INTRODUCTION

   In a market where you can find headphones from incredibly low prices and up to a few thousands of dollars/Euros it's obviously not easy to choose the best model for your needs and that applies even more for people who are actually looking to get something special. Personally although I’ve used countless models from a large number of manufacturers i still can't say that I’ve found the holy grail of headphones and to be honest with all of you i don't really know if i ever will since naturally i can't use/test every single model out there. Of course the really good thing about headphones and headsets is that you can wear them pretty much everywhere so although proper testing may take time it's not really that hard (for example even while I’m typing these lines I’m also listening to my favorite songs) which means that we can squeeze in more models for testing. So today we will be taking a look at the latest offering by A.M.P (Antec Mobile Products) the Pulse Wireless Mobile Headphones.

   Antec Mobile Products (A.M.P) is a global consumer electronics company committed to putting state of the art mobile and audio technology into the hands of every user. As a division of Antec, the world-renown market leader in PC hardware, A.M.P. is committed to bringing Antec's winning VIP principles of Value, Innovation and Perfection to the mobile world. Technology is taking on an increasingly greater role in our lives and changing the relationship between user and device. People are not only demanding products that make their lives easier, but are also seeking devices that let them use, share and interact in new ways. By harnessing new technologies, Antec is changing the way people experience life through their mobile devices. A.M.P. understands that mobile products are more than just devices, they are extensions of ourselves: our tastes, habits and curiosity. a.m.p. is committed to the concept of fashion technology by providing you with devices that are not only attractive, but reflect your own unique personality.

   There are some earphone models released under the A.M.P brand so far but the Pulse is their very first attempt to make a good wireless headphone model to mark their entrance in that particular market segment. Now i can't say if they've succeeded or not right from the get go but based on the specifications sheet of the Pulse and the very good track record Antec has across the board i think they just might have. So the Pulse headphones wear two 40mm dBS technology stereo drivers featuring a frequency response of 20Hz-20KHz, an Omni-directional microphone with sensitivity of -14dB (+/-3dB) and a rechargeable Lithium Polymer Battery that gives it up to 8 hours of music playback. The Pulse also features the SBC and apt-X audio codecs and uses a Bluetooth v3.0 receiver which gives it a range of up to 10m and supports the Advanced Audio Distribution (A2DP), Audio/Video Remote Control (AVRCP), Hands-Free (HFP) and Headset (HSP) profiles. So for a first try the Pulse seems to be a very good wireless headphone set but that remains to be seen.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A.M.P ships the Pulse wireless headphones inside a white box with the a.m.p logo and a product picture at the front.

A small clear plastic window is placed on the right side of the box allowing the consumer to see the right earcup (good to know exactly how large the product is and how the color looks).

The bundle contents are listed on the lower left side.

At the rear of the box A.M.P has placed the features of the Pulse in 9 languages.

Both the headphones and the bundle are very nicely placed inside the box as you can see from the above picture.

The bundle is quite rich so together with the Pulse Wireless Headphones you will also get a carrying pouch, airplane adapter, 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable, USB to micro-USB cable, user's manual, warranty information paper and a product catalog.

THE PULSE

The Pulse Wireless Headphones have a nice glossy coating on the exterior and are actually quite small and lightweight weighing just 180g.

As always we placed the Pulse right next to our favorite Revo headphones to showcase exactly how small they are.

A.M.P has placed the product name on the exterior of both earcups.

At the rear of the right earcup A.M.P has placed the volume control and the power on/off buttons (when the headphones are plugged via 3.5mm cable you can't turn them on).

Right next to those we see the answer/end call button and at the front we see the media playback buttons (backward, play/pause and forward) and the microphone.

The micro-USB port and the 3.5mm plug are placed at the bottom.

Left and Right markings are present on the interior right above the earcups.

The earpads are covered by a very soft material (feels like leatherette but i could be wrong) and are very comfortable.

The same material is used to cover the headpad cushion.

As you can see the headband extends a total of 3.3cm on each side via 10 increments but there are no visible markings.

Foldable design means less space when you want to carry the Pulse with you so that's always a good feature to have.

Typically the company name and logo are both placed on the exterior of the headband.

CONCLUSION

   Our testing methodology used to test wireless headphones is pretty much the same with the one we use to test normal headphones so once again we used two Audio/Video Amplifiers, 2 MP3/4 players, the Creative X-Fi Titanium HD and several smartphones to test the Pulse Headphones both in wireless and wired mode. The Pulse produced very clear and crisp mids with quite good highs and equally good and deep bass (more would be nice however) but compared for example to the Revo Wireless by Jabra it does fall short and that also applies for its build quality. However that's quite normal since these two headphones belong in different price categories so the results didn't really surprise us. Moving on surprisingly enough the microphone worked extremely well and almost on par with some of the best we've tested including that of the Jabra Revo while the Lithium Polymer battery did manage to keep the Pulse going for a total of 6 and a half hours which is much better than most wireless headphones out there (A.M.P says 8 hours but obviously not at the same volume levels). The only slight problem we came across with the Pulse Wireless Portable Headphones is their joints which are very soft so even if you just hold the set from one side chances are that it will fold and that may get even worse after a long time.

   Bluetooth wireless headphones don't come cheap most of the time and that applies even more for brand new ones like the Pulse Wireless Mobile Headphones which currently retail at USD149.95 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 105Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). For some people even this price tag will look hefty but considering that for example the Jabra Revo Wireless costs almost twice as much we think that for people who are not looking to spend that much the Pulse is a very nice alternative not only because of their audio quality but also because of their size and weight. Overall the Pulse Wireless Mobile Headphones may not bring something new on the table but they look very nice, are quite small, have very good battery life and offer good balanced audio and these are more than enough for us to give them our Golden Award.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Design
- Weight (180g)
- Clear & Accurate Mids
- Good Highs & Bass
- Plenty Of Volume (Bluetooth Mode)
- Wired & Wireless Use
- Earcup Controls
- Foldable Design
- Good Battery Life (Up To 8 Hours)
- Available Colors
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Very Soft Joints
- Bluetooth v3.0 (Only 10m Range)