The Brand
Coby has been known as a value brand. For this reason, do not compare the sound to premium brands. Those brands won’t come close to Coby in price, and Coby won’t match them for fidelity. Instead, I’ve come to appreciate what you get versus what you spend. Coby excels in this area.
Features
The Coby CHBT-613 headphones are available in white with gold, or black with silver trim. They both sell for $37.99 on Amazon and ship with Prime (good for getting in time for Christmas). As far as features go, here are the basics:
- Built in mic
- Wireless connectivity via Bluetoth v2.1
- Up to 5 hours of talk/play time via 320mAh lithium battery
- Buttons control play/pause, forward, back, and answer/hang up
- micro-USB charge port, micro-USB included
- 1/8″ headphone jack compatible, wire included
- Foldable design
Our Experience
The sound quality is adequate and very flat. There isn’t any booming bass, nor shrieking highs. One pro to this is reduced ear fatigue when listening on higher volumes. A con is reduced dynamic punch that some people like. With this price point, remember that you’re getting a decently styled bluetooth headphone with adequate battery life and good build quality. My only gripes are the lack of volume control and the amount of tension the head band puts on your ears. Smaller heads may not notice, but over time I found the pressure on my ears to get a little uncomfortable. At least I know it’s less likely to fall of my head when moving around. Having to reach for my phone to adjust the volume is doable of course, but less convenient.
Final Thoughts
I think all in all it’s a good price for a well styled headset. The vinyl ear cups do a good job of isolating sound even those this is an on-the-ear headphone. The foldable design helps when stowing in a bag, but no carrying case is included (normal for this price). There is soft touch rubber on the headband but it isn’t padded. The packaging is great so if you’re considering this as a gift for someone I wouldn’t worry about the initial impression at all. For $40, there are better sounding headphones out there, but they aren’t bluetooth.
