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Member Reviews: Superlux HD 681

Sonichedgehog360

Saying Goodbye...

Posted
By Sonichedgehog360

Pros: Single-handedly matches top-shelf performance

Cons: Non-spiffy looks, subpar build quality and comfort

I am already on my way out of the Head-Fi community for personal reasons, but I will add my final contribution with a review of the Superlux HD 681 headphones, knowing full well that I already have gone through and tried over 50 headphones under the $500 mark, I must at least have one thing worth saying. I feel that the Superlux HD681 is that thing, being something that none of the other headphones I have come across can do quite well in terms of dynamics and neutrality. But, before I dive into its own characteristics, I will give some perspective of my headphone history and then I will explain my thoughts on the Superlux headphones to conclude.   Years ago, I started out with...
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spinnin

Remarkable

Posted
By spinnin

Pros: Sound quality, accurate reproduction, comfortable, price

Cons: Not portable, fugly

Reading reviews is one thing, as we all have our own subjective opinions, but when something receives a majority of praise, I think it's worth a try.   When the 681's arrived, I wasn't impressed with the packaging, but they looked as I expected them to look. They feel pretty durable and the look is retro, I can't see myself taking these outside since they don't fold up and they are kind of fugly.   Looks aside, the sound from these is nothing short of amazing.    I'm running them out of my Dell Inspiron 530 desktop (Core 2 Quad) with a Behringer UCA222 in the signal path. The files are all WAV or FLAC.    The 681's are very easy to drive, I...
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Judge Buff

$35 Wonder Cans

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By Judge Buff

Pros: Soundstage, clarity, balanced sig with good bass, price

Cons: They aren't perfect... The ear pads are not the best. Not for the huge-headed, but what cans are?

People are dissing these for their looks?!? If you are buying any full-sized cans because of their sexy factor, you need to reexamine your priorities. If you haven't heard these, I'd bet you take them home when you do. For the tiny bit of $$ you'll pay, these are absolutely the best sounding cans you can purchase. College students, people on fixed-incomes and the thrifty audiophile will especially love these. Replace the pads with velour ones, if you want. The cans will still sound good and they may be more comfortable. As good as they sound and as cheap as they are, who cares how they look? If that's an issue, turn off the light when you listen to them. Lets face it, some Grados look...
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Supertoaster

I am amazed at the value

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By Supertoaster

Pros: Deep sounding bass and lots of detail.

Cons: Earpads are sweaty

I wasn't actually expecting much when I bought these but I was wrong. The bass is nice, and rumbly. You can really 'feel' it. The mids are great. The highs are a tad harsh and need a little bit of an EQ. They look cheapish and the the materials are also cheap looking. However these are very sturdy and light. The isolation is what you'd expect for an open headphone   At $35 you cannot really complain about anything. I recommend these headphones 
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CashNotCredit

Perfect for iBuditis sufferers and headfiers with a bit of pocket change.

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By CashNotCredit

Pros: Cheap. Gigantic soundstage. Excellent mids. Punchy bass. Easy to drive. Do well with EQ. Comfortable. Has dozens of modifications.

Cons: Piercing highs. Will not satisfy bassheads without EQ. Look kind of stupid. Semi-open design makes for a good deal of leakage.

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 of this song's drums, making this much more obvious than my Audio-Technica ATH-M50s (yeah, sure, open vs. closed...
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ravefire

Great Value Headphones

Posted
By ravefire

Pros: bass response, design, value

Cons: K240 "knockoffs", plasticy

Here's a bargain bin favorite that has withstood the tests of time. It may remind you of value headphone (the AKG k240) but before you label it some cheap knockoff, take some time to give it a listen. No, the Superlux does not outdo its AKG brethren, but instead offers a bassier, "fun" sound that is perfect for the $37 asking price. (Also, I cannot speak about packaging I tried the headphones off a friend)   Appearance/Build: In terms of originality, this is a complete failure. But that aside, these headphones will look polarizing to any non-dedicated audiophile. That being said, let's face it: the K240 is probably one of the better looking studio headphones out there, and...
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SanjiWatsuki

The Bar is Set for Sub-$40 Performance

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By SanjiWatsuki

Pros: Nicely tight bass, excellent articulation for the price, better than expected isolation

Cons: Piercingly bright. Red accents are not my thing. Does not resolve sound as well as much more expensive headphones.

For a while, I was going out and buying all of the little Flavor of the Month headphones, searching for that actual "giant killer." Some of them I found to be pretty solid, others I was a little disappointed that there was so much hype for them. The one FotM trend that I found the most interesting, though, were the East Asian headphones that copied the designs of other companies and then put out a sound beyond their price -- companies like Superlux and Takstar. What attracted me to the Superlux HD 681s were the measurements that Tyll had on them from Inner Fidelity -- flat response, low price, high value sound. I bought them and they didn't disappoint.   The design felt solid,...
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crinacle

Superlux HD681F: Live performer

Posted
By crinacle

Pros: Extremely clear sound, excellent soundstaging, comfortable

Cons: Big... prepare for the tang of guilt when you realise how much you paid for it

Superlux HD681F vs Audio Technica M50 vs Superlux HD668B
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Coach-Z

great cheap first real headphone

Posted
By Coach-Z

Pros: Dirt cheap...

Cons: Design... not that cool looking...

Had them for week now.   I have nothing to compare them to, other than my cheap no name gaming headphones, but the kick the cr@p out of those...   So cheap, you worry about shipping cost ;-)
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Where to Buy It

Amazon.comSuperlux HD 681 Dynamic Semi-Open Headphones at Amazon.com$29.76See It »
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