Creative HQ-2300D: Home cinema in your ears

Do you have a complete disrespect for your co-workers? Prefer to blank out the horrific reality of verbal communication in favour of cynical, made-by-committee tweeny-pop? Well, it's how we live our lives, so it's lucky we've got these new Creative headphones to give our gadget reviewing a techno soundtrack.

The HQ-2300Ds are intended for both music and home-cinema use -- the package comes with headphones that are big enough to look like you're an Ibiza DJ, plus a little box that gives everything a 'Dolby Headphone' seal of approval. This filter is the headphones' raison d'etre -- it's like a little magic factory that takes boring stereo sources and squirts pseudo-surround sound out the other end.

With rock music, the effect was pleasant -- Rage Against the Machine's Killing in the Name Of seemed fuelled with even more hatred than we were used to. But at the opposite end of the musical scale, quite literally with Mylo's Destroy Rock & Roll album, it was like listening to dance music in a church. Hey, maybe that's an idea for a new club.

Cleverly, the headphones can also process a Dolby Digital or even DTS soundtrack if you're watching a film, and that way you can make your ears bleed without disturbing the neighbours (although the open design means you'll disturb anyone sitting on the same sofa). We've been using the headphones for three days though, and already the Dolby Headphone box has drained two AA batteries dry -- perhaps all that processing is the equivalent of The Times crossword for the poor little blighter. The headphones are on sale now at around £75. -GC

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