So I know that these are not the usual mid-fi headphones that get posted here, but I would like to give my thougths about them coming from someone who was on a budget and had not have listened to good headphones before. So excuse if I misuse some terminology.
After having built a gaming computer, I decided that it would be logical to research some budget gaming headsets. But as it turns out most cheap headsets are riddled with problems, if it be the microphone being bad, build quality problems or simply bad audio. So continuing my search I stumbled upon the Superlux Hd681 EVOs. From what I gathered the Predecessor, Hd681 was a really popular bang for your buck headphone that was praised for it's sound quality. So I decided to buy the EVOs since they came with a detachable cable and extra velour pads...And they did not look like AKG ripoffs. So for 30£, how do they fare?
The Supelux Hd681 EVO
So these come with When I first picked these up from the packaging, I noticed that the Headphones were very lightweight for their size, if a bit flimsy. The construction is not what I would call the best, but for the price I guess it could have been a lot worse. They also come with a lot of accessories for the price, 2 detachable cables(1m, 3m), a storage bag and velour earpads, nice! Speaking of earpads, the comfort on these are pretty great. The auto adjust system worked pretty well for my head as it is not that large and did not annoy me during listening sessions. But one of the things that I would have to criticize would be the stock earpads. While the pleather material is fine, the foam that fill those things appear to be made of thick foam that are not really comfortable. Coupled with the rather strong clamp that these have, the stock pads are not that great. But thankfully these had swappable extra pads that were more comfortable, if a bit warm on the ears.
Before I picked these up I used a pair of cheap 10 buck headphones that I simply used for listening to videos, but they were pretty horrid in almost every department. So when I began listening to these, I was pretty amazed to say the very least. So where should I start? The first thing that struck me is all the detail one these. When listening through tracks I keep noticing details that I've never heard before. The bass on these headphones hits fast, deep and does not feel bloaty like other cheap headphones I have had throughout the years. Vocals feels forwards and warm despite lots of bass, the detail never gets lost. The highs are also sparkly and crisp without fatiguing me. And of course since I got these for gaming, how is the positioning? Fantastic, simply fantastic. I can heard each step a character makes and where each sound comes from in a game like Battlefield 4 or skyrim. No need for gimmicky surround software. These headphones certainly makes for an immersive gaming experience. This sort of effect was also noticeable in music with a nice and wide soundstage. For me these headphones are the best I have ever listened to and for only 30 bucks? Yes please! Tough in hindsight I might be biased since these are my first 'good' headphones, I still recommend these for anyone who wants to get great headphones.
The Supelux Hd661
The EVOs were great and all, but the problem was that they were designed as desktop headphones that are meant to be listned to at home and leaks quite a bit considering they were an open pair of headphones. So to walk around with those were out of the question. So since I liked the Superlux headphones so much, I decided to look around for a pair of closed portable headphones that had the same sort of sound signature of the EVOS. So that led me to the Hd 661s. They were nice looking, had a detachable cable and were said to sound much like pair I already had, so I bought them for 40£.
When it comes to build quality, I was honestly quite suprised. Compared to the afformentioned EVOs, these were actually made out of rather solid plastic and felt nice to hold. So I felt confident that these were not going to break (more on that in a bit). The stock pads these time around was still pleather, but felt very soft and comfortable, tough not as deep. So my ears touched the driver cage and after a while get a bit sore. I simply solved this by adding a loop of thin rope under the earpads and now the comfort levels are better. The wing system is a bit unusual but I foudn them comfortable.I have heard that people with big heads have a problem with this sort of system, so beware. But if there is one thing I do not like about these are the clamping force. Holy crap these really squeeze your head! They can be worn in for quite some time but for longer listening sessions give me headaches. Just to note, these have the same accesoriess as the EVOS minus the extra velour pads.
Before I evaluate the sound quality I need to mention that my pair were actually defunct. While they worked, there was some rattling in the right ear that was very distracting so I had to send them back to Thomann (great support by the way) for a new pair. Why do I say this? Because when I got the new pair, the clamping force was actually less than before and became much more comfortable. This is a bit worrying considering that this might be a sign of bad quality control. But less clamping for me, so I'm not complaining.
To compare these to the EVOS is that they have the same sort of signature, but wary in different areas. For one the Hd661 have brighter treble that can be a bit fatiguing but is still very detailed and sparkly. The mids are nice on these but I feel like the vocals are a bit distant if a bit tinny? Mind you the mids are still present and I must say that these are even more detailed than the Evos. Imperfections are easier to hear with these and focusing on different elements of a song is no problem. The bass on these are not really as deep as the Evos and this area left me a bit dissapointed. While the bass feels there and sounds the same as the evos, they do not have that rumble that many desire. This left me yearning for more bass while listening to edm and the like. Thankfully this can be cured by tuning the EQ a bit to crank up the bass and they become a little more fun. The positioning is still there but not very wide, but I guess this should be expected since they are a closed pair. So overall I like the HD661 but they are kind of hard to drive from a phone and since I bought them portable use, I guess I'm going to buy a cheap Fiio amp.
I have also since owning them bought a Modmic 4.0 for gaming and also bought a DGX soundcard. For now, I find my audio experience very satisfactory, but a lot of lurking around these parts have made me itching for more, especially now that I have more disposable cash...Oh well.
BONUS: Koss porta pro
Between owning the Evo headphones and the Hd661 I managed to pick these up for on a local sale. Describing these in one word would be this: Fun. They have lots of bass for such a small headphone and is very portable. They have a lot of sound quality for your money. Since these are so popular already I won't talk about them too much, just that I find them not to be as detailed as the headphones above.
So that is what I think about these pair of Supelux Headphones. I hope you enjoyed reading this wall of text.