Harman Kardon Acoustically Enhanced In-Ear Headphones

Reviews for Harman Kardon Acoustically Enhanced In-Ear Headphones

Customer Reviews and Ratings

4.0 out of 5 stars

Based on 27 reviews

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    muddy and over-compressed for the price

    • Written by from Portland

    these earbuds look and feel great, and are built to be very sturdy. unfortunately, that's where the benefits end. i use a lot of different mid- and high-end earbuds to check mixes of recordings i've produced to get an idea of how most people will be hearing my tunes, and these just sound like garbage. very muddy low-mids, muffled highs and some sort of internal compression that absolutely kills the dynamics of any music (not just mine). they sound like my skull candy buds. for the price, don't buy these. the apple in-ears are much more realistic (though build quality isn't great; same thin cabling and joinders as ipod earbuds), and the shures are breathtaking.

    1 of 1 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Amazingly! Perfect!

    • Written by from mississauga

    I first bought the HK CL. Amazing set of cans. Sound is perfect. Unfortunately i had to return it as it was overly uncomfortable. I tried to adapt for a week as i really didn't want to return but it became unbearable.

    I then exchanged it for the bowers & wilkins c5. Nothing compared to the HL. Burned them in for a couple of days, still didn't sound half as good. For the price tag,i found it so disappointing.

    Came back a third time to the store & took the HK AE. Fell in love the moment i tried them on. I used comfy tips & sounded heavenly right off the box. Sound is crisp & balanced. Bass doesn't explode in your ears but doesn't sound flat either. I highly recommend. HK sound rules! Perfectly priced too.

    1 of 1 people found this useful

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  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    Good and bad

    • Written by from Brea

    I purchased these to replace a pair of Klipsch that had failed for the second time. I like the way they fit and acoustically, they're very good.

    The bad part is that after less than 4 months, the volume control's failed. I've requested a replacement, but it hasn't arrived yet.

    3 of 4 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Well made product

    • Written by from boca raton

    I have only had these a few hours, so far very impressed with the sound quality, clear well balanced sound. I read through most of the reviews and heres the conclusion as long as the square design fits your ear properly which i guess is a risk in store since you can't try them on lol they are well worth it and a great pair of head phones.

    4 of 5 people found this useful

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  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Reasonably impressed

    • Written by from Wendover

    Pros - I personally feel the overall sound quality is rich. The low frequency is superb

    Cons - The cable is very thick and not pliable enough. As with all in-ear phone, these MUST have a perfect seal within your ear canal or they sound like a $10 pair. The volume controls are too high up the cable, I am constantly searching for it as they are out of my visibility.

    Note: These are far better than my Bose ME2i; however, my Klipsch S4i are still among the best sound I've heard.

    1 of 1 people found this useful

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  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    It's like shoving two metal sugar cubes in your ears.

    • Written by from LONDON

    Ok, the sound quality is very good.... The bass is very bassy...

    ... But the hard edged squares ..... Awful!!! My ears hurt!

    It's like shoving two metal sugar cubes in your ears.

    Bad design.

    I'm a veteran of Sennheiser in ears, which have all been wonderful.
    Not finding a pair I liked at the Regent Street branch in London today I thought I'd try something new.

    Oh dear.... These are going back.

    What a disaster.

    4 of 6 people found this useful

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  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    Square headphones are painful!!

    • Written by from PORT JEFFERSON STATION

    I was originally going to buy B&W C5, but i bought this headphones because they were 1/3 of the price and i thought at this price i am sure i could do no wrong.

    The sound quality is not bad. they are good. Nice bass not overpowering, clear sound. Sound quality overall i am very please with, but i also have to admit that since i did not pay full price i did not create unreasonable expectations or may be they are that good. oh also noise isolation is great.

    Design, for someone who does not really care about the physical appearance is fine, But the square design of the headphones is really an atrocious idea, the squared part of the headphones hurt if they do not fit well, which makes the experience all together a painful one. And even if they fit after a while your ears will hurt. i am sure if they had a different design they would be great, but the fact is that they can be quite painful.

    18 of 19 people found this useful

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  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    Adequate but unimpressed with the sound quality

    • Written by from Alta Loma

    I just picked up a set of these to replace my Vmodas because i needed a mic and remote. I'm no music or sound expert but i immediatly noticed the difference in sound quality. The Harman Kardon's were more tinny sounding and noticiably lacked the base of the Modas. The sound is not bad, but the Vmoda's are clearly better.
    The remote and mic work well, and i prefer the softer and less rigid cable on the HKs. Decent, but not worth the premium price.

