Amazingly balanced sound, and quite comfortable.
Pros:
Balanced sound. Comfort. High volume on low-output devices.
Cons:
Cable design. Plug.
The Bottom Line:
I would recommend this one to any music lover. It's an amazing product.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
Sound (5/5)
Always a matter of taste, but for me, amongst a vast array of competitors in the store, this one came out lonely on top. The bass response is amazing, tight and detailed - at first I thought is was too much - I had to get use to the warmness of the sound, coming from a natural/cold-corner. The mids and highs are heavenly, sweet and very accurate. As opposed to the hardwired sound of canal-earphones (shure e3-5, for example), the sound stage is extremely roomy - your ears spontaneously relax and would, if they could, start to look around. Simply amazing.
Design (4/5)
Not cool or hip by any means, these earphones' looks are German-sleek: slightly boring but solid design. And obviously miles better than the Sony-family of equipment (again, matter of taste). Some details look a bit plasticky but it doesn't feel flimsy - and, in the long run, it helps get the weight down.
Comfort (5/5)
Nothing short of amazing. They are snuggest cans I have ever had the pleasure of wearing - for hours on end. On a dry, cold winter day I would wear them outside, without plugging them into a source. That's how comfy they are. The head band will sometimes shift a bit when you move too fast.
Cable, plugs, etc (3/5)
The cable is sturdy but also a bit stubborn - my previous sennheisers had more snake-like cables, which works better in the long run. It's also too short for home use and too long for on-the-road use. Plus, what I miss is a small plug on the other end of the cable (if only for safety - so that it can snap out when you stand on the cord). Why no product designer hasn't thought of this goes beyond me, but I'll drop the hint: Include two cables: a 9-feet curled thick one for at home, and a 2-feet thinner short one for on the road, easily exchangeable via a small plug on the earphones themselves.
The plug itself, by the way, does the job - again, I would have liked to be able to exchange jacks instead of having to put a 1/4-to-1/8-converter on it for smaller devices.
Misc notes
I should mention the sensitivity of this device is the highest I saw in this line of earphones. Some people might dislike that but I cannot think of a reason why I would. Bottom line is that this is one of the bigger earphones that'll actually get a LOT of volume out of an unamplified iPod, which I think is nice.
Another thing you should know is that these are open earphones. I have not put this as a pro or con, knowing it is a very personal preference. I for one adore open phones but some might cringe at the though that outside sound gets mixed into your music.
