(This review would originally apply to Decmember 2005--I don't currently own these headphones. It is written in present tense for no reason really...)

I really do love my Sony microsystem (CMTHPX9--yup I bought another one and has lasted 1 1/2 years now). It has a fantastic set of speakers, a 5-CD changer, a good antenna, cassette player, my computer sound is built into it...it's pretty much a need for me. But one thing that sucks is that the speakers, while awesome, might just be too awesome. At night it really distrubs neighbors and such so at night I have to keep it at low volumes so low that a lot of stuff can't be heard. I just finally got sick of using the headphones that came with my CD player and just decided to go out and buy a seperate pair of headphones. I found these on sale at Target for only $8. That made it seem like these were going to suck but I was wrong. They have fantastic sound quality, are 100% comfortable, and are the full-size design I was looking for. (mainly to make it look like a high-quality sound system and full-size design headphones are generally far from limited sound) But I do have a problem with them (as of April, 2006)...they brake just way too easily. In a four month period of light to medium use, the headband is cracked, the foam pads are slightly torn and worn down, and now only works on the left side because the plug just decided to brake off. I also have friends that have the HAX570 and have also been having problems with the headband and the pads becoming really worn-out for no apparant reason. These are a nice pair of headphones even for the retail price ($15) but you'll have to keep in mind that they won't last a long time.

JVC HA-X570 Full Size Headphones
JVC's full-sized headphones are bottom line for those looking for good sound at a bare-bones price. They could be used for DJs size the speaker cups swivel. DJs will most likely go for an expensive pair of Sonys or Audio Technics but don't doubt these quite yet, not only do they have awesome sound but their frequency of 6Hz-21,000KHz isn't too bad either. One thing that kinda sucks is that they have a double sided cord...it just make the cord a bit more annoying. They have bass ports on the side but anyone who's used headphones before knows that bass ports are a total joke and don't improve sound at all and are only on there to stimulate sales.

For the audio techs, all I know is frequency range...


Single side monitoring, turn-able ear cup
40mm neodymium driver units with bass ports
3.5m cord
Gold plated plug & adpapter provided
Headphones Technology: Binaural
Audio Output Mode: Stereo

Sound Quality
The sound that comes out of the HAX570s is actually pretty suprising. For the price of $8 I thought they would output OK sound but these can really give out not only a clear sound but a bass heavy sound and sound better than the $20 Koss pair. Everything sounded just fine. Spoken word sounded good, country sounded good, dance and techno sounded good, rap sounded good, R&B sounded good, rock sounded good...every genre I throw at them could output a really decent sound--special thanks to the frequency range.

Design
The design of the HAX570 [not including durability] is pretty good. The headband, when it's adjusted, stays at the place you adjust it to and doesn't move from its spot. The swivel cups are really nice for the DJ set...like I said before...if any DJ were to look for a pair of headphones they'd probably avoid anything under $100 but this would indeed be a good inexpensive pair for DJs because of swivel cups and sound. It also comes with an adapter to plug into older stereo systems or DJ equipment without having to buy a seperate one. The only thing that's annoying about the swivel cups is its need to grab onto hair...if you have long hair you might want to avoid headphones with swivel cups in general. One thing that slightly bugs me is the appearance...I mean look at the Epinions photo...it looks like a techno or trance party was designed into a pair of headphones. Bass ports and super bass written all over the thing. I just which they were black...it's a little less annoying for some reason. The cord is also your basic plastic-padded cord. But JVC gets low marks for the line plug which is why it was easy to break--all you have to do is snap the cord and it'll break the headphones and possibly your expensive system.

Comfort
Overall I found the HAX570s to be pretty comfortable. Full sized headphones usually lack in comfort because companies like to push the cups to your ear to get more bass out. The HAX570s are suprisingly comfortable and are really lightweight so the headband isn't drilling into your head.

Durability
Here's where all the good stuff gets washed out. It has good sound, they're comfortable, they're the full-size kind of design, but the problem I have with them is that they only last about four months. Like I said earlier, it's not just my pair and others have been having problems. The adjustable headband is a very weak spot and the foam pads get worn-down easily. And on my specific pair, the plug was very easy to break, all I did was tug the wire a little and it got bent. I did bend it back but now the right side doesn't work. Sorry, but these just aren't as durable as they say.

Portability
Here's another thing that really does suck about these 'phones...they're huge. I don't see any of the portable-player crowd (cassette players, CD players, MP3 players) going for these headphones...it makes their whole "I can bring this anywhere" concept smashed to the ground and burnt on a street for roadkill. If you're buying for the portable crowd you'll definitely want a pair of lightweight headphones (old school, behind-the-neck) or earbuds rather than buying a huge set of bulky and clunky headphones.

Price
This is one very big positive, they're pretty inexpensive. The retail price is $18 but I've seen them as low as $7...if you see these over $12 I'd pass on them and try looking in another store for them since they're widely priced and you can probably find a good deal on them.

The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that these are a really good pair of headphones for the DJ or stereo system crowd and is looking for sound and price. They do have some durability issues but the price has to come out of someplace...I'd rather be it durability rather than sound. I probably wouldn't recommend them for the portable people but if you need a cheap pair for your stereo system or you're a DJ...these are perfect.

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Recommended: Yes