JVC HAS160B FLATS Lightweight Headband Headphones (Black)

I have been on a search for over the ear or on-ear headphones that when used with a laptop sound good, are not expensive, and (here's the big eliminator) are comfortable to wear. I am going to compare 4 phones which are readily available: Panasonic RP- HT 21 (current prices as of 4/12 - $4.49), Koss Portapro ($18.72), JVC HA-S160-B ($14.23) and AKG K240 (4.5) ($93.90) The AKG's were to be used as a sound benchmark. I listen mostly to classical music, soundtracks, and jazz. I used the following music: Katsarsis playing the Kreisler Praeludium, Rattle and the LA Philharmonic doing the adagio from Rachmaninoff's 2nd Symphony, and von Karajan and the Berlin doing the opening of Strauss's Thus Sprach Zarathustra. The phones were powered only by a laptop because that is what most people will use lightweight phones for (that or other small listening devices) For that reason the AKG's were not a good choice because it could not reach even moderately high sound levels from my Toshiba laptop. The sound was super smooth on the AKG's but the lightweights were more compatible with the laptop. The Panasonics sound good with mid range music, like the Kreisler piano music, but their weakness showed in the Strauss. They could not handle the complex, loud tones with any finesse. I give the JVC's a small edge sonically over the Koss's overall because while they both handled detail and loud volume about the same, the JVC showed a bit more reality in the music. By that I mean, e.g., horns sounded more like horns and not synthesized sound. Both Koss and JVC allowed you to hear the decay and space in the Strauss opening. Now, on to comfort. The Panasonics are very small and light and one can wear them for a long time without even noticing them. The Koss's have a clumsy headband, and I found the pressure on the ear uncomfortable after 15 minutes or so. The JVC's, which use a simple headband, were almost as comfortable as the Panasonics. The AKG's, like many over the ear phones, started becoming oppressive after 15 minutes. Note: I have a large head and this comfort level assessment may not be true for people with smaller noggins. I would use the Panasonics for times when they might receive heavy handling, such as when commuting on public transportation. They are cheap (and a real bargain) so damage will not be costly. The Koss were just a bit too clumsy to use - Koss needs to abandon its weird headband design. The JVCs were a clear choice for everyday listening with smaller devices. I think the AKG's just need a real amplifier to power them. In short, I thought the JVC's were a clear winner in this bargain/comfort category.

