There is no lacking of high-end headphones in the market. While we can’t say the new Porsche Design Over-ear PDH80 Headphones are the best sounding or the best looking, they are definitely worthy of consideration if you have US$425 to drop.
The pill-shape earcups of the Porsche Design Headphones PDH80 are said to be racetrack-shaped which, TBH, I don’t quite get it. Is it referring to a NASCAR race track? Hmmm. Anywho, that does not detract from the fact that this pair of cans is pretty dope.
The PDH80 may be only a pair of cans but there is a lot going on with it – in particular, on the earcups. The earcup is engraved with the Porsche Design logo, with the right ear cup doubling as a touch control panel for music control and call management.
Furthermore, it features an aluminum frame in a matte finish and viscoelastic foam-filled ear cushions, and within each can is a 50 mm neodymium driver. Also found on the earcups are LED lights that let you in on the pairing status and battery level. The attention to detail does not stop there.
Charging status is also shown on the display of the device that the cans are connected to over Bluetooth. Speaking of charging… the PDH80 has a 75-hour battery life per charge (or 50 with ANC on). It recharges via USB-C and takes just two hours to charge to full.
The earcup is also where an integrated microphone with Echo cancelation is outfitted, offering crystal clear audio for hands-free calls.
The earcups are attached to a soft, structured leather headband with a Porsche Design embossing with a C-shape hinge which allows the fit of the cans to be individually adjusted.
As far as active noise cancelation goes, it has FOUR modes: ANC off, ANC High, ANC Low, and Ambient Sound.
This pair of cans also touts wear detection that automatically pauses music playback when you take off the headphones and resume when putting them back on. However, if it is not worn for five minutes, it will switch off automatically to conserve battery.
In the event power is out, you can continue using the cans in wired mode with the included audio cable. The line-in mode also supports Hi-Res Audio and so, it is not just for the time when the battery conks out.
The cans are supplied with an in-flight adapter for use with in-flight entertainment and it comes with a high-quality case for storage and bringing it along on the road.
Finally, the new Porsche Design Headphones PDH80 is able to connect to two devices simultaneously via Bluetooth. When connected to a smartphone and a laptop at the same time, it will let you listen to music on the laptop and take calls from the smartphone.
The Porsche Design Headphones PDH80 is available now from the Porsche Design website for US$425.
All images courtesy of Porsche Design.
