Firstly I would like to thank Mixcder for selecting me to review their HD601 bluetooth headphones. These have had over 100hrs of burn-in, no differences were noted.
Gear Used: Audio Opus #2 > HD601 in wired and wireless mode
Tech Specs:
https://www.mixcder.com/Product/Qualcomm-aptX-Low-Latency-Deep-Bass-Over-Ear-Wireless-Headphone-g068.html
Packaging, Build quality and Accessories:
The Mixcder HD601 come in a simple card box, the box has a picture of the headphones on the front, and info with specs on the back. Once you open this box you can slide out a plastic insert which has the headphones in. It is a simple box that looks fine for the price.
Build quality is actually quite good, they are mainly made out of plastic but they feel well put together. The extender arms are reinforced with metal, and all the buttons feel of good quality. The jack input to the headphones wiggles a little, but I have not had any connection issues. The earpads are fairly plush and are easily replaceable.
Accessory wise all you get is a USB charging cable, jack to jack cable for wired use, that is it but also for the price you cannot really complain. A small soft carry pouch would have been nice though.
Comfort, Isolation and Ease of use:
The HD601 are an over-ear headphone but the cups are relatively small and compact, this means that some people will have slight comfort issues. For me they fit quite snugly but are not uncomfortable, the clamping force is fairly tight but this allows them to stay in place during daily activities. I wouldn’t want to wear these for periods of more than a couple of hours, but they are not uncomfortable, the headband is well padded and distributes the weight quite well.
Isolation is good on these, they block out a lot of background noise which is good for daily commutes. I would even think these would be fine on the London underground.
I had no issues pairing the HD601 with my Opus #2, these support pairing via NFC but unfortunately I have no devices that support this. The HD601 are intuitive to use, standard volume up and down, however holding them skips tracks instead of double or triple tapping the main button. The main button is for powering them on/off, play/pause and if you tap it twice it changes from balanced to bass heavy sound and vice versa. These modes are easy to distinguish in use.
Sound:
Lows: The lows are very full but slightly one-toned; they really fill out the sound but do have a bit of boom to them. They are not the most controlled or tight, so they work better with slightly bass heavy genres, not being able to quite keep up with faster rock tracks. The extension is good however digging fairly deep, but they do warm up the lower mids a little.
Mids: The midrange is slightly recessed compared to the upfront lows, and as stated previously the lows do bleed into the midrange slightly making them sound a little fuller than a fully neutral pair of headphones. Saying this though the midrange does have fairly good detail and linearity without harshness or sibilance.
Highs: The highs are lacking in presence and sparkle taking a back seat in the mix, there is no real shimmer or sparkle up top. They really lack energy in the treble and end up sounding like quite a dull and dark sounding headphone. There is a bit of a peak somewhere that gives you a glimmer of hope, hearing the initial tap of cymbal crashes, but ultimately they do not have the air and openness needed to really excite.
Separation and soundstage are fairly average, nothing too special here.
Bass boost mode: This is something I do not advise turning on, the sub-bass becomes more present but muddies up the overall balanced making them sound like a bloated mess.
Wired mode:
In wired mode they still retain a warmer sound, the lows are slightly tighter and more controlled, the mids a little less warm and there is some shimmer up top, they become a little better balanced overall. In wired mode they actually come off as a fairly good budget over-ear headphone.
Conclusion:
For their current price on Amazon of £45.99 they are not actually bad value for money, yes you can get better wired only headphones for the price, but as a whole package the HD601 actually offers fairly good sound quality for non-critical on the go use. They offer a full and fun sound, that is lacking in treble presence but ultimately is very easy to listen to and non fatiguing.
Sound Perfection Rating: 6.5/10 (Fairly good value as a whole package, but the sound is not for everyone)