Review: Superlux HD572SP

Firstly I would like to thank Superlux for sending me this sample to review, I always try to write honest reviews, these have had over 50 hours of burn-in and no differences were noted.

Gear Used:
Audio-Opus #1 > HD572SP

Tech Specs:

• dynamic
• closed
• 30 mm Neodymium driver
• 99 dB SPL
• 20 – 20.000 Hz
• 200 mW max Input
• 24 Ohms impedance
• leatherette earpads, 1,5 Meter cable with golden 3,5mm stereo plug,
• weight 120g
• €16.30

Packaging, Accessories and Build Quality:

The packaging for these is a simple plastic affair, which you pry open to get the headphones out, nothing over the top, nothing difficult to open and very simple, just what you would expect at this price point. On the back there is a list of the tech specs.

Accessories = None, can’t complain though.

Build quality isn’t great the headband is strong plastic that is quite flexible, it has a tiny bit of foam on the underside where they rest on your head, the cups are plastic and seem fairly sturdy. The earpads are cheap and made of thin pleather that will most likely flake after a year or so (they are replaceable). The cable is very thin and I don’t see it lasting a long time (should be easy to recable though), the strain relief is good on the entry to the cups, but a little stiff on the L jack. Take care of these and they should last, but then again, they don’t cost much to replace should they break.

Comfort, Isolation and Cable noise:

The comfort on these is similar to most supra-aural headphones, they have good clamping force that means they won’t fall off too easily, but not too much to be painful. The earpads are soft and help relieve the pressure, the top of the headband is not very comfortable though. I find them fine for short listening sessions, but wouldn’t want to wear them on long commutes or flights.

Isolation is the same as most supra-aural headphones too, great for those quite trips in to town to drown out most noise, but not great which means you might want more if you have a noisy commute.

Cable noise is not an issue, the cable is very soft and I suspect this helps absorb vibrations.

Sound:

Lows: The lows have good initial punch but they do not extend particularly deep, dropping off quite quickly below 80hz or so. Kick drums are well separated from bass guitar notes, and although they don’t have great extension there is enough presence to keep things fun and enjoyable. Just don’t expect them to excel when listening to EDM. Kick drums lack body and give quite a quick and dry punch, bass guitar lines are easy to follow but again drop off too soon, these sound a little better with rock than they do with bass heavy music, and have quite a prominent mid-bass boost.

Mids: The mids are not too bad, and I would say this is where they fair best, they are quite smooth and not very detailed, vocals come across a little too full, but there is no harshness to them. I do also find the mids, and the whole sound, to become a little congested when the music gets busy. I find the mids to be slightly forward in presence, which works well with music that focuses on the mids and is not as dependent on bass and treble.

Highs: The highs are quite low fidelity on these, but you cannot ask too much at this price point, normally the highs are the easiest way to tell mp3 and Lossless formats apart, but not on these. When listening to Lossless music the highs still sound like you are listening to low bitrate mp3. The highs do not extend effortlessly neither do they have much refinement, but they are there and you can hear cymbal taps and crashes fairly easily.

Soundstage is nothing remarkable, quite an engaging and in-your head sound. Instrument separation is ok, not great as the sound does get a little congested and muffled during faster passages.

Conclusion:

For €16.30 these would serve well as a gym or throw around headphone, not one for general everyday listening. They are not very detailed, they are however fun to listen to and if you just want some background music playing that you are not focusing on then these fit the bill perfectly. You cannot ask much for this price, you couldn’t get a good meal for 1 in England for the price of these, so I did not expect much. Go out and grab a pair on a whim, you will end up using them for something, they also make great presents to get people into slightly better audio than the headphones included with mobile phones etc…

Sound Perfection Rating: 4/10 (veiled, muffled, but great gym headphones)