Superlux HD381 Series - Mini Review & Comparisons - Page 5

I listen to metal primarily, and I've extensively listened to all three 381 variants. The 318F is the best for metal, it has the most space/air with just the right amount of bass that for double bass assault IMO.

Incidentally, you can audition the three variants all you want either at Egghead Robinsons Galleria or at Cutting Edge Gilmore, so you can decide for yourself on which one would suit your preferences best (I'm assuming you live in Metro Manila).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azathoth 

I listen to metal primarily, and I've extensively listened to all three 381 variants. The 318F is the best for metal, it has the most space/air with just the right amount of bass that for double bass assault IMO.

 

Incidentally, you can audition the three variants all you want either at Egghead Robinsons Galleria or at Cutting Edge Gilmore, so you can decide for yourself on which one would suit your preferences best (I'm assuming you live in Metro Manila).

Hello sir Azathoth the boss of metal  I have conversed with you also in some threads in headphiles.. Thank you for that insight. Unfortunately im from Laguna i rly want to visit Egghead sometime.. In the meantime, can you tell me the sound sig of the 381? and the 381b? Im confused right now because some like the 381b, some like the 381, but most prefer the 381f.. they said the 381f is mid centric and good for vocals but may be harsh or bright. the said the 381b lack bass but is good in highs. and the 381 is the most bassy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stefanolandesca 

Hello sir Azathoth the boss of metal  I have conversed with you also in some threads in headphiles.. Thank you for that insight. Unfortunately im from Laguna i rly want to visit Egghead sometime.. In the meantime, can you tell me the sound sig of the 381? and the 381b? Im confused right now because some like the 381b, some like the 381, but most prefer the 381f.. they said the 381f is mid centric and good for vocals but may be harsh or bright. the said the 381b lack bass but is good in highs. and the 381 is the most bassy.

I can only speak for the 381F... to my ears (neutral to analytical preference) it is neither harsh nor bright. It's one of the best balanced tonalities in any in-ear at any price. On the technical side, yes, there are plenty of earphones that top it, but its tonal balance is still one of my favorites, despite the fact that I've heard many more high end products since I last had it. Even the Brainwavz Beta, which is very similar, is not as good in my view.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomscy2000 

I can only speak for the 381F... to my ears (neutral to analytical preference) it is neither harsh nor bright. It's one of the best balanced tonalities in any in-ear at any price. On the technical side, yes, there are plenty of earphones that top it, but its tonal balance is still one of my favorites, despite the fact that I've heard many more high end products since I last had it. Even the Brainwavz Beta, which is very similar, is not as good in my view.

How about these compared to the GR07? Hmm.. it seems like im going for the kill on 381F.. can it be good for bass heavy tracks also? I sometimes listen to trance and house like Kaskade too when im not in the mood for metal..we all felt that sometimes hehe..

In general, can it be a good all rounder? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by stefanolandesca 

How about these compared to the GR07? Hmm.. it seems like im going for the kill on 381F.. can it be good for bass heavy tracks also? I sometimes listen to trance and house like Kaskade too when im not in the mood for metal..we all felt that sometimes hehe..

In general, can it be a good all rounder? 

Well, if you can get it, the GR07 is definitely the superior earphone. It was the first IEM I had that I could definitively say trumped the 381F in every manner. Even then, the 381F held its own, mostly because of its scalability with an amp, more so than the GR07. The problem for me with the 381F is the bass speed. It can't keep up with fast dynamic drivers like the one in the GR07 or the RE0. If you're picky about PRaT, then the entire 381 series probably falls behind when it comes to fast passages. However, don't let that deter you from buying it for other purposes, especially if you don't need isolation. It's truly a great earphone; a bit too poorly built, but sonically beautiful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomscy2000 

So I've had them for a couple weeks now, and just wanted to share some new thoughts.

 

Firstly, I want to say that the HD381 line is a 'clone' of the Sony MDR-EX90LP; I put the word "clone" in quotes because I actually believe that Superlux is the OEM/ODM for the big companies (Beyerdynamic, AKG, Audio-Technica, Sony, etc.) that it supposedly 'rips off' of.

 

I have little basis for this statement other than the fact that Superlux, on the Traditional Chinese version of its website, proclaims itself as a longtime major OEM/ODM company, but otherwise, these big companies surely would've put the hurt on Superlux by now with lawsuits and the like. Mind you, Superlux is not a Chinese company immune from IP infrigement because of loopy communist laws, but a Taiwanese company merely with operations in China; Taiwanese companies are much more susceptible to issues of infrigement.

Not good logic.

1. Having products that vaguely look alike another companies but are not clones is not IP infringement. For example, a bunch of other respectable companies make Submariner-ish watches and have done for decades - and there is nothing Rolex can do about this. The broad outlines of a design are not IP protected (and if they were, Rolex would have trouble itself.)

2. An OEM making lookalike products to those it produces is likely to lose its OEM deals. It is more vulnerable, not less.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scuttle 

Not good logic.

 

1. Having products that vaguely look alike another companies but are not clones is not IP infringement. For example, a bunch of other respectable companies make Submariner-ish watches and have done for decades - and there is nothing Rolex can do about this. The broad outlines of a design are not IP protected (and if they were, Rolex would have trouble itself.)

 

2. An OEM making lookalike products to those it produces is likely to lose its OEM deals. It is more vulnerable, not less.

There's a reason I put the words 'clone' and 'rips off' in quotes; if you read carefully, I'm defending Superlux. At the time of the publishing of this review (two years ago), a lot of members thought that Superlux merely copied the designs of the likes of AKG and Audio-Technica, when in fact, they very well could have been the original design owners. That's all I'm saying. The statements I made are in agreement with you, so I would advise that you read a bit more carefully before attacking someone else's posts.

