Plantronics .Audio 90 stereo PC headset

Reviews: Multimedia

Author:
Editor:
Sponsor:
Published:

Bradford Day
Kurtis
TheTechLounge
Oct. 5, 2003

Introduction

Plantronics has been designing headsets since before most of you reading this were born. In all likelihood, your parents have owned or at least used a Plantronics product. Neil Armstrong broadcast his historic "one small step for man" one-liner from the Moon over a set of Plantronics for crying out loud!. So, considering the expectations set forth by this well-established audio electronics giant, one might say "there is no way a simple home computer user such as myself could afford such space-aged technology". Well, you're wrong. Plantronics offers a massive array of personal audio hardware for nearly every application.

First Looks

At first glance, these headphones don't seem that impressive. Overall the styling isn't terribly awe-inspiring. A matte gray set of ear cones meet a flat black frame. No shiny faux chrome or blinking LEDs. However, I tend to find the over styled headphones offer nothing more than H. R. Giger inspired design and pathetic sound quality. Well my friend, you will be happy to know that the Plantronics .Audio 90 headset sounds pretty damn good. I actually prefer the old style over-the-head format as opposed to the around-the-back versions that have popped up in the last few years. They seem more comfortable to me, but perhaps my super-human intelligence containing braincase is to blame. Besides, if they are good enough for NASA, they are good enough for me.

Features & Quality

As a stress test I drew upon my collection of TOTALLY LEGAL MP3s. I found that for most audio applications the speakers were very responsive and offered a wide range of sound. Even at full volume, little distortion could be heard during most songs. I tested as many genres of music as I could stomach, I'm a bit of a music snob, I admit. The Sex Pistols and Dropkick Murphys (punk) sounded outstanding, although a little brassy on the higher frequencies at high volume. My rap music test bed consisting of Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys and Ice Cube faired equally well, with impressive bass minus the brassiness on the high end. For a less typical response range, I pulled up a little known band from NYC called Gogol Bordello. Their gypsy cabaret style employs violins and saxophones, guitars and accordions and a fair dose of screaming. The result, exceptional sound response. However, when I opted for electronic music (more specifically a jungle re-mix of The Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" and some Dieselboy drum 'n' bass), the massive bass and simultaneous wide range of highs and mids seemed to bog the speakers down. At ear splitting volumes the bass was somewhat distorted and the overwhelming high frequency cymbal crashes were like icepics in my mind. I noticed no striking differences between CD versus MP3 audio formats and at normal listening volumes, I think most people would find the headphones more than adequate.

But, I don't listen to my music over headphones. I was interested in these little babies for one reason and one reason only...gaming. As mentioned previously, I was on the lookout for an affordable yet reasonably decent quality headset with inline volume control. First off, I must say that for gaming, these headphones are outstanding, by far the primary reason to purchase the .Audio 90s. Gunshots have added kick, explosions sound theatrical and in-game footsteps bear a heavy thump that will aid in ninja-like responses to advancing enemies. I typically play first person shooter games and I have fallen in love with the audio quality of these buggers. Morrowind and GTA3: Vice City sounded equally as impressive, but since there is considerably less gun play involved in those games, I moved back to Soldier of Fortune 2 for the bulk of my "testing". Voice transmissions are carried with equally high quality. My group of fellow gamers instantly noticed the noise-canceling microphone as I spewed taunts and insults over Ventrilo in the wake of my opponents' disintegration. I have no problems saying that most every user would be pleased with the voice quality whether chatting with mom and dad over Yahoo! voice chat or blasting friends online over TeamSpeak.

