Chucks for your Ears: ReF headphones from iLuv blur the line between headphones and fashion acsessory

iLuv's ReF headphones fuse retro Converse canvas with unimpressive audio specs

The Converse-emulating canvas covers of iLuv’s ReF headphones are sure to draw some attention this year. Is it silly to buy a pair of headphones just because they match that pair of Chucks in your closet? Probably. Are we still thinking about it? Maybe. Still, if the sound ends up being subpar, you may as well buy a pair of converse-like ear muffs; so let’s take a look at the audio specs.

ReF ‘phones are outfitted with a Supra aural (on-ear) “deep bass” Titanium driver, which the company claims is capable of delivering deep bass and precise treble. The listed frequency response, however, is a bit dubious. iLuv claims the ReF headphones have a rated frequency response of  20Hz – 6.5kHz, and while we understand these headphones aren’t aimed at the audiophile crowd, those numbers just aren’t acceptable. 6.5kHz is an extremely low cut-off point for treble response – where’s the luv for the highs, iLuv? 

For what it’s worth, ReFs are available in four colors: red, black, navy, and Converse’s trademark cream white. Stitching accents are white on all but the cream white pair, which features red seams. If you like simple, streamlined, audio-focused headphones, you’ll want to steer clear of these; but if you like fun, fashion-forward ‘phones that fuse music and style, we’ll understand if you can’t pass them up.

The ReFs will be available sometime this month, for around $130 and come in both generic and Apple-specific versions . The Apple version allows you to control volume and skip tracks with an included in-line mic, while the generic version only allows you to answer calls.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com