Outside the Box Solitude
Manufacturer: Outside the Box, Inc. Part number: Solitude
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- While these headphones deliver above-average sound isolation, their dull and boomy sound spoil the Solitude.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/08/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Outside the Box Solitude price range: $150.21
- Reviewed by: Steve Guttenberg
- Edited by: David Katzmaier
- Reviewed on: 05/27/2005
- Released on: 02/15/2005
The good: Over-the-ear noise-canceling headphones; fold for compact storage; detachable cable with standard minijack connections; free one-year loss protection; soft leatherette carry pouch.
The bad: So-so sound quality; won't play loud with iPod.
The bottom line: While these headphones deliver above-average sound isolation, their dull and boomy sound spoil the Solitude.
Solitude seems like the perfect name for noise-canceling headphones. Indeed, manufacturer Outside the Box claims the Solitudes provide 18dB of noise hushing, enough to quell the roar of a commuter train or the whoosh of air conditioning on a jet plane. The headphones' luxuriously padded vinyl ear cushions and headband add a touch of class to the design. The Solitudes fold for compact storage and come with a soft leatherette carry pouch. They're sold direct for $199.
As with all other noise-canceling headphones we've tested, the Solitudes' NC circuitry runs off batteries. The Solitudes use two AAA cells, which have an estimated life of 35 hours. Unlike some noise-canceling headphones, such as Bose's QuietComfort 2s, the Solitudes continue playing your tunes--sans noise cancellation, of course--long after the AAAs have died and gone to battery heaven.
In addition to a dual airline plug and a 1/4-inch phono adapter, the Solitudes also ship with a detachable five-foot-long cable that's fitted with standard gold-plated minijacks at each end. That's a great feature; if you ever need a replacement cable, you can pick one up at any RadioShack or electronics store. The detachable cable is also nice for folks who sometimes use their headphones' noise-quelling function without actually listening to anything--they can stow the cable to get it out of the way. And when you're back listening to your tunes, the left earcup has a handy volume control.
Outside the Box includes a free one-year BoomerangIt loss-protection policy. If you leave your Solitudes on the 747, BoomerangIt will replace them. Furthermore, the manufacturer offers lifetime warranty protection for the headphones.
We started our evaluations on the New York City subway and were impressed with the Solitudes' ability to reduce noise. Not that the noise was completely silenced (no noise-canceling headphones can do that, especially on the Lexington Avenue line at Union Square), and we could still hear train announcements and conduct conversations with our fellow underground denizens.
Sound quality was very rich and mellow, which is a nice way of saying the Solitudes' treble detail was lacking. That's an understatement: these are seriously dull headphones. The Solitudes muffled Paul Simon's voice and guitar on his Still Crazy After All These Years CD. A brief switcheroo over to Sennheiser's HD 485s ($99 list) brought Simon's music back to life. Oh yeah, the 485s not only have a lot more treble detail and a clearer, less stuck-inside-the-head midrange, their bass went substantially deeper and was better defined than the Solitudes'.
But the 485s aren't noise-canceling headphones, so we next donned our Etymotic ER-6 noise-isolating earbuds ($130). Their noise-blocking abilities are roughly equivalent to those of the Solitudes, they don't use batteries, and they sound a lot clearer--but the ER-6s won't satisfy bass fiends. The tiny earbuds just don't have anything like the low-end power of the Solitudes. That said, the Solitudes are somewhat inefficient, so they wouldn't play all that loud with our iPod; the ER-6s got a lot louder. Things improved a bit when we watched DVDs, where the Solitudes' big bottom-end sound added a real sense of impact to the Armageddon DVD. We noted that in a quiet room, the Solitudes' noise-canceling processing produced audible hiss, but you wouldn't have the NC turned on when you're in a noise-free environment.
Summing up, the Outside the Box Solitudes do a good job blocking out external noise but fall short on the sound-quality front. For full-size noise-canceling headphones, the more expensive Bose QuietComfort 2s remain the ones to beat.
User reviews
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These are the ones to buy - read my review!
by califlefty on May 24, 2005
Pros: Stylish, comfortable, work great, competitvely priced
Cons: shhhh....... it's quiet in this jet!
Summary: First of all, if your reading this review, your in the wrong place. Go to http://www.thetravelinsider.info/9nov2001.htm and read a 10 page review about noise cancelling ...
Summary: First of all, if your reading this review, your in the wrong place. Go to http://www.thetravelinsider.info/9nov2001.htm and read a 10 page review about noise cancelling headsets. The bottom line, there are only 2 units that will satisfy, the Bose and the Solitudes. On price alone, the Solitudes win.
