[tomscy2000]

  I was thinking more like 60€ = 82$.  For me HD681EVO was flop. If HD685 does not bring atleast HD681 audio quality in cloed back probably not worth it.

 
That kind of pricing makes sense.
 
I can't say if it's better than the 681EVO because I've never listened to that model (just held it), but I can say with certainty that this is a better-built model, and far better-looking than anything they've ever released.
 
With that being said, the HD685, to me, is a pleasant sounding headphone, though it's difficult for me to gauge where it sits on the totem pole because I'm not usually a headphone user (mostly IEMs) so my experience with closed-back headphones is limited. Of the closed back headphones that I've recently auditioned, I don't think it quite matches the M50x in SQ, but it does come close. It's a more musical-sounding headphone at the very least. Again, I prefer sound signatures such as those of the NAD HP50 and Focal Spirit Classic, so YMMV.

 

[Miiksu]

   
That kind of pricing makes sense.
 
I can't say if it's better than the 681EVO because I've never listened to that model (just held it), but I can say with certainty that this is a better-built model, and far better-looking than anything they've ever released.
 
With that being said, the HD685, to me, is a pleasant sounding headphone, though it's difficult for me to gauge where it sits on the totem pole because I'm not usually a headphone user (mostly IEMs) so my experience with closed-back headphones is limited. Of the closed back headphones that I've recently auditioned, I don't think it quite matches the M50x in SQ, but it does come close. It's a more musical-sounding headphone at the very least. Again, I prefer sound signatures such as those of the NAD HP50 and Focal Spirit Classic, so YMMV.

I am now interested superlux's closed back headphones. Probably going to buy soon HD662 (red) and HD669.But HD685 is quite expensive hoping it is not alteast stuffy as HD681EVO was. I like more live (vivid) sound. 

 

[Koolpep]

Guys,
 
I sold 2 Superlux from my collection to make space for the new HD685. The HD661 and HD668B had to go, I kept the HD681EVO and HD681...
 
I was able to secure 2 HD685 via a friend in Taiwan. They are on the way to me right now and should be here Monday/Tuesday...
 
I am VERY excited to hold them in my hands soon....
 
Cheers,
K

 

[GoldenboyXD]

  Guys,
 
I sold 2 Superlux from my collection to make space for the new HD685. The HD661 and HD668B had to go, I kept the HD681EVO and HD681...
 
I was able to secure 2 HD685 via a friend in Taiwan. They are on the way to me right now and should be here Monday/Tuesday...
 
I am VERY excited to hold them in my hands soon....
 
Cheers,
K

Please give us your thoughts and simple review comparison with the 681s and EVOs, i'm looking forward to purchase one in the future for my go to headphones. I'm hoping it would not be as dark sounding as the EVOs and i really like it for movies.

 

[tomscy2000]

Nice! Look forward to hearing those impressions. Sorry if mine weren't so helpful.

 

[Koolpep]

  Please give us your thoughts and simple review comparison with the 681s and EVOs, i'm looking forward to purchase one in the future for my go to headphones. I'm hoping it would not be as dark sounding as the EVOs and i really like it for movies.

 
Will do. Since it will arrive on Monday (most likely) don't expect anything before Tuesday though. I really am looking forward to hear this can. Am expecting a much based on my previous experience with superlux.
 
I have quite a few cans that are way more expensive, the Sennheiser Momentums, HD598, Amperior, Beyerdynamic T90, DT880, DT770 etc. but I also love budget-fi. I really like the 681 EVO, apparently the later ones are much improved from the first batch that was shipped. 
 
Anyhow, I will write down my experiences and short-review. 
 
Cheers,
K

 

[Miiksu]

   
Will do. Since it will arrive on Monday (most likely) don't expect anything before Tuesday though. I really am looking forward to hear this can. Am expecting a much based on my previous experience with superlux.
 
