Bass (5/5): The best aspect of the headphones. The bass is extremely hard, fat, boomy, but not very fast. The bass has enough power to vibrate the whole entire enclosure of the drivers and even the top headband. It delivers high amounts of quantity while still focusing on quality. It has a mid-bass hump and can go down extremely low without bottoming out. According to freq response graphs, the AH-D1100'S trail just behind the Sony XB Series and obliterate the crap Beats By Dr.Dre Solo's. The bass can be a extreme problem though, when rock and jazz are playing it has way too much mid/high bass. The equalizer has to be toned down a-lot. For hip-hop, electronic, etc the AH-D1100'S will impress even the most extreme bass-head.
Mids (4/5): Amazingly even with the heavy bass, It rarely bleeds into the mid-range. The midrange is never very revealing or quiet. Sometimes I feel the mids sound boring. However Vocals sound very close and alive.
Highs: (3.75/5): The highs have a bit of sparkle but tend to roll off early. The highs are dark and fall lower than neutral. I noticed more sibilance in vocals with the AH-D100's too. The highs are not that bad, but it isn't excellent either.
Soundstage/Separation (4/5): Fairly wide soundstage with O.K layering and separation. The headphones give you the feeling like you are in front of the stage at a live concert, next to the singer and drums. The drums sound over-emphasized sometimes though. Anything requiring large soundstage like orchestra sounds good but not the best. During movies/games I was clearly able to hear where footsteps were, where bullets were coming from, where explosions came from, etc. Not very accurate however but still pretty good.
Comfort (4/5): For reference, I have a average sized head, (7 3/8 U.S. Hat size). The clamping pressure is a bit hard but never is too much. I have worn the headphones constantly for 3 hours and noticed little comfort issues. Weight is very minimal thanks to plastic/aluminum. You will know the headphones are on your head but they will not bother you with comfort at all.
Build quality: (3/5): Full plastic and aluminum. Very little metal. The headphones don't feel very cheap but just don't feel or look like a $200 product. I dropped them a couple times on hard concrete, never broke. Owning the AH-D1100's for over 9 months I noticed hairline small cracks in the plastic band after 4 months. Once it hit the 6 month mark it got bigger. Once 8 months had passed the cracks began to almost be half-way across the band. Not very impressed.
Noise cancelation (4.75/5): Blocks out a-lot of noise. With volume at 70% I can not hear people talking to me, cars passing by, ambient noises or anything unless someone is revving up a chain-saw.
Other thoughts: Only 32ohms, driven by my iPod and laptop easily. With amplification bass response was louder and more controlled. Little or no differences did I hear in the highs/mids/etc.
Well for anyone who enjoys extreme bass while wanting to keep portability the AH-D1100's will leave you happy. With equalization you can bring the headphone's to life. Reducing the bass and upping the treble really make them sound a-lot better. |
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