Here's my real world experience. I travel from SFO to CDG once a year and anyone who's been on a long flight knows after 10-11 hours in a jet your head roars for a day and your jetlagged. So after reading the reviews and comments for the Solitudes, I sprang for it. It seemed like a lot of money at first believe me, it was the best travel related money I ever spent, as I WILL NEVER FLY WITHOUT THESE AGAIN -- PERIOD!
The flight was appx.10 hours each way and I wore these maybe a total of 16 hours. At first, they seem a bit tight, but really I didn't notice them after a few minutes, the foam earcups fit around your ear and never got tacky or sweaty. I took them off ever hour or so to readjust, I was even able to nap with them on. When speaking with the traveller next to me, they didn't cut down the sound volume of the conversation, just the background noise. And I could finally hear the semi reasonable fidelity the audio of the movie - oh joy! When I took them off to roam the cabin - man what a difference! I couldn't believe the noise level everyone else was being subjected to.
On the practical side, they fold down nicely and come with a small case which can fit in your carry-on, and the batteries were still strong after 16 hours. they need to design a better latch for folding and unfolding them, but once you get the hang of it it no big deal. Comes with adapters for diffrent plug types, even that 2 prong job that I needed on Air France. Most of the time, your not using the plugs at all as your just wearing them for the noise cancelling.
Now here's the kicker. I ordered these from "Outside the Box" 2 days before flying because they had a discount going and free overnight delivery. So when they confirmed my order, they were shipping them ground - what the?? So I called their customer service and when they realized they made a mistake quick as bunnies they cancelled the first order and sent out a pair in time for my trip, no arguing, convincing or cajoling needed. And they called back the next day and follwed up with emails to make sure everything was good - no isn't it nice that a company actually CARES about their customers? Isn't it a shame that in this day and age it the exception rather then the rule?
Look, if you've read this far, stop already and buy the Solitudes. They work great, they are a high quality product, Outside the Box deserves credit for solid customer service, and they will change your total outlook on jet travel - leave the crying babies to someone else!2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent with IPOD
by djt_888 on December 12, 2005
Pros: Comfortable, excellent noise isolation, power off mode.
Cons: Needs treble boost.
Summary: I've used these on international flights, and have been very pleased with the comfort and noise cancellation. Sound is excellent with the IPOD - however the treble needs boosting. ...
Summary: I've used these on international flights, and have been very pleased with the comfort and noise cancellation. Sound is excellent with the IPOD - however the treble needs boosting. With the IPOD treble boost equalization the Solitudes sounds just great in my opinion. Without it the high freq. do sound muffled (as the CNET review states). I fell asleep listening to these puppies on the plane - a testament to their comfort. I will always fly with them. I really like the fact that they work powered off - this is the prime reason why I chose them over the Bose (+ $100 less!).
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Uncomfortable and bulky
by randiego2009 on June 7, 2009
Pros: Quality is good.
Cons: Really bulky. I bought them for air travel, but they simply cannot be collapsed and case is just too large for me to carry around. Also, they are really uncomfortable. I never had this problem before, but they clamp my head really hard.
Summary: I previously had some Targus noise cancellation headphones that were designed for travel and I absolutely loved them until they completely fell apart. I spent 3 times as much on ...
Summary: I previously had some Targus noise cancellation headphones that were designed for travel and I absolutely loved them until they completely fell apart. I spent 3 times as much on these headphones and it was a complete letdown. Painful. Bulky.
Now that I look closely at the photo, I think the model I have may be older. It has a pivot rather than a hinge one each side. It is possible that they redesigned the mechanism to be more compact.
Updated on Jun 7, 2009 -
Poor Quality
by rhpollard on July 1, 2008
Pros: Good sound, others can't hear what you are listening to.
Cons: Fallign apart after one year.
Summary: Out of the box these worked great. It wasn't until about a year later that the pads on the top starting falling off and the plastic from the left ...
Summary: Out of the box these worked great. It wasn't until about a year later that the pads on the top starting falling off and the plastic from the left ear to the center of the head started cracking. Then the right ear peice seperated from the plastic and is only hanging on by the cord. Very poor manufacturing quality. I will never buy again.
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Hinge problem on older model
by EracerguyFL on October 25, 2006
Pros: Great comfort and noise reduction
Cons: Plastic hinge cracks
Summary: The newer version looks like it has revised hinges near the ear cups. Mine cracked after easy office use.
