Although not that high I feel my rating is snapshot of what is happening in the earphone world right now. If you want to big in the midrange priced bracket you better have something that clearly separates you from the budget IEMs. IBasso are JUST above, but not $100+ above

Preamble: 
I have a set of around 30 – 40 tracks all in the FLAC from varying genres that I use as my test reference playlist. I try to cover as many genres and stick to recordings that have good reputations as well as tracks I know have been lovingly mastered. 
I naturally prefer a more balanced sound signature and get treble ‘fatigue’ fairly quickly. Therefore I usually mark down anything that gives me discomfort in the higher registers. 
I have experience in mastering, DJ’ing and have had a keen interest in Hi-Fi and Head-Fi for almost 2 decades. I love this hobby and like to share experiences with others. 
 
For this test my source was the Onkyo DP-X1 DAP. 
 
Aesthetics and Tactility: 
Before I begin describing the sound characteristics I would like to describe how these look and feel. I will start by saying these do not look or feel like premium priced earphones at all. In fact they look better in photos than in real life. The side facets have a very cheap low end look and the PSB logo etching/paint looks cheap. In fact most of the construction feels cheap which is disappointing given the asking price.
The packaging and tip collection are both adequate and the inclusion of Comply tips is welcomed. 
 
Cable Microphonics and Comfort: 
Now here is where I would say the PSB M4U-4 earphones have been designed better. The cable is very supple and I found the microphonics to be extremely low. The over ear design coupled with a very loose feeling and absorbent cable combine very well. I have tested over 50 earphones now and I would put these in my top 10 for cable design and general comfort.
I had no comfort issues with these. The neck of the ear buds is quite long so the housing sits further out of the ears than many other IEMs. I find this a good thing if the earpiece is light so the bud doesn’t fall out if one is walking/moving around.
 
Sound Balance: 
These earphones appear to have gone slightly under the radar of most reviewers so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I did know that PSB marketed these with an emphasis on ‘room feel’. I will come back to the sound stage below. There is no doubting these are thick at the low end. Very well defined in some bass bands but also treacly and fussy in others. These earphones are more fun than reference but having said that there is a good amount of detail and presence in the highs. The highs can be fatiguing for those more sensitive in this band but are never shrill or too sharp. Just that there is a lot of it and can be overbearing. The mids tend to suffer badly on these, the overly present highs and thick lows can sometimes drown out the mids. This is a shame as I feel if the mids were more pronounced these could be a go to earphone for those wanting great quality and a large sound stage.
 
Soundstage and Other Notes: 
As stated previously I knew the ‘room feel’ was a big design feature for these earphones. I assumed that meant they had a large soundstage so this is what I will describe first. I really like the sound stage on these. I have always loved an earphone that doesn’t sound like an earphone. I prefer a roomier sound rather than the ‘direct sound injected into the head’ that some earphones exhibit. At times I forgot I was wearing earphones and that is a good thing in my book. The stage is very wide and fairly deep. I would say it often sounded like you were in the middle of a large auditorium, not a studio or intimate venue.
The depth is quite good and each instrument/vocal had plenty of breathing room but not to the point where things became incoherent. There was often a lovely frequency separation that allowed each layers nuances to be brought out but again the problem of bass and high saturation meant that many tracks didn’t sound their best.
 
Overall: 
I have been impressed with this offering from PSB. I realise many of my comments may sound negative but in reality they are not. I am merely pointing out the characteristics. I happen to like a little but more bass and a roomier presentation than some reviewers. I had fun with these and would strongly recommend auditioning these if you are on the lookout for an earphone that has good detailing and excellent large scale sound but are not fussed about micro detailing or pronounced mids. The sound ‘quality’ is pretty high but because of the highs being overly present on occasion things can sound a little shouty and in your face. This does make them sound a little cheap but overall I think they have a pleasant sound. If PSB can follow up on these with something that can bring out more detailed mids and tone down the highs slightly I they could have a killer pair of earphones on their hands!

