Superlux HD-681 Evo BK 4-stars Reviews

very interesting headphones

I have been using this headphones primarily for rehearsing and laying down some demo tracks.

the headphones do not feel very solid, either the plastic on the cups looks a little cheap nor they have a headband adjustment, it just stays put with the tension of the elastic band, which i think may be prone to tearing after some time, the earpads feel a little stiff, and not very easy on the ear shape, The sound nevertheless is very good, i find it quite airy, so I like it, The drivers deliver a good response.

Price wise they are very inexpensive, for the sound they deliver, i assume for gaming they should be a real bargain.

Shocked how good these are!!

I bought these on a bit of whim while thinking that the sound would be very coloured and unbalanced but the response is actually really good!

Have used these a lot now to check my work from professional monitors (I check my work on a number of headphones, earphones and speakers to check how the tracks will translate across systems) and I'm always surprised when I check with these because they're so flat!

Fully recommend to anyone working.

Not particularly comfortable for long wears but they are light so that's a plus. Makes me wonder how durable they'll be but I'm not using them out of the studio so I'm sure they'll be ok.

Great value for money

I bought these for general listening use and they have been fantastic. They are comfy over longer periods - they come with a pleather set of ear pads fitted and a velour type set in the box. Also in the box is a 1 meter and a longer (3m maybe) cable. These are quite robust, I've owned them since may and have had no problems at all. Sound quality is great, probably the best I've heard from a pair of headphones for this price point and better than some more expensive ones. If i lost these I would definitely replace them.

For the price you can't complain

I bought these cans to replace my Audio-Technica closed back set. So I'm not comparing apples and apples when I say that the bass is a bit lacking on these. However, they are really light and I could wear them all day long even though they don't have much adjustment (they're a kind of one-size-fits-all affair). I'm going to be using them mostly for keyboard practice and for that they're fine. If you want them for bass practice, for example, I suggest you get a closed-back design. Also, for the price, I'm amazed that they come with a spare set of ear pads, 2 different lengths of cable and a 3.5mm - 6.35mm adaptor.

Excellent sound, but build quality isn't the best.

The package is good with a lot of accessories, even an extra pair of velvet pads.

The quality of both of the pads (leather and velvet) is very good, they're comfortable and they don't wear easily.

The build quality of the Headphones isn't great, it's all plastic and in some parts not very solid, but with standard-careful use it's not a serious problem.

They can be attached to everything, even mp3 portable players and smartphones, and they sound good.

I use them on a PC sound card, a Sound Blaster Z, and the sound is excellent in all ranges, the mids feel a little thick but aside from that the bass are controlled and the highs are clean, and after some hours of use they don't feel heavy at all.

The price is ridiculous for what you get, they sound even better than some 150-200 euro professional headphones i've tried.

Fantastic budget headphones

Bought some of these to replace my aging Sennheiser HD202. I was looking for something versatile---I use them for listening to music, practicing bass, and playing games.

Really pleased with these, out of the box I love the detachable cable (and it comes with a choice of two lengths) and the change of pads that are also included (the "default" ones are leather, there are velour ones inside the box. If I was complaining I would grumble that there is no guide on how to change the pads but it looks relatively straightforward.

Sound wise, I really like these. Nice, clear bass that is defined but not overpowering. The mids are spot on and the treble is clear but not piercing. They were great out of the box but I'm even more pleased now they've burned in.

My only complaint is that the adjuster band isn't great and personally I'd like a tighter fit. I have quite a big head so I'm not sure how that affects the fit. That said, they're very comfy and easily wearable for a few hours at a time. Size wise, they're pretty big. I doubt I'd wear these out and about!!

These are fantastic sounding headphones. For the price, they're incredible sounding headphones. Definitely recommended.

I've owned quite a few pairs of Superlux's headphones in the past, from two pairs of the original 681s and two pairs of the Evos.

I have a more full review on the white version of these headphones in which I go into greater detail regarding the sound. I will quickly say that the sound from these headphones is leaps and bounds beyond what you would ever expect from something in this price range; not too bright, not too boomy or muddy, plenty of mids - overall great sound. They're extremely comfortable and come with both faux-leather and soft fabric ear-pads. The box also includes interchangeable cables of different lengths and a 3.5mm to 1/4" jack adapter.

The reason I've given these a three-star rating for quality is that the second pair I ordered arrived with two defects:

- There are pads mounted beneath the ear cushions as with many headphones, but also a more dense foam pad beneath that which helps to dampen some of the highs which many people find fatiguing; the pad from one side was missing.

- The sound from the right ear-cup (the one WITHOUT the dampening pad) was extremely dull - it lacked most of the low-end bass, lacked body in the mids and the highs had now space to them, no 'airy-ness'. The whole sound was unbalanced.

All of that said...

Don't let it deter you from picking a pair of these up! Of course you're going to find the odd pair that will have flaws out of the box, as with any products, albeit lemons are more common among the lower-tier items. These are ?30 though, and they can be returned if they do happen to be faulty so just go for it!

Surprisingly detailed sound for less than 30?

I had been using Sennheiser HD595 for several years until the headphone cable got caught between the armrest of my chair, which eventually caused it to fall down to its' death. So looking for a replacement headphone with a similar sound clarity but with a far smaller budget in mind... I wasn't very optimistic to say the least.

The Superlux HD-681 Evo arrived in a box where the product laid well packed. It includes a 3.5 to 6.3 mm headphone converter as well as two different cables (1 metre and 3 metre). The converter is not of best quality, it actually uses a clip-on in order to stay secured. I didn't like that. The cables are straight, quite thin and the connector seems to be adequate. They also included extra velour pads, which I as a matter of fact immediately replaced the pleather pads with (pleather pads are by default installed on the cans).

For a 28? pair of headphones I must say the build-quality is surprisingly robust. However, at the beginning I felt quite a force pressing around my temples and ears. To alleviate this, I let it stretch for several days (I used the triangle-shaped cardboard package which the headphone was wrapping itself around, plus some books for further stretching). After a few days of stretching the clamping sensation was gone and by now I had already burned them in some (I used various music and a burn-in soundfile found from JBL's website). If I recall correctly, someone recommended at least 100 hours of burn-in for this model.

The sound. Oh the sound... Clear. Wide. That was my first impression. For a headphone to sound this good for such a low price is nothing more than a bargain. The clarity and separation of instruments is something I was greatly pleased with, especially when listening to soft rock or similar music. While playing Toto - Africa from beginning. Kick drum, soft snare, cow bell on drum kit in the left ear, extra handheld cow bell in the right ear, congas in middle, succeeded by the famous synth-riff. Wonderful. However (be warned)! The highs were too high to my ears. I have some sensitivity to sibilance and I feel that these headphones amp those frequencies quite adamantly. The bass is very much present, but it is not presented in a controlled manner as it interferes and sometimes overpowers the mids in other songs.

After using these headphones sporadically (letting them burn in when not wearing them) I always felt the highs were unbearable. They were simply too pronounced and sharp for me to enjoy 90% of whatever music I was listening to. Well luckily there are two ways of fixing this.. Well, actually three, but two of them are very similar just differentiating in methods, so let's stick with 2. EQ (Equalization) and physical modification of the headphone.

After playing around with an EQ, I mostly adjusted the 5k and up, by simple lowering them more and more the higher up I advanced in frequencies. Now this may be placebo, but I felt the presentation and sonical experience turned muddy and veiled. So I tried a second alternative, add cotton pads (those round, white soft pads used for facial-cleansing and make-up removal). I simply added one pad inside each cup, fitted them right through the opening without needing to open the cups up, using my finger to slide the pad under the velour pad edges. To explain my initial reaction: it felt right. The sound was just the way I liked it, similiar sound profile that I was used to from my 595's. The sibilance was gone and I still found the headphones sounding enjoyable. Now, as I said, it may be placebo or it may not be, so it should be up to everyone to try an EQ or cotton pads. The bass is still quite the same. To be honest, I don't recall exactly how it sounded without the cotton installed, but hey, these cost 28?. Some sacrifice is inevitable.

Final thoughts.

These headphones are so cheap, that... that they don't sound cheap? That didn't make no sense, but neither does the price tag for these. These cans sound to my ears as a pair of 100? (or even more) phones. But because they are inexpensive, these have become my main "fun-phones", that is, I do not really need to worry too much how I'm handling these, whether it's at home or on the move somewhere else. It's carefree. It's fun. The sound is also quite exciting for watching films as the bass is very present when needed. Rock music goes quite well with these, as well as EDM. The only thing I really can't do with these, is enjoy classical music, but I already knew this prior to my purchase. The HD-681 Evo's bass is simply not very controlled, too much interference is going on around the low mids which takes away much of an orchestra's presentation. But remember, 28?, sacrifice is inevitable. I often use these when playing VST pianos in Cubase, it's a pleasure.

Ok just buy them already, have some fun.

Good bang for the buck!

I needed a pair of wear and tear headphones and decided on these ones mainly because of the look. I was kinda suprised by the sound quality. It's crisp, clear and big!

I've had more expensive ones with a lot muddier sound. I like how sturdy they are even though they could have been a bit smaller. The open solution for the exchangable cables is great, but I don't know why manufacturers insist on using 1m cables as the short alternative. 0,5m or even 0,3m would be better suited.

All in all it's an awesome pair of headphones and I'm buying an extra pair for my dad :)

Very capable cheap headphones!

These headphones are absolutely brilliant value for money.

The sound is very revealing. Mid bass is somewhat emphasized as with headphones like the ATH-M50, but it's not muddy enough to overwhelm. Excellent positional/directional accuracy and instrument separation. There wasn't a song I listened to that doesn't sound great through these headphones.

It's worth remembering that these are not closed headphones, they are semi-open. Sound will leak, both out and in. Best to avoid using these in noisy environments or when you don't want to disturb others.

Attractive shiny/matte plastic looks with a chrome accent, but the glossy plastic attracts a lot of fingerprints.

Solid construction with a replaceable cable - helps to prevent damage to the connection to the headphones themselves. (great, since this is what caused my last set to die on me after getting trapped in a swivel chair leg.) The self adjusting headband is easy to use but may need some time to stretch in order to easily fit bigger heads. (Like mine, unfortunately.)

They're lightweight, and can easily "disappear" and feel like you're no longer wearing them. The cable does however causes a lot of noise if dragged on clothing, etc..

Not exactly portable, but since these are studio headphones, and not really intended to be used when out and about, this can be overlooked. The inclusion of alternative velour earpads is a nice touch. It's down to personal preference, but I think they're much more comfortable and provide a better sound than the pleather earpads included.

Overall, these headphones compare very favourably to sets costing much more, and are definitely worth considering if you're on a budget.

Slightly flimsy

One the one hand, there is a kind flimsiness to them, on the other hand, they are light. I don't know if you can have one without the other, but it seem a slightly sturdier build wouldn't hurt.

The sound is good. Airy with a wide stereo field. Nothing major to remark on, good or bad.

The construction is open, so there is much leakage and little isolation, so they wouldn't be my first choice in a studio situation.

On the flip side, isolating headphones have to squeeze your head, which these ones don't, not much anyway.

The low weight and lack of squeeze, combined with included velour pads makes it possible to wear them for hours on end.

Great price for the sound quality, not very durable

The sound quality is really great, especially for the cheap price.

The build quality is ok except for the headband, the headband is "self-adjusting" and prone to break after continuous usage. you can open the headphones to adjust them a bit larger by untangling the rubber bands, this might fix the issue. Or you can replace the headband when it breaks.

The headband is the weak spot of these phones both in comfort and durability, still i can't imagine you will find anything better for the price.

definitely worth a buy!

Compared to the non-EVO-version this is a real plus! The included extra pair of ear pads is very nice. In case you're playing longer gigs with your headphones you can choose the leather ear pads because they are not as warm as the included velour pads. At home just switch to the extra velour pads to get a very comfortable feeling! Another big plus is the detachable cable in combination with the two included cable lengths of 1m and 3m. The overall sound quality is very good. It is very musical and definitely worth a try for studio musicans and other enthusiants!

Everthing they were rumoured to be

These cans are the reward for anyone does a little research and try new things and the pricing means it was a low risk proposition.

If you read the reviews, you'll see that very few people find fault with the sound : it's revealing, untainted (no apparent bias) and no apparent weakspots. The sound is warmer after several hours use and they are comfortable for long listening sessions.

In the interests of balance, I should point out a couple of tiny points that i like less : they are a bit large (but not heavy) and they look odd anywhere outside the studio. They are also semi-open - so there is noise leak if you're thinking about office use.

For those seeking comparision, or a frame of reference, I've retired my Grado SR 80's because of these. I previously liked Sennheiser PX100s, and Equation Audio RP21 and AKG eth55. These have the better sound, they are the most pleasing overall, and the cheapest by a mile. I havent heard better and for a comparable sound, you'd have to spend around 150 quid for something like Sennheiser HD25s - and I notice other people here rate them even higher !

The fact that Superlux do it for this price makes me very cynical of more establish brands and their pricing. Well done Superlux.