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You can
write your own review of the Kenwood HS-5 Communications Headphones.
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PG00023016
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 13, 2009 23:12
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Great Quality Equipment
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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These headphones are easy to adjust, come with two sets of comfortable earpads, and have excellent communications response. I'm happy with them! WW0JD
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N2UGB
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 11, 2009 09:14
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Great CW-0nly headset.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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These are really nice phones. I am a QRP CW only operator and don't need a boom-mic outfit so these are just what the doctor ordered. Use them with my TS-130V which makes for a nice match. Perfect CW response.
My head is large and hard so they are not at all uncomfortable. The alternate pads for use in noisy environments (or weak signal reception) are very handy. Also good for multi-op operations and noisy field days.
The cord is heavy-duty and, happily, for me, not coiled. Always hated those tight, coiled headphones.
So, if you don't need or want heads with mic, thiese are just the ticket.
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GI4SJQ
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Rating: 5/5
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May 25, 2008 02:01
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Great phones but need adjusted to fit properly
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had a pair of Kenwood HS-5 for about 10 years now and used them a lot before I got my Heil Proset. I bought the new have both sets of pads. The audio from them is great but by ears hurt a lot after wearing them even for ½ an hour so they had not been used in years. They are very well suited to HF communications and I also use the on the PC. They are like a pair of 1020’s S.G. Brown phones I used to have about 25 years ago. They were physically very similar.
I have started to use them again. They are now very comfortable and I can wear them for long periods with out discomfort. My problem was that I did not realise that they needed adjustment. Why I did not think of it before I just don’t know.
Firstly the two bands that go over your head can be pulled apart and that spreads the load and helps a lot. Secondly I readjusted the tension on the earpieces against my ears by bending the two bands that go over your head so that I got a very comfortable fit. These are made from what I think is spring metal. They are very easy to adjust and I now use them a lot with all my radios.
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KG6TT
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Rating: 3/5
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Mar 21, 2008 17:26
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Best for sound, a bit uncomfortable, spare parts?
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Nice sound, somewhat uncomfortable for long listening. Many replacement parts, such as the cloth earpads, are now discontinued!
I have had my HS-5 headset for about five years. I bought it used and as so many sold used it came with ONLY the leatherette pads. Mine had been owned by a smoker. That was rough. Took a long time to get that smell out. Anyway, I am kind of a headphone junkie... I own about a dozen pair including four different Heil models, a JRC-ST3, and these Kenwoods. For ultimate comfort I prefer the JRC but they are mono and not easily modified for stereo. My main application is with a Ten-Tec Orion so stereo is really a necessity. The Heil's are stereo but their wide-range audio and low sensitivity are troublesome with the Orion.
Now for overall sound reproduction effectiveness (in a hams's typical HF environment) I give the HS-5's a 5. The reduced audio bandwidth is the best of all of my Headphones, especially with the Orion. The Kenwoods increased sensitivity is also important to me with the Orion.
Why the '3' rating?
First of all the HS-5 headphones are pretty tiring from a physical lac-of-comfort point of view, and with the leatherette earpads they really press your ears into your head even more. Secondly, it seems parts replacement has become an issue and the HS-5s are still selling as new items at ham dealers around the country. I tried to get a set of the cloth earpads only to find out that they are now discontinued with now substitutes offered. A direct call to Kenwood customer support netted me a refer to "their OEM that provides these headphones and the available replacement parts. A call to the OEM (OTTO)got me basically nowhere.
I tried to order the replacement cloth earpads about three years ago. After a long wait of over six months and many phone calls and emails I received a single earpad! I then attempted to reorder and was told they were out-of-stock. Now they are listed as discontinued. These headphones are still selling as new items but owners can't replace commonly worn or misplaced parts. This is a problem... for me.... and possibly for other hams too.
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YO3VU
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 7, 2006 21:11
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Good headphones
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Probably the best headphones from all three great Icom, Yaesu and Kenwood. Very easy to modify them as stereo. The only bad point is they hurt a lot if you were them for long perods of time. I have two pairs and I have both of them modified for stereo so I could listen from FT-1000MP.
73's from Mike
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CT1IDW
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 27, 2006 09:24
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OK but a bit disconfortable
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The audio is great, very well built, but compared to my other Headphones (senheiser) they are a bit too heavy, the ear pressure is excessive in conclusion they aren't too confy.
The audio, compared with the Senheiser, is much better because of the narrow passband. Of course the Senheiser I own are HiFi headsets not designed to radio comms.
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NF2C
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 14, 2005 19:43
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A Quality item
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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These headphones are well made and will isolate background noise pretty well. They have a nice sound, and are fairly comfortable to wear. There is some adjustability and cord length is ample. If you can find a decent used set, I say buy them! There are surely better ones out there, but these give a lot of bang for the buck.
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K5QM
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Rating: 3/5
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Dec 14, 2004 18:13
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Average headphones
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have two sets of the HS-5 headphones and used them for several years. I had the problem of the cushions falling out and the outer screen popped out on one set. They aren't very comfortable for long haul. I finally settled on Sennheiser HD 280 Pro and like them much better. They are wired for stereo and the cushions surround your ear and put no pressure on them. The head band is adjustable. They come with the 1/4" and the smaller stereo plug. The cord is coiled and a little longer than I need for my setup. Very comfortable and block all outside noise. Worth looking at. Z is 64 ohm.
Jerry
K5QM
Just an update to my last post. I had the headband plastic come apart on my Sennheiser HD 280 for some unknown reason. (probably rolled over it with my chair) I called the factory to see if I could purchase the parts to fix it and they ask me to send it to them for a no cost to me replacement. They have stopped using plastic and have gone to fiberglass. The problem really makes me appreciate the HD 280, MUCH BETTER HEAD SET!
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EW1CK
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 19, 2004 08:18
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Old good days diamond from Kenwood
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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First of all, The 400Hz-4KHz frequency bandwith is big advantage over ordinady audio stereo phones.
In one word - superb ! Exellent quality and very solid stable design. Looks like different their days phones(almost plastic).
Heil Pro with comparison to HS-5 looks like cheaply and fragile. You know what I'm talking about.
Somebody prefers Heil Pro, but HS-5 is my favorite phones.
Have no idea why Kenwood never produced phone set based on HS-5.
From my point, HS-5 with Heil HC-4 microphone module is the best one.
I've got it (homebrewed phone set based on HS-5 with HC-4) and can say that is really best.
Can't be comparable with Heil Pro in CW. HS-5 is much more better.
From other hand, there is no difference in SSB for me.
Sound reproduction is accurate and good communications quality.
Another positive is sound isolation.
And last, but not least, HS-5 is very comfortable.
I'm very pleased with it.
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N4LQ
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Rating: 5/5
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May 7, 2004 09:20
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Stereo mod easy
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have since modified these for stereo. The cord already has 3 conductors. Simply pry off the cover off the outside of the earpiece and wire for stereo then replace the phone plug with a stereo plug. Now you can take advantage of dual receive found in several modern rigs! 73
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