Logitech PlayGear Mod Review

Our recent review of the Logitech PlayGear Amp brought something to light - reviewing speakers, while not easy, isn’t impossible. There are clearly defined classes of speakers, such as portable (which they were), home, and outdoor. Having thought about that, starting this review posed a completely different set of questions.

All headphones, earbuds, and in-ear speakers are personal audio speakers, speakers that are meant for only one person to listen. Which presents a problem: do we review them as strictly headphones, comparing the price point to sound quality against other headphones, or do we review them as personal audio speakers, comparing them against all available personal audio options? We decided on the latter, because we feel that most users want the best for the money, regardless of whether it goes over their ear, in their ear, or simply sits outside the ear. This made a huge difference in how we rated the PlayGear Mod, and because of that, we included this preface.

Whew — now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk looks. The PlayGear Mods match the PSP perfectly with their shiny black band, black cord, and silver behind the speakers. The band can be worn behind the head, or over the head, but we feel the Mods were meant to be worn behind the head rather than over the ear. They are more comfortable this way, and they also include two sets of over-the-ear loops that attached in the packaging and help to keep the speakers in the optimal position on the ears. They can be considered irritating by certain owners however, so the comfort level of the behind the head position is somewhat of a personal preference. We at PSPworld personally had no irritation or discomfort wearing the Mods behind our heads for several hours, but that doesn’t mean everyone will have the same experience.

As with any speaker, the most important issue is sound. We found the sound of the PlayGear Mods to be a mixed bag. When compared to headphones in their price range ($20 - $40), we found them to stack up well. When tested against in-the-ear ‘phones and against over the ear head phones, however, the sound of the Mods fell apart somewhat. We tested them against Sony’s MDR-EX71SLs, and found them to have a hard time competing in all of the following situations: a noisy outdoor park, a quiet outdoor setting (a back porch around 3AM), a noisy indoor setting (a semi-quiet mall setting), and a quiet indoor setting (bedroom). In all of these situations the Mods had trouble keeping up with the sound from the MDR-EX71SLs. Especially in the noisy settings, the Mods had trouble producing bass low enough to be completely audible.

For our testing we listened to several different songs, including “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap, and “Love Is Not Enough” from Nine Inch Nails’ new album With Teeth. There is a low grumble that is clearly audible with the Sonys that we couldn’t hear at all with the Mods. Further testing revealed that the delicacy of the high vocals in “Hide and Seek” had been replaced by somewhat muddy, not quite clear-sounding treble with the Mods. That said, we compared them against a (slightly) older pair of Sony over the ear headphones and the Mods preformed quite well, displaying a wider dynamic range and slightly better bass response. The problem with this comparison is that the PSP is a portable device, and because of that it will probably see a lot of action in noisy environments, in which neither set of headphones performed well because of their inability to cancel or block out noise like a set of in-ear ‘buds.

Overall, the Logitech PlayGear Mod is a good set of headphones. However, when compared to slightly ($10) more expensive in-the-ear ‘phones, they just can’t compete. Do you have trouble or discomfort when wearing in-the-ear ‘phones? Do you not want your headphones to mess up your hair? If so, these are a great set and will perform well for what they are. However, if you really just want the best sound for your money, we recommend going with a set of in-ear ‘phones, especially if you use your PSP in noisy environments.