From their humble beginnings over 40 years ago, Belkin has become one of the most well-known consumer electronics companies in the world. In 2019, they entered the Kids’ headphone space, launching the “RockStar” heapdones, specifically designed with little ears in mind.
With their latest foray into child-centric headphones, Belkin’s SoundForm Inspire has upped the ante with features that expand their capabilities into the classroom and audio sharing. Priced at $69 RRP, how do they perform in day-to-day scenarios and more importantly, do they stand up to the “Hurricane Harry” (my son) test?
DESIGN AND COMFORT – The Kids Don’t Miss Out!
Sturdy in design and covered in grubby-fingers-resistant matt plastic, the SoundForm Inspire feels durable. The body allows a decent amount of flex, and the over-ear headphones are foldable, taking up less space when stowed away in a backpack.
The SoundForm Inspire play/pause, volume up/down and mute for the bendable boom microphone. The button placement for the play/pause and volume buttons are too close for my big fingers, and some raised moldings on the buttons to identify each function would be nice. Still, it’s not a deal breaker, and little fingers will be fine.
The SoundForm Inspire also features cushioning in the pads and the headband, providing hours of comfort while listening. Hurricane Harry thought they were comfortable and didn’t want to take them off!
USABILITY AND BATTERY LIFE – Kids Will Stay Entertained For Days
With up to 35 hours of battery life (more than Dad’s BOSE headphones), there’s plenty of juice to keep the munchkins engrossed in their tablets while on car trips. This leaves you to belt out your best rendition of Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” to your heart’s content (no, I do not do this).
The headphones feature Bluetooth 5.2, one of the latest versions, allowing up to 9 metres of range. However, you can switch to a 3.5mm jack if the batteries run flat, which will hold you until you can recharge using the USB-C fast charge port.
Another great feature of the Soundform Inspire is its ability to share audio with another pair of Inspires via a secondary 3.5mm audio jack. This allows two listeners to share their audio experience in a classroom setting or on the move for a holiday. My two boys love watching movies together (Mario Bros is currently on heavy rotation), so I can see this benefiting them too.
A microphone opens up the functionality to accommodate remote online learning, gaming, or video calls. As mentioned before, the boom is bendable, allowing for good proximity to the mouth, no matter how chubby those little cheeks are. It also features a convenient red LED light on the microphone head to let others know when it is muted.
In case you were wondering, these headphones are supported by all major tablet and Laptop manufacturers. Being Bluetooth 5.2, you won’t have any compatibility concerns.
SOUND – Designed With Little Ears In Mind
As a parent, I’m wary of protecting my kid’s hearing, especially because Hurricane Harry has very sensitive hearing. I pack ear protection when I take him to motorsport events, and Belkin has removed my concern for potential hearing damage to little ears with a hard 85-decibel limit engineered in. Very thoughtful!
Regarding sound quality, I didn’t expect much from a set of kid’s headphones in this price bracket, but I was pleasantly surprised. Featuring 40mm drivers with Belkin’s “Signature Sound”, the SoundForm Inspire delivers good quality, clear sound that is specifically tuned with kids in mind. While there is no active noise cancelling, the SoundForm Inspire blocks out a good amount of ambient noise, and the over-ear cups provide a good seal against the head. As I sit here listening to Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” (no, I’m still not singing it), I hear a decent separation between instruments and good detail. Adele’s voice is somewhat forward, and the bass is a little restrained but, on the whole, a nicely balanced headset between the high and low frequencies. Listening to Josef’s live recording of “It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately”, I noticed that the soundstage is reasonable too; with the open airiness of the studio, the recorded track is nicely replicated.
CONCLUSIONS – The Right Balance Of Quality And Value
Belkin has done very well in delivering a set of thoughtfully designed headphones that should offer your kids years of listening enjoyment.
With its blend of durability, comfort, and audio performance, it will seamlessly integrate into various facets of a child’s life, from educational endeavours to leisure activities. While children may not be discerning audiophiles, they will undoubtedly appreciate the quality sound reproduction and ergonomic design offered by these headphones. Moreover, backed by Belkin’s 2-year warranty, users can rest assured of reliable support in the unlikely event of any issues. In the ultimate litmus test, “Hurricane Harry” endorses the SoundForm Inspire with double thumbs up.
The Belkin SoundForm Inspire has a RRP of AUD$69.95 and is available in black or Lavender.
DRN would like to thank Belkin for providing the review unit.
Technical Specifications
- Safe Sound for kids with 85 dB volume limiter
- Drivers: 40mm•Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
- Flip-up boom mic
- USB-C port
- 3.5mm input jack
- 3.5mm output jack for audio sharing
- Dimensions with ear cups unfolded and mic flipped up:185mm (H) x 168mm (W) x 74mm (D)
- Weight: 180.5g
