808 is slang used to refer to the penal code for disturbing the peace. 808 Audio is a company that derives its creative name from this slang, and it makes a wide variety of audio products. From small wireless speakers, to in ear buds, and cans that fit over your ears, 808 Audio aims to disturb the peace and make you truly enjoy your music.
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I’ve been using the Performer headphones from 808 Audio, and have quite a bit to tell you about them.
Specs and build
Model: HPA180
- Over-ear headphone design
- 40mm drivers
- Spring steel frame with silicone headband
- Detachable tangle-free cloth cable
- In-line microphone
- Weight -.5lbs
- Frequency Response : 20Hz – 18kHz +/- 5 dB relative to 1kHz
The 808 Performer headphones are over ear headphones made with a spring steel frame and large 40mm drivers to put out serious sound. The headband has extremely durable silicone which lines the internal and outer frame that gives a soft feel for your head. Silicone is naturally grippy and helps the headband hold to your head.
The ear cups have the ability to rotate 90 degrees which allows you to keep one ear free for listening to the crowd if you’re a DJ. It also leaves one ear free if you need to listen to someone in the same room. Or if you are conscious of your hairstyle, you can rotate the headband back about 20-30 degrees so the headband doesn’t disturb your hair.
An inline microphone with remote is built into the detachable cable, and can play/pause, fast forward/rewind, or answer/end phone calls. The cable itself is wrapped in braided cloth which helps durability and prevents it from tangling in on itself. The 808 Performers I am using are white and grey with accents of silver around the ear cups. Black is the only other color option these headphones.
Usage
If you are a follower of AndroidGuys, you would know that we review headphones on a regular basis. We take audio seriously, and I do have an extensive background with experience from a wide variety of headphones and in ear monitors.
Early on in my audiophile days, it was really easy to become overly critical of audio products. It’s an incredible experience when an audiophile discovers high quality headphones, and sometimes its easy to look down upon those who fall prey to unbalanced headphones that favor bass. It can be easy to have misconceptions about a company who derived its named from “disturbing the peace” and assume that its products are bass heavy.
The 808 Performers are a set of headphones that offer a great listening experience, and can pretty much handle whatever you throw at them. The days of analyzing frequencies are years behind me – instead I try out a wide variety of genres of music. Jazz, classical, hip hop, rap, pop, alternative, country and rock are all part of my testing process. Many critics don’t realize that the source of their music is just as important as the headphones they are using. At a minimum I use high-quality playback on Google Play Music, but most of my music listening is through TIDAL’s HiFi service.
Beethovens’s 5th Symphony sounds refined, Dr. Dre’s Still D.R.E. thumps, Blake Shelton sounds twangy, and Bob Marley says it best when he drops the line, “Don’t worry about a thing” in Three Little Birds – the 808 Performers are all about the experience with music. They provide balance in the mids and highs, with a slight emphasis on the low end. These headphones do need a good 20 hours to loosen up. Once open, they are some of the funnest headphones I have listened to in a long time. High-end audio can become extremely analytical in nature, and can lose the fun in music which is what 808 maintains.
While the physical design is not my style, I can see some people loving the metal steel frame. The Performers are a bit “loud” when it comes to design, but the sound quality makes them worth the wear. I tend to go with more understated accessories, and some people will call me old and boring for that.
The microphone performs quite well with minimal background noise. I just finished an hour conversation with my mother, and not once did she complain about the call quality.
The 808 Performers are going to stay in my collection of audio products, but will mainly be used at home mainly due to the large size. The closed drivers also don’t leak much sound, which means they also keep background noise at a minimum too.
Summary
The 808 Performers headphones are my first experience with audio products from 808 Audio and I am impressed. With a retail price of just $79.99, the Performers are an incredible deal for the high-quality build and sound reproduction. Right now the headphones are an absolute steal at Amazon where they are on sale for just $55.88 with free Prime shipping included.
If you’re in the market for comfortable over ear headphones on a budget, look no further than the 808 Performers. They can handle a wide variety of music and have a build that will last a long time.
Learn more at 808 Audio or pick up the Performers from Amazon.com.
