LSTN Troubadour: M50x for Bassheads

Let’s say you’re about to pick up a pair of Beats (haha) or a pair of Sennheiser Urbanites.  Or let’s say you liked the sound of the M50x but thought it lacked that bass you’ve been looking for.  Enter the LSTN Troubadours.  Exit the “sound fidelity” crowd.

Listening to the LSTN Troubadours

This headphone has more bass than Meghan Trainor.  I can safely say that I would never recommend these headphones to an audiophile.

But…

If you were in the market for a bassy headphone – one to bump some Nas, Hiero, or Murs on – this might just fit the bill.  Not far from the Urbanite in terms of sound quality (or bass), they’re a retro-stylish pair of headphones for the techno freak inside all of us (’cause, you know, different strokes and whatnot).  In appearance, this headphone could easily pass for the love child of an AKG, Grado, and Master and Dynamic three-way.  These are not the headphones you’d see on Dr. Dre.  Nor are they the one’s you’d see being promoted by 50 Cent.

Clearly aimed at the Williamsburg/Portland crowd, it’s a “timeless” design fusing wood, aluminum, plastic, and – quite possibly – fabric.

Unimpressive specs include an almost-paltry frequency response of 18Hz – 22KHz.  Unimpressive, I say, because we’ve been spoiled by some really great headphones lately.  A mostly-standard 32 ohms of impedance doesn’t really phase us either.

There is also a convenient mic and play/pause remote built into the cable.

At $149.99 Retail, the come in well-under Beats, while also still edging out similar offerings from Sennheiser

Should you pick up a pair?  Maybe.  I wouldn’t recommend these headphones to everybody.  But if you know what your like and that thing that you like is called bass, you really should give these puppies a listen.  They aren’t for audiophiles, and even I wouldn’t listen to them all the time.  But when I’m sitting at a computer writing, or editing photos, I generally gravitate toward music with a lot of bass.  These headphones are good for that.

Besides, do you really want to buy a pair of Beats?  Nah, didn’t think so.

If you’re looking to try these out before you buy, we currently have a pair on display at our shop in Midtown, Manhattan.