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Hisoundaudio Live Earbud Quick Review
Thanks to Advanced Headphones www.advancedheadphones.co.uk for the samples (AMP3’s sister site)
Brief: Earbuds that came with the Studio
Price: I’m told circa UD$80
Specification: Erm no idea I’m afraid.
Accessories: Just a nice little case but what else would you need.
Build Quality: They are made of metal and feel pretty solid things, build seems top notch.
Isolation: None whatsoever, they are buds.
Microphonics: None.
Comfort/Fit: Well my ears really don’t like them; in all fairness they haven’t liked any buds I’ve tried in the past either. Today I’ve had them in my eras about 30 min and my ears are already hurting but if you are used to buds then you know what to expect.
Aesthetics: Hmm, so so. They are attractive and well designed but I just don’t find myself thinking “oooh pretty.” They are nice.
Sound: Now I don’t really have a lot of experience with earbuds, of course I’ve I had ibuds but since then the any set I’ve owned was a pair of Sennheiser MX760, supposedly pretty good for buds. I absolutely hated them, so much so I gave them away. My first thoughts of the Live’s were oh buds, bass falls off a cliff low down which sadly still happens here. There is just no way around that given their open nature but otherwise these sound pretty good. The bass does hold its own reasonably well and your ears pretty quickly get used to there being nothing right down low. Most bass sounds pretty good being very nicely controlled with enough impact to sound right. Mids are clean and open if a tiny bit recessed. Great transparency. Highs are pretty good too, a good degree of control and delicacy to them and no grit or harshness at all. There is no doubt that as buds go these obliterate the MX760’s and the things apple abuse their customers with. I kinda like them.
On the box it labels them as “Audiophile grade earphones.” I have no problem with assertation. They are pretty well balanced and pretty detailed.
Value: This is a hard one for me. I find buds to be fundamentally flawed and desperately uncomfortable, I cannot for one moment imagine ever picking buds over IEM’s or anything else. So I can’t say I think I could ever suggest to anyone to spend US$80 on these than say a pair of M3 or RE-0 or anything else. That aside, if you want buds then for the money these hold their own pretty well. Lows don’t go super deep but everything else is easily beyond the buds that people commonly deal with. The construction too must weigh in as they are clearly solid little doo dahs, I think if you sat on these it’s more like to hurt you than break them.
Pro’s: Clarity and transparency, buds that actually sound good if you like buds.
Con’s: They are buds, to me as comfortable as sticking razor blades in my ears.
