iFROGZ Ear Pollution Mogul
 
Price $49.99
 
Source Win 7[Foobar2000 WASAPI] -> oDac -> MonoPrice Premium Coaxial Cables -> Matrix M Stage [0 db Gain Lme 49990 OpAmp]
 
Compared against modified Audio Technica w1000x
 
My next step up in audiophila was from my little 30mm Sony's to a big ole 50mm BASS HEAD CAN, and sadly I listened to everything on those headphones. Non the less, Bass Head cans tend to be darker in sound signature and are usually have a focus on the bass and treble [the lower priced ones of course.] Still though, some low end bass head cans do everything well with a darker heavy sound! That being said, let's see how Ear Pollutions "Elite" sounds! Also to be noted, I spent about 6 months with a Sony XB 700 as my main headphone! So I have a bit of a soft spot for these bass heavy all arounders.
 
Build [2/5]
Pretty heavy, plastic but with chrome like accents. Visually the look good, and they feel a little cheap in the hands. Non the less, the head phone mouths are rather big and have spring loaded springs! Putting them on my head, they make a creaking sound... something that just feels and sound weak... so I'm being extra careful. Build is about as nice as the $30 Sony ZX300 where. But for the price... I want something that feels a little sturdier. The cord, also feels like... an old Windows 97 headphone. It's thick but the jack looks and feels so old school. There is however, a nice gold plated 1/4" adapter!
 
Specs
50mm driver
32 Ohm Impedance
115db Sensitivity
10-30,000k response
 
Ease of Use [Comfort/Fit/Isolation] [3.5/5]
The Fit is... sufficient. Isolation is not how ever, the ear pads while comfy sit on the ears not over. In addition the springs keep the pads some what angled against your ears. Back to the fit, it was simple. Adjust the head band and slap em on! Something the w1000x does NOT have going for it. Very easy to use! For the comfort, the ear pads are a little stiff, and the clamp is pretty strong... which can be a good or bad thing.
 
Sound Signature and Character
 
            Sound Stage:  Not small, doesn't suffer from congestion. Rather the bass bleeds so heavily into the sound it feels like a bath tub! Tubular sound stage!
            Sound Signature- Very Dark, very bass heavy. Upper mids have a nice body to them although. Not a warm headphone either, really nothing but bass.  Terrible   
 
Songs
 
1 - Lisa Ekdahl _ Of My Conceit
 
A vocal jazz piece, Lisa's voice is the main focus. Yet behind her is a lovely piano and a delicate guitar strumming! The piano provides a nice upper Mid and Treble balance, while the guitar provides lower mids and some bass. Both of these elements compliment Lisa's voice. A song best on a warm neutral can, a larger sound stage is excellent with this song as well!
 
            Treble- Very Recessed, a little hollow as well. Lacking extension and air... no sparkle either.
            Mids- Upper mids seem to maintain some body, but the lower mids are more dominant. There is however a nice separation between the lows and highs, even within the mids. Still the lower mids are very thick... yet not intimate.
            Bass- Over powered and absolutely bloated. lot's of body in the bass!
2- Skotein [Braxton Burks] Battle VS Trainer
 
Classical rendering of an old chip tune, track features heavy focus on mids with sparkles of lower treble and high energy cymbals. Another song benefitting from a larger sound stage and a well balanced head phone. The bass provides a sturdy body for the song. Very faint yet with a tight presence. Piano riffs, heavy string presence throughout and occasional woodwind and horns segments demand a tight punchy mid range. As a whole the song has it's focus on a constant shift from lower to upper mids and treble. With some darker and brighter bars through out as well, but always a shift up and down! A very high energy song.
 
            T- Again, the treble is drowned out by the lower mids and bass.
            M- In this mid heavy song... the cans don't sound to bad... still very bloated and nothing really shines. The mids aren't ugly but they are veiled. 
            B- Too strong. Having listened to them for about 12 mins... I'm finding it hard to notice the tight bass of the w1000x in this track... a bass overload for sure from these headphone!
 
3- Various_ Shooting Star and Airship [Monster Hunter 3 (tri) Ost
 
An Asian influenced  orchestral, strong focus on wood winds and earthy drums! This tune is more focused on it's mids. Beautiful woodwinds and a deep earthy bass drum drive this song forward. A twang of eastern guitars and horns also compliment the piece. A smaller sound stage is a little more forgiving hear, in addition both darker and brighter cans will do well with this song.
 
