The California Headphone Company aims to make its name as the anti-Beats.
Its slogan is: “Stop pretending to be a rap star.†I have wondered myself where all of those headphone-touting rap artists get their audio engineering credentials.
The California Headphone Company has produced headphones made of metal and leather in a design that is reminiscent of a vintage pilot headset. The sound is intended to be more suitable for vocals and acoustic guitars than the commonly bass-heavy rap star headphones.
The company has succeeded, to a point.
Offering two models, the $100 Laredo and the $226 Silverado, I preferred both sets to the rap star models I have listened to.
Oddly, I liked the $100 Laredo better than the more expensive Silverado, which had a boomier, less defined bass end. The effect was that the Silverado sounded as though it added a bit of an echo.
Both headphones' cables are sheathed i n a handsome cloth covering, with a handy inline 3.5-millimeter jack so that you can invite someone else to plug in their headphones and listen along with you.
But the more expensive set of headphones have completely removable cables that are not labeled left and right. There is no way to tell if you have the sound going to the correct ear. The less expensive headphones have a permanent connection, avoiding that problem.
Neither set of headphones compared in quality with my personal favorite, the Grado SR80i, which offers better detail, allowing me to hear individual instruments more clearly. And at the same price as the lower-cost Laredo, the SR80i would still be my top choice.
