Accutone is known for making quality headsets for the corporate
industry for decades. They’ve produced some of the world’s best headset
and monitors that’s been used by call centers, corporations,
professional musicians and now, they’re bringing their expertise to the
consumer market.
What we have here for review is the Accutone Pisces Band which is
their top-of-the-line high-definition stereo headphone with an in-line
microphone and digital control. It comes in 3 different flavors: White,
Orange and Black. Looks really awesome but how does it fare? Read on for
our review.
Packaging
The box is a clear plastic so you can clearly see what the Pisces
Band looks like. You can see from the box that it’s compatible with all
Apple products from the iPod to the iPhone up to the latest iPad.
There’s nothing much to see in the box, not even the specs which I was
hoping to see as any audiophile would want to know what they’re buying.
Underneath the shiny silvery base of the headset, you’ll see a stylish-looking white carrying case and the user manual.
Construction
The Pisces Band feels solid and tough. The entire headset is made of
genuine aluminum metal so it won’t break easily. The leatherette used in
the headphones is quite comfortable and doesn’t heat up as much as
other foams from headphones I’ve used. And if ever they need to be
replaced, they can easily be removed (see user manual). The ear cups are
quite small which can be uncomfortable for long periods of time for
people with big ears.
There’s a bit of clamping force which is good and bad in different
ways. Good in a sense that it’ll keep the headset from falling and
keeping your tunes to yourself and bad in a sense that it might give you
headaches after long usage.
The folding mechanism feels has that assuring lock and doesn’t feel
like it’ll snap for a long time. This folding design is suitable for
people on the go for its added portability.
The cable is flat and a tad bit short but it’s not a problem when
it’s connected to a gadget on your pocket. Flat cables also don’t tangle
as much as rounded cables.
This headphone comes with an in-line mic and volume controls so it
can be a nice companion to your iPhone. Using the volume controls is not
as responsive as I hope it would be. The construction is rather flimsy
as compared to the build of the headphone itself and the buttons are not
that easy to click. But if you can learn to control it deftly, you can
also use it to skip to the next or previous track as well as pause/play.
However, it only works on iOS devices, not on Android or other phones.
Performance
As with all headphones, when you buy them new, you need to burn them
in first. This is to loosen the drivers and will definitely open up the
sound a lot more. I did the standard sine sweep for 24 hours.
When I first got the headphones, the sounds were muffled and I
couldn’t justify the price on this one. But after a week, I got to hear
the dynamics of these cans. The lows really cut through the sound and
doesn’t muffle the mids and highs.
The bass really feels natural and doesn’t target the bassheads
market. It’s just the right amount of bass. I played some bass heavy RnB
music which I don’t listen to much, but listening to them in these
‘phones is certainly a delight. I played Kenny G’s Romantic Collection
and I can feel the high notes of his sax through my spine. There’s also
very good instrument separation, as you can identify where the sound is
coming from, giving the midtones their very own distinct sound space.
The Pisces Band’s drivers have a nice balance from the low-end up to the
high-end tones. (Disclaimer: Sound perception is very subjective and my experience with the same headphones might be different from yours)
The sound stage is actually good despite being a closed-back ‘phone.
It doesn’t leak as much so you can use it on the library without
disturbing anyone. But these headphones are loud, it’ll leak if you max
out the volume. From experience, 70% is already loud enough for me.
Conversations with the mic on an iPhone are clear according to my
friends on the other line. Something I’m not really surprised about
since Accutone is known for delivering high-quality headsets for call
centers and they applied the same quality over to their music headsets.
Conclusion
These are a great set of ‘phones for people who’s always on the go.
The compact folding design and the stylish carrying case can easily fit
in your luggage or you won’t mind carrying it around like a clutch bag.
It outputs great audio, has great looks and great durability, the
perfect combination for mobile headphones. And the call reception
quality you’re getting from the in-line mic is just a bonus.
The Accutone Pisces Band retails for Php8,450 which
can be a bit steep for some but actually, it’s worth every peso you’re
paying for. You can buy the Accutone Pisces Band from The Online Gadgeteer and comes with free delivery and one-year warranty.