I have been very impressed with this offering from 1more. I try not to talk about price as there are many factors that determine a retail price but in this case I will say that if you cannot afford/don't want to go into the realms of serious earphones (£200+) then these will be very hard to beat if you are looking for an easy going but detailed earphone. You are not going to get reference grade detailing or imaging but you are going to have fun and want to listen to all of those feel good tracks in your collection. My star rating may appear a bit low but as I have stated previously I try not factor in price so 3.5 out of 5 is very good! If you have already taken the plunge and invested in earphones of £200 and up I would perhaps give these a miss unless you are looking for a second pair of 'fun' earphones. 

First of all, thank you to @ejong7 for arranging for me to be included in this review tour. I am in no way affiliated with Obravo or any retailer. I am a head-fi hobbyist and music lover
 
Preamble:
I have a set of around 30 – 40 tracks all in the FLAC from varying genres that I use as my test reference playlist. I try to cover as many genres and stick to recordings that have good reputations as well as tracks I know have been lovingly mastered.
I naturally prefer a more balanced sound signature and get treble ‘fatigue’ fairly quickly. Therefore I usually mark down anything that gives me discomfort in the higher registers.
I have experience in mastering, DJ’ing and have had a keen interest in Hi-Fi and Head-Fi for almost 2 decades. I love this hobby and like to share experiences with others.
For this test my source was the Onkyo DP-X1 DAP.
 
Aesthetics and Tactility:
These earphones are huge, almost to the point of looking ridiculous. Luckily I didn’t find their size to cause any discomfort during use and I could happily wear these for hour long listening sessions without needed to reseat or take them out. I used these with Comply Foam tips that had no problem forming a good seal with my ear canals.
The casings are aluminium and look like they will scratch/mark very easily. The earphones are not as heavy as they look like they should be. Even after prolonged use I did not find them working loose and falling out.
 
Cable Microphonics:
I would put these in the medium irritation category for microphonics. They do not exhibit the ridiculous microphonic noise of something like the Sennheiser IE 800 but they are not in the same league as many of the over the ear type earphones I have used. Rubbing the cable doesn’t appear to induce any unwanted noise but if you wear these whilst walking I found bumps to be very audible.
 
Sound Balance:
To me these sound like very well balanced but not entirely flat earphones. This may be due to a slight fit issue but to me these sounded like there was something missing in the lower end. The deepest bass frequencies were not there for me. In the lower frequencies there was a nice level of detailing and timing. Nothing was overly harsh or too squidgy, just tight and impactful.
The mids were a tad subdued but only marginally. There was a great deal of detail again and a lovely presence to certain vocal tracks. Timbre of stringed instruments was fantastic and tiny oscillations could be heard, especially with acoustic guitars.
The highs were very detailed but there is a roll off. These are not for treble heads as the upper treble is not prominent enough for lovers of earphones like the Shure 535s or Final Audio’s Heaven range. The Obravo’s handle delicate treble with panache and there aren’t many earphones I have heard that I would say equal or better their detailing.
 
Soundstage and Other Notes:
Although not the widest or deepest sounding earphones I would say these would be in the top 10% in those factors that I have heard. They have a large soundscape probably helped by the cavernous space inside the earbud. To me you sound like you are in the slightly forward of middle in an
auditorium, not up close and personal but also not right at the back with and ultra-wide and deep experience.
One flaw I would say with these is that they seem to present more delicate music much better than busier, more pumping tracks. There is something strange that happens when the music gets busy, let’s just say things get smeary and confused. Timing seems to go out of the window. This was a bit of a shock to find and doesn’t seem to happen with all busy tracks, just most. This is really disappointing given the price point and something that would make me think twice about buying them.
 
Overall:
My first experience with Obravo’s earphones has been very interesting. They are very quirky, distinctive and definitely stand out in a crowded market place. If you are looking for a very detailed and balanced sound then you should audition these. I have owned/auditioned well over 50 earphones and I would put these in my top 10. The biggest flaw is that when tracks get busy they lose coherence. With this in mind I cannot give these top marks but a very strong recommendation for auditioning. If this is what Obravo can design and manufacture in a relatively short space of time then I am very excited to see what they can come up with next.  

Will keep this review short but these are my impressions after a week of listening to a range of FLAC and a few HD files of every main genre of music:
 
Sources used:
FiiO X5
Sony NW-ZX1
Audiolab 8200DQ Dac/Amp
 
Highs:
Detailed but at this price point you can get a lot more 'detail' for your money. Highs are not very well seperated or is the soundstage very deep. The soundstage is very wide and not exaggerated. These are not fatiguing so that is good as I am particularly sensitive to treble.
 
