Hands-On With California Headphones: A Little Bit Nation, A Tad Rock ‘n’ Roll

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Stop pretending to be a rap star. That ’ s the note on the front page of California Headphones ’ website and the driving approach behind the company ’ s Laredo and Silverado headphones. You see, these headphones, much like Beats By Dr. Dre, are targeting a specific demographic with clear marketing and unique styling. But these headphones are more than merely looking the part. They ’ re tuned to better match the musical design of rock and country, with less pounding bass and a heaver financial investment in mids and highs.

California Headphones is onto something here and has actually relied on Kickstarter to help advance the cause. The way of living headphone market has actually long concentrated on the urban culture. Since these headphones are tuned to match rap and R&B ’ s style, they typically do not reproduce rock or country accurately. Sure, there are always the fantastic standby options of Sennheiser, Shure and other standard audio companies, but generally, the styling is anything but impressive. There ’ s nothing wrong with desiring good looking headphones.

The headphones play the part really well, too. I discovered the audio and construct quality to go beyond the norm at their particular cost points. The $ 199 Silverado ’ s are created incredibly solid, with sizable foam surrounds and a comfortable over-the-head natural leather band all held together with a durable metal frame. The 40mm driver is plainly created to concentrate on the mids and highs, however the bass is sufficient also (the sizable foam surrounds help a great deal). The imaging is very really good and the headphones have a huge online soundstage.

The $ 99 Laredo is undoubtedly the very best wager, however. Hitting at $ 100 less than the over-the-ear Silverados, the on-ear Lardeos are a better value, feel a little better on the head and have most of the audio quality located in the more pricey design. Sadly the more economical styles do not fold up, kind of quashing the draw of possessing smaller sized headphones.

Tim Hickman, CEO of California Headphones, informs TechCrunch that Kickstarter enables the company to ramp up manufacturing quicker than with typical methods. Instead of placing little orders, anticipating them to sell, receiving payment, then duplicating, the $ 100k they wish to obtain from Kickstarter will get rid of the demand to position distinct orders. Plus, with Kickstarter, the company gets to connect with hundreds of purchasers prior to the item ’ s release.

California Headphones resorted to Kickstarter for its very first round of units. As of this post ’ s composing, the company has actually raised $ 35k in pre-orders. If effective, backers will get a set of headphones at a substantial discount from the prospective MSRP. Pledge $ 65 to obtain a Laredo or $ 135 for the Silverado.

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Hands-On With California Headphones: A Little Bit Nation, A Tad Rock ‘n’ Roll

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