Spider PowerForce Headphones Review

Spider International released a set of PowerForce Headphones with 40mm drivers and an audio filter surrounded by a “dynamic” housing made of plastic and and aluminum.  Coming in at about $129.99 they are a fairly cheap solution for people looking for something slightly better than your average 50 – 70 dollar earphones.  The bass is richer, and slightly beefier than a set of $50 ear plug style earphones I have.  The highs are more tolerable than the earphones too.  I’m a bit of a sound snob, so perhaps I’m not the best person to review these, but for the price point I haven’t heard anything in particular that sets them apart from anything else within $100 plus or MINUS the PowerForce headphones. (I’ve tested dozens).

Spider International (in my opinion) put together a fairly cheap component design and then spent quite a bit more to package it up so it gives you the illusion of quality.  A stitched cover on the top, gold trimmed plastic (white and gold version) with a memory foam ear pad… We received both the pre-production units and the retail box kit, and to be honest there is very little difference between the two.  I think I wouldn’t be so hard on these headphones if it where not for the claims on the back of the package which say “PowerForce faithfully reproduces the full audio spectrum in no-nonsense terms, allowing music to be heard the way the artist and engineer intended.”  (That’s crap)

It goes on to state “You’ll both hear and feel the all-important bottom end, but it won’t bury the snap of a snare drum, the shimmer of a cymbal, the delicate touch of the fingertips on an acoustic guitar string”.  Really?  Are they listening to the same set of headphones I am? I am not sure, that is not the experience that I had.  I call it the way I see it and I just don’t see it here.  The description reminds me of  the movie Knight’s Tale when the naked guy helps them out in exchange for clothing and he becomes Heath Ledger’s Herald.  Check out 35 Seconds into this video for a revisit of the movie clip I’m talking about  I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they hired the writer of this segment to write the overview

All in all I’d rate them as just average and I’m really disappointed in other reviewers that were willing to write anything different merely for a free set of headphones.  It’s absurd.  2 out of 5 stars.