Logitech Nose Cancelling Headphones are Death
That is the way teenagers talk. If it is the ultimate they call it death. Weird huh. I didn't know how to approach this. I just received the Logitech headphones only minutes ago. Earlier on in this post I told you about the Logitech Noise Canelling Headphones, well they don't sound good, they sound great. Seriously. As soon as you put them on, you say WOW. Once again seriously. Santa just brought me a pair of Studio Grade Headphones made by Sony, audio engineers can't rave enough about them, they are not noise cancelling headphones though, but totally accurate sound. You can read the reviews from Amazon on the Sony's here.
Well if you didn't read my post earlier in this thread, I wanted to find a cheap pair of noise cancelling headphones for use in the shop, and outside gardening. I have a gas driven bush trimmer, leaf blower, lawn mover, etc. I came across these Logitech, going everywhere for over 160 bucks, but for some reason TiderDirect.com had them for only $39.99 plus S&H for a total of $48.88. I read the reviews and decided to give them a shot. I got them today, arriving a day early, so I popped them on, using my inexpensive iPod Shuffle for $79, and the sound clearly deserves a Wow. So much so that I went right back into TigerDirect.com and wanted to order a second pair, and guess what, they raised the price to $49.99 plus S&H so the final price is $58 now. Shucks that ruins it. I wish I knew they sounded this good, I wouldn't have cancelled my second order. The order accidentally went in twice so 2 sets were on order. I called the cancel the second set. Now I am sorry I did. I just can't stomach paying an extra 10 bucks, even though they are $180 dollar headphones. It is the principle of the thing.
So how does this translate to woodworking concerns? I went into the shop, or should I say I started to write this post, then paused, went into the shop with them, and turned on the equipment with the noise cancelling on. I could faintly hear that the tool was running, but all of the loud clamor was gone. My loudest tool a benchtop 12" planer is so loud I bought headphones from Home Depot because I knew I would be losing my hearing using that planer if I didn't. Well with the Logitech Noise Canellers on, it is a quiet whisper way in the background. All the low end clacking and banging is gone, all you hear is a slight whir. Pleasently the music makes it not even a concern. So they let just enough through for you to know without a doubt that something is running, but it cuts the uglies out. Even my quieter JDS Dust Force, you knew it was running, but only slightly so.
So in conclusion these heaphones make loud machinery go from pain to pleasure. When you lift the headphones from your ears, you hear all kinds of racket, then you let them drop back on your ears and go aaaaahhhhh.
I know this sounds like a gloat, but do yourself a favor and get a pair of these. There are all kinds of links earlier in this thread. One of them is to Tiger Direct. Hey this isn't a great as finding an old never used PM66 for cheap, but it is a good substitute. Even at the extra 10 dollar price, it will save your ears, and give you pleasure working in the shop.
The bottom line on the headphones.
Ok, there it is, you have to wonder how they can sell headphones that are almost 200 street price, and list for 267 and only sell them for 39 dollars, here is a review posted on the Tiger Direct Site.
REVIEW BY: Glenn Reviewed Jan 14, 2008http://images.tigerdirect.com/item-details/gstar10.gifBe aware of one thing, in case you didn't notice the contains lead sticker on the back of the box, After calling Logitech tech support, which was easy by the way, they said there was a concern for lead content in the headband steel, they are offering a refund for those who dont want to take the chance with it, but said under normal use there should be no concern, this is a discontinued model, they still stand by the 2 year warranty. They do sound really good, I use them in our manufacturing plant next to some loud machinery and they are quite impressive.
So there you go. If you notice the headband that "contains" the lead is the inner steel band, that the padding and plastic housing surround, and the surface is only exposed if you extend the ear pieces. I don't plan on grinding up my headphones and sprinkling them on my cereal, at least not in my current frame of mind. :) If I lose a big Super Bowl bet, well then maybe. :) I have lead in my pencils, in the solder joints in the plumbing from my circa 1955 home, that I can get concerned about, so I use a Brita pitcher to filter my drinking and cooking water, but not some lead as part of the contents in my headphones.
Tiger Direct or Amazon, or any of the other large venues selling these do not mention anything in there ads about lead content. I guess they figure the little sticker on the box is all the warning that is required, and once you hear them, you are going to be saying, lead, what lead?
Anyhow, so you have to decide, and they will take them back if you do not like it at Tiger Direct. Myself personally, I am trying to find an excuse to order a third pair. After reading the review, I picked up the box, and read the little sticker at the very bottom on the back of the box, and it says, "California Proposition 65 Warning. This product contains lead, a chemical known in the State of Ca. to cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harm"
You make up your own mind about these, but below I am, going to give you my opinion.
So now I know why they would sell a pair of headphones that sound like a high end audio store, and have noise canceling, and as the reviewer stated he works near loud machinery and is impressed, and sell them for only $39 plus shipping when they normally sell for street price of over 160 dollars. So when TIger Direct said that they are brand new, full 2 year factory warranty, no refurbs, not returns, not defects, I was curious. So every other source on the web is still getting 160 plus for them, even with a lead sticker. When I received the box, it had the factory clear seal on the box, so these were never opened, factory fresh new.
In conclusion; I love great sound. I love protecting my ears while listening to a high end quality symphony while doing woodwork, I love saving, as Amazon puts it $235 dollars off of manufacturers suggested list. My ears deserve preserving, while I don't see how smooth metal internal straps, sliding over plastic, that have lead content in the metal, are going to ever even create lead dust, let alone ingest it.
Let's do a little satire. I think I am going to go downstairs and throw out all of the lead sinkers that me and Dad used when we went fishing in my youth. I might rub one of those suckers with my fingers, and lose my mind.:eek::o:rolleyes: Oh I forgot the magnets, in the speaker in the house, that vibrate, or the weights on the rims to balance the tires on my car.
One last thing is that I extended the ear pieces, to expose an inch of headband steel, and tried to scratch it with a fingernail and it feels like solid steel. You know if something is solid lead, it dents with a fingernail, if it has some small percentage of lead as a composite, it is hard as a rock. These appear to be steel to me.
You make up your own mind, I am anxiously anticipating my second pair arriving by the end of the week, or the beginning of next week. My ears are thanking me already.