I have quite a few cans that are way more expensive, the Sennheiser Momentums, HD598, Amperior, Beyerdynamic T90, DT880, DT770 etc. but I also love budget-fi. I really like the 681 EVO, apparently the later ones are much improved from the first batch that was shipped. 
 
Anyhow, I will write down my experiences and short-review. 
 
Cheers,
K

Cool! Can't wait Can you take pictures of the drivers? 

 

[ostewart]

Superlux contacted me recently, and have sent me a pair of HD685 to review.
 
Sound is not bad so far, will give impressions soon.
 
But clamp is tight and arms do not extend very far, not good for bigger heads. Also give me a headache after a short while.

 

[threi]

Got my 681 EVO...gotta strongly disagree with the assertion that it's a Dark headphone. The superlux treble is there and in full effect. The treble energy is pretty much equal to my HD668B right now. I will say though, that it does have a bit of a bass boost (I personally like that) and because of that the mids sound a little distant. But I think it's the better all-rounder of a headphone (as is Panasonic HTF-600, which sounds similar but has more forward mids)
 
*note* I don't use the felt pads.

 

[GoldenboyXD]

Removing the felt disc in front of the drivers brings out the highs like the original 681s (and probably like the 668Bs) and it was placed there for a reason to fix the highs. Well, it's very subjective and each person has different ears i guess... Overall, the sound signature is very good and will impress most of the newbies like me. 

 

[ostewart]

I'm probably going to remove the foam on the HD685. It looks great for modding as well.

 

[choLOL]

I found an old HD 681 in my room, but the wire was broken near the left cup. I decided to rewire it to see if it still works. I'm not yet done rewiring because midway the process, I remembered I don't have a spare 3.5mm jack. LOL. So I just twisted the old wires with the new just to see if it still works.
 
Lo and behold, it's alive!

Sounds nice but since the connection wasn't protected, it was a little fuzzy, and very sibilant.

While I was at it, I decided to do some mods as well; foam pad spacers, and inside the cups I put some thin foam to reduce potential unwanted rattling of the plastic parts. I still have to buy the 3.5mm jack, sleeves, shrink wrap; but I'm thinking of rewiring again to give it detachable cables.
 
I accidentally tore off one solder point off the PCB, does anyone know how I can fix it? lol. Due to this damage, I can't do the filter mod.

Oh, and the band in the self adjusting band is cracked in a lot of places due to the heat and humidity here. Does anyone know any material that can replace it? I was thinking of using foam.
 
I'll post all the pictures later when I get a hold of the camera.

 

[DJScope]

  I found an old HD 681 in my room, but the wire was broken near the left cup. I decided to rewire it to see if it still works. I'm not yet done rewiring because midway the process, I remembered I don't have a spare 3.5mm jack. LOL. So I just twisted the old wires with the new just to see if it still works.
 
Lo and behold, it's alive!

Sounds nice but since the connection wasn't protected, it was a little fuzzy, and very sibilant.

While I was at it, I decided to do some mods as well; foam pad spacers, and inside the cups I put some thin foam to reduce potential unwanted rattling of the plastic parts. I still have to buy the 3.5mm jack, sleeves, shrink wrap; but I'm thinking of rewiring again to give it detachable cables.
 
I accidentally tore off one solder point off the PCB, does anyone know how I can fix it? lol. Due to this damage, I can't do the filter mod.

Oh, and the band in the self adjusting band is cracked in a lot of places due to the heat and humidity here. Does anyone know any material that can replace it? I was thinking of using foam.
 
I'll post all the pictures later when I get a hold of the camera.

 
Soldering is pretty easy to fix if you know how to solder. But fixing the headband is a different story.

 

[choLOL]

Yeah, I just soldered everything, but I accidentally tore off one solder point along with the wires attached to it on the pcb off the pcb; the pcb itself is damaged. lol. Wait, let me take the pictures.
 
 
 
edit:
 
the cracked headband - it's about to die on me
   
 
 
the foam spacers: I wanted something like the foam on the Audeze cans, but the 681 pads don't permit it, so voila. Driver > half circle foam > circular foam. The foam I used is pretty thick.
 
