Marvel iHome headphones review: At least they look fun

Some of us put headphones on as we're leaving the house at the beginning of the day, and and don't take them off until we're home again. Those headphones become a part of our visual identity from day to day, and so it's natural to want them to stand out a little. For the Marvel fans among us, iHome has released a pair of headphones themed after Captain America and Iron Man. While the inside hardware is identical, the outside lets you choose which part of the Avengers you are most happy with.

While I love me some Cap, for this review I went with the Iron Man variant of the headphones. No matter which design I went with, the mission of owning headphones that stand out is already a success.

Dance tot he music

Marvel iHome Headphones Design

There can be no doubt these are Iron Man headphones. The bright red body with gold accents matches the theme, but at the center of each earpiece is a light up Arc Reactor which pulses slowly while the headphones are on. In the unlikely event you have these headphones and aren't wearing them, the included carrying case is an almost microfiber soft with Marvel imagery all over the bag. You'll also find a microUSB cable and a flat 3.5mm cable included in the packaging.

You have some control over how the lights on the side of the headset behave, The button for these arc reactors allows you to turn the lights on and off, but also a third setting for flashing along with whatever it is you are listening to. This feature is cute for showing off, but hardly practical or functional. You will drain precious battery life by having the feature enabled, and no matter what you are listening to the lights flicker erratically. The animation is tied to too many different kinds of sound, and so instead of just flashing with the bass line or something it just flashes to everything and looks generally unpolished in the process.

The iHome packaging doesn't explicitly label these headphones as designed for teens or young adults, but the fit on my head did plenty of talking. These are over-the-ear headphones, and while they have padding in all the right places for a comfortable fit the it was always a little snug no matter how I had the arms extended. Snug can be good, especially if you're moving around a lot, but there was no way to adjust the fit so it was looser on my head.

Marvel iHome Headphones Experience

At the core, these headphones are built to be functional as wired and Bluetooth headphones with little difference in audio quality between the two modes. As Bluetooth 5.0 headphones there's nothing these things won't connect to with relative ease, and the inclusion of a "tangle-free" flat 3.5mm cord in the box is great for stowing away until you need it. I didn't find myself needing to use the cable for much, since the battery in the headphones did a great job providing me with a full day of listening before I put them on the charger when I got home.

Connectivity with Google Assistant is listed ad a feature on the box, but accessing and using this feature is more than a little clumsy. There's a single button on the right-hand side which activates Assistant, but the microphone isn't very good at relaying your instructions to the phone. This improves a little in wired mode thanks to the external mic in the cable, but even then Google Assistant is somewhat hit or miss when using it through the headphones. I didn't experience and significant audio issues when using the headphones for calling, outside of people on the other side telling me I sound like I was calling from a set of headphones instead of from the phone itself.

Audio quality on the headphones themselves is just OK. The sound isn't exceptional in any one specific way. The bass isn't particularly heavy, the mids are a little on the weak side, and the highs come off tinny in instrumentals especially. These are fairly mediocre-sounding headphones, there's really no other way to put it.

Should you buy it? Sure

The iHome folks have these headphones listed for $50 in most stores. If you're looking to spend $50 on headphones and you want something that stands out, these headphones will deliver.

3.5 out of 5

If you're looking to spend $50 and you want the best possible audio you can get for that price, you're going to want to look elsewhere.

See at Best Buy