[Review] Iron Fist Motorhead headphones; ‘If it’s too loud you’re too old…’

We had the pleasure of attending the Motorheadphones press conference in Las Vegas at CES. Good old Lemmy Kilmister was on hand to unveil the latest line of headphones from the iconic rock band. The press event was held on the show floor and got packed rather quickly. We were up close and personal with the legend thanks to my determination to stand for 45 ahead of time. We took a listen to the new line of over he ear headphones and snagged lots of images. The show floor of CES is a completely different monster than that of your own home. For the last couple of weeks I have been testing out and listening to the new Iron Fist Motorheadphones. Boy do I have a lot of things to tell you guys and discuss about them.

Iron Fist Motorheadheadpones Specs

I like to start with the technical details before I get into design, sound and personal opinions. So here we go.

• Driver - ø40 mm, neodymium
• Sensitivity - 102 dB SPL (1mW) at 1KHz
• Frequency Response - 10 – 20,000 Hz
• Max Input Power - 200 mW
• Rated Impedance - 68 Ω 1KHz
• Head Band Pressure - Approx. 4.5 N

What is in the Box and its Design 

 

 I don’t often focus on the packaging of product. I will show a few photos of what it looks like, but don’t spend much time writing about it on purpose. In this case I feel that I must. Simply because the branding is Motorhead and the packaging helps to display that aspect of the headphones. The box is set up to look like a roadie travel case. You know, the ones they shove the amps and cables inside when touring. That is a nice touch. There is also a flap that opens up to display one side of the headphones, some great concert photos and a little band history with some great choice wording that is sure to make a person smile a little. Especially my die hard old school rocker friends out there.

In the box you find your Iron Fist headphones. Two headphone cable leads, 3.3 feet and 8.2 feet lengths. You also get a nice carrying bag that has the Motorhead logo and headphone branding on both sides. I’d say it feels like it is silk screened on, but I am not certain. They also include a 3.5 mm headphone adapter to 1/4-inch.

 

Iron Fist Motorheadphones Design

The design of the Iron Fist Headphones is pretty unique and remarkable. The first thing you might notice is how the over the headband isn’t a solid piece. It has a gap between the left and right ear piece with a two-part metal wire to connect them together. It offers a great deal of flex, support and a very unique design element. The padding at the top on either side is flexible and rubbery. All while giving plenty of flex for placing them on your head.  The rest of the headband is made from a hardened plastic that goes down to the ear cups. The ear cups are placed on a single sided swivel that can be rotated downward. I am not sure how it is connected, whether it is a metal or a plastic bracket or not. The images make it look like there is metal at the connecting point, but I assure you that it is painted plastic.

Each ear cup is branded with the Motorhead logo along with the Motorheadphone branding. The logo and writing are raised, but still just hard plastic that is painted with a silverish paint. The era cups themselves are velvet padded and are formed in the shape of an oval to cover your whole ear. On the right hand side there is a little tail that pops out with a headphone connection. The Iron Fist headphones are designed to be used with the provided cables which come in two lengths to accommodate your listening enjoyment. One cable is 3.3 feet long while the other is 8.2 feet long. Giving you the ability to move around and be a little more free, or up close and personal with your connected device.

Iron Fist Motorheadphone Sound Quality

Hot damn. This is the best part of the experience. While the look of the headphones is awesome if you are a huge rocker,  they could leave some people a bit standoffish from picking them up. There are still plenty of Motorhead fans out there that will have no issue spending the cash to have these on their head, regardless of how they sound. If you are a big band lover, then these sound exactly how you would want them too. The emphasize the entire range of sounds and aspects of true band. You can clearly hear the bass drums, hi-hats, toms, bass guitar, lead guitar, rhythm guitar and vocals. Nothing over powers anything else. It sounds exactly how the bands would be mixing them in the studio. These are built and designed specifically for real bands like Motorhead, Metallica, Megadeth, Guns N’ Roses, Journey, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Johny Cash, Led Zepplin, Van Halen and the likes. While they still sound great for more modern bands, it is the old school rock that these are really aimed at. Don’t even get me started on Hip-Hop, R&B, Rap and Electronica. While they still sound good, they aren’t tuned for that music style. You will find some pops and some distortion in various genres that are more bass driven styles of music.

