White’s UltraLite Headphone Review

Review by David Brown

I was lucky enough to win a set of the new Whites Ultralite headphones in one of their Facebook competitions. I am no stranger to Whites headphones as in the late 1970’s I owned a Whites Beachcomber BC4 detector and the headphones that came with it only gave up the ghost a few years ago, so the pedigree is for headphones that last!
First impressions were that they looked a quality product.

Ultralite Headphones In Retail Packaging

The packaging looked high quality and professional and above the low price point of £37.50. The headphones look a quality product with some nice features. I think they will prove to be durable. It comes as standard with a ¼” jack, enclosed in a tough plastic outer, which means it plugs straight into most detectors without the need for an adaptor.

The lead that comes off at a 90 degree angle, which I prefer as it looks neater and is less prone to tangles and you can “direct” the lead into the best direction, it also protects this potential weak spot where constant flapping of wires can damage leads. The lead has a section of the curly “telephone” type lead that extends and contracts when needed.
There is an inline volume control that controls the volume in both ears (you cannot control volume in each ear individually)
The headphones I currently use are budget ones from Ebay. The main problem I had with them was the lead was too long, and on the previous set was too short. As mentioned the Ultralite headphones come with a section of the curly “telephone” type lead. I was concerned as I did not think that this was long enough, however in use I could put my detector on the ground and stand upright without them being pulled off my head. The design of the lead meant that I always had enough to move around but never got tangled up, something that had become a regular occurrence.

Ultralite with Coiled cable with In-line Volume control

I have tried them on two detectors, one with the headphone jack at the top of the detector and another with the jack underneath the control box. There were no issues with the length or design of the cable with either.
I have a big head! Hats never fit, baseball caps are a big no-no and over the head headphones usually never quite sit right. The Ultralite's have a wide range of adjustment and even with my odd shaped head sit correctly over my ears. Each side can be adjusted independently to get the fit just right. Comfort is a subjective thing, but I found them very comfortable. The headband is slightly padded and the ear-cups are nicely cushioned, and the unconventional square shape seems to work well. I have worn them over my beanie hat with no problems.

View Of Ultralite Ear Cushions

Sound quality again is a subjective thing but I was pleasantly surprised. I had gotten used to my budget headphones and was surprised at the clarity, depth and quality of the tone that these produce. The sounds are purer and fuller. There is no echo or tininess often found on lower priced sets. One feature of these headphones is that although the sound can be clearly heard, they do not drown out all background noise, although they reduce it. So you will not get any nasty surprises of farm animals etc. creeping up behind you!
I would highly recommend the Whites Ultralite headphones to anyone looking for a set of good quality headphones, which do a great job at a budget price. There is no comparison between these and cheap imported headphones – these are far superior.

ULTRAlite Headphones Specifications

Driver: 40mm
Frequency response: 20 to 20kHz
Impedance: 32 + 32 ohms
Max input power: 1W
Rating power: 200mW
Sound pressure level: 115 dB
Price: £37.50