            T- Same as before, very recessed and drowned out.
            M- Lower Mids are lost in bass, woodwinds again though have a little body to them! So the upper mids still hold out some what well again'st that Bass
            B- Like a wall. A big bloated wall.
4- Nu Tone- Mission Control
 
Pretty straight forward Drum n Bass tune. A lovely mid heavy intro with a light piano piece enjoys a nice mid can. Yet the prevailing tick of cymbals and high frequencies combined with a deep heavy bass line, allow the song to really shine on a more extreme [ reflective of a V shaped Frequency response]  sound signature! Both the treble and the bass are the stars of this tune!
 
            T- Even with something as treble heavy as Nu Tone, these cans still sound recessed and veiled.
            M- Gone
            B- Still a flabby wall, nice rumble from the bass yet lacking any kind of refinement
 
5- Adele_ Someone Like You
 
A well known song, the vocals here are they key! In fact I never liked Adele until I listened to her through the w1000x. Her voice has so many layers to it, as does her music. Again another mid heavy song, with yet another piano. The combination of mids and highs is important. Adele's voice can peak thought the song and a sibilant can will surely ruin the mood of the song when it does. Not forgetting the bass in her vocals as well!
 
            T- Even with something as treble heavy as Nu Tone, these cans still sound recessed and veiled.    
            M- Gone, Adele's voice is just bass... icky. These things have some serious lower mid resonance as well... they don't honk but the lower mids bark I guess you could say.
            B- Nothing but...
 
6- 3nd_ Algorythm      
 
Great tune from a Japanese Rock band, wonderful energy and great layering. A nice high energy rock tune. The kick of the drums and the clash of the cymbals, combined with sweet guitar mids and a mellow bass line. The bass in particular shifts a lot, the skilled bassists really shows off from time to time, combined with dual guitar tracks. Balance is a great benefit, as is a good sound stage to this song.
            T- It's still there some where...
            M- Actually the guitar, has a good sound to it, the low tones and the upper mids are quite nice... until the bass guitar starts and it's lost
            B-. another flabby wall, can barely hear the tone changes. Just tubular oomph
 
                        6a- Red Hot Chili Peppers Hard To Concentrate 
 
                                    Another rock song, this a classic Red Hot Chili Peppers Tune actually sounds great with both wide and small headphones. The slower song also enjoys a tighter quicker headphone as well as a more mellow one! A song as versatile as the many headphones they are surely played through. Anthony's voice sounds great on a thicker mid heavy can with a little mid bass hump to thicken his voice, in addition Flea's bass is enjoyed on a thicker can, it's a simple bass line. Not to punchy either. John's guitar can also be a great focal piece, as it dominates the upper mids along with Anthony's voice. Lastly the tick of Chad's drum line is simple. A dark or bright can will do it justice. Again as a whole this song really changes depending on the sound signature of the equipment used! Darker cans will have a focus on the bass line and vocals, while brighter cans will enjoy the vocals and guitar. As always a balanced can allows every instrument to shine and adds to the wonderfully simple nature of the song!
 
T-Same as before, very recessed and drowned out.
M- For a song that loves cheap cans... it still hates these. Anthony's voice still carrys emotion, but again the lower tones and that bass ruin it.  Still Jhon's guitar has good tone! Such a shame it's lost in the vocals
B- Resonated and just a wall of ugly.
 
7- Jus Now_Jouvay
 
A very Caribbean Dub Step Track, captures all the tropical energy of the Caribbean with that grungy classic UK Dub Step sound!
 
            T- Gone
            M- Gone as well
            B- This song has one of the TIGHTEST bass lines... yet even that tight pass loses it's punch in these tubular cans.
 
 
Sound [1.5/5]
 
Treble [1/5]- Gone
 
Mids [2/5]- If you have a song with NO bass, these might be enjoyable for the upper mids alone!
 
Bass [1/5] - There's LOTS of it and really nothing but bass.  
 
[size=11.5pt]Conclusion-[/size]
 
I'm half tempted to drive BACK to Wal Mart now just to return these gawd awful things... I would usually wait till after work but these are just horrible. I really do try to find the positive in all headphones! The Sony XZ300 had some real positives! These how ever do not... a $50 "Elite" out beaten by a low end Sony... if you own these... buy a pair of Sony ZX300s and enjoy your music!
 
In addition, the bass overload has still rattled my brain... will take a few days to be able to hear the wonderful details in my music again...