As per my thread on the Somic EFi-82 MT:   In 2010, there was Superlux. In early 2012, there was Jaycar. Several months ago, there was JVC's HA-S line. Head-Fi's ability to find mid-fi headphones at downright laughable prices has always been commendable. But all too often, these headphones get bragged up as being better than flagship models of established audio brands, something experienced Head-Fiers rightly laugh at. But can it happen? Can an budget-fi headphone legitimately be mentioned in the same breath as headphones ten times its...

  First impressions of these bad boys (coming unamped from a Motorola Xoom, because I spent the week at my dad's, while my audio equipment spent the week at my mom's) were not good. The bass was boomy, the highs were non-existent, and the mids existed in a state of recession that could put 2010 USA to shame. The only thing that made them comparable to Sennheiser was a comically overstated veil. Despite this, I kept listening to them, finding these qualities to become less and less apparent over time. Yesterday, I tried them out again, and to my...

Setup: Windows Media Player (Variable Bit-Rate WMAs at approximately 300kbps) -> PreSonus AudioBox USB ->Superlux HD681   FOLK/ACOUSTIC   Barton Hollow (The Civil Wars): Simply put, these cans make this song sound HUGE! Right from the get-go, the HD 681s impressive soundstage makes evident intricate panning on guitars, drums, strings and vocals. The kick drum is refined and tamed but present, and the male and female vocals sound superb.    Black Horse and the Cherry Tree (K.T. Tunstall): The HD 681s brilliantly emphasize the hard panning...