Headphones
Superlux HD668B
Superlux HD668B are designed for professional level and near-audiophile quality performance at a fraction of the cost of most top-tier monitoring headphones. The sound is indeed exceptional with a clear timbral perspective that beats many more expensive cans. The great clarity means excellent musical definition with a smoothly accurate presentation that's extra-surprising given the HD668B's nice price. Highly recommended for music lovers who don't want to spend a ton to get great sound.
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Product Features:
- Terrific sound quality just about unheard at this price
- Solid build and materials design for long use-life durability
- Detachable cable makes future cord replacement easy
- Includes 1 meter and 3 meter cord lengths
What's In The Box:
- 1 meter detachable headphone cable
- 3 meter detachable headphone cable
- Cable clip
- Superlux storage pouch / travel bag
- Stereo 1/4" full-size plug adapter
Applications:
The Superlux HD668B headphones are 'monitoring/studio' cans that completely belie their killer low price given the amazing high performance sound coming out of these things. Offering a slightly beefier build and materials versus the extra budget-friendly Superlux HD661, the HD668B offers similar sonic strengths as its cheaper brethren but with a stiffer impedance rating making these ideally suited for dedicated headphone amplification. The HD668B tone is almost shockingly clean and robustly detailed for such a well-priced 'semi-sealed' monitoring headphone; in fact, we think it may represent one of the best values currently found in headphone-land and gives a good run for the sonic money against some cans at 2X the price. The HD668B highs are perhaps a bit etched in the upper treble ranges, but the overall presentation retains a musical warmth that renders these easy-to-enjoy headphones. The Superlux cosmetics are obviously derived from the classic AKG K240 look, but listeners can expect a bit more low-end content from the HD668B when compared to the typical K240 sound -- at a significantly cheaper price! At a rated 98dB sensitivity, computer or portable listeners will benefit from a headphone amp for improved resolution and instrumental definition.
The Superlux HD668B ergonomics are full-size / circumaural so the leather-type earpads will typically completely encircle the earlobes on most wearers. The earcup construction is 'semi-sealed' so expect only mild attenuation of ambient noise, but decent protection against leakage from the headphones during close-mic recording work. Ergonomically, the auto-fit "wing" design of the HD668B reminds of the headband employed by full-size Audio-Technica headphones and it delivers a comfortable fit, especially on bigger-sized heads. The quick-detachable cable is a huge plus to ensure maximum cord / headphone durability and the Superlux package nicely includes two cord choices in 1 meter and 3 meter lengths. The single-sided headphone cable exits from the left earcup only, so no messy 'Y'-cord tangling. Both cords are high-quality OFC-grade 'straight-type' cables terminated to 3.5mm 'mini' plug jacks. A full-size 1/4" stereo plug adapter is handily provided in the Superlux box.
Specifications:
- Warranty: 1 Year
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Manufacturer Warranty: 1 Year
- Headphone Type: Full Size
- Connector Type: 1/8
- Weight: 7.8 oz.
- Isolation: -12dB ~ 15dB
- Impedance @ 1kHz: 56 Ohms
- Detachable Cable: Yes
- Cord Length: 3ft and 9ft
- Coupler Size: Large
- Cord Type: Straight Left-Side
- Ear Coupler Type: Full-Size
- Acoustic Seal: Semi-Open
- Sensitivity: 98 dB
Average Rating
Posted by mechanizedmedic from portlandia on 2012-12-29
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Exceptional fidelity/price
Cons: shallow cups, headband
the audio quality is just how the HeadRoom "what we think" review describes. based on sound alone i could easily mistake these for cans costing 5x as much.
so to try and answer the obvious question of "why are these headphones selling so cheap?" ...much of this is due to simple design and material selection. the rest of the answer is that the headband/pads are fairly uncomfortable. i know from experience that some of this discomfort will go away as they break in and i acclimate to new pressure points. however, i've had quite a few headphones in this MSRP range that were 100% cozy.
overall i'm happy with this purchase. while typing up this review i've been tinkering and adjusting them. if this doesn't work i'll probably go DIY, hack off the top pads and make a custom strap... we'll see! :D
90 DAY FOLLOW-UP: thanks to some very informative how-to forums i made some very minor tweaks to these headphones to get them fitting well and sounding even better... first i put some 1/2" rubber hose under the ear-pads to make the cups feel bigger. this is a big one for me since i have stretched ears. then i bent the tips of the head pads upwards to relieve some pressure points. the last mod i chose was to glue a HEAVY coin on the outside of each cup (where is says superlux), to improve low end extension.
i'm much happier with these headphones now that i've fiddled with them a bit. they are comfortable for the 3-5 hour stretches that i wear them for. i use these exclusively while in my home office and my computer tower powers them just fine. i find them to be neutral (to my ears) across a wide range of media. i use them for music, movies, audio books, etc and have never noticed any imbalance to distract me from what i'm listening to.
given all of this, i'm up upgrading my rating to 5 stars based on total value... for the money, you'll be hard pressed to find better sound.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Posted by ungratefulson from SF Bay Area, CA on 2012-09-05
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Comfort, value, warmth of sound, connector
Cons: not great if you're looking for portability
I'm extremely happy with my purchase. While I don't consider myself an audiophile, and my ears aren't the greatest, I do like good sounding audio, lean toward the warm balanced tones, and have several well-reviewed cans for different applications.
Cans Owned:
Superlux HD668B
Grado SR-60
Audio Techinca ATH-M50
Sennheiser HD-595
I have to say that I'd choose these over the SR-60's any day and not just because of cost. These have to be the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn. It's a bit apples and oranges, since these are circumaural and the Grados are not, but I find the Grados to be very uncomfortable if worn for long periods (such as at work). I also think these sound better.
They also sound warm and bright, but not overly so (at least to my own ears). I'll admit to not caring for bass-leaning headphones.
The detachable connector is also a nice touch, having lost a pair of nice sennheisers years ago to constant cord steppage.
I think these are perfect if you do a lot of desk listening & don't need severe noise isolation.
11 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Posted by drkrazyrich from regina sk on 2012-07-31
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: price and sound and fit
Cons: size doesnt allow to throw into bag ,hard to travel with .
makes top ten on most under $300 lists .Google it go see for your self. BUT one problem bad recordings are now noticed as such through these .well that and friends keep taking them from me .GO GET A PAIR ,YOU WON'T GO BROKE
7 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Did you?