Hey dont fight guys.. just keep your cool 

Tomscy2000, thank you for replying..what is PRaT btw? sorry for being a noob..

Can you please describe me the sound sig of each? the 381, 381b and the 381f?

Do you think the same way as Azathoth that the 381f is the best for metal?

I like my metal to have deep punchy bass but also good mids and highs.. so im considering the 381, and 381b also..

Quote:

Originally Posted by stefanolandesca 

Hey dont fight guys.. just keep your cool 

 

Tomscy2000, thank you for replying..what is PRaT btw? sorry for being a noob..

 

Can you please describe me the sound sig of each? the 381, 381b and the 381f?

 

Do you think the same way as Azathoth that the 381f is the best for metal?

 

I like my metal to have deep punchy bass but also good mids and highs.. so im considering the 381, and 381b also..

Haha, I'm plenty calm. I will definitely defend my own writing if I know I'm in the right, though. The person somehow decided something I had written in a separate thread had to be quoted and thrown into this thread, almost as though to provoke or to discredit me. I can't imagine you would take kindly to actions like that, either. However, I'm comfortable with defending things that I write, and with admitting to mistakes in my writing, if I do so happen to make some.

I wouldn't worry about PRaT... it's some random, abstract term that audio enthusiasts like to use to as a contraction to "pace, rhythm, and timing", basically trying to describe if an earphone can keep up with the music and sound good. It's sort of random crap, but people throw around the term anyway, so I use it sometimes to help better get my point across.

Again, I can't really speak for the others; I've only owned the 381F, and listened to the 381 for about 10 seconds. Thus, I can't really make a true comparison. I assume that the differences the OP listed in his comparison should suffice. I haven't read through it in a while, though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomscy2000 

Haha, I'm plenty calm. I will definitely defend my own writing if I know I'm in the right, though. The person somehow decided something I had written in a separate thread had to be quoted and thrown into this thread, almost as though to provoke or to discredit me. I can't imagine you would take kindly to actions like that, either. However, I'm comfortable with defending things that I write, and with admitting to mistakes in my writing, if I do so happen to make some.

 

I wouldn't worry about PRaT... it's some random, abstract term that audio enthusiasts like to use to as a contraction to "pace, rhythm, and timing", basically trying to describe if an earphone can keep up with the music and sound good. It's sort of random crap, but people throw around the term anyway, so I use it sometimes to help better get my point across.

 

Again, I can't really speak for the others; I've only owned the 381F, and listened to the 381 for about 10 seconds. Thus, I can't really make a true comparison. I assume that the differences the OP listed in his comparison should suffice. I haven't read through it in a while, though.

So thats what PRaT is.. how about IIRC what does it mean? haha do i look like a total idiot now..

So what can you say about the sound sig of the 381f?

Quote:

Originally Posted by stefanolandesca 

So thats what PRaT is.. how about IIRC what does it mean? haha do i look like a total idiot now..

So what can you say about the sound sig of the 381f?

IIRC = If I recall correctly

The 381F is the most balanced of all the three variants and is not harsh or bright by a long shot. I was actually tempted to buy one as a backup pair to use at the gym. Why not get that and the 381 as well? The 381F will do for tech death, prog and thrash metal while the 381's darker sig is a great match for doom and sludge metal. To answer your other question, the GR07 (which I have as my main IEM) has a cooler, drier tonality. The GR07 is unmatched IMO for metal guitar tone and the distinctive snap of drum hits and pummelling double bass - I prefer it even over top-tier universals that i've tried like the SE535, IE8, FX700, UM3X, etc.

But then again it's an unfair comparison as the GR07 is that much more expensive. 

wow, that was detailed thanks sir ^^, some friend is selling me a GR07 for 6k is that a fair price if i may ask?

what does it mean to have a dry tonality?

it seems the 381f is the way to go..problem is i am in the mood for some trance/techno/house music sometime. is tha bass enough for this? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azathoth 

 

 

IIRC = If I recall correctly

 

The 381F is the most balanced of all the three variants and is not harsh or bright by a long shot. I was actually tempted to buy one as a backup pair to use at the gym. Why not get that and the 381 as well? The 381F will do for tech death, prog and thrash metal while the 381's darker sig is a great match for doom and sludge metal. To answer your other question, the GR07 (which I have as my main IEM) has a cooler, drier tonality. The GR07 is unmatched IMO for metal guitar tone and the distinctive snap of drum hits and pummelling double bass - I prefer it even over top-tier universals that i've tried like the SE535, IE8, FX700, UM3X, etc.

 

But then again it's an unfair comparison as the GR07 is that much more expensive. 

     Quote:

Originally Posted by stefanolandesca 

wow, that was detailed thanks sir ^^, some friend is selling me a GR07 for 6k is that a fair price if i may ask?

what does it mean to have a dry tonality?

it seems the 381f is the way to go..problem is i am in the mood for some trance/techno/house music sometime. is tha bass enough for this? 

 

The GR07 is SG$ 206 brand new at lendmeurears.com which is about Php 7,000 based on the current exchange rate - you decide if that's a good deal or not. :)

The only way you can really find out if the bass is enough for you, is to audition all three variants at a store that has them (as I previously posted). I can't speak for your preferences but I find the 381F's bass sufficient for all genres I listen to.
 

I just looked up the exchange rate... 6000 PHP is about $140 USD, which is basically as low as you can buy it in China as well, so that is a good deal. If you can find it at <$150 USD, then it's a good deal.

Anyone try the HD386 yet?..http://www.superlux.com.tw/productInfo.do?pdctid=855e38dc-a684-4fe9-9a5d-4e8349d7b5bd&pdkid=3a182f85-9464-41bf-b4c7-d618102f84ac&level=2&lv0=1