Edifier K180

Edifier K180 Communicator Earbud





In many ways the Edifier H180 is a classic. As of 2017, they have been around for four years, earning a nice reputation at Head-Fi. The slightly different K180 Communicator model comes with a laughably long 7 foot cord and separate mini plug for the inline microphone. After listening to both, the short cord standard H180 and this K180, I could not tell the difference between the sound of the two models, even with the K180's slider volume control. I ended choosing the K180 as I like having long cords for home use. Also against my better audiophile judgment the inline volume slider-remote happened to be a useful feature, gasp!




Specifications
* Frequency Response: 20Hz~20KHz
* Impedance: 32 Ohm
* Sound Pressure Level (SPL): 100dB
* Connector: 3.5mm stereo X2
* Cable Length: 2m.





Starting in 2014 the H180 started to gain traction in Head-fi threads as a great value. With prices ranging anywhere from $7 to $17 it gained popularity as a great budget earbud offering a renowned level of bass. Even today it gets recommended often to folks looking for a V signature, rarely offered in the standard mid-centric earbud community.

It turns out that the H180 has become one of the most famous earbuds for an aftermarket cable change out, with a number of companies offering recabled H180s as a way to tweek the sound into a more audiophile direction. Note pictures with company names shown below.








Construction:


The Plugs:
As shown we are provided with a low-cost but nice gold-plated mini plug and a separate mini plug cord for the microphone.



The Cable:
Nothing remarkable though closer inspection shows nice strain-relief details at the volume-wand.

The Earbuds:
Probably the standout detail here would be the sound holes in front of the driver. Close inspection shows the actual sound holes to be alarmingly small. The headphones sound fine, still the diameter of the sound holes are a first in my collection. On a practical note it seems only the smallest of dirt particles could make their way into the driver area, if any at all?

The earphones themselves show a high luster finish, which is never possible with normal plastic, making me guess we have a painted surface which may come off in time like paint on cheap sunglasses? Only time will tell?



Foamies:
Sound wise, the included white/clear full foam covers are a real let-down. So much so that I found the K180s to be completely lacking in treble detail. The treble detail was lacking to such an extent, I questioned anyone even liking the K180s in the first place. Black donut foamies saved the day. This may sound silly and totally audiophile, but the change to different foam covers make a huge difference here, maybe more than any one set of earbuds I have tested? Red foamies are not recommended with white earbuds, as many may have already have found out the red dye will quickly make your white earbuds pink. In ending, I would suggest anyone to try an assortment of foamies and try to dial in a signature to their taste. For myself the stock full foam covers caused not only a dramatic reduction in treble detail but created a woolly distortion in a couple areas of the midrange. The application of different foam covers should show a dramatic effect in regards to sound reproduction here. These effects could be the difference in a person liking the K180s or putting them in the trash. And to think that many are only going to be only equipped with the single awful set provided with the earbuds is something to contemplate?

Size:
These have a slightly larger size driver diameter, but the side profile is dramatically thin allowing an easy fit. In my uses I twist the driver housing to get a tighter fit across the outside of my ear, thus increasing detail and bass. It's not always possible to perform this fitting completely with thicker earbuds like the Mr.Z Ting, but slim profile earbuds like the Edifier K180 are an easy fit. As guessed they are incredibly low weight making the overall feel superbly nice!


The H180s actually have a large reputation with being an easy fit and comfortable wearing experience.

The Sound:

Soundstage:
Here is maybe the single greatest aspect of the K180s and it helps really separate the Edifiers way ahead in the budget earbud race. A lovely big soundstage which allows for what detail there is to be fully grasped.

Bass:
As far as well known earbuds, these get consistently recommended as great in the bass department. My Cubu earbuds go lower and even the Mr.Z Tings go lower. Though the bass IS decent. But..........when listening to EDM it's easily noticeable where the K180s are going to roll off the bass. So it's not just a question of getting a better semi-airtight fit with foamies, the bass is engineered to roll off, getting us a less than dramatic thud in those special EDM songs we know so very well. Still as far as reputations go, the K180s and H180s are known for a more than flat but V signature and as a whole that is exactly what they do. For many listeners with a collection of mid-centric earbuds the Edifiers will perform and deliver the goods to a large extent. Still we must examine the user group here and realize most earbud listeners are not expecting earth whacking bass, but purchase earbuds with other ideas of sound in mind. My only critical concern here is that yes the bass is defined in the soundstage but it's just not holding a boatload of detail.

