Somic HD MH463 Open-air Dynamic Pro Headphones (Black)

UPDATE: After some research seems my pair has different pads which in turn changed the way the sound, that's also why they don't sound like the frequency response graphs I saw on Head-Fi.
For refference I'd like to point you to Z Reviews's Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ4hRrnBn5c
Mine's pads don't look at all like those in the video they are larger (as in they fit all the way around your ears), and there is less space between the driver and your ear with these pads.
As a side note 'Metallica - Sad But True' really showcases the problems these headphones have, at least my pair I don't know if others have the same pads as mine or the pads in the video or even other pads... I guess these headphones are a gamble if you get the good ones or not.
 
UPDATE 2: Apparently disabling 'Set the same volume level for all songs' on Spotify solves MOST of their problems to SOME degree... I don't even... Now they sound pretty decent actually, tho drums are still a bit louder than the rest, but still have ssssssssibilance 
So I guess... if you have murder treble on your headphones disable that? it worked for me 
And so please take my review below as an exageration.
 
As my first review on Head-Fi I'll talk about the 'oh so praised Somic MH463'.
I used them for about a week and a bit and I mean really used them, not 1-2 hours a day.
I will compare them mainly to the Apple EarPods, because those are the (sadly) the best headphones I've had thus far. 
I'd also like to point out that I used the Somics with onboard audio and also an USB Soundcard, the sound was pretty much the same except i could turn them louder on the soundcard if I wanted.
 
Price: Thankfully I got my pair on sale for about $30, so at least I don't feel that bad for buying them.
 
Build Quality: Frankly I think they are built pretty good, and they even look great, the only problem I have is that on the left cup, the material on the ear pad began to peel off near the metal ring, which is weird cuz the right one is perfectly fine, and they are quite heavy I guess.
 
Comfort: Despite being heavy the comfort is on point, the headband has a really nice cushion and the ear pads are really soft and nice. Also I don't know if my ears are that big but the cups seem quite small as an observation.
 
Now for the juiciest part... The Sound Quality!
I've listened to alot of music from Metal to Indie Pop to Electro Rock, basically many rock and electronic genres. 
Now I said at the beginning that I will compare them to the EarPods and so let's begin
 
Lows: The Somics have definitely a tighter and more controlled bass than the EarPods, and you can actually hear the bass guitar pretty nice with these or at least you should be able to if the drums weren't god damn louder than everything!
Now from what I've saw the bass is slightly boosted all the way down to 50hz then it abruptly goes down.
 
Mids:  The vocals and synths that reside in the midrange are subdued comparing them to drums and even bass in general, because of course they are. That is when you don't hear sibilance.
And it only gets worse, the guitars are also subdued probably more than anything, now I am talking about about lead guitars not rhythm guitars those are fine, I guess that is thanks to the dip around 2k
The vocals also feel like they have only a body an high overtones which is what happens actually thanks to the 2k dip.
The EarPods definitely have much better mids with audible full vocals, guitars and synths. 
 
Highs: Now here lies one of the big problems, that being Sibliance but it's not normal sibilance it is mostly on 'sh' or 'f' and less on 's' and while this is annoying this is part of a bigger thing which includes rare harshness/metallic vocals thanks to the 8db peak at around 3-4khz which is also the cause for 'shibliance' and also vocals sounding louder at the beginning and at the end of singing a word from what I've observed while trying to EQ these.
And they have peaks at 5-6k and 11-14k area which adds to the sibliance problem while also being the problem for bloody loud drums and even cymbals in some cases while also making some drums sound tiny.
The Earpods don't have the best highs but they are there and don't have sibliance, better than the Somics.
 
Soundstage & Imaging: They sound wider than the EarPods (as they bloody should) but have worse imaging...
 
