I know, I know. The headline, "Pound for pound, probably the best headphone in the world" is a strong statement. So let me qualify it with:
 
For my tastes and requirements, pound for pound, probably the best headphone in the world that I've tried.
 
There. That should silence a few critics.
 
So a brief explanation of my journey to the H6. I've tried a lot of headphones. I mean, A LOT. I've tried to leave as many stones unturned as possible - even giving Dr Dre the benefit of the doubt (I needn't have). In my 2 years of searching for a headphone that suited me, the highlight was a trip down to the Hifi Lounge in Lincolnshire for a day of listening to various high end headphones and amps including (but not limited to) Sennheiser HDVA600 / HD800S combo, Beyerdynamic T5P / A2 combo, Hifiman Edition X / HE560, Audeze LCD2 / 3 / X, Mr Speakers Ether / Ether C, Trilogy 931, and Burson Soloist. I'd also previously been to a Peter Tyson to audition Stax SRM-353X / SR-L700 and the Oppo PM-1 / HA-1. Out of the above, I was most impressed with the Sennheiser combo but felt that it was too analytical for everyday enjoyment, and that the Hifiman Edition X / Trilogy 931 was the combo I wanted. One thing led to another, and the purchase didn't happen.
 
This left me in a position where I needed to downscale the budget, but having heard these high end combos it was always going to be hard to meet my expectations.
 
With a budget cap of £300, I exhausted all the obvious avenues. I knew I wanted over ears, and that because of the environment they'd be used in they'd have to be closed. My trip to the B&O shop was purely a spare of the moment thing - I had some time to kill.
 
The B&O experience hasn't really changed since I was a teenager - an emphasis on design, and Scandinavian design at that. They offer a combination of some truly beautiful and some exceptionally odd looking products - TVs that follow you around the room, speakers that look like gigantic brass statues and stereos that look like they should be in a Ridley Scott film. Fine - if you like that sort of thing.
 
B&O also have a sort of sub brand called Beoplay - it's a sort of psuedo consumer / mobile offering. It's still big on aesthetics and claims to be big on sound, so I decided I'd give it a try.
 
As I said, I wanted some over the ear cans. What I didn't mention is that I have no need for wireless, noise cancelation, iPhone / Android remotes and such like. It's all stuff to go wrong and for me it just gets in the way of the pure music pleasure. The shop didn't have an H6 to try, just the H8 wireless model. The sales rep assured me it's the same chassis and drivers, just with the extra gubbins for wireless use (as well as the DAC and amplifiers which the sales rep didn't seem to be aware of). Quite how much this would colour the sound, I don't know, but I auditioned the H8 anyway (well I was already in the shop).
 
I was truly blown away. For example, the H8 was placing Jack Savoretti's vocals in "Catapault" in an entirely new light I'd never heard before - with texture and detail on a different level. The strings took on a new life in a completely different space, layer upon layer of musicality. I actually found myself smiling in the shop. Moving on to something a bit more upbeat, Foo Fighter's Saint Cecilia started out seemingly bright, but as I would learn with the H8 (and then the H6) the frequencies were being played correctly without any colouration from other frequencies. As soon as the guitars and drums kick up there's a warmth and depth to the H8 that compliments the upper frequencies beautifully. Long story short, I auditioned a few more tracks and then began the task of trying to find out if indeed the H6 was a wired H8. I don't care what anyone says, it's not. There's just too much going on in the H8 for it to simply be "wireless H8". Various reviews have called the H6 bright, and lacking in bass. I can confirm that this is utter, utter nonsense. I have a pair of Sony MDR-950XB which I use for the gym and flying (the extra bass helps cut out the obvious background noise) so I know what overtly (and messy) bass headphones can sound like. The H6 has plenty of bass but here's the thing - it's controlled and textured and relevant. It's there because that's what was recorded. It's not necessarily what I'd call coloured and emphasised, but it is certain on a level pegging with the mids and trebles. 
 
So on to the H6 itself...
 
Packaging
The B&O packaging is great but not over the top. The outer is a stiff board box with print to all sides, and the inner box slides slowly out due to a tight, precise fit. Inside the lower box is a soft lined tray that the H6 sits in, with the cups turned in. And under the tray - premium smart phone style cardboard compartments containing a faux suede bag and the cable. It's a good start in terms of customer experience.
 
Build
These things are well built. The headband is aluminium covered in leather. The earcups are a mix of premium plastic, aluminium and calfskin. With the exception of the thin cable and silly remote, everything feels premium. They are built to last. Imagine Dr Dre Beats Studios, and now think of the exact opposite. There you go - premium. No creaking plastic here.
 
