Polk Audio Hinge Wireless Headphones Review - Headphones

Our Verdict

The Polk Audio Hinge Wireless Headphones evangelize full bass with 12 hours of battery life in a colorful, compact pattern.

For

Rich, powerful bass
Colorful, relatively lightweight pattern
Solid battery life
Good telephone call quality.

Against

Clunky multifunction button
Uncomfortable fit after a few hours.

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Polk Sound Swivel Wireless Headphones evangelize total bass with 12 hours of battery life in a colorful, compact blueprint.

Pros

+
Rich, powerful bass
+
Colorful, relatively lightweight blueprint
+
Solid bombardment life
+
Skilful call quality.

Cons

-
Clunky multifunction push
-
Uncomfortable fit after a few hours.

Bass junkies, lend Polk Sound your ears! The company'south latest pair of headphones, the Hinge Wireless ($199), serve upwards heaping helpings of thumping, throbbing lows in a lightweight, colorful package. These feathery cans also offer 12 hours of wireless listening, so you tin groove with no strings attached. Withal, a clunky part button and an uncomfortable fit continue the Hinges from striking headphone nirvana.

Pattern

The Swivel headphones are polarizing, to say the least. A few of my colleagues loved the '70s sensibilities of the plastic headphones' grayish-blue/burnt-orange color scheme, while others turned up their noses.

My co-worker Kenneth put it best: "They look like a well-designed pair of cheap headphones. They're not luxe, but they're not bargain-basement, either."

Personally, I liked the feel of the faux leather, particularly the padded orangish undercarriage. However, I would have preferred that Polk had swapped out the orange for a tan color, or put it on the top of the ring, as it's the more than centre-catching hue.

The headphones' titular hinges are made from a sturdy grey anodized aluminum. The joints fold upwardly, allowing the cans to fit into the bundled sheet carry bag. You'll observe more metallic at the ends of the bands holding the ear cups.

The ear cups are made of a combination of blue-gray plastic and the ruddy orange pleather used on the headband. The left ear cup holds a congenital-in NFC flake and an audio port, while the right cup sports a inexpensive-looking gray plastic dial that acts every bit the multifunction push. You'll observe an LED-illuminated microUSB port at the bottom of the cup.

Comfort

Wearing the Hinges was a adequately comfy feel. The seven.9-ounce headphones sat flush confronting my ears, although I felt more pressure level around the peak than I did the lesser. Information technology wasn't uncomfortable, but it never felt like I wasn't wearing headphones. I also noticed that the cans wobbled if I moved my caput to the left or right too rapidly.

More than: Best Headphones

I preferred wearing the five.nine-ounce Sony MDRZX550BN headphones. Not only are the MDRs lighter, but the nicely cushioned ear pads distributed pressure evenly and stayed put, regardless of my spastic head movements.

Multifunction Push

How many buttons does it take to change the volume, answer phone calls and skip tracks on a pair of headphones? Just i, and Polk uses the Hinge headphones' lonely punch for all its worth.

Turning on the cans involves pressing and holding the knob for 2 seconds. To pause or play a vocal, you simply rapidly depress the button. Adjusting volume requires you to spin the punch up or down, and hold it until y'all accomplish your desired level. Skipping forward or backward on tracks requires a quick two-button or three-push printing, respectively. When fielding telephone calls, a quick button tap answers/ends a telephone call or switches between calls.

While I applaud Polk'south attempt to cut downwardly on the buttons, inputting commands with the knob isn't precise plenty to be feasible. When I tried to enter Bluetooth pairing mode, the headphones inadvertently close downward. I eventually got the headphones to pair with my HTC Ane M8 for Windows phone, merely doing then over NFC delivered a much less frustrating user experience.

Performance

For such a compact set up of headphones, the Hinge Wireless headset packs a surprising corporeality of bass. It's great for tracks like Jay Z's "No Church in the Wild," where Frank Ocean's tremulous tenor coasts over full lows punctuated by blusterous synthesized strings. The operation was so precipitous, I could hear Jay Z's breath as he said "priest" and "feast." Although the MDRs delivered a relatively balanced, spacious soundstage, they lacked the liveliness of the Hinges.

Neither set of headphones proved the best on Conductor'south "Here I Stand." I noticed that the reverb from the keyboard and electronic wind instrument was too hard, creating a grainy, grating sound that consistently clashed with the honeyed vocal. Merely since I have to pick, I'grand going with the Sony MDRs, equally the sound was slightly niggling less harsh on my ears with the automatic racket- cancellation enabled.

When you're listening to hip-hop, R&B or electronic dance music, a little actress bass tin be cracking. Nevertheless, when you're listening to other genres, the additional bass can exist a double-edge sword. Guns N' Roses classic "November Rain" was drowning in unnecessary lows, making for a muddied performance with a submerged piano. The Sony'due south more subdued audio signature immune every aspect of the track to polish, particularly Slash's electrifying guitar solo.

Bluetooth/NFC

Following the trend of competing wireless headphones, the Hinge can connect to your device via Bluetooth or NFC. Pairing via NFC is equally simple as holding the headphones approximately 3 centimeters from a NFC-compatible device and hitting yes at the prompt. Establishing a connection with Bluetooth calls for you lot to agree down the Swivel's dial for iv to 5 seconds and following the pairing protocol on your device.

The headphones can save upwardly to viii Bluetooth device profiles at a time. Afterward that, the Hinge will delete the least-used devices to make room for more.

More than: Best Bluetooth Speakers

Battery Life

According to Polk Audio, the Swivel Wireless tin last up to 12 hours on a single charge. Later on using the headphones for approximately ii hours a twenty-four hours over the course of a week, I got a notification at the beginning of the sixth day alerting me that it was time for a recharge. The Sony MDRZX550BN headphones lasted 16 hours, which is impressive, merely non enough to dethrone the Plantronics BackBeat Pro's 60-hour battery life.

Telephone call Quality

I called my mom to test the Hinge Wireless' call quality. The telephone call sounded similar she was speaking through several damp towels, down a rather long corridor. All the same, she reported that she heard me loud and clear, and didn't realize I was using a pair of headphones until I told her.

Bottom Line

The $199 Polk Swivel Wireless headphones have a lot going for them. The brilliant color scheme catches the eye, while the deep bass will please the average listener. You'll get at to the lowest degree x hours of battery life with everyday utilise, and when the battery dies, you can plug in the included wire to go on the political party going.

There are a few niggling details that continue the Hinge Wireless from achieving a college rating. The multifunction button is clunky in presentation and part. It shouldn't accept several tries to pair or accommodate volume, and the fit could be better. In terms of value, I adopt the $129 Sony MDRZX550BN headphones, which offer a more neutral audio signature, longer battery life and a more comfy fit. Still, the Swivel Wireless headphones are a proficient pick for music lovers looking for a pair of nice-looking cans with a good for you dose of bass.

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Sherri L. Smith is a Senior Writer at Tom'due south Guide. When she'due south not reviewing the latest headphones and speakers, you lot'll detect her gaming on her Xbox Ane, PlayStation 4 or PC. Follow Sherri at @misssmith11. Follow us @TomsGuide and on Facebook.

Sherri Fifty. Smith has been cranking out production reviews for Laptopmag.com since 2011. In that time, she's reviewed more than her share of laptops, tablets, smartphones and everything in betwixt. The resident gamer and sound junkie, Sherri was previously a managing editor for Black Spider web 2.0 and contributed to BET.Com and Popgadget.