I only recommend these headphones if u want to hear drums (also cymbals) and bass above anything else and I mean anything.
If not use the EarPods if u have an iPhone or buy a pair, if u want actual headphones and not earbuds, buy the Sennheiser 202 II they are most likely better than these and cheaper
If not wait till you have more money and buy the Status Audio OB-1 if you want open. CB-1 if you want closed or the ATH M40x 
The Somics are just... not enjoyable you get some detail but its forced, the highs are bad the mids are pretty bad only the bass is good. Ooh and if it ain't obvious they are a nightmare to EQ (Using Equalizer APO)

Introduction
 
Hi! I'm new to Headfi here and this is my second review. I have just recently started to get interested in audio gear and am now trying to find the most cost-effective headphones/iem for people who do not have much money to spend or are not willing to pay so much for a headphone/iem. I listen mostly to electronic music, ranging from typical house bangers to hardcore drum and bass to ambient to trance. I listen to both mainstream and underground music.  I'm also a pretty hardcore fps gamer and play games most of the time and I listen to music on the go. I do my listening tests on a Sound Blaster Z with Foobar2000 as my audio player. I use only FLAC and ASIO is used as my output.
 
Accessories and Specifications
 
Driver diameter:                 Φ50mm
Impedance:                         45Ω
Frequency response:        8Hz~30kHz
Sensitivity( S.P.L):               93dB±3dB
Cord length:                         approx.1.6 meters
Net Weight:                           approx.≥388g
 
Inside the box contains a screw on 1/4 inch converter as well as a Velcro strip to tie the wire as to shorten the length of the wire as it is rather long. As you can already see from the specifications, it weighs approximately 388g, which is really heavy. 
 
Build Quality and Design
In terms of build quality, the MH463 is a mixed bag. Some parts of the headphone feel like that it's gonna break any second, while some other parts are really well built. The aluminium used for the ear cups and mesh side screams quality to me, but the rotating joints do not feel durable at all. Don't get me wrong, the plastic used is very high quality but due to the way this headphone is built, but the first thing that will be broken are the rotating joints. The headphone doesn't make any creaky noises when moved about though compared to most of the reviews that I have seen on Headfi. The metal headband and adjustments are solid feeling and a reassuring tactile feedback and click when adjusting it. The part that you should be most careful of are the joints that hold and allow the ear cups to rotate. I have used this headphone for a couple of months already and the screw holding the ear cups has already started to get loose. The problem can be temporarily fixed by re-screwing the screws holding the ear cups, but since the threads are already damaged, it would revert back to being loose again after some time. Do note that I had been an idiot and tried to make the clamping force of the headphones less apparent by doing the classic method that people do to reduce the clamping force of headphones. DON'T DO THAT! After prolonged use of this method, the threads in the screws that hold the headphone ear cup starts to get lose, and this damage is irreversible. Instead what I suggest you should do is to hold the headband and bend it the other way round and hold the headband in that bent position for about 10s. Rinse and repeat until you get your desired clamping force. This method is way faster and does not damage the joints holding the ear cup. The cable is fairly thick and has some memory on them but nothing too crazy. The jack is pretty solidly built with some heft and weight to them and looks very similar to high-end headphones priced at around $350. The design is OK I guess, it's nothing too special or eye-catching. Has a utilitarian but sorta gaming look due to the red accents.
 
Comfort
 
This headphone is very comfortable even with stock ear pads, as long as the clamping force has been reduced significantly in a way that the ear cups just kinda rests on your ears, so the soft ear pads can't depress enough to make your ears touch the driver of the headphone. Alternatively, you can just roll up some tissue and stuff it below the earpads. That works really well too. It still kinda gets hot using the stock ear pads, so expect to take off the headphone once in a while to cool down your ears. The weight of the headphone, however, can make your neck feel quite tired after prolonged use. The pleather headband is rather soft and it works well to distribute the weight of the headphone around your head. Your head won't feel the weight but your neck surely will. I live in a tropical climate which is hot and humid, thus after a few months of using the headphone the outer metal of jack has already become oxidised. The 3.5mm connector is still fine, though, probably due to the fact that I leave the headphone plugged in all the time into my sound card. The mesh also seems to have rusted a little so the material used there can better. Yes, I know this is unrelated to comfort.
 
