Altec Lansing Ahs502i?

[Shadow_1]

First of all, i'd like to say hello to this fine community. Your reviews have helped me a lot, and for that, I am very grateful.

I recently purchased a Logitech Premium USB Headset 350, and while it had excellent performance, my hears would really start to hurt after about 30 mins, and I would often find myself reaching for my iPOD earphones (yeah, it was that bad) so as not to annoy my family (loud music apparantly ).

I checked out your review of the Altec Lansing Ahs602i, and I must say, it looks quite comfortable. However, I'm not sure that I quite like the size of the control that comes with it, and I'm not really big on the whole battery-powered idea either.

I was perusing the Altec Lansing site, and found the model just a step down from that. The Altec Lansing Ahs502i. I like the look of the headset, very stylish, and I think I may have saw one at a local retailer.

Basically, do you think it would be a good idea to get the Ahs502i over the Ahs602i? Would there really be a huge boost in performance with the Ahs602i?, or would I be better off just going for the 502i.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing your opinions.

Peter

 

[Rob Williams]

Welcome to the forums Shadow, and thanks for the comments!

As far as I can tell, the 502i is identical to the 602i, just without the bass booster. It's sad that the MSRP is $60 more for the 602i if that's the only difference! Usually stores sell for less than their MSRP though, so if you could get the 502i for between $30 or $40, then that would be worth it.

I understand where you can coming from with the Premium 350, because I had the same problem, especially as time went on. One thing I found about the 602i is that your head would get quite warm after a while, making it uncomfortable once again.

My personal favorite right now is the IceMat Siberia, because they are the most comfortable of those three. The only downside is that the Mic is clippable instead of built into the headset, but that may be a good thing to some people, but I personally find it to be a pain.

To me, it comes between the IceMat and Altecs. If you can find either or in the store, you would be good to pick one up.

 

[Jakal]

My Logitech 350 was giving me the same problem but I "pursuaded" it until it no longer hurts my ears. I just slightly bent the plastic part at the top of the headset where the earphones attach. You can't even tell it's been changed until you put them on. They don't bother my ears yet still have enough spring to stay on my head. If you don't want to go out and spend more money on another set of headphones just try bending out the corners where the headphones attach. It may take a few times to get it to where you want, but it beats spending more money, in my opinion.

 

[Shadow_1]

Bought the Ahs502i (only one left on the shelves)

Bought the Ahs502i today for AU$50. Using it right now. Very comfortable indeed. Certainly not getting the problem that I got with the Logitech Premium 350. But as Rob said, it does start to get quite warm after awhile. And the fact that my house reaches over 35 degrees celcius doesn't help things either (no air-con).

The sound quality is unbelievable. It's on par, if not better than my 350. The micrphone is also excellent, making for great VOIP calls and online gaming. Not to mention, very comfortable. All-in-all, a very good headset.

My only gripe would be the warmth on the ears. But, i'm sure i'll get used to it after awhile.

I haven't used the Ahs602i, but this is a headset that definitely should not be overlooked during your headset buying decision.

 

[Rob Williams]

Cool, glad that you like it. Just take a break every once and a while I guess to let your ears cool down. It's good to know that the 502i is as good as the 602i, because the latter costs so much more :-|

 

[amatuerfisher]

Hey guys,
I've been searching around for a new headset and I saw a lot of the reviews here so I decided to stop buy. I too was a Logitech Premium 350 user but that has gone awry for me. I used to have my ears hurt after a while, but i guess i just got used to it. My problem with them was the connections on the wires. I have had them around 7-8 months now and I am only getting sound in the right earphone and my mic is really staticky. I have figured out that it is the connection to the microphone mute button on the wire, and with some searching I have found out that the 350s have had a problem with the wire connections coming loose over time. I was wondering if you had heard anything over extended periods of use for this headset about the connections for the wires coming loose and loosing usability from it.

Thanks for your time
-Fisher

 

[Rob Williams]

I was wondering if you had heard anything over extended periods of use for this headset about the connections for the wires coming loose and loosing usability from it.

Ouch.. that's rather harsh for something like that to happen. I guess it would really depend on how rough you are with them. I've not heard of this happening before... it hasn't happened with my old pair.

 

[amatuerfisher]

I haven't really been rough on them, but it might be linked back to my two younger siblings who sometimes abuse them. I guess what I really want is a good pair of headphones where the wires and everything can stand up to a little more abuse. The 350 wires are not very substantial at all, so i would want something more robust

-Fisher

 

[Greg King]

If you want something that can handle a nuclear blast, the Razer Barracuda HP-1's are durable as hell. However, the sound quality somewhat sucks compared to any set I have worked with in the same price range.

I just got in a set of Steel Series 5Hv2 and so far, I am a huge fan of them. The entire cord is braided and covered in fabric, which should add to the durability of the entire cord.

 

[Rob Williams]

I feel the same way about the Turtle Beach HPA's. Since I've gotten them in February, I've used them near everyday and they work the same as the day I got them... with no sign of wear. At all.

 

[amatuerfisher]

Are these headsets available in USB? As i will be going off to college at the end of this school year and on a laptop, I would really enjoy being able to use them with my laptop. Thanks for the advice on the rugged headsets.

 

[Rob Williams]

I am not sure what ones offer USB off hand, but for a laptop it's easy to get an external soundcard that will allow you to use good headsets.

I believe the IceMat Siberia has a USB version though, you may want to look into that.

 

[amatuerfisher]

Is the IceMat Siberia and the Steelseries 5hV2 the same thing? When i go to the IceMat buy now page to check the price, it is showing me the Steelseries order form. Is this right or is it just messed up. They both look the same with the same specs and the same usb soundcard(which looks quite sweet by the way).

On a second note, has anybody used the USB soundcard that comes with the steelseries or IceMat headsets. It seems like it is a good buy and it works well, but I would like and experienced user to calm my fears.

Thanks for all the help,

Fisher

 

[Rob Williams]

IceMat and SteelSeries are the same company, just different names. All of their products are similar. You won't go wrong with either.