Midrange:
As far as the Classic V signature the midrange is pulled back only slightly. The elephant in the room here is these are for the most part warm sounding earbuds. Still their greatest redeeming quality (besides soundstage) is the forward tone found in both male and female vocals. Getting slowly into earbuds apposed to IEMs or full-size cans, my biggest earbud gripe has been lost vocal authority. Most of the time I can deal with a range of signature personalities, but a real party stopper is when the vocals are either thin or placed way too far back in the presentation. With the original included foam covers the K180s were guilty of far back displaced vocals, but the solution of donut foamies brings everything together well. It's also a nice feature in audio when a warm signature is able to do vocals just right. Most of the time we find bright headphones which do vocals with ease and dark or warm headphones which struggle to make make vocals fun. Though it's the K/H180s ability to do it all which has made it the audiophile legend that it is today. The signature is just a good all-rounder which will play rock and metal just as nice as classical. EDM is enjoyable and fun, though as noted much of the lower bass notes are left missing. Much of the time a boost in the lower midrange can help earbuds derive a steady flow of bass driving energy and make it all work-out in the end.

Treble:
Without even thinking about it most of us instantly feel when treble detail is lacking, congested or too bright. As it turns out the magic in this whole tuning game is to get the treble bright enough to shine through, but tame enough not to be shrill or strident. It's this fine line we are listening for as some areas of a particular song can be correct and other areas ....hot with some earbuds. Many listeners can tolerate bright treble but getting it right is a challenge and a key to an earbud model getting widespread acceptance. Truth to be told these are not going to floor anyone with spectacular treble detail or treble soundstage. In fact they just get there in the treble department. Laid-back is a good term for the treble here. Still it's not muddy or boring, just not really sparkly or spectacularly audiophile. Probably this bread and water treble is where many opinions, good or bad are going to be made on the K180s. Still what treble is pushed out into the mix is nice and entertaining. I like slightly dark earbuds so I don't have an issue with the treble at all, though there are many more choices for the standard audiophile treble detail, as you could guess. Still getting this whole package of sound for $7 is a profound joy. If you gel with the treble then it's the kind of earbud you want to go around your neighborhood and introduce to people.

Sound In Conclusion:
For starters I always guessed maybe the K180 would scale up with better home equipment and they do to a point. They are a great value if a buyer uses them straight out of a computer like they were made for. Used with a mobile device like a phone or DAP they work well and offer a tremendous value. They are not the end-all statement in detail, but offer a well rounded musicality and soundstage which makes them easily a daily go to earbud. Even with this slight loss of detail the soundstage somehow corrects everything, making the K180s a simple joy to own. All this experience so far has me wondering about the numerous recable Edifier H/K180s for sale and if a different cable has the potential to milk even more detail and maybe brighten up the listening experience? I kind of know what my next earbud purchase is going to be!

Ending Thoughts:
At times I may sound critical on the Edifiers bass detail or sound detail in general. To put it all in prospective I'm doing comparisons to a wide range of headphones with price really not even a factor, when in reality price is a factor. If I had $7-$17 and could only have one earbud for all genres and equipment set-ups, the H180 or K180 would most likely be my choice.

Disclaimer:
Everyone has unique taste in what sounds good to them. Your millage may vary. This is simply one persons idea of how a set of earbuds sound. Cables and cable upgrades are at times noted as an improvement and at times a wash. I'm not endorsing nor going against benefits of a cable change. I'm simply offering a fact that many seem to have noticed improvements in sound quality due to the H180s having upgraded cables. Your results may vary.




Equipment Used:
iPad Mini
iPhone 4
iPod Touch Generation Five
DACMagic Plus by Cambridge Audio
Schiit Audio Asgard One


Music Used:
44.1kHz-16bit FLAC
320 MP3









http://bengkelmacro.com/v2/