Phillips and O’Neill have teamed up to bring you a pair of headphones that can withstand the most aggressive lifestyle, The Stretch. These headphones are inspired by the needs of those who desire the ultimate in durability, comfort and live an active lifestyle. These headphones have been tested by O’Neill’s hand picked rider team consisting of Big Mountain Rider of the Year Jeremy Jones, big wave surfer Mark Mathews and two-time Freeride World Tour Champion Ane Enderud. These headphones have NOT gone through the Guru Inspection, until now. See what the Gadget Gurus think of The Stretch headphones below:

Video Overview

The Stretch headphones are made of a material called TR55LX, which is six times harder than the polycarbonate commonly used in headphones, as well as being scratch and crack resistant. The headphones have a “soft touch” material feel to them, but are very solid and they give you the feeling that they are in fact very durable. The headband consists either of a wet suit like material for the red style headphones or a faux leather material for the white headphones. In both cases, the band stretches to fit your head and is nice and snug. Instead of dealing with “notches” or constantly resizing the headphones, The Stretch literally stretches to fit the user’s head. They stretch remarkably far and would even fit over a hat or thick beanie if you were jamming out while snowboarding, skate boarding, etc.. The cord is covered in a braided rope to prevent tangling or tears and actually detaches from the headphones. I found the detachable cord to be extremely convenient if I wanted to wear the headphones around my neck while not listening to them, but didn't want to deal with a long cord dangling all over the place.



The ear cups are made of a very soft, very “pillowy” material that makes them a dream to wear. The Stretch headphones can be worn for hours without discomfort. They completely cover your ear as as opposed to just covering them which really helps to isolate the outside noise. I can’t really say enough good things about the way these headphones are made, or how they feel while wearing. They are durable, and are very comfortable.

So how do they sound? Overall the sound quality is very good. The highs and mids hit nicely and don’t blend together giving you a very clean sound. The only area where I wish they sounded better is in the lower range. The bass doesn’t quite “kick” like you would expect from a pair of over the ear headphones. Some songs and types of music you will notice the lack of bass more than others. For example, Hip Hop and POP music has more bass in it by nature, where rock or metal sounds more “hollow”. Considering these headphones were designed to be more tough and withstand the elements than for studio quality sound, these short comings are definitely forgivable.

So how do the Phillips O’Neill Stretch Headphones make it through the Guru Inspection? I’d say they pass! Between the great build materials and the very comfortable headband, I love the design of these headphones. The detachable cable and rope covered cord make these great to pick up and carry anywhere with you. I have been testing these for a little over a week and used for hours at a time with no discomfort at all. The sound quality is great, although they do leave a little to be desired in the bass area, the sound isolation makes up for it. The Stretch headphones come in at $99 and can be picked up at your local Best Buy or Amazon.com.

Via The Gadget Gurus