Sound
 
Now for the meat and potatoes of the review, how do they sound? These headphones are fairly neutral, with a slight emphasis on mid-bass and mid-highs. The MH463 does require some time to burn-in (100hrs or so) though otherwise, this headphone will sound like some crappy treble cannons. After burning in it brings out the mids which seemed recessed, tamed the highs and made the bass open up too. I can say that in terms of the technical performance, this headphone are the best I have ever heard in the $50 price range. The bass packs quite a bit of impact, is well controlled and tight. For an open-back set of headphones, I am really surprised at how the bass performs, sub bass can easily be heard which is quite impressive as long as the track's main focus is the sub bass. It's more noticeable after equalising, though. This headphone responds really well to EQ and can be easily tweaked to your ideal sound signature. These headphones are surprisingly good for certain types of electronic music that have a punchy bass line. The mids are fairly neutral and cold, but incredibly detailed and have plenty of depth to it. The mid-highs are slightly boosted, which results in some sibilance in some tracks. This puts an emphasis on female vocals which sound incredibly rich and detailed. You will be listening to those mid-high heavy tracks, again and again, marveling at the sound that it produces. The highs are the only drawback (sort of) on this headphone. Don't get me wrong, the highs are still really good for its price and It extends really well, has a little veil to it but it sounds cloudy and grainy. The highs can also get a bit overbearing sometimes before substantial burn-in and sound edgy. However, after burn-in, the highs are accurate, very neutral, a little muted which is good but still sounding slightly grainy. This headphone really benefits from a proper DAC+AMP as using these headphones on my phone makes the headphone sound extremely lacking with very little detail. . Sound stage and depth are excellent on these as expected of an open-back headphone. Due to the sound stage and boosted mid-highs, these headphones are also really good for competitive gaming too. I was able to hear footsteps with very good positioning in CSGO. Playing BF4 was a great experience too as explosions and gunfire happening all around me had that impact and rumble that quite frankly many open-back headphones fail to achieve. Turning on surround in the BF4 sound options also seems to make the experience on the MH463 to be absolutely amazing. It sounded like I was there in the game itself. Compared to other closed-back headphones I tried, this headphone had the truest virtual surround experience. Closed headphones with the surround option just gave me a headache and made everything sound like it was coming from behind me. Overall I would say that these are a neutral, cold sounding pair of headphones. They don't sound lush or warm in any way due to the bitter highs. Compared to the M50's that I had a brief listen to, the M50 sounds, even more, colder than the MH463, with a more 'neutral' kinda smooth curve to the sound signature compared to the MH463. The MH463 sonic performance is very similar to the M50, although I personally feel it performs better than the M50 still due to its excellent mids and better extension in the bass. The M50 had a very 'in your face' kinda sound which I don't really like. The MH463 is sorta similar in that aspect too but to a much less fatiguing degree. This can be an aggressive sounding headphone depending on the kind of music you are listening to. Overall Somic did a great job of tuning these headphones to have a good balance that caters to both gamers and music lovers alike.
 
Conclusion
 
These are an excellent pair of cans that I recommend to anyone that already has a decent amp+dac combo already. The price to performance is unbelievable on these. They are definitely not headphones that are meant to be carried around and is strictly only for home use. These cans are suitable for everyone, whether you are a music enthusiast or a hardcore gamer, they are a fairly solid choice at $50 that far outperforms many gaming headphones and audiophile cans in this price range. They might not be totally neutral, with boosted bass and mid-highs, but for the price and detail, it's basically a must buy for anyone looking to upgrade their audio without burning a hole in their wallets.