Summary: The newer version looks like it has revised hinges near the ear cups. Mine cracked after easy office use.
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Decent alternative to more expensive options
by soulkid on November 9, 2005
Pros: Noise cancelling can be turned on/off, standard jacks on both ends of cable, folding design
Cons: A little heavy, somewhat uncomfortable for prolonged use
Summary: For those who do their research, this is the headset that makes the shortlist, along with the Bose QC2, when looking to buy a high-end active noise cancelling "over the ...
Summary: For those who do their research, this is the headset that makes the shortlist, along with the Bose QC2, when looking to buy a high-end active noise cancelling "over the ear" headset. So, I will focus my review on the main areas which are likely to be compared between the two choices when making a final purchasing decision.
1. Build quality - Very good. Comparable to the QC2. However, the ear pads are thicker/softer on the QC2, and the ear cups are deeper on the QC2.
2. Comfort - Very good. They fit a little tighter than the QC2, which may be bothersome for some, but this actually makes the passive noice cancelling better than on the QC2. However, the QC2 felt a lot lighter on the head and more comfortable because they were not as tight fit.
3. Active noise cancelling - Very good. The noise cancellation on the Solitude is very good, definitely comparable to the QC2. However there seems to be more "hiss" noticeable in the Solitude than the QC2. In an airplane environment I thought the QC2 was slightly better cancelling the noise - but only slightly.
4. Sound quality - Very good. I am no audiophile, but the sound on the Solitude seemed very good to me, better than the QC2 on the bass.
5. Technical design - Excellent. I think the Solitude is better than the QC2 in functional design (the folding feature is a nice option), the cable has standard jacks on both ends while the QC2 uses a proprietary jack on the headset end, and the headset can be used with the noise cancellation turned off. However, the Solitudes are slightly heavier than the QC2.
So whats the final verdict? - I have a hard time justifying the $100 more for the QC2 when the Solitudes are so close in every aspect. However, as they say, the difference is in the details, so if you have the extra $$ then you will likely be happier with the QC2s... -
Better than the Mk5 and 6...Above average performance
by buaya00 on July 18, 2005
Pros: Good Noise Cancellation
Cons: Audio is not sharp and very bassy!
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These ROCK!
by jetlagged on May 21, 2005
Pros: Excellent noise cancellation and fidelity
Cons: Larger carrying case
Summary: I travel to the Far East and Hong Kong twice a month, and have always had a problem with jet lag and fatigue. I have to say, that when I ...
Summary: I travel to the Far East and Hong Kong twice a month, and have always had a problem with jet lag and fatigue. I have to say, that when I used these, not only with my MP3 player, but just for the noise cancellation, I felt remarkably better, and more rested. What a novel idea to make a headset cord that can be replaced at any electronic store instead of the $75.00 that Bose charges, and get this; a headset that will work even if the battery dies! I had more than one fellow traveler ask me if I had a spare battery for the Bose headset that they were using. Great customer service, and a great product. Well done.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Outside the Box, Inc.
- Part number: Solitude
- Description: The Solitude is the most powerful active noise cancellation headset on the market. With 18dBs of ANC, it will outperform even its more expensive competitors. High-fidelity audio reproduction will allow you an enjoyable listening experience, whether you are in-flight, at work, or at home.
General
- Recommended Use The noise canceling feature keeps out ambient sounds on buses and airplanes. Plus, they are portable for easy transport.
- Product Type Headphones
- Additional Features Foldable, Volume control, Gold plated connectors, Noise canceling circuit
Headphones
- Headphones Type Headphones - Binaural
- Headphones Form Factor Ear-cup
- Headphones Technology Dynamic
- Connectivity Technology Wired
- Sound Output Mode Stereo
- Response Bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz
- Signal-To-Noise Ratio 18 dB
- Sensitivity 121 dB
- Impedance 32 Ohm
- Diaphragm 1.6 in
- In-Cord Volume Control Yes
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 1 x Headphones cable - Detachable - 5 ft, 1 x Airplane connection adapter, 1 x Headphones adapter
- Included Accessories Soft case
Power
- Power Device Power adapter
- Battery 2 x Standard battery - AAA type
Manufacturer info
- Outside the Box, Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Outside the Box, Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.solitudeheadsets.com/
- Address:
10809 Southern Loop Blvd Unit 1, Pineville, NC 28134 - Phone: 800-720-5076
- Email: Inquiry@SolitudeHeadsets.com
- Fax: 704-583-1122
