The Indie Game Magazine December 2014 | Issue 44 | Page 13

HARDWARE REVIEW

Wicked Reverb
Headphones
by Bonnie Burgette

I

watch a lot of Netflix, and I listen to music at a nearly constant rate. I’ve gone through so many pairs of headphones
that there’s a smallish graveyard in a box in my closet with
“backup” headphones and headsets that are functional, but not
necessarily ideal for my purposes. I was given the opportunity to
review the Reverb headphones by Wicked, and have been pleasantly surprised by the quality, considering the price and weight of
the product. It’s not without its drawbacks, but all things considered, this is a pretty nice set. They also come in fun colors, which
is a nice thing for something you wear a lot.
Wicked promises deeper bass and “powerful tones” with the Reverb. The numbers for the range of frequency are from 20 Hz to
20,000 Hz, which is the average range for human adults. Impedance,
which in its most simple terms is the amount of power it takes to
deliver high audio levels, is 32 ohms, meaning you can listen to
music on a variety of equipment without blowing out the speakers
(DJ headphones range from 25 to 70 ohms). What this all means is
that whether you’re watching movies, listening to music, or even
doing audio mixing, the Reverb should fill almost any need that’s
not professional-level editing. The stereo ability is impressive,
and the noise-cancellation is a blessing when you’re in a crowded
waiting area or on a plane. The bass is not “earth-shattering,” but
perhaps that’s because I’m just not willing to turn the volume up
enough to vibrate my skull.
The design of the headphones is actually a bit awkward, with the
“natural” position of the headphones at a slight cant from where
you’d normally expect the band to rest on your head. I usually wear
my headphones with the band toward the middle of my head,
almost directly above my ears. Reverb has the band a bit further
back on the crown , which took some getting used to. Since I do
tend to have my head inclined forward, this does prevent slippage.
There is no indication of which side is which, however, so trial and
error was the only way I was able to determine
how to even wear them, especially with the
Pros
headband being a bit awkward. I have a feeling

Maker: Wicked Audio
Website: www.wickedaudio.com
Twitter: @wickedaudio

the sound quality is highly subjective to the user, but the headphones are shown on the website being worn with the wider bit
of the cans in the back. I do better with the wider bits in the back.
Almost no information about the headphones is included in the
package, so I found out about features by either accident or through
the aforementioned trial and error. The headphones come apart
for both switching up the configuration of the headphones in relation to the headband (if one position is too awkward for you, this
is nice), and also for easier packing for travel. Don’t panic if you
smack the headphones with, say, your arm and they fall apart. The
headband is very flexible and the cans are held on by two pegged
prongs. They stay together fairly well considering how easily they
disassemble, but they can’t stand much in terms of frequent motion or just plain clumsiness.
The major issue I have with the Reverb is that the cord is pitifully
short. I’ve tried to use it while on my PC, and I can’t even adjust my
sitting position without the cord yanking, which can cause damage
to both the jack AND the computer. It’s 4 feet long, which is fine
for short-range use (like watching movies on your laptop or tablet,
or listening to music on a hand-held device), but I feel like I’m on
a leash when I can’t bring the media source with me. There’s a
6-foot extension cord available, but I don’t feel as though I should
have to buy an extension cord for something that’s touted to be
useful for so many things.
Bottom line: If you’re looking for an inexpensive pair of headphones
for the purpose of enjoying media without having to resort to ear
buds (which are terrible for you, anyway), and you don’t care if
you have large headphones on in public, the Reverb headphones
are great. They retail for $29.99, and can be purchased at a variety
of locations, including Best Buy and Amazon.com.

Cons
• Longer cord would be helpful
• Configuration takes some

• Inexpensive
• Lightweight
getting used to
• Good range of frequency
• Excellent for portable devices • Not amazingly durable
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