Overall, this is a great product for the audiophile who needs the complete package to enjoy his or her music; however, I would wait for its next generation or another alternative.
Short of rigging your girlfriend’s old purse, there are few alternatives that offer the same designated features of the HeadRoom bag. The main difference between this bag and most iPod or other audio device accessories, is that this bag is made for the person who doesn’t settle for in-ear phones, as it carries a mini amp and will easily accommodate your larger headphones. But there are a few design issues that leave me asking, “Why’d they do that?”
First of all, if you are the type of person that owns a portable headphone amp and big headphones, you will most likely not be fond of sticking velcro to your iPod. The unnecessary sticky factor is uncalled for and could potentially damage your iPod. HeadRoom also providse a little elastic pocket for the headphone amp in the next compartment, but if they made that into a double pocket, so the iPod sat back-to-back with the amp, they could eliminate the front compartment and simultaneously decrease the retail price.
Another issue that I have is that the iPod boldly faces outward through clear plastic, which could potentially call unnecessary attention to your otherwise discrete bag. Not only will the ominous characters on the subway know you’re listening to The Distinguished Hits of Milli Vanilli, the insight might give them all the confidence they need to get off at your stop.
A headphone amp and phones are stored in the back compartment and the zipper comes all the way down to the bottom on both sides, so the entire back cover peels back. A much smaller zipper that opened the compartment halfway would serve its purpose just as well, if not better, as it would reduce the risk of the zipper running down and your components pouring out.
If you absolutely cannot wait for the next generation of HeadRooms, go for it. For $89, it’s not a bad product, it just needs some tweaking.
