I've always been a fan of music and often listen to my favourite CDs on my iPod whilst I carry out the housework with my favourite being John Michel Jarre whose electronic music makes me work so much faster. However, my husband is always complaining about my tastes, particularly as I'm also a fan of bands from the 80's such as Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. Whilst his choices could also be considered bizarre, as he's a 51 year old who loves garage music, it was necessary to invest in two pairs of headphones and although in our case they could be classed as anti-social, it was the only way to resolve our problem. Our choices were made during the late winter where we each made a purchase of JVC's HA-S150-BX Flats, which are suitable for iPods, iPhones and iPads.

WHY JVC?

To be honest, I really had no idea where to start when selecting a pair of headphones, as the last pair I had worn was when I was living at my parents' home many years ago and my Dad owned a huge pair belonging to Sony that he had purchased during the early 80's. Whilst they offered fairly good sound quality they were so uncomfortable and my poor ears would itch like mad for hours afterwards. The fact that we chose JVC was solely due to the fact that a little online research revealed them to be excellent value for money and the specifications suited our requirements, so our purchases were made.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH USING THE HEADPHONES

As my experience of what's good and what's not in the field of headphones is extremely limited I have to say that I was absolutely amazed at their appearance compared to what I had worn in the 80's. The narrow headband is manufactured from stainless steel, so we have the assurance that the headphones will not rust over time and hopefully prove to be a good investment. When situated in the closed position they measure only 17½ cm in height and 13 cm at the widest part, so they are ideal for transporting due to their compact size and the fact that they are extremely lightweight at only 68g. Whilst being small and measuring in at just 6 cm in length and 4½ cm in width, the oval shaped earpiece sections are of the perfect proportions to fit snugly over the ears due to their well cushioned inner areas. They are clearly identified with an "L" and "R" and are very appealing to the eye with their black glossy finish, which gives the headphones a high quality finish.

The headphones can easily be folded into a flat position, hence their name and the ear pieces need to be swivelled at a 90 degrees angle ready for use. A huge bonus with these headphones is their lengthy cord of 1.2 metres, so I'm not strangling myself whilst walking around with my iPod, which is generally located in my pocket. The headphones are very comfortable to wear and are easily adjusted to fit all head sizes by simply pulling gently on the spring mechanism to lengthen the headband. What I love about these headphones is that I cannot feel the headband on the top of my head and the earpieces rest gently on my ears as opposed to the crushing tight feeling that the older style headphones would offer.

The cord offers a straight plug, which has been designed to enable the headphones to be carefully stored without any damage. The sound quality is simply first class with their frequency response of 12 Hz - 23,000 Hz. I do not profess to be technically minded, so I have obtained the following two specifications from the reverse of their cardboard packaging:-

Sensitivity - 105 dB/1mW
Nominal Impedence - 32 ohms

I can vividly remember my Father's old headphones causing me to suffer headaches as well as very hot and sweaty ears, particularly as the headphones were much too tight and very cumbersome. However, I experience no problems when wearing these, as they are so very comfortable to wear and do not cause any pressure to the user. However, through research I learned that we are advised that due to the strong spring they could cause a little discomfort when worn, but I cannot state that this is something I have experienced even though I regularly wear them for fairly long periods of time. I love using my headphones in the garden, as unlike one of my neighbours, I consider others when playing my music. The headphones are extremely durable and despite being used probably hundreds of times they are showing no signs of wear or tear. Replacement ear pads are available for purchase although this is not something that I require at the present time.

OTHER INFORMATION

There are a few do's and don't listed on the reverse of the packaging, which is a simple piece of cardboard with a sturdy plastic cover, where we are advised that the headphones should not be worn when cycling or driving. We are informed that the headphones conform with European directives and the relevant logo is situated on the lower section of the packaging. The headphones are easy to clean where I use a damp cloth and dry them with a tea towel.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The headphones are available in a variety of colours and can be found brand new on Amazon from £8.75 for blue or £13.19 for black, which are the ones that I own.

I cannot recommend these headphones highly enough and was pleasantly surprised that something so reasonably priced can offer the sound quality that I require. Consequently, they receive 5 stars from me.

I hope you found my review useful and would thank you for reading.