Mids:
For earphones of this price I found the mids to be very poor. Completely lacking in detail when compared with something like the Westone 4R/Sony XBA-4 and Sennheiser IE800. The mids are very smeared and blend into each other in a very annoying way. They lack detail and some instruments are almost non-existent in the soundstage. Very unnatural sounding and some vocals sound 'nasally' which a thrum that just isn't there on other earphones/speakers.
 
Bass:
The savior of these earphones are the bass. Very well extended, lush and detailed. More like a full headphone experience. Great fun and adds to the enjoyment of most records. Not accurate in terms of the amount of bass present in the original recordings but if you are not bothered by that then these could be a great ear phone for bass lovers.
 
Overall:
Very disappointing given the price point and really do not stand out from the crowd. I cannot fault the build quality and cabling used but that does not make up for the gaping flaws in the audio performance. These are not accurate, soundstage is very wide but flat and the micro details that are available for a lot less money are simply not there. I can only recommend these for people who are looking for a 'fun' listen with an emphasis on bass presentation. I must also add that the sources did make a little difference to the presentation of the highs but not by a great deal.

Just want to state up front my review rating is an absolute rating, not one based on comparative performance, pricing etc. 
 
These are my observations after using an iBasso DX50, MacBook air, FiiO E17 and Sansa Clip Zip as test sources. I found very little variation between those sources with the DX50 maybe bringing out a little bit more richness and depth.
Highs: Well what can I say, the treble is of such a high quality I was surprised. They can be a tad sibilant depending on what you are listening to but generally I would say the highs are of a very high quality not far off earphones that cost a lot more. Detail is there in spades and the wide soundstage and layering is also very good.
Mids: A repeat of the highs really. Very wide, layering even better than in the highs. The start of the weaknesses appears in the mids however. At the lower end things start to fade away and lower mid sounds that should be there are pushed way back. This takes away from the richness of the sound making the overall presentation quite thin. Such a shame.
Lows: If you are even a mild bass head then look the other way, these do not deliver anywhere near the right level of bass. I could not find one track that sounded as it should. The bass was either veiled or just not there at all. I tried every tip available and others I had. Nothing helped. If Rock-it can get the bass right on their next release we could be on for a fantastic pair of earphones.
 
Overall: After living with these for a couple of months I am deeply frustrated. Rarely at the lower price ranges have I found anything near what I could call 'very good' sound quality. Most things sound cheap, unnatural, unbalanced or just plain wrong. I am happy to report that if you can live without much bass then these are a bit of a bargain. The build quality, as others have pointed out, leaves a lot to be desired. They feel very delicate and may break easily. Another point is the physical size of these, they are tiny. I find that a good thing as the fit snuggly in the ear and once inserted remain in place no matter what you are up to.
 
I am very much looking forward to the next release!

Just want to state up front my review rating is an absolute rating, not one based on comparative performance, pricing etc. 
 
Having had the Shure SE215s for a while and not enjoying them I thought I would go up the range and try the SE315s. At first I was impressed as the nasty spiky highs and wooly bass seemed to have gone but alas it was not to last. My overall thoughts are:
Highs: Good detailing, much better than the SE215s. Can get a bit sibilant but mostly are under control. Can sound a bit 'metallic' at times and if you get ear fatigue with bright earphones then you may want to audition these first. I did not find these as bad as the SE215s but they are not hugely improved.
Mids: Again some good detailing but there seems to be a complete lack of depth. I tried these with different tips and there was a slight improvement on this front going with the silicone tips but not much. I felt the mids were really muddled and some instruments came through nicely and others stayed mixed with others. Overall the soundstage felt narrow and flat.
Bass: This is where I feel Shure have made the biggest improvement over the SE215s. Detailing, particularly in the mid bass, was much more insightful. There was a good extension but never boomy. These are fairly bass light so bass heads steer well clear!
 
Overall: With certain more laid back types of music these perform well. However their tendency to make highs sound unnatural combined with a very narrow and shallow soundstage make these a non-keeper for me. In this price range there are some cracking earphones with a much better overall sound 'quality'. These sound too forced and metallic for my liking. Shame

My rating may at first appear harsh but I just want to clarify up front that it is an absolute subjective rating not comparative.
 