Looks
Those sporting open backed planar headphones might argue these are fashion headphones designed for the iPod generation, and I can see their point. However, there's no excuse for headphones at any price point to not look good - it's not a fashion statement anymore. B&O, depending on your taste of course, have always had an eye for design. However, these aren't typical B&O headphones (think B&O Form headphones for example). To me, these don't look a million miles away from something Beyerdynamic might design. They also age nicely, from what I've seen on the Internet. Various YouTube videos exist showing how the gracefully the H6 ages - the leather scuffs up and takes on a vintage look. They are available in the natural leather / silver I have and also a black leather / black version. I think the black version looks a little boring but again, it's a matter of taste.
 
Comfort
The H6 has a reasonable clamp force. Not Audeze clamp force, but not Hifiman Edition X loose. Tight enough to stay on your head, loose enough for long periods of listening. But again, this will be personal choice and head size. I'd suggest trying it first. But for me, they're great.
 
Accessories
As mentioned, you get a suede effect bag with a drawstring (which is nice even if it won't protect against drops and bangs), and a flimsy cable with Apple compatible inline remote. Now to me, the absolute worst device to listen to music on is a phone - particularly an iPhone. I didn't even bother unwrapping this cable. It's still in the box. Instead, I bought a premium cable for the H6 from a shop in the UK called "Sounds Heavenly". The reason I chose these is because of the H6 design. The 3.5mm jack socket is recessed in the headphone (one on each side so you can daisy chain the headphone - not sure why you'd want to but still). Normal upgrade cables simply don't fit. This isn't a good choice by B&O in my opinion. I hate anything restrictive like this, especially when it's for not good reason.
 
Sound
Usually, I can categorise headphones - bright, warm, musical, analytical, etc. And this is based on my own interpretation. For example, I don't find Stax headphones and energisers at all musical - I find them analytic and bright. Enjoyable in some instances, but certainly not something I'd want for my own use. I found it hard to categorise the H6 - they are extremely revealing and quite analytical, but at the same time highly musical and so so enjoyable. Many suggest that the upper ranges of the H6 is it's party piece. And whilst I disagree with that notion, they truly do sparkle. There's no sibilance to speak of, no fatiguing, just lots of sparkle. Mids are not prominent either, but they are there with change to spare. And if you think that this means the bass is somehow lacking, you'd be wrong - in particular the sub bass which is textured and musical - in other words it's not just there for the sake of it like a consumer headphone might sound. The soundstage has pretty good width and depth for a closed back headphone, and the detail is very surprising. I'm still hearing new things in my favourite music now.
 
Conclusion
If you're expecting the H6 to sound like the aforementioned Sennheiser combo or a Hifiman Edition X, you'd be mistaken. But the H6 is a fraction of the cost. I have honestly fallen in love with the H6 so much that I have ended my search for a highend headphone. The musicality, the comfort, the build and the design is of such quality that I am prepared to have the H6 as my one and only pair of serious listening headphones. They will shortly be joined (hopefully) by a Rega Planar 3 turntable and some Graham Slee phono and amplification magic for listening to at home, but at the moment they are permanently jacked into my FiiO H5 ii.
 
Seriously - audition these. For those on a budget they are the perfect all rounder. For those with high end cans at home, these are great as a second pair or for mobile applications.

Introduction
A bit of preamble - I bought this C5 amp to go with my FiiO X5ii and Fidue A73 set up. The idea was to get the amp to reduce the noise floor and offer a bass toggle for when I felt I needed it. I wasn’t expecting (or needing) much of an improvement in sound quality or sound signature.
 
I'd asked for advice on Head Fi forums, but had no responses. I’ve since be told you need be extremely specific in your requests, or post something interesting!
 
So I based my purchase purely on trusted Internet reviews on Headphonia and Inner Ear, and based somewhat on availability. For the record, my shortlist was:
 
·      FiiO E12K Mont Blanc IEM special edition
·      Cayin C5
·      Aune B1
·      JDS Labs C5
 
What I really wanted was a ALO RX, but simply couldn’t afford. So out of my shortlist, the Cayin and Aune are/were not available in the UK, and I didn’t like the delivery options / costs open to me from overseas resellers. The FiiO seemed like the obvious choice, but despite UK companies having stock, it turned out the FiiO would come after the JDS Labs would from the US. So I opted for the JDS Labs for something a little different.
 
Buying it - 10/10
So the first issue was buying the C5. Unfortunately, there appears to be no UK resellers for JDS (if they are, they’ve switched on “discourage search engines” in their preferences! There was one on Amazon, but it simply states "Currently Unavailable", with no availability date or anything – really helpful, that.
 
