Superlux HD 668B

mvitkun · April 7, 2014

Intro:

I bought these headphones when they went on sale from the already low price of $38.99 on amazon to $29.99 on massdrop.

And for $30 you definitely won't find anything as good as they are.

The Details:

Comfort:

They give you this feeling the first few times you wear them that I can only describe as them gripping your skull with the jaws of life.

And the wings are so rigid they almost feel like they shouldn't move

A few hours into wearing them you'll finally decide to try to spread the wings because you recall it being mentioned in one of the countless reviews you read,despite them being so rigid.

Put on headphones.

Yes the wings are rigid, they still move.No I'm not lying.Hold the band, and then pull the wing.Then repeat this process on the other side.

Afterwards proceed to thank our generous ape overlords for these headphones.

In all honesty though, adjusting the wings is important.

It's the difference between wearing them and feeling discomfort in minutes and wearing them without discomfort for hours on end.

I have no problem with the pleather pads on the ear cups; Some people claim that it leaves them feeling sweaty around their ears due to the near air-tight pleather for those people there are velour replacement pads for $10 on ebay.

Again, I have no quirks with the pleather material, to me it feels more pleasant, warm, and isolated than the alternative that others feel which I would guess is clammy and hot.

That said these headphones aren't those headphones you'll fall asleep in.

Okay sure that's one reason, I do roll around in my sleep a lot.

But it's also because these headphones even when adjusted to your head still have this powerful clamp,you could trust that if there were to be some huge concussive explosion these headphones would be gripping your skull, regardless of whether your skull is still attached to your body or not.

But it is a downside.The clamp does get a bit uncomfortable after over 6 hours of listening, although for me I'd just take the headphones off and reposition them when I feel the discomfort and continue listening without any issues.

7.5/10

The Sound:

They sound great.

I've tried out basically every type of song,most being 700 kb/s or higher, from classical Yo-Yo Ma, DeadMau5, Muse, Flobots, Trace Bundy,etc.

Pretty much every song I've tried sounds better.

"What is better?" you might ask.

Better is when you can listen to very genre and hear sounds that were inaudible on those cheap.....oh wait similarly priced IEMs or gaming headphones.

Better is when in order to hear those sounds you don't also add anomalies: buzzing, humming, screeching, etc.

Better is when the Bass has some kick in it, but they still sound exceptional when listening to the high pitch vocals.

Better is when you have to think for a while before you can find fault.

Are these the best headphones out there? No.

Are these the best headphones in the price range.....forget that, are these the best headphones for under $100. I'd say Yes. (yes I'm sure headphones for ~$100 sound just as good maybe slightly better for certain sound signature preferences,but at this point it's just looking for the right pair of headphones), and better than many that cost more than $100.

10/10

The Aesthetics:

The entire time that I wore these, which has been about a week, I didn't think once about how I looked.

These aren't IEMs or those pair of bright red beats by dre whose value derives from their appeal to be worn and shown off in public. The price confuses people, I'll break it down for you.

These are intended for in-studio, in-home, or simply private use.

Are these headphones ugly in general?

I truly don't think so, looking at myself wearing these in the mirror I think I could listen to these in public,although with the great noise isolation I'd be very scared of what happens to the time it takes for me to react to something that happens.

Again despite the $30 price tag these aren't your 5 favorite flavors/cusomizable color headphones that are hanging on the rack at Walmart, hence the refreshing lack of a bright colors, animal skin patterns, or COD branding.

If you're buying it don't buy it for aesthetic purposes, buy it because you want to hear music as it was meant to be heard.

I'll score it in comparison to headphones which do seem aesthetically pleasing, not simply neutral.

6/10

The Build Quality:

These headphones feel extremely light.

They don't feel cheap or fragile.

They have this rigid but flexible feeling, unlike cheap headphones, the HD 668Bs feel great not because they're built entirely out of solid aluminum alloy, but because every part is made to fit perfectly into, and work with, every other part ....The components that make it up don't feel strong, but the headphones themselves feel like they flex enough to mold to the shape of your head, but not like they'll flex and break.

9/10

Value:

This is an important part of every review, but this one especially since it cost only $30, while sounding as good as headphones that more than triple its cost.

10/10

Conclusion:

TLDR?

I love these headphones.

For $30 with free shipping I would buy these any time provided if didn't have headphones, and I plan on recommending these to anyone who can't afford to spend $150+ on headphones, already convinced quite a few people to buy them after having listened to mine.

The comfort is good enough that you don't pay it any mind, but at the same time.....you don't pay it any mind.It isn't exceptional enough to commend, nor is it terrible enough to condemn.It's simply good enough to prevent it from interfering with your listening experience.

The build quality is great,everything fits together perfectly, and so the headphones hold onto your head firmly, you can rock your head from side to side, or back and forth without worrying about the headphones falling off.

If you want to know what I feel are the most important or bothersome aspects of these near perfect value headphones just look at the size of each section.

Comfort is largest because I have the most to say.

Sound, build quality, and aesthetics are exceptional to the point where I can't think of anything to say about them .

8.5/10