 
 

 
 
here's how it is right now. I can't open it. It seems I didn't wait long enough for the glue on the foam to dry enough, so it's stuck. lol.
 
     
 
 
 
here's how I tested if it still worked; I used the 3.5mm jack from the original wire.
 
  

 

[Koolpep]

Ok,
Quick Review of the Superlux HD685
 
I didn't have much time unfortunately so I will rush to the most important parts: Look and Feel and Sound Quality (and a bit of comfort) after around 3 hours with the headphones.
 
Used for review: MBPret, iTunes, Bitperfect, 320kbps Mp3 and ALAC music,  JDS Labs C5D (as DAC/Amp), iBasso DX50 with FW3.0 (source, DAC, Amp),  Bottlehead Crack (with speedball) with Schiit Modi as DAC (only for a brief listen).

---

 
Sound Quality:
 
Let’s get it out of the way: In my mind these are the best sounding Superlux headphones I have heard so far. They have a balanced sound with an emphasis on the bass but not as much as the EVOs. They are clean sounding, relatively flat, lively and musical headphones.
 
Highs:
Clear, I have the impression I hear a tiny bit of sibilance but I could have imagined it, was probably the song. The highs have a touch of graininess to them but in general are very pleasing. Good amount of clarity - non-fatiguing. Good one!!
 
Mids:
Nice, slightly recessed but just a tad. Good one here.
 
Lows:
Well the bass is a bit boomy and plasticky, reminds me of the M50 but with a slightly more pleasant highs. Not as refined as some other headphones. It’s present and maybe a bit less defined as others.
 
Soundstage:
About average for a closed headphone.
 
Overall sound quality comments:
I like the sound. It’s pleasant and non-fatiguing. I compared them to the Momentum-over-ears and they are surprisingly close.
For the price, the sound quality is really good!
 
Comfort:
The ear pads are comfortable, clamping force is very strong. 
 
Look and Feel:
Really nice packaging, though not overly luxurious.
The headphones feel sturdy, well made, all material feels good to the touch and reliable. The hinges and headband seem to be robust to stand the test of time. The ear pads are soft and comfortable though not memory foam. The headband is nicely egg shaped, so nothing pushed on the top of your head, even if yoyo are odd-shaped
 
Everything except the headband interior is made of plastic. Some of it is soft-touch plastic, but everything you see that’s silver is hard-plastic. The cup, driver housing, everything is plastic. How Superlux created this sound quality with a full plastic housing, I don’t know. Ear pads are replaceable. The headphone comes with two cables, one with the usual microphone and remote for phones. I didn’t test the remote cable, I only used the non-remote cable for this review.
 

---

 
Final thoughts:
 
A great headphone. High definition sound it is. I don’t know why, but I expected to be wowed more but I wasn’t. However, the sound quality is really, really good for a headphone in the price range of $80-$100. It surely delivers great quality SOUND. I was surprised about how close the sound quality is to headphones like the Sennheiser Momentum over ear or Audio Technica ATH-M50. 
 
The major downsides are: the clamping force is high (probably can be fixed easily with bending) and the overall appearance of the headphone is matching it’s price. So Superlux punches way above the price range in terms of sound quality but not in overall appearance. There is nothing luxurious or impressive about the headphone from the outside. They are bulky and a bit awkward looking. 
 
They get my recommendation if you look for the best sound quality in this price-range. Just don’t expect giant killers in appearance and build quality.
 

---

 
Photos (click on images to see full size):
 

outside view
 

inside view of the hinge
 
 

 
ear cup and standard Superlux cable connector with 3.5mm plug sticking out the cup, look at how deep the ear cup is (but not the space for your ears)
 

 
ACHTUNG: below here are interior shots, don't look if you have a sensitive stomach. Graphical content.
 
 

Ear pad removed
 
 

 
ear cup housing opened

 

inside the cup, lots of air and empty space, only plastic.
 

the driver
 

the driver in its plastic housing.