We Are Rewind EQ-002 Freddie headphones combine old-school looks with new-fashioned wireless tech

The We Are Rewind EQ-002 Freddie headphones might look like they’ve been plucked straight from a bygone era, and you’ll need to dress like Run-DMC if you want them to match your outfit, but at least you don’t have to spend a fortune on an original Sony Walkman in order to use them.

Bluetooth would’ve been considered some sort of black magic 40 years ago but that’s not a concern in 2026, so you can hook the EQ-002 up wirelessly to your socket-free phone and practice your moves to Walk This Way.

Of course, only a complete NPC would be unaware that all the cool kids are back using wired headphones these days, so it’s a good job that the EQ-002 can also be plugged in for that authentic ‘80s look (and to stop you getting mocked by the vaping mob at the back of the bus).

The difficult part might be finding a phone with the necessary 3.5mm socket to plug them into, but you can always just tuck the wire into your pocket and pretend. Unplugged they’ll last about 14 hours between charges.

That’s nothing to write home about when you consider there are pairs out there with noise-cancelling that will last four times as long, but those are also bigger and heavier. These weigh just 66g (that’s about the same as three AA batteries) so you should be able to wear them comfortably right up until they conk out. A full recharge takes about three hours.

They’ve still got built-in controls, plus a microphone for making and taking calls, but simplicity is the name of the game here. That means there’s no customising the sound with an app or anything fancy like that, but you do get a choice of coloured ear cushions in the box: orange, yellow and black.

At just $59/£43 the price tag is suitably lightweight, so while we’re not necessarily expecting them to trouble our list of the best wired headphones, you’ll have more money left over to buy that original Walkman off Ebay.

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Tom Wiggins Contributor

About

Stuff's second Tom has been writing for the magazine and website since 2006, when smartphones were only for massive nerds and you could say “Alexa” out loud without a robot answering. Over the years he’s written about everything from MP3s to NFTs, played FIFA with Trent Alexander-Arnold, and amassed a really quite impressive collection of USB sticks.

Areas of expertise

A bit of everything but definitely not cameras.