Musician’s Corner: Motörhead Phones Push Your iPhone ‘Over The Top’ – Hands-On Review

Welcome back to another installment of Musician’s Corner. This column is for musicians and fans of music. Every week we tell you about apps and accessories we think you’ll love. Last week, we found two location-based apps that let you track down your favorite concerts and local shows. This week, we go hands-on with Lemmy Kilmister’s branded headphones. The Motörhead Phones launched earlier this year and we’ve been blasting our way from “Overkill” to “Another Perfect Day” since we got our metal-loving hands on them.

In some ways, I feel like I’m the perfect candidate to review the Motörizer Motörhead Phones. I love rock ‘n’ roll and I celebrate Motörhead’s early discography, plus a few of the newer albums. I also love listening to music as loud as I can, but thanks to 15 plus years of playing in punk rock bands, have a minor case of tinnitus. If you don’t know what that is, it basically means that I have a constant ringing in my ear. It also means that it physically hurts me to listen to certain tones at too high of a volume. The Motörizer was designed specifically for listening to rock music at loud volumes for a long period of time without distorting the audio and without making your ears bleed. That fits me to a tee. The Facts Company Name: iElectronics Product Name: Motörizer Motörhead Phones Price: $119.99 Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, all model iPod, home stereo receiver Website: www.motorheadphones.com Date Reviewed: April 9, 2013 The Basics The Motörizer headphones are specifically engineered for rock music. The dynamic, closed-back circumaural sound quality was tailored with the help of professional record producers for the best possible audio for listening to your music long and loud. It is branded with the iconic, tusked boar skull Motörhead logo and is ready to go for your listening pleasure.

What’s in the Box The Motörizer comes with the headset, a 2.5 meter heavy gauge woven cable with a 3.5mm male connector on one end and a 3.5mm female connector on the other. It also includes a 1 meter heavy gauge cable with a microphone and audio controller intended specifically for iPhone use. There is a 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter for plugging your Motörhead Phones directly into a stereo receiver or other traditional audio input. The entire setup can be kept safe in the included cloth drawstring bag.

Setup When you first pull the headphones out of the box, you’ll notice that there is no cable attached to it, but there is a 3.5mm connector hanging from it. Plug either your 1 meter or 2.5 meter-cable into this connector and plug the other end into your device. If you are using a stereo receiver or other 6.3mm connector, plug the included adapter into the male end of your cable. Then, place the headphones on your noggin and turn it up to 11. There is no need to adjust the size of the headphones. They are self-adjusting. That is, the headset uses mechanical pressure to rest on your head without needing to pull out, or push in, the band. Unfortunately, because it is a one-size-fits-all type of headset, it doesn’t fit my head at all. Being that I have a particularly small head, most headsets don’t fit me well. So, it wasn’t a surprise that the Motörizer doesn’t sit comfortably on my melon. However, I had my “old man” try the headset on for size. He has a particularly large head and said the headphones felt comfortable. They did not squeeze his oversized skull or anything.

The Headphones The headset itself, although too big for me, sits securely on your head and the velvet lined ear cups nestle around your ears so that you don’t feel pressure on your cartilage. The ear cups are on pivoting joints so you can easily flip them up away from your ear if you need to hear something other than your music. The heavy gauge cables are thick and sturdy and don’t tangle very easily due to their design. They are like miniature guitar cables. The headband is made from a coated metal wire with rubberized “stoppers” that sit just below the wire. These stoppers are presumably meant to keep the headphones from slipping down. However, as I mentioned earlier, they didn’t stop from slipping down my tiny head. Sound wise, the Motörizers are price and marketed to be deejay quality. However, I compared them to the Logitech EU9000 headphones and found that the Motörhead Phones pale in comparison to the audio capabilities of the EU9000. I listened to Motorhead for hours (I’m listening to “Overkill” as I write this) and I also listened to some early eighties hardcore punk albums, Slayer’s “Live Undead,” and a couple of Tom Waits songs in order to get a feel for the overall listening landscape. While I can definitely say that the Motörizers performed exceptionally well, I can also say that I was disappointed in the quality of sound. Maybe the EU9000s have just spoiled me.

What’s Hot These bad boys look fantastic on any metal-loving rocker. They are rough and sturdy and offer excellent long-term wear and tear usage. The heavy gauge woven cables add to the overall durability. You can take these headphones on tour and won’t have to worry about them getting broken. Although, I can’t promise an envious band mate won’t steal them. What’s Not Hot Because the headset is self-adjusting, it doesn’t even come close to fitting small heads. They hung so low on my head that the bottom of the ear cup sat on my jawbone. The audio quality, although very good, does not live up to the hype. Our Advice As a huge fan of Motörhead, it pains me to say that the Motörizer headphones are not all they are cracked up to be. They are priced to be top-quality deejay headphones, but didn’t perform to my expectations. At $120, I wanted them to have a fuller, richer depth of sound, but they just left me with a “Heart of Stone.” Buy now: Get it from iElectronic’s website for $119.99. Thanks for stopping by Musician’s Corner. If you have any suggestions for apps or accessories you think we should feature, just drop me a line or leave a comment below. This week’s question: “Bomber” or “Hammered”?

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