Design - The headphones seem a bit flimsy, but they look nice, and i like the wire only on one earcup. This wire is very sturdy, if a bit stiffer than I'd like, and is excessively long for around the house. I dont like the fact that it has a 1/4 termination, as a mini plug is, IMO, more practical to adapt to a 1/4 than vice versa.
Comfort - The velour pads are extremely comfortable and never get hot, the headband is a bit flimsy and doesnt have very much clamping force at all, I'd say they dont clamp enough.
Audio Quality - A flat sonic signature with clean, impactful bass. The bass is the slightest bit muddy, but it is on par with the clarity I'd expect for the price. Some bass notes, primarily faster ones, are felt but not heard. Mids are warm and largely uncolored, if not the slightest bit on the dark side. Clarity and separation in the mids is very good. Highs are somewhat grainy, but have a nice, warm tone to them and seem to be well defined. Sound stage is large and open, depicting great accuracy in my tests with my xbox. Transient action on these headphones seems to be somewhat slow, keeping up with faster recordings in itunes, but not completely wowing me. Volume is appropriate. Detail throughout mids is good. These did a good job of handling the EP "Unaminity and the Cessation of Hostility" which I use as my testing album for separation and clarity, as well as the ability to handle a lot of "stuff". It wasn't well recorded, and theres so much noise and intentional distortion that none of the IEMs ive owned have been able to handle it (not surprising). The 595 handle the EP gracefully without really letting things "mix" too much.
Value - Headphones over 50 dollars, in my opinion, are a terrible value, gaining less sound quality for more money, buy these when they are under 150 USD, but not over.
Overall - I personally really like the sound on these for the price, but die hard audiophiles will have problems with the coloration, and would most likely prefer to spend more money to get a clearer pair with better resolution and less coloration; typical listeners will probably have issues with the lack of bass.
Comfort - The velour pads are extremely comfortable and never get hot, the headband is a bit flimsy and doesnt have very much clamping force at all, I'd say they dont clamp enough.
Audio Quality - A flat sonic signature with clean, impactful bass. The bass is the slightest bit muddy, but it is on par with the clarity I'd expect for the price. Some bass notes, primarily faster ones, are felt but not heard. Mids are warm and largely uncolored, if not the slightest bit on the dark side. Clarity and separation in the mids is very good. Highs are somewhat grainy, but have a nice, warm tone to them and seem to be well defined. Sound stage is large and open, depicting great accuracy in my tests with my xbox. Transient action on these headphones seems to be somewhat slow, keeping up with faster recordings in itunes, but not completely wowing me. Volume is appropriate. Detail throughout mids is good. These did a good job of handling the EP "Unaminity and the Cessation of Hostility" which I use as my testing album for separation and clarity, as well as the ability to handle a lot of "stuff". It wasn't well recorded, and theres so much noise and intentional distortion that none of the IEMs ive owned have been able to handle it (not surprising). The 595 handle the EP gracefully without really letting things "mix" too much.
Value - Headphones over 50 dollars, in my opinion, are a terrible value, gaining less sound quality for more money, buy these when they are under 150 USD, but not over.
Overall - I personally really like the sound on these for the price, but die hard audiophiles will have problems with the coloration, and would most likely prefer to spend more money to get a clearer pair with better resolution and less coloration; typical listeners will probably have issues with the lack of bass.