The Status Audio CB-1s are a rebranded version of the discontinued Somic V2s. Designed in Brooklyn and built in China, these headphones bear a loose resemblance to a de-badged version of the Sony and Audio Technica headphones in the same category that they're competing with. They have a similar neutral-but-slightly V-shaped sound to Emu Purplehearts. Comfort - These are some of the most comfortable closed headphones I've found to date, embarrassing far more expensive competitors. Some of the best stock pads ever. I'm a tall fellow, and my ears fit...

An earlier version of the Somic V1s/Status Audio CB-1s. I mistakenly thought they were the same, but there might actually be a difference in the driver for this (The V2/Status OB-1 and MH463 have slightly different drivers as well, it seems). So I have retracted my review and posted it for the right headphone.

Sound...   From 100 Hz to 3000 Hz, they trade blows with much more expensive headphones, and that is not hyperbole. That is why so many people love them.   Above and below those cutoffs... no of course not.   But still, the mids are crunchy and savory. The highs are smooth yet detailed enough to be enjoyable. The bass is warm but reasonably tight, and certainly not bloated. The sub bass is nonexistant, the upper treble is lo-fi. But these little bastards cleverly stylize their deficits to mask their impact on the sound. It's an enjoyable filter...

Let's get something out of the way first. There's some debate over whether these are accurate or "reference grade". It seems to me that a lot of people that bought these have done some massive amounts of mental kung-fu to convince themselves that must be what's going on here. From 600 Hz on up, they are very accurate, detailed, snappy, but bordering on sibilant at times. Below 600 Hz though, there is a crater in the frequency curve where the bass would've been in normal headphones. This is most certainly not accurate, and I feel that 'subdued' is not...

These are not headphones per se, more like a medieval head torture chamber than plays sound. Unusually, it's not the clamping force on the sides that causes issues, but on top. The headband is not shaped to fit human heads, but rather one of the square flat heads that the sentient humanoid robots that make Sennheiser products have, I guess.   The sound... how would I describe it...   Lethargic? It's not neutral, if that's what you're thinking. Rather clinical sounding headphones. The mids have strange prioritizations and the bass leaves something...

Smooth, good detail, a playful "warm neutral" sound. Not boomy or bloated like Klipsch's lower end IEMs. Quite pleasant. No they're not analytical headphones. No they're not reference headphones. These are not for studio work, they're simply for enjoying music on the go. They will faithfully enough render good recordings with great positional accoustics, and they'll make something salvageable and listenable out of poorly recorded albums and low-fi old mp3s too. Klipsch have carefully removed every frequency that could be irritating, so even Merzbow...

If you've never heard anything other than the cheap crappy headphones that come with your ipod, these will still sound amazing. Real bass! Actual detail in treble! I can't recommend them however. I'm not sure there's anything in this price range yet for IEMs that's acceptable. Headphones are getting cheaper and better over time so it could be something better has come along.   My S4's are trusty little things that still work to this day, unlike my X-10's which broke several months after I got them. They also have a better cable. The rubberized...