely and come with features usually associated with more expensive products. The small volume control is very convenient, it's gold plated plug will ensure maximum signal transfer and it includes a carrying case. They have a special feature that Aiwa calls "Acoustic Plus" which helps these earbuds fit better than other earbuds. This feature is an air filled silicon cushion that surrounds the driver housing and makes them very comfortable when used. The cushion also helps provide a better seal in your ear for improved frequency response (better bass generally). Using foam pads (not included) will make the HP-V165 very comfortable and snug fitting.

The sound coming from these is quite good. They have a strong bass response which many will like. The bass is rich but not boomy and loose. The midrange is nice too, a bit warm and "slightly" stuffy but not hollow sounding. Most people complain that earbuds sound shrill, but these are not. In fact, I actually find these a bit lacking in the treble range, especially the very high end but the rolloff is very smooth and gradual. They lack that little bit of upper detail. Because of these sound qualities, the HP-V165 are very easy to listen to and do not fatigue like most shrill sounding earbuds do. Also, the acoustic plus cushioning makes them very comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.

The only minor quips I have, besides the ok treble performance, is the build quality. They seem a bit fragile and the housing on mine creak when squeezed lightly. Also, the carrying case isn't anything special but I sometimes have problems winding it up because of the asymetrical cord length to each earbud (you have to wind the left side first) and the volume control that can get in the way sometimes. Overall though, these are a set of very good sounding and looking earbuds at a great price.

Similar Products Used:

Sony EX70), MDR-W08, Some low end Panasonic earbuds