So a direct purchase from JDS Labs' US store was necessary. I've had mixed fortunes buying online from overseas, but as JDS Labs is a reputable company using US Postal (the only thing they got wrong was Lance Armstrong!) and the delivery was insured, I wasn't concerned. I placed the order on the 23rd December, it was dispatched on the 24th (Christmas Eve, folks!) and a week later a well-packaged little amplifier dropped through my letterbox. A week is nothing but shipping standards - I ordered something from Currys PC World, the UK's equivalent of Circuit City, and it took 2 weeks to get to me (perhaps I was being taught a lesson as there is a store a 20 minute walk from my office). Still - a week at the busiest time of the year for an amp to come from the USA to the UK is excellent. Well done, JDS Labs and US Postal - you're already better than Currys PC World and DPD in the UK!
 
Packaging - 5/10
Inside the well-padded outer carton was the JDS Labs box. Now, having owned products from Apple, Samsung, HTC, FiiO, Rock Jaw and Motorola, I'm used to seeing good packaging. JDS Labs certainly haven't invested heavily here - a fluted cardboard box with bubblewrap inside does a good job of protecting the amp but does little for customer experience. Let's call it utilitarian. It works, but nothing more.
 
Design - 10/10
Once out of it's utilitarian packaging, it's clear where JDS Labs have invested. This is a beautiful product to look at and hold. I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of red. However, my Fidue A73 IEMs are red and grey, my FiiO X5ii is silver with a grey and red GUI, so I thought it would be a nice match – and I was right. But more importantly, the main body of the C5 is a lush red colour with a slightly coarse, matt finish that just exudes quality. The end caps are machined silver, which finish the product off nicely. That, coupled with the switchgear, this looks like a piece of high-end audiophile equipment rather than a polished consumer electronics product, say like the FiiO X5ii. Stunning, but only if you want that sort of thing. Personally, I love it.
 
Volume is a digital, but is controlled using a switch rather than a pot. It took a little getting used to, but works as well as the up/down volume buttons on the FiiO X5ii. Press it once in either direction and the volume goes up or down a step. Press and hold in a direction and it continues. I’d prefer a volume pot myself, but that’s just me and a very, very minor gripe.
 
Speaking of volume, I can’t hear any channel imbalance at lower volumes, although someone with better ears than me might. I do find it odd that the lowest volume is pretty audible and then the next setting down is off, not that anyone would want to listen lower than this volume I guess.
 
The on/off button and bass are lovely feeling toggle switches, and have a nice reassuring click to them. The charging port is the older style mini USB, not like the micro USB found in non-Apple phones and DAPs. This isn’t a huge issue, but it does mean if you’re travelling you’ll need to pack the mini USB as well as your phone/DAP charger. Everything feels really well built and solid though. I like it a lot.
 
Gain
There’s no gain switch. It’s MOSFET controlled. So there’s not a lot to report as I’m not an engineer, and the only listening devices I have are my ears.
 
Initial Sound Impressions - 5/10
When I first plugged everything in, there was a noticeably warm sound that the FiiO X5ii alone doesn't provide. However, everything seemed way too laid back. The detailing from the X5ii seemed to be swallowed up - everything was way too smooth and laid back. The vocals sounded behind the instruments, and I didn't like it at all. I was enjoying the music more from the FiiO X5ii without the amp more than with. It just sounded, well, wrong. But I persevered after reading about the amp's burn in time. 50 hours they said. So I waited. And waited. And waited.
 
And gradually, over time, the C5 went from "meh" to "marvelous".
 
Before I go on - a note about burn in. There are those that don't believe in it. Well, sorry but you're wrong. Maybe not every piece of equipment needs it, but some do. This amp's sound signature changed massively over time and definitely favours burn in. So there. Don't argue.
 
Burned In Sound Impressions - 9.5/10
Wow. My set up went from me preferring the sound of the built in X5ii amp over the C5 to no competition at all. The C5 though slowly grew into itself and began presenting a warm but wide, detailed and expansive sound signature that put all my music in a completely differently place. I have a list of songs I always use to test equipment out (http://www.head-fi.org/t/108584/the-best-audiophile-tracks-to-test-equipment/165#post_11519180) and I went through these songs to see how the C5 behaved.
 
I listen to a wide gamut of music, and it’s therefore very difficult to find equipment that isn’t too genre specific. The C5 seems to handle most genres well – but particularly acoustic singer / songwriter stuff like Ed Sheeran, George Ezra, Jamie Lawson et all. It’s warm, smooth playback brings a gorgeous texture to male vocals and separates them from the other mid frequencies beautifully. All this isn’t at the expense of treble or bass though. There is incredibly telling detail to be had from the C5, especially with my Fidue’s balanced armature design – although sometimes sibilance can be a factor (but nowhere near as bad as I experienced with my iBasso / Rock Jaw Arcana v2 set up). It’s never fatiguing, but sometimes you can wince a little.
 