I bought these along with the somewhat coveted JLabs Rewind ( gen 2 ) Bluetooth headphones. I bought both because I've been looking for something that won't cause me physical ear fatigue or hurt immediately upon wearing. I REALLY wanted to love the JLabs because they offer something that the JVC Flats cannot.... No wires. I LOATHE wires. That said. I will take the cables on these JVC Flats ANY day of the week because of what they offer over the JLabs Rewind. Before I state what that is exactly, let me just say that the JLabs are about as comfortable as the JVC Flats. Maybe more... But not quite, without modifications. I'll explain, because it's relevant. I have small ears. And small ear canals. This is why I can't wear in-ear buds for too long, and is also why certain headphones hurt my ears or skull, depending upon how where and how they sit on my head and ears. It's a freaking curse. I started looking for headphones where one of the main selling points is being lightweight and comfortable. Both these JVC'S and JLabs seemed to fit the bill when looking at their descriptions and reviews. So, I bought both. I went into buying the JVC Flats knowing there was no mic or volume control, which I am actually fine with. So I won't ding ding a star for it. What I wasn't expecting from the JVC Flats though.... Was how freaking good the sound quality would be! I have had several pairs of JVC marshmallow in ears, and now that I think about it, those sounded great, and are like fifteen bucks, so... Maybe I shouldn't be surprised? I should not that I also primarily wanted these for podcasts. But when I heard the JVC Flats, I put on some music and was kind of floored. They instantly reminded me of Koss PortaPros, but with a tad more forward low and mid bass, maybe? I used the PortaPros A LOT in my 20s and 30s and am now 53, so I've lost frequency range throughout the years. And they're LOUD! I don't need them to be this loud, but this is a terrible issue with the JLabs Rewind. They're incredibly low. Maybe lower voltage to increase battery life, but it's horrible. I'd have to put the volume to about 85% on the JLabs for basic, comfortable listening levels, whereas with these JVC'S, it's about 40% or less. Fantastic. And again, loud means nothing if it's loud and garbage. These are loud and clear with no real bass mushiness even at uncomfortably loud levels. Crystal clear. Awesome. They fit snug on my ears, and the ear pads are cushy and fairly soft. The outer layer is that faux leather material that always seems to eventually tear on headphones, so we'll see on that one.... My only wish is that the actual driver housing was a TAD wider because while the driver seems to be positioned perfectly against my ear canal, the housing edges kind of hit the edges of my ear, causing some minor discomfort. Someone with normal, non-freakishly small ears, (which is most people), won't be bothered by this I guess. What else. The head band, even though it has no padding, is barely noticeable. Likely due to how light the frame is. The band adjustment gives you a really pleasing tactile single groove click when adjusting. Nice touch. I might give the JLabs a slight win in comfort, but ONLY if changing the foam pads on them, to something more foamy/cushy and soft. As they are, the JLabs driver housing is very rigid and my ears really feel that. If I kept them, I'd modify them with some extra foam. Otherwise, they're lighter than the JVC 's with a smaller earpiece frame. I might actually try to modify these JVC ear ups to make them wider. I'll likely also buy a few spare sets because this pair is a gem. Great job JVC. If there's one negative thing I can say about them, it's that they're not being made with USB-C instead of just the 3.5mm input plug. I hate having to use dongles. I already had one, but I hate cables as it is, so.... Anyway, if you're cool with cables, don't have freak ears, and want something super comfortable and want very good sound quality at a STEAL of a price...( Get a few now before the tariffs double their price), GET THESE! P.S. PortaPros are more detailed and have better soundstage. But for $13 bucks, these are the ONES to beat.

I have enjoyed these headphones so much that I've bought them at least 4 times and once as a gift to someone else. The price is great and it is so lightweight. I like how it is portable and features swivel ear pieces to make it more easy to store. The padding is comfortable on the ears and the base sound is shockingly very good. I really like how it interprets the sound of the music I play. The cord length is generous which I appreciate. It works well with both Apple and Android/ Windows products. My only critique (which is why I have purchased it several times) is that the headband snaps so easily. It's a bummer. If it was more durable, I would rate this five stars. I also wouldn't particularly recommend it for exercise like cardio workouts because it can slip off the head easily despite it having an adjustable headband.

JVC Flats review. These are nice headphones, very light. Minimalist folding phones. The sound quality is excellent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Even small and light phones like these will inevitably cause ear pain for me after extended use unless they are modified to relax the clamping pressure somewhat. When new, and lying flat, the bottoms of the two ear cans meet or even overlap. I stretched the sides of the top steel band slightly (past yield) and observed the headphone in lying flat position. When there was about 1" open gap between the bottom of the ear cans I found clamping pressure much reduced, the headphone much more comfortable.

great,light, affordable. I use daily 10 hrs days. Good sound quality, 3rd pair.. Lasts about a year for me, I'll buy again.

hello, if you do not want to spend dollars on a set of earphones on the ear, this is the one to get. the bass is outstanding for such a low cost no in the ear canal sound. it is light weight and not those large ear covering speaker covers. yet, it gives crisp clear sound as if it is a $100 dollar set of over the ear set up earphones. i have a set of small in the ear buds. but, my ear cannot take them listening too long as the object in the ear is bothersome. so, these small outside of the ear pads are so comfortable, yet i can hear a voice from the other room. JVC makes good stuff and this is no exception. some small units from other companies look good, but have no bass, even using an outside sound app. these JVC units hit the spot right as you put them on without any adjustments necessary. the bass is great and so is the rest of the music i listen to when drawing or just watching the surrounding coastal view.

