Firstly I would like to thank Tony at Superlux for sending me this sample to review, I always try to write honest reviews. These received over 50hrs of burn-in before reviewing, I did not notice any big changes.
Gear Used:
Dell XPS 15 > Matrix Quattro II > Matrix HPA-2C > HD662 Evo
Tech Specs:
- Type: Dynamic closed back
- Driver: 50mm
- Sensitivity: 98dB SPL @ 1mW
- Frequency Response: 10-30,000Hz
- Impedance: 32Ω
- Weight: 250g (without cable)
- Price: €31 (on thomann)
Packaging, Build Quality and Accessories:
The packaging is nothing too special, you get a cardboard box with an outer sleeve. On the front of the outer sleeve you get a picture of the headphones, on the back you get information and specs with a list of the included accessories too. Under the outer sleeve you have a plain card box, once you open this you will find the headphones held in place by a triangular card insert. Inside this insert you will find the included accessories. For the price I really cannot complain, the box looks fairly good and it serves its purpose of protecting them.
Build quality doesn’t stand out, they are made out of quite cheap looking glossy plastic, the headband bow is plastic and there is a think vinyl comfort strap which automatically adjusts to your head size. The cable is quite thin, but it is detachable and they come with 2 cables, the velour earpads are soft but a little itchy, the pleather ones are soft too and don’t feel like they will flake easily. Once again though, I cannot complain too much as they are so cheap, provided you look after them I believe they should last ok.
Accessory wise these are very good for the price, you get a pair of velour earpads along with the pre-installed pleather ones, you get 2 cables, 1 straight 3m and another straight 1m cable, a cable clip (holds the cable in place once installed), a 6.3 to 3.5mm adapter and a small fabric carry pouch. A great selection of accessories, everything you need and more.
Comfort, Isolation and Cable Noise:
Comfort is not bad with either pair of pads, my ears touch the inner foam but does not cause discomfort. I find them comfortable to wear for fairly long sessions, the headband pad distributes the weight evenly and they are not heavy to begin with. Overall quite a comfy headphone, they are circumaural, the pleather pads get a little hotter than the velour pads over long listening sessions.
Isolation is fairly average, then again I wouldn’t really use them as portable headphones. They block out a fair deal out outside noise, and don’t leak too much, making them great for home use when you don’t want to disturb others.
Cable noise is present, and relatively bad, but I would say these are made to be used as stationary listening headphones, so the cable noise does not bother me.
Sound:
I used both the velour and pleather pads, overall I found the the velours to have the better overall out, they bring out a more accurate bass tone and punch, the pleather seem to put a little too much emphasis on the mid bass, and make the mid range a little too forward.
Lows: The lows on these go surprisingly low, you get the feel and punch from these and they handle them without excess bloat. That is not to say they are linear though, I find them to lack a little bass impact but do fine with the rumble. They do however lend themselves to most genres, but do fair better with slower music, they add a little warmth and body to the sound. You can feel and hear the lows, the 50mm drivers seem to do quite a good job at moving air, the lows don’t ever overshadow the rest of the sound though. I find them to sound a little thin during fast rock songs, as they seem to lack a sense of speed and recovery, but listening to calmer music brings out their best.
Mids: The mids are very up front, sometimes a little too much depending on the track, they are detailed though and handle male and female vocals equally well. There is some sibilance but not enough to annoy me (although maybe too much for some sensitive to sibilance), there is a lot of air around the vocals, they don’t suffer badly from bleeding from the lows and come across very clean and clear. Subtle details in the mids are easily heard, but they sound a little unrefined compared to higher end models, they can get a little shouty sometimes, and also sound a little thin.
Highs: The upper mids are a little peaky and bring out some sibilance and harshness, the highs I feel roll off quite early however they highs are easily audible at all times. They are present, but lack sparkle, they just hit and disappear, they don’t have that effortless extension and shimmer of some higher end models. They are sort of just there, but are lacking in finesse and refinement.
Soundstage is fairly average for a closed headphone, not huge but slightly wider than normal.
Instrument separation is good, there is good air and separation between everything.
Conclusion:
Well these are a quite balanced sounding pair of headphones, and they do punch above their price in sound quality, they are actually a very good pair of headphones overall, a little like the Sennheiser HD25 in some ways, but with a little less emphasis on the lows. An engaging and fun sound, yet able to extract the fine details, the highs are not very refined but they are still fun, the lows are full and well extended, but the mids can sometimes be a little too forward. If you are looking for a budget pair of home headphones, these are well worth looking at. Some of the above came off a little negative, but these are seriously good for €31, seriously good.