I really thought these would blow me away given all I have read about these but once again Shure have failed to live up to the hype. I cannot argue that the price is very attractive given the build quality and fantastic comfort but that does not influence my feelings on the sound character of these.
 
In summary I found the following:
Highs - Nasty metallic 'piercing' sibilance with a lot of tracks not matter what was driving them (iBasso DX50, Xperia Z, FiiO E17, Denon MC6000 etc.) There is a good amount of detail but these were so fatiguing I could not listen for more than 20 - 30 minutes at a time.
Mids - Subdued and with certain tracks can completely disappear behind the highs/bass. Very disappointing. When the mids are there they lack deepth and width. Instruments fudge into one another instead of being nicely seperated.
Bass - For me this is the strongest point of the SE215s. Well extended but not 'mega bass' levels. Controlled, detailed and fade in and out nicely. Not too boomy. Very good overall.
 
I just want to reiterate my score is based on an absolute rating NOT when taking price into consideration. I personally do not like to include price into the equation as is muddys the results as prices of new/used earphones can vary so wildy.

Summary of my experience with these:
Build: Feels cheap and plasticky. In fact the box appears better made than the earphones.
Treble: Very detailed, forward and sharp. No real sibilance BUT is very fatiguing after even after short listening sessions
Mids: Again very detailed but there appears to be some forward and some recessed elements depending on the track you are listening to. The soundstage in the mids is great. Very wide and layered.
Bass: Very weak. I even tried my gel custom fit earbuds to ensure the fit was perfect but it didn't really help. These fall off badly with any electronic bassy tracks. Just feels like there is a massive hole in your musical experience and therefore I cannot recommend these for all round listening.
 
Overall: Very disappointed given the glowing reviews I have read but if you are after great detailing and don't mind a noticeable lack of bass then I would give these a try.

I will keep this ultra short. I spent 3 weeks with these and by the end I had had enough.
 
At first they 'wow' the user with a lovely full bodied and detailed sound but after a few hours (these had already been listened to for well in excess of 20 hours by a friend) the cracks start to appear.
That lovely bass extension that was so impressive at first begins to tire, that detail in the highs begins to draw attention to the lack of mids. That price tag begins to look ridiculous given how little you have to spend these days for a good set of cans.
 
All in all I cannot recommend these at their price point. Sure they look and feel great but if you are even remotely serious about your music look elsewhere.

I will keep this ultra brief. Had this DAC/amp on loan for a couple of weeks and got quite a few hours of listening in and was so underwhelmed I actually felt sad at the end of using it. 
 
I tried this with Sennheiser HD650s, Beyerdynamic T70p, Audio Technica ATH-900X, Westone 4Rs Denon AH-D600s and the Chord massacred everything it came into contact with. Deeply muddy mids, boomy bass with no definition, highs were all over the place and the when the music got going the mids became so recessed they were barely present.
 
At £800 this unit is a complete joke. My Denon audio interface walked all over this thing and cost £200 less, and does midi controlling etc. No excuses Chord, must try A LOT harder!
 
Fail.

No need to elaborate on what has already been said about these but I summarise my time with the Sony MDR 1Rs:
 
Pros:
-Nice build quality
-Removable cable
-Deep bass (not too deep)
-Big soundstage
-Can be great for some electronic music
 
Cons:
-Recessed mids
-Lack the resolution you would expect for the price
-Bass can feel out of control at times
-Not enough *POW*
-Can feel sluggish
-At the price (and way below) there are much better all round and bass-centric alternatives
 
Good attempt but Sony must try harder. Not only are there great alternatives, like the Audio Technica M50s, there are many new players on the market and at this price point there is no room for 'average' sounding headphones.

For the first week I LOVED these headphones but, sad to say, with time I found more and more holes in their performance. For the money these are very good value but not a 'must try' unless you are looking for a U shaped response curve. Detail in the highs is pretty good, nice airy feel instruments/vocals sound spread out. Bass is warm, gets low and is very good fun for the pseudo bassheads. The mids are where these really fall apart. At first I was so entertained by the highs and lows that I neglected the mids, then I put on my Audio Technica M50s and realised the Achilles heal of the Denon's. The M50s have a pretty flat response curve and nothing is really suppressed or exaggerated. The same cannot be said for the Denon's with their U type response curve. Great if you want sparkly highs and deep bass but not so good anything in between. 

