Cans for everyone

If you're a discerning audiophile, you'll walk the extra mile to choose the best pair of headphones. The author reviews some of the best

Blaupunkt Style (Rs 14,990) We plugged in the headphones and fired up Santana's version of Smoke on the Water. The guitar riffs sounded heavenly but I could hardly make out the words.... the vocals were very low. Next stop was Pink Floyd's Goodbye Blue Sky. The lows were bass-heavy but the highs tended to be sharp. But the sound leaks at high volumes. The cans cut out a lot of ambient noise, though they don't come with active noise cancellation. The Style handles dialogues well. It has an aux port on both sets of headphones so one can daisy chain another pair of headphones to "share" your music. The Style handles phone calls well.

The Blaupunkt Style (and its exhaustive list of bundled accessories) will be loved by bass junkies (as well as TV marathoners), but if you're finicky about every note and vocals, look elsewhere.

Creative Aurvana Live! 2 (Rs 12,999) The first album I heard on this pair was Chopin's Nocturnes. The warmth in Arthur Rubinstein's 1967 recording on the Live! 2 impressed me so much that I clicked on Verdi's La Traviata next. The headphones handled the entire range with aplomb - the highs were rendered without shrillness, the mids were balanced while the lows didn't get drowned out. On Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, the riffs were rendered well and the bass didn't disappoint. There was no sound leakage, while the cans did a great job of cutting out ambient noise.

The Live! 2 can be worn comfortably over extended periods though if you headbang to bass-heavy music 24x7, these might prove to be painful. If you listen to rock and classical in equal measure, these might be what the doctor ordered.

Sennheiser G4ME ZERO (Rs 24,990) We played the games Burnout Paradise and NFS: Most Wanted, where we could virtually feel the grunt of the engine. But Paradise City by Guns N' Roses sounded hollow because of the lack of bass. We tried out the soundstage in Devil May Cry and was impressed, especially with the sound of violins. While the lack of bass poses a problem while listening to bass heavy music, it's a boon during gameplay. The build quality is impressive. The flexible microphone arm can be lifted to mute it. There's also a volume control knob on the right earcup. The sore point is the fixed cable.

If you're a gamer and love classical, acoustic or even TV shows, this is the one to go for.

Zebronics Iron Head (Rs 1,799) Featuring simulated 7.1 channel sound via USB, it's a decent pair at this price point. What impressed us was its build quality. The pair is comfortable to wear for long periods, though there's some play. The microphone doesn't feature noise cancellation, so using it in noisy environments while gaming can pose problems.

After installing the software, we used the headset while playing Counter-Strike and quite liked its simulated soundstage. Switching off the software, the headphones provided good output in TV shows which was clear enough while listening to Bollywood music.

If you're looking for a decent set of cans for gaming and a bit of popular music, this pair is a steal.