Speaking of genres, one genre this little red box loves is dance. Oh, does it love dance. I don’t have a lot, because I’m not a massive fan. But I do have Ministry of Sounds 90s Anthems and I’ve never experienced dance music playback quite like it. Technotronic’s Pump up the Jam is incredibly well separated, with sound flying around the outside of your head. It’s a similar story with Gat Decor’s Passion. And if you flick that bass toggle… but more on that later.
 
But back to something more familiar with me, and Newton Faulkner’s Uncomfortably Slow. The guitar strumming in the intro is beautifully detailed, with great space and air. His voice is warm and well presented (and in front of the guitar), and the rest of the music arrangement is in layers behind his voice and guitar. Once the bass starts to come in, you get a gorgeous, rich sound that fills the space around your head.
 
Switching back to the FiiO X5ii’s own amp, and I observed that the warmth of the C5 goes, but the detail improves slightly. There’s something quite clinical about the way the FiiO goes about it’s business, and it’s a great sound, but I just like what the C5 adds in to the mixing pot. The FiiO is saying, “here’s the music, this is what’s been recorded, this is how it should sound”. The C5 then says, “yeah sure, but this is what you want to hear”. Don’t get me wrong, the FiiO is incredible, but the FiiO and C5 together is even better.
 
Snow Patrol’s “The Golden Floor” has many layers and a wide soundstage, and poor equipment struggles to reveal the subtleties and complexity of this song. The Fiio X5ii / C5 combo puts great depth between each layer and plays things nice and wide. Similarly with “Lifeboats” (from the same album) there’s some lovely layering going on. You just drift away with the song, even when you’re trying to listen in a critical way.
 
A note on volume - on higher volumes things can get a little messy, but this is volume that you might not need anyway – I certainly couldn’t listen to music at those volumes for an extended amount of time. If you need it that loud – either get your ears tested or invest in some noise cancelling gear!
 
Bass Toggle – 7/10
It’s a strange thing for me, bass. I do like hearing what the artist and producer intended to a certain point, in other words you’ll never catch me wearing a pair of Beats by Dre with the bass on the equalizer up to 10. But I do like to hear the bass. I like to know it’s there. I like it to be tight and punchy, with texture – underpinning the tracks as it were. Too much and it feels articifial. Too little and find myself pushing my earphones into my ears as if they weren’t in correctly.
 
The JDS Labs C5 has a bass toggle with has 3 options – off, medium and high. With the toggle in the off position, the C5 still delivers plenty of slam on Daft Punk’s Lose Yourself to Dance, and you never feel like you have to reach for the toggle here. On tracks that are bass light, such as Abba’s Voulez Vous, you are transformed to a 70s disco with deep, lush, rich bass that makes you tap your feet. And when rock or metal is the order of the day, such as the Foo’s Outside from Sonic Highways, the medium setting is just right to fill the bass line out nicely. But for the most part, I leave this bad boy in the “off” position, as it’s simply not needed. In some cases, the “High” setting is WAY too much for me, but I suspect bass heads will appreciate this.
 
It definitely works, and comes in handy. What’s beautiful about it is it doesn’t colour the other frequencies, nor does it drop the volume by a little. It’s either there, or not, depending on what you want.
 
Noise Floor
Surprisingly, I didn’t get the black noise I was expecting based on both the advertising and other people’s reviews. If anything, there’s a little more noise with this amp than with the FiiO’s in built amp. Maybe it’s just the Fidues, but there’s certainly a good degree of hiss going on. I can live with it, but I’d have preferred a completely black noise floor.
 
Conclusion
It’s always a gamble buying something you’ve never listened to before. Even more so when it’s such a subjective matter. I didn’t know what to expect with the JDS Labs C5. When I first turned it on I was disappointed. But it warmed up, and I warmed up to it.
 
It was a lush, warm, and smooth sound, but still manages separation and detail, and delivers fast and heavy songs with aplomb despite being so adept at the subtle aspects of music.
 
I can’t speak for other combinations of source and IEM / headphones as I’ve not really tested them. But with the FiiO X5ii and Fidue A73 it’s a glorious winning combination.
 
Actually, I’ve fallen in love with this little red box. I sometimes take it for granted and need to listen to other stuff to remind myself just how good it sounds (you get used to things).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I bought these IEMs to go with my new FiiO X5ii. Thanks to the guys at hifiheadphones.co.uk for their advice and quick delivery.
 
I also had the RHA T10 delivered at the same time, so it was