For the rockers out there, there is no headphone that I have personally heard that is so well tuned for the genre out there. I personally couldn’t hear anyone around me while sporting these headphones. They fit firmly over the ear, if they are smaller, and keep outside sounds out very well. The Iron Fist edition are the middle version of the three. They are marketed as the ‘most flat headphone.  Although we have enhanced the low-end to give the sound a nice warm feeling. We have let the enhancement run a bit higher up towards the low mid to give room for the fat sound of guitars. We have not sacrificed the mid in favor for bass. With Iron fist you have great vocals and very good instrumental separation. ‘ That statement really rings true to my ears.

Fit and Comfort

This is the tricky aspect to cover. How well do they fit your head and can they be worn for long periods of time. I absolutely love how these sound for my favorite rock and metal bands, but I have to be honest in my review, they don’t fit amazingly well nor can I wear them for more than an hour without having to adjust them. The Iron Fists headphones fail in two critical ares. First, they don’t adjust. It is like they were made to specifically fit Lemmy’s head. If your head is smaller or larger, you are hosed. I understand that the slit rubber band at the top of the headphones is designed to flex to form to your head and give a seamless and weightless type of fit, but they don’t seem to fit well at all. A small headbang session makes them bounce back and forth on my head.

The ear cups are covered in a very nice velvet material. They feel great on the skin around the ears. The padding behind the felt just isn’t very comfortable. It could be from the springyness of the metal band that is designed to keep them pressed on your head or it could be from the padding. Either way, I found my self-moving them on my head every hour or so to regain the comfort.

Conclusion 

I really really love the sound that these pump out. It is crisp, clear and a stunning music experience for any true rock lover out there. The price tag is set extremely competitively and the design is stellar if you love the 80’s, rock n’ roll and metal.  The Iron Fist edition is the middle of the three with a more flat approach to the sound. They come with two various cables and a nice carry pouch that shows your love for Motorhead and rock. They aren’t adjustable, but rather designed to flex as is with your head. I feel it gives them a short-term rock session that doesn’t let me love my music long-term. That kind of sucks really.

I really want to tell you to run out and buy these, I really do. Unfortunately something seems a little bit off. If you get a chance to use a friends set for at least an hour straight, or maybe in a store, you might like the fit better than I did. Having rocked out to various headphones over the years and finding only a few sets, like the Spider PowerForce, that I could wear for a solid 8 to 10 hours without adjusting or moving, I was annoyed that I had to keep moving these on my head to keep listening.

Overall

Build Quality – 4.5 of 5

Design – 4.5 of 5 (Because I am a big rocker)

Sound – 4.5 of 5 (For all bands that play instruments)

Comfort – 3.25 of 5

What will a set of these set you back? The Iron Fist’s are available at the Motorhead website and Amazon for $119.99. You can snag them from Amazon via the link below.

Purchase – Motorheadphones Iron Fist Professional Headphones

If you are looking for something with a little more bass, then you will want to look towards the Motorizer edition. They are a little bit more, $129.99, but pack a little more punch according to the specs and from what I remember from CES.

Purchase – Motorheadphones Motorizer Over-Ear Headphones

On the more economical side they have the Bomber edition. They offer a little more bass than the Motorizers and are more rounded in the earcup design. They run the least of the three at just $99.99.

Purchase – Motorheadphones Bomber On-Ear Headphones

We hope to put the three of them together over time and really give you a comparison. For now though, we only have the Iron Fist edition. I also wanted to share with you guys a few photos from the press conference. So enjoy the little gallery below.