Nixon Nomadic Custom On Ear Headphones--photos

Nixon, a company best known for its board-sport-inspired line of watches and other accessories, has decided to dip its toe audio accessory waters, and it should come as no surprise that the company's Nomadic Custom On Ear Headphones are among the most stylish we've come across.

The Nixon Nomadic has industrial chic written all over it, from the padded-leather, rough-stitch headband to the notched-edge, textured metal earcups.

In fact, the outer plate of each earpiece features the grooved circles one would find on a vinyl album. Each cup is attached to the adjustable band via a rotating ball joint and connects to the other through a partially-exposed cloth-coated wire.

Although we found the Nixon Nomadic headphones to be pretty comfortable for a couple hours of wear--thanks namely to the thick, foam-padded earpieces--they do tend to put some pressure on the ears and may not be cushy enough for some users (or for extended use).

The Nomadic headphones are fairly light on extras, though those that are included are quite nice. There's a removable cloth-covered cable measuring 60-inches that attaches to the left earcup. Nixon also offers a nice, hard-shell carrying case for storing and transporting the 'phones, which fold down into a slightly compact form.

You also get a nifty volume control ring built around the right earcup, letting you adjust levels from the headphone itself.

You'll need to crank up that knob plenty, too, if you're using the Nomdic headphones with a portable player--they seem to require quite an amp to run at reasonable volume. Some MP3 players might not be capable of driving them to your liking. Beyond that, there's the fact that the earphones sound generally muffled, with a heavy tendency toward the midrange.