Targus offers a $50 alternative to the ubiquitous-in-the-skies Bose noise-canceling headphones. Can these budget cans get us our beauty rest?
Review summary of the Targus AWM02US:
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 The demographic for this product seems to be middle-aged business travelers who want the benefits of a quite flight without spending $300 for an overpriced Bose headset or high-end Shure earbud. The price is manageable for someone who would only use them on the plane, and the ideal position for use is sitting down somewhere you won’t move much. In that sense at least, Targus succeeded; the casual user will be pleased with their purchase, but audiophiles need look elsewhere for their noise-fighting needs. Release: September 2007. Price: $50.
Pros: Low price, comfortable to wear, collapsible, noise-cancellation works well.
Cons: Clumsy anywhere outside an airplane seat, cheap plastic case, average sound.
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Full review of the Targus AWM02US:
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Design – Very good
Targus makes laptop accessories, and although their AWM02US noise-canceling headphones are technically usable with any device, they appear to be designed for the frequent air traveler. The noise-canceling control box, which is sturdy, is also large and cumbersome. It is also placed in an extremely awkward distance from the headphones; this was problematic while walking with our iPod on the street. But on an airplane, the box would be placed at a convenient height for easy access and control. The button was tough to move and required a long fingernail to snap down.
Normally we like the one-side headphone cord, but since that one side included the noise-canceling switch, it weighed down one side of our heads heavily. The actual cans covered our ears, and were comfortable enough to leave on for an entire day. The cables were thick and sturdy, but the rest of the headphones seemed to be constructed mostly out of cheap plastic. It seemed sturdy enough, but we’re not sure it would stand up to abuse. Considering Targus includes a carrying case, and doesn’t seem to want you to use it anywhere but an airplane seat, we suppose this shouldn’t matter.
Sound – Good
With a price tag of $50, we were not expecting to be blown away—or even impressed—by the sound from the AWM02US, and we got pretty much what we expected, which was an average pair of headphones. The bass response varied. It did well with bass guitar sounds from rock like The New Amsterdam’s “From California” and Desaparecidos’ “Greater Omaha,” but the heavy electronic bass lines from hip-hop songs like Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.” came through feebly and seemed a shell of their former selves. Colin Meloy’s acoustic guitar sounded crisp enough, but felt vocals got drowned by the crunching distorted guitars in hardcore tracks.
Overall sound did improve when listening to our lossless, FLAC-encoded digital music playlist as supposed to the same playlist of mp3s encoded at various bitrates ranging from 128kbps to 320kbps. While the difference was small, it was certainly noticeable. Though the headphones performed slightly above average for this price range, we did have to crank the volume to a relatively high level, and with the amount of sound leakage these cans produce, we can’t imagine wanting to sit next to someone wearing them unless we had noise-canceling phones of our own.
Features – Very good
The main feature of the AWM02US is obviously the noise-canceling. Intended to block out white noise and distant chatter, it does a decent job on its own with no music. Paired with a sound source, we weren’t getting aroused from our nap without getting shaken. We also heard better sound with the noise-cancelling unit turned on. Whether we had white noise to cancel or not, we found ourselves leaving the feature on at all times, and the included battery seemed up to the challenge.
Included Accessories – Very good
Further confirming our notion that this was being marketed towards air travelers, included was an airline plug adapter and the aforementioned case, which allowed us to compactly pack away the headphones and keep them safe. We also liked that the batteries were included.
Price and availability
The Targus AWM02US noise canceling headphones are available for $50 online and in retail stores.
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