These really do have excellent sound, far better than you might imagine for the price. The bad news is they break really easy and I've been through several pairs. As long as you're very gentle with them they should last a while. The main culprit is right where the ear cup connects to the headband and that's pretty much where they all broke. The actual headband is it's very durable. Also the cable that leads from it is very thin so you have to be gentle with that too. They really do sound phenomenal but JVC should do something about it's durability because I've been through five pairs of these over the years and they all broke in the same exact place. One or the other ear cup breaks off work connects. My current pair I just glued it back on with super glue and made sure it was angled right to fit on my ear properly.

Listening to music has always been a very satisfying source of entertainment throughout my entire life. I like listening to it through my BOSE speakers but I preferred using headphones because I could escape the outside world for awhile and just "float away" on the music. All that changed a few years ago when I developed a health condition called trigeminal neuralgia which is characterized by sudden severe bouts of facial pain. This pain can be triggered by even the slightest thing such as chewing or brushing your teeth. In my case, even a breeze moving across my face could bring on pain that could knock me to my knees. Fortunately, with doctor's guidance and medication, the condition went into remission. At this time, I do not have the daily pain but have developed a hypersensitivity to anything touching my left ear and jaw. I could no longer tolerate my favorite headphones. I have a small head so I thought it wouldn't be too much of a challenge to find a pair wide enough that they would not bother me. Well, you name it, I tried it. I tried all different types and all different price points. I even tried brands and types that were touted for their comfort. They all felt so tight and uncomfortable. I eventually came across these and I figured that these JVC over ear headphones were inexpensive enough for me to stretch/bend them to reduce the pressure on my ear and jaw but still keep them from falling off my head. If I broke them, well, that would be on me. I am so glad I ordered them! I was able to gently stretch/bend them so that within a few minutes I was able to find a comfortable width. Their light weight also made them more comfortable. To be honest, by this point I had put comfort way above sound quality on my list of priorities so I wasn't expecting great sound but was I wrong. These little gems sound great to me! Granted they are not going to sound like a $250 pair of headphones but are very impressive for their price. I've purchased an additional pair to put aside if for some reason I break or lose the first pair.

Muy bien producto, excelente relación calidad precio.

These are the BEST headphones I ever owned. They are light and with the movable/rotatable head pieces align very well with the ears. The frequency response is also very good.

I’m very pleasantly surprised by these little headphones. I just wanted a cheap pair to have to hand for casual listening when I don’t want to get out my expensive Sennheiser ones. Obviously the JVC headphones don’t have the clarity of separation or the flat eq of monitor headphones. The JVCs have an enhanced bass, good prominent mids and the higher frequencies feel about right, not too harsh but still there. Basically their eq settings are set for enhancing musical playback. These will suit most people who just want to listen to music. The bass comes alive, vocals are in the right place, not too prominent and not drowned out either. Just a really well equalised set of headphones for general music. I can’t recommend these highly enough. When I feel like listening to music & hearing every instrument separately with a flat eq I use my higher end monitor headphones. When I just want to enjoy being immersed in music and feel the emotion of the song I go for these JVCs. For that purpose these are excellent. In short these are very well equalised headphones perfectly set up for enhancing general music. For the price you can’t go wrong. I’d expect these to cost a lot more based on the sound, I think the cost has been kept down by keeping build quality to a minimum. They’re not cheaply built by any means, just small, light & very basic. The sound quality far outweighs the build quality. I bought them in violet (more a deep metallic purple) and I absolutely love them. Best £12 I’ve ever spent.

If you are looking for a budget wired light-weight headphone, look no further. The sound is good and the price is affordable.

Great for occassional use. Have bought 3 of these over the years and would buy again.