If you're looking for the most affordable wireless headphones, specifically under the budget of Rs 3,000, you'll eventually find Tagg PowerBass 700 in your quest. There are other options from BoAt, House of Marley in the wireless category and brands like JBL, Sennheiser offer superior products but for those who want to be connected with a wire. Tagg PowerBass 700 free you from the wire, but the question is at what cost.
After testing these incredibly affordable PowerBass 700 headphones, priced at Rs 3,499, for a little over a week, I have a few conclusions that can help buyers decide on whether or not to spend 3 grand on this audio gear.
As far as the design goes, it has got the deceiving looks of a premium headphone when it is made out of plastic. I have no problem with that since Tagg used a decent quality plastic, which makes the headphones durable at best. I liked the cushioning over the headband and soft cushions that fit around the ear. The headphones are extremely light so I didn't feel the weight even while binge-watching my favourite shows on the phone. The adjustable strap comes in quite handy for a comfortable grip, but they don't stretch out too much to sit comfortably around your neck. It can get really uncomfortable at times, but the earcups can be folded flat, which helps.
The right earcup has no buttons whatsoever while everything is clustered on the left cup. The microUSB charging power, microphone, 3.5mm headphone jack, power, bass and volume buttons all sit around the bottom of the left earcup. It took me a while to get adjusted to the placements of the buttons and frankly a week of use is not enough to blindly press the right button. The volume controls are distinctive, but it's easy to get confused between the power and bass buttons.
The overall design of the PowerBass 700 is not too great, but keeping the price in mind, I wouldn't judge too harshly.
Let's get down to the million-dollar-question - Do PowerBass 700 sound good? It cannot be answered in a simple yes or no. It depends on your taste of music and use. If you have an ear for good music and those lows, mids and highs matter the most, Tagg PowerBass 700 should be skipped. If you're an occasional music listener with a lot of streaming of TV shows and movies, you can actually consider these headphones.
I don't usually prefer listening to anything at maximum volume, so my preference was set at 50 percent (70 percent in flights). At that range, I was able to manage movie streaming and watch videos with ease. The PowerBass 700 did the best it could where music is concerned. The bass wasn't much in most tracks (read funk, jazz, pop), but then there's a dedicated Bass button, a feature Tagg so enthusiastically promotes for the PowerBass 700. When I turned on Bass, I managed to (painfully) listen to a few tracks and decided against using it.
If there's one markdown feature in the PowerBass 700, it has to be the bass. It's ironic since the company promotes the headphones for the "extra bass" (a little too extra, if you ask me). Without Bass mode on, I still managed to live with PowerBass 700. And one feature I loved is the battery, which lasted about 12 hours on average, which is superb. There's a cable so you can plug it in when the battery runs out, so you can practically never stop using the headphones unless the cushions get uncomfortable due to sweat for wearing too long.
Verdict
In my opinion, Tagg PowerBass 700 will let you enjoy the wireless experience in headphones without breaking the bank. But it comes at a cost. The battery is great, but the audio performance could use a lot (I mean a lot) improvement. Maybe the next iteration of PowerBass 700 will get that, but until then, I don't see a reason why audiophiles should even consider these. The PowerBass 700 are meant for basic and generic use, which doesn't involve calling as the microphone doesn't pick up your voice too well.