By now you realize that this headset features in-line volume control. In addition, sitting right next to the volume control wheel rests a microphone mute switch, handy for comments not meant to be heard by users on the opposite end. The included alligator clip allows the user to attach the cord somewhere close so that the volume and mute switches may always be found when needed. Another brilliant feature is the rather lengthy bit of cord attached to this device. Nine feet of cabley goodness await you. Yes, nine feet, more than enough to handle those late night fragfests or ultra-rocking headbang sessions. The high-quality noise canceling microphone is easily adjustable and folds neatly away when not needed so you aren't always looking like Tammy the Time-Life Books phone operator. Thoughtfully nestled below the headset frame rests a nice band of stretchy rubber-like material that serves to keep the bulky weight of the entire headset off your noggin'. The overall heft of these fairly lightweight headphones is barely noticeable when stretched over the head. Pivoting ear cups also help keep the pressure off. They are well padded, but not with that scratchy, spongy junk. The soft material that covers the earphones is quite comfortable and less sweat inducing than the typical cheap foam covers.

Conclusion

Overall this headset is an impressive package. Although not necessarily my first choice for listening to music, they are by far an ideal selection for gaming and computer use on a miser's budget. For a distant cousin to Neil Armstrong's "moon headphones" they might not have the most futuristic of styling. But, what they lack in looks they make up for in performance and features, sorta like a Mercedes-Benz. However unlike a Benz, at $24.99 from Xoxide.com you won't have any monthly payments on these puppies. Flava Flav wannabes won't be nicking your hood ornament for a necklace either.

Pros

Many useful features
Great price
Excellent for computer use
Comfy
Old Skool styling
No Flava Flav

Cons

Slight distortion at high volumes with electronica blaring
Old Skool styling
Not the same model used on the moon

Subscribe to Headphones [more info]

View All

Headphones March 11, 2009

Sennheiser HD 595 Headphones

Headphones November 21, 2008

Etymotic ER-4 microPro Sound Isolating Earphones

Headphones November 10, 2008

Monster Beats Headphones by Dr. Dre

Headphones October 13, 2008

Add Comment

7 User Comments

1 - Posted by MaNiAk21 on October 6, 2003 - 3:01 pm

Not the same model used on the moon is a con? Haha, you musta been a little hard pressed to find some then eh? :P

2 - Posted by handrail on October 7, 2003 - 12:04 am

heheh, yeah. well they are a pretty good set of earphones for the money. they aren't sennheisers, but for $25 they are pretty darn good.

the moon models were going for $10k on ebay, so i went with the cheaper, newer model. :D

hope no one thinks i got paid to do this review. i bought these babies with my own $$$. so what you read is what i think. *they sounded shitty at loud volumes while playing electronica* see, a bad comment.

please don't hurt me slashdotters. :cry:

3 - Posted by Kurtis on October 7, 2003 - 12:23 am

*cracks whip*

4 - Posted by Guest on July 31, 2004 - 1:44 pm

I read this review after purchasing these head phones. I was looking for a review that would show how awesome these things are to the people at the forums I go to. These things are the best $30 head phones ever as far as I know. The sound quality matches that of many $100 head phones. The ear cushions are awesome too. I don't think I will be buying new head phones for a LONG time.

5 - Posted by Guest on August 21, 2004 - 7:50 pm

Hi,
After one month the microphone stopped working. Actually, if you yell into it some sound will transmit.

At the time my son was 1 yr old and he would pull the cord until it fell off the desk onto carperted floor. Also, he would suck on the foam tip. I expected this and was hoping the mic would last longer.

6 - Posted by Guest on October 25, 2004 - 3:06 pm

I bought a Logitech USB 300 headset a few days ago. It has good sound quality and some nice features. The only problem is that the in-line volume and mic mute do not work correctly. All this for around $50. Needless to say they went back to the store and a Plantronics Audio 90 came back, along with the $20. I especially like the 9 foot cord. It will come in handy walking around my dorm room. The ear cushions are great. The in-line volume and mic mute, a VERY nice feature.

7 - Posted by Guest on November 15, 2004 - 4:14 pm

I now need a third headphone in one year. First one lasted about 9 months. Second one now no longer gets sound in the left earpiece, after only two months. Normal use, treated well, and I am not about to buy 6 pairs of headphones a year at that pace. Yeah, they are only $30, but youll end up buying a lot of them they break so fast.

Add Comment

To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields.