I remember the first time I saw Sony Walkman when I was a kid, it was an amazing piece of technology for me at the time. I cannot afford since it was very expensive, especially in a third world country like Indonesia. But somehow my parents bought one a few years later for family entertainment and I loved it so much.
Now, I have 2 smartphones that plays decent music, 1 iPod Classic and I'm still looking for 1 small MP3 player that can play hifi class music. Of course, I don't use the stock earphones, whether it is from Apple, Samsung, or HTC, they are all junk to my ears. But, good headphones or earphones are usually, if not all the time, too D### expensive.
A few months back, an acquaintance who ran a headphone store has just poisoned me with the most incredible sounding piece of headphone I have heard. My dream headphone before that event was Audio Technica ATH M50 Limited Edition. ATHM50LE will cost me US$ 170-190, so saving period is necessary.
Then this acquaintance of mine pushed me to try to listen to Ultrasone Edition 8, it was a second headphone, meaning someone owned it before and sell it to the store. Let's just say the same musics that I usually listen to has just found new lives. All the balance details, brightness and pounding bass are perfect. It's like I was in seventh level of heavenly music land. Until I found out the price, US$ 1,000 for a previously owned headphone. Apparently the new one is US$ 1,500 or something. That was grim.
Anyhow, I'm not gonna talk about that D### expensive headphone, but I will talk about how to get the best sound with poor man's budget. I had it for 3 years so I'm familiar with it. Superlux HD 381F is only US$ 25-30 at cost, but the sound it produces rivals those 3 to 5 times more expensive. If you are a headfi regular, you should be familiar with this earphone.
Superlux HD 381F the white has 2 siblings, Superlux HD 381 (the black one leans towards bass) and Superlux HD 381B (the grey has deep bass, high treble and high details). I believe Superlux HD 381F is the best since it has the flat analytical sound quality.
The sound quality:
- Bass: Strong impact and rounded. You would be able to catch the true detail of drum beats but it is adequate to the level of depth. One important factor, this is a fun bass, not the bloated bass. Rock music plays very well with this. And no, this is not at the level of Monster Beats' bass.
- Mid: the F in 381F means Flat, so it is flat. Not to forward, not to recess. Better than the original ATHM50, but not as forward as Shure SE535. Not the best vocal earphone, but I can say all pop songs will play very nicely through this earphone.
- Treble: I must say bright and smooth. Not too much roughness like Grado's signature sound, but more leaning towards the improved Sennheiser PX200 II signature. Excellent details that makes acoustic and instrumental songs jump for joy.
- Soundstage: In your face.
- Sound Separation: Excellent. You can recognize 95% of all the instruments playing in an orchestra, so it is an excellent micro speakers.
- Build Quality: It's a cheap earphone, bear with the plastic. At least the cable is sturdy to survive my daily travels.
- Volume: Suitable for any portable players without needing Amp.
- Comfort: Wearable for 3-4 hours without discomfort, including when I was laying down with a pillow.
- Noise Isolation: Not the best, but better than the nearly 4x more expensive aJays.
So all in all, I think Superlux HD 381F is probably the cheapest best sounding earphone I have ever found and owned. No, this is not Monster Beats replacement, Superlux HD 381F is at a higher level of fun earphone.
Thank you, just bought it.
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