These headphones are very revealing of bass content, from the upper mid-bass to well below the threshold of audibility. The most pleasant surprise, however, is that this bass is accurate rather than bloated or boomy. From my perspective, this makes them a real bargain.
BASS RESPONSE
These `phones have ruler-flat frequency response from 10-300 Hz, which is better than you'll hear from $1,000 headphones (or loudspeakers of any cost, for that matter). This will appeal to more-is-better bass-heads, but also to audiophiles who appreciate tuneful, articulate bass. You haven't truly lived until you've heard the heartbeat at the beginning of Pink Floyd's Speak to Me sound (and feel against your ears) like the Death Star being used as a basketball.
MIDRANGE AND TREBLE
Compared to the heroic bass, the midrange and treble are shelved down. No two ways about it; they're quieter. The volume starts trailing off in the upper mid-bass, then flattens out from 800 Hz to about 2 kHz. The upper midrange has a dip, but things pick up from 5-10kHz, then tail off again. Subjectively, the treble lacks "air." The sound of a room or hall around acoustic instruments is collapsed a bit, which may be an issue with classical or chamber music. The flip side of this is that their sound has what I think of as immediacy; with these phones, you are subjectively in the music (I suspect the bass has something to do with this), rather than at a polite distance from it. The sound is involving, even when it makes a familiar recording sound a bit dark in balance. Overall, the mids and treble are what you'd expect from decent $100 headphones, which is nothing to apologize about.
COMFORT
The over-sized ear pads contain very light foam which compresses comfortably around (and against) your outer ear, face, and even upper neck. It feels a bit like a feather pillow, and I noticed no uncomfortable pressure points. They provides some isolation from ambient noise, but subjectively less than most closed (around the ear) headphones. I find I can wear them for a couple of hours (and sometimes longer) with no discomfort. One note: In contrast to the bagel-sized ear pads, the padding under the headband is wafer-thin. If you have a pointy head, it may feel a bit under-padded.
Important note: while comfort depends on temperature with many headphones, it's especially true here. At room temperature or lower, they rate about a 8.5 or 9.0 on a 1-10 comfort scale (10 being best). However, if you use them on a treadmill, or in hot conditions, comfort drops to maybe 4.0 because your ears will get really sweaty.
BUILD QUALITY & APPEARANCE
The parts quality and construction is good, and they certainly don't look cheap. The cord is flat and fairly light; this flatness is an advantage, as it keeps them from getting tangled. The two pairs I own have had no quality or durability issues. Unless you are an extrovert, you may feel a bit self-conscious walking around town looking like a DJ, but then again, they do look kinda cool.
USE WITH PORTABLES
These are fairly sensitive (efficient) and easy to drive. I was able to get loud (but short of ear-crushing) volume from several portable mp3 players, as well as louder sound from higher quality electronics using a 1/4" adapter (not included). You probably won't need a separate headphone amp to get adequate volume. The cord is about the right length for a portable, but a bit on the short side if you plan to use it with a non-portable amp of some sort.
CONCLUSION
These headphones give you possibly the deepest and flattest bass you'll find in any headphones, at any price. That alone makes them a bargain in my book. However, the bass quality does draw attention from the merely good midrange and treble. If balanced sound is your thing, obviously look elsewhere (how DID you get this far?).
There is a newer model of this item:
Sony MDR-XB600 Extra Bass 40mm Driver Premium Headphones
$199.98
(314)
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$199.98
(314)
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
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 | Sennheiser HD 800 S Over-the-Ear Audiophile Reference Headphones - Ring Radiator Drivers With Open-Back Earcups, Includes Balanced Cable, 2-Year Warranty (Black) | SENNHEISER HD 660 S - HiRes Audiophile Open Back Headphone | HIFIMAN SUNDARA Hi-Fi Headphone with 3.5mm Connectors, Planar Magnetic, Comfortable Fit with Updated Earpads-Black, 2020 Version | |
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| Customer Rating | (1017) | (380) | (1629) | (716) |
| Price | From $345.01 | $1,799.95 | $299.95 | $271.87 |
| Sold By | Available from these sellers | GRAMOPHONE | BrandsWalk | Amazon Warehouse |
| Color | Black | Black | Black | Black |
| Fit Type | Over-Ear | Over-Ear | Over-Ear | Over-Ear |
| Headphones Form Factor | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear |
| Item Dimensions | 4.3 x 9.5 x 11.9 inches | 10.7 x 5.7 x 13.8 inches | 10.12 x 4.25 x 12.6 inches | 10.63 x 6.3 x 11.81 inches |
| Item Weight | 1.00 lbs | 0.73 lbs | 0.58 lbs | 1.30 lbs |
| Special Features | android-phone-control | dj-style | Lightweight | NEO "supernano" Diaphragm (NsD), Comfortable Fit |
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As many other reviewers have said, these headphones are only so-so out of the box - the bass is impressive, and will push deep tone for days without distortion, but such strong bass overwhelms the rest of the music. Once you add a touch of EQ in the right bands (not just boosting treble, but also reducing some of the problem bands) these headphones turn from $50 headthumpers into cans that will rival rigs three times the price. See this review for a great guide to EQ-ing these: [...] I applied approximately the same EQ levels to my PC soundcard and my Android device, and the results were dramatic to say the least - mids and highs shimmered, but the bass was strong, smooth and clear, with great articulation.Listening to "Dear Prudence" by The Beatles, when you apply the correct EQ settings, everything just *pops*. You can actually make out individual voices in the harmonies and backing vocals, something my heretofore mediocre headphones never could manage. Of course, if you want these to thump, thump they will, but I'd still recommend to EQ them, just pushing the bass frequencies up a bit. Don't push everything to max, tho - play around with the values to see what matches your preference.Overall, best set of headphones I've owned, and I'd definitely recommend them to anyone who wants to spend less than $50 on phones.
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