In this blog post, I am reviewing some excellent headphones which are designed especially for an education setting: EDphones. They are made by Soho Sound Company who are an independent, small, family run business.
I have a vast amount of experience in music education as a classroom music teacher, special needs teacher, head of music, GCSE/A-Level teacher, moderator, instrumental teacher, ensemble leader and performer. This post is my honest opinion based on my experience of this product and how I believe it is suited for personal and educational use. I have no affiliation with the company and receive nothing for writing this review.
In the music classroom, the electronic keyboard is the most used instrument. It is also one of the few instruments that students end up using altogether in lessons and one which students can develop a decent skill on over their time in school. Good quality headphones are essential for keyboards to make a meaningful impact on the music curriculum in any school.
Build quality
As a past head of music, one of the most purchased items for me was headphones but not just headphones, also the headphone adapters and splitters (to allow more than one student to plug into the same keyboard). I often had scenarios where, after one use, a brand new pair of headphones was only working in one side, or the ear part had been pulled from the main clip, exposing wires. I often had students who wanted to work in a group of 3 at one keyboard, but I didn't have the resources to allow that to easily happen.
I tried buying more expensive headphones and then it just felt more frustrating when they didn't live up to expectations.
I have also had times where I had different types of headphones and children would make so much fuss to make sure they sat at the keyboard which had the headphones they liked!
Actually, now I am writing this, I am thinking about just how much of my time was spent messing about with headphones in my music department. A story which I imagine is true in almost every music classroom in the world.
Sleek design
These EDphones are by far the best educational type headphones I have ever seen. Not only do they look cool, with a black sleek design and stand out lime green logo, they are ultra light, comfortable and durable. My daughter who is currently in primary school (UK) has been using them on her keyboard with no complaints and I have personally used them for all sorts of different purposes. I've used them turned up very loud and to listen to a podcast. They are really great!
Genius versatility
The genius behind these headphones though is their versatility. They come with both large and small jack inputs hardwired, meaning you can swap from keyboard to laptop, to guitar amp, to mobile device with no need for an adapter. I've never seen this in any headphones before.
But it doesn't stop there. There is a Soho Audio Link, which allows a second set of headphones to connect in. This could be another student, parent (at home) or the teacher. As a teacher, I would often want to hear students work on the keyboard. Maybe they are composing something or learning a new performance piece. I would always have to remove their headphones for me to listen, which also meant everyone in the class could hear. Some students were nervous about other students hearing their incomplete work. This solution is brilliant, a real game changer in the classroom.
You can even connect multiple sets of these headphones to create a larger group, meaning an actual rock band could rehearse in almost silence if they had an electric drum kit and amps all connected up.
You can browse more Soho Sounds products here.
They have a selection of products and even offer a considerable discount if you purchase in bulk. This is something I highly recommend schools do. From taking a quick look at online educational music catalogues, I cannot find anything of this quality for the price.
If you or your school are looking for new headphones, don't hesitate to give these a try!