I've always looked into "budget-fi" since I've got more interested in proper headphones thus making me get the CALs, Takstar Pro 80s and now the Somic MH463. I will be doing some direct comparisons between the Pro 80s and MH463 since the CALs aren't really in the same ballpark in terms of sound quality, but they're no slouches either. They're both regarded as the best solutions in their price range so I want to help future buyers to decide on which one to get. Keep in mind these 3 are the only "real" headphones I've owned. They're being powered by Xonar DG.
 
Price: Got mine from miniinthebox for 52$ shipped, they also offer tax and customs insurance and the shipping is done by DHL Express which makes it fairly fast. They did refund about 33$ which DHL charged for import duties etc. and I frankly wasn't expecting that. You can also find the Lasmex rebrand for a decent price if it's on sale. The Gemini's (Takstar rebrand) cost about 45$ if I remember correctly.
 
Build quality: These things are very well built, I've seen some people mentioning a couple of flaws but I haven't noticed any creaking or weakness in terms of build quality. The headband is sturdy, frames are built from aluminium and hard plastic and the cable is of adequate thickness. If I were to compare them to the Pro 80s I'd give a slight edge to the MH463 because I've got the coiled cable version of the Pro 80s which was a nuisance. There was also some background static on the Pro 80s, although it was barely audible you could still hear it if you switched volume from 0 to normal listening levels, I'm guessing the cable is probably at fault here. Overall they're both really solid in terms of durability.
 
Comfort: They're fairly heavy, but the headband has a decent cushion which takes care of that. The only thing I could see people complaining about is the ear pads. The foam is really soft thus making your ears touch the plastic grill that's protecting the drivers. Thankfully you can adjust these headphones to avoid that but it's still a possibility that if you have a bit larger ears you might feel some discomfort. The Pro 80s on the other hand have a thin layer of cushion in-between the drivers and your ears, however the pleather pads have started to wear off after about a year and a half of usage. I'd give the edge to Pro 80s here due to its weight, but they don't stretch as much as the MH463 so keep that in mind if you have a larger head.
 
Onto the sound quality, I've used them side by side so the margin of error is lower so I'll try and be as specific as I could.
 
Lows: The bass is of decent quantity, it extends fairly well and it's definitely tight. The Pro 80s on the other hand felt boringly flat and just didn't have that oomph I prefer. Mind you I don't like bloated bass, it just felt that the Pro 80s lacked in it to the point of hearing completely new bass lines I haven't been able to pick up before, and now with the MH463 it's easily distinguishable from the rest of the spectrum. I wonder if the HI2050 lack in bass even more.
 
Mids: Male vocals are a bit recessed at first, but it completely changes  after burn-in. They're more detailed, full bodied and more up front. I always thought this was where the Pro 80s shined, but the MH463 sounds better for me overall, it just depends what kind of a sound signature you prefer. I would describe the Pro 80s as a bit more warmer and intimate, whilst the MH463 is more detailed and impactful. The high-mids is their strongest point and female vocals sound amazing. 
 
Highs: The treble is natural, they did sound slightly brighter because I was used to the Pro 80s and CALs signature which was a bit warmer but now I just feel like I've been missing out. Detail and clarity is much better, although not exceptional. 
 
Soundstage: Amazing. Didn't expect this much of a change coming from Pro 80s, and even though we're talking about closed vs open headphones it's still miles above the Pro 80s. Instrument separation is really good, the soundstage is airy, positioning is on point and the depth is also very good. The Pro 80s have that intimate (although very good for closed cans) soundstage with decent instrument separation. 
 
Verdict: The MH463 just feels like a step-up in terms of sound quality compared to Pro 80. It has them beat in every area except comfort in my opinion but you can get other pads for that. You can easily pick up details that you couldn't notice with the Pro 80s and everything sounds a bit more natural and brighter but not fatiguing. Just give them some time to burn-in so that the mids can open up a bit more, and everything else gets tighter and more controlled. The Pro 80s are also easier to drive.