    16 of 19 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Fantastic product and very durable

    • Written by

    I've tugged on these a few times since owning them, by accident of course, getting them caught on the arms of my chair, a part of the treadmill, etc. and I have to say they are well made as I've beat them up pretty good.

    The fit is snug, the sound is awesome and I especially love the bass. It's tight and punchy but not overwhelming to the point that it drowns out the mids or highs. Overall, I'd say it's a well balanced sound.

    I highly recommend these and the 3-button Apple remote is CLUTCH for plane rides!

    22 of 23 people found this useful

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  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great Sound, Good Styling

    • Written by from Hermosa Beach

    Very happy with my purchase of these headphones.

    I use them for working out and making calls. Crystal clear calling, great tonality on the sound.

    6 of 12 people found this useful

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Poor design

    • Written by from New York

    Not sure what they were thinking when designing these headphones. All the new Harman Kadron headphones have a box look to the ear piece to look like the iPhone. Problem with the in-ear headphones like these is it's boxy design does not fit right in your ear. All this causes is pain in your ear and not a great fit.

    8 of 26 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    HK hit a homerun!!!

    • Written by from Tuscaloosa

    If the sound don't blow you away the construction of the AE will. I owed a pair of the Bose in ear headphones and they sounded great, but poorly constructed. The wires became brittle and broke. I don't see the AE doing this. They are built very solid.

    I listen to all type of music from classical to rap and these handle them all well. If you listen to a lot hip hop or rap you may be a little disappointed. They are not bass heavy like Beats or Soul.

    The three button control is really handy. You can pause, skip track, and adjust volume on your music. Also you can answer and hang up your iPhone.

    The comfort level is not bad either it has three different size buds and a foam set that should fit most people. The sound isolation does a good job too. It just about blocks out any unwanted noise without cranking up the volume.

    Overall I would highly recommend this headphones to anyone that is willing to pay a little extra for a good set of headphones. I believe that HK could have charge more for these headphone, because they compete with headphone twice its price.

    9 of 11 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    WOW

    • Written by from Niagara Falls

    All I can say is ,"WOW" these are good!

    8 of 11 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    One of the Best

    • Written by from el paso

    These are truly the best headphones I've tried for the price. I've tried Sony, Bose, Sennheiser and finally Harman Kardon.

    What got me interested in the headphones is the sound sticks III. For the price its the best 3 speaker system I've heard and beats the Bose one in terms in sound reproduction. The SoundSticks makes things sound very clear and crisp, including realistic sounding bass not to loud, not too soft.

    The best part of the headphones is that they make the music sound as if your artist or band is playing live right there in front of you. That is the best part of the headphones. No matter how loud I put it on my iPad, on iTunes the headphones sounded pristine and kept true to the actual sound of the song. No distortion. Its amazing how clear the guitars sound when listening to Shakira's live album from Paris. Its just simply amazing. Its so good you just HAVE to try it. Seriously!


    Honestly I don't think the extra $50 bucks was worth it for the aluminum ones but they both sound just as good

    Overall the price is fair for both of them

    Best sounding headphones for the price!

    Highly recommend go out and buy them. I will bet you'll become a fan

    11 of 13 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great!

    • Written by

    I love these, best I've ever owned. The sound is so realistic it's incredible. The Apple controls are nice too but the sound is fantastic.

    8 of 9 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Very good

    • Written by

    I love the Apple controls, they work great. The look/feel of these is nice, well constructed. The sound is very good, very clear with good bass. I like these a lot

    8 of 9 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Best out there at the price point

    • Written by

    I've compared headphones extensively, comparing these to Sony, Bose, Klipsch, Skullcandy and more and I can tell you that with the features you get, the sound quality, crisp highs and boom-boom bass, these are the best in price point. Sure you can go up and spend $300 and get slightly better sound, but audio is all about the law of diminishing returns. These are a great set that will suffice, more than suffice for 95% of the population.

    34 of 39 people found this useful

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  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    Similar to the Bose but price is a bit $$$ for what is offered

    • Written by from LOMBARD

    Has slightly more sounds detail than the Bose, which sound s bit muffled by comparison. Nice balance in tones overall but lacking in lower range.

    6 of 14 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    These are great

    • Written by

    Love the sound, so good. Pretty good fit and I go running and they stay in. Very happy

    7 of 7 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Fantastic

    • Written by

    These are very, very good. INXS sounds awesome on these, so does Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi and all of my 80's/90's music. Very happy with these and the controls work my iPod very well

    8 of 10 people found this useful

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