Being a Brit you might think I would be biased in favor of the Arcam rPAC but I am sad to say this DAC has let me down big time. The overwhelming choice of headphone DACs out there puts the Arcam in a difficult position. Arcam has a good reputation in mainstream HiFi and is obviously trying to carve a niche into the headphone world also, but this attempt falls way short of the competition IMHO.
 
I compared this with a FIIO E17, NuForce uDAC2 and Audioquest Dragonfly.
 
Source headphones for my trial included: Sennheiser HD650, AKG K550, Audio Technica M50 and Westone 4Rs with custom tips.
All music files tested were FLACs and the source computer was a Macbook Air running Fidelia.
 
The real issue regarding the rPAC is the lack of resolution. I would say it has a 'warm' sound and softens the edges of anything played through it. Some people may actually like this effect but for me the warmth actually removes layers of subtlety and finess that so many recordings have. Voices sounded, once again, warm but any subtle voice oscillations were lost and everything ended up sounding rather flat. Instrumental playback also had these traits and blending the two together ended up with a cocktail of two dimensional blandness compared with the DACs mentioned above.
 
I realise my comments may annoy some lovers of this DAC so I will point out the things I liked. The build quality is very high. The unit has a certain weight to it that gives you confidence that the engineers putting this together actually have put some care into its construction. The sound, although lacking in resolution and depth, does have a warmth that many will find pleasant and I am sure prolonged sessions will not fatigue the listener.
 
In summary then, a competent DAC but nothing to write home about and unfortunately does not resolve or have anywhere near the depth of the competition in this price bracket. Sorry Arcam....must do better in todays drenched USB DAC climate!

Have tried many headphone DAC/Amps in the £50 - 200 range and nothing comes close to the resolving, enjoyale nature of this bit of kit. Western manufacturers should take note. Quality, performance and a great price point can all exist together! Had mine for almost a year now and have no intention of letting it go...

I will keep this short. I couldn't find many reviews so I decided to take a gamble and try these out for size. The gamble did not pay off! The Pro 750s have a horrible unnatural sound that defies belief. They do work with some electronic music but everything else just sounds wrong. It is not even a matter of taste, responsiveness etc, it is just a very poor technical design. I even let them burn in for around 20 hours to see if that would take off their horrible hard edged treble and overkill bass but it didn't work. They remained unnatural and just overbearing at either end of the spectrum. If you want mega bass and really pronounced highs then give these a try. I gave them to my colleagues to try and all returned them within seconds complaining of the treble hurting their ears. Sorry Ultrasone

Have enjoyed using this little beauty. If you want a no fuss, great sounding player at a very good price then look no further. Unfortunately more recent players have up'ed their game and surpassed the Sansa in features and more importantly sound quality. The sound is clear, roomy and detailed but lacks full transparency and sounds slightly coloured in the mids. But given the price these points are minor. Good NOT great device in todays over crowded but full of great devices marketplace.

Very good headphones if you want something fun, lively and bassy. I was really impressed at first but with time I started to notice the short comings. Although relatively open sounding the sound is quite synthetic, almost forced. They do not give an accurate representation of the material listened to but that is not to say they do not give an enjoyable performance. Bass is well defined and lively, maybe too lively. 
If you are after some 'truth' in your closed back headphones then I would steer clear of these. If you are looking for something fun then I would recommend giving these a try!

Having owned quite a few closed back headphones I have never experience the open sound these AKGs produce. Yes they may be light on bass but they excel in every other quadrant. Detail, tone and space ooze from these headphones and draw you in. At this price point I would dare to say they are unmatched if you want a truly uncoloured musical listening experience. One snag is people with smaller heads may not get a good seal around the ear cups which will ruin the experience. Try before you buy!

Good NOT great player. Audio is ok but since has been surpassed by a number of better players (Cowon Z2, Sony Z and F series walkmans, Samsung 4.2 Galaxy etc.). Interface can be a dog and the touchscreen interface looks extremely dated now. Battery life is very good but again not class leading. Build quality is ok but it does feel a bit cheap.
This once was head and shoulders above the rest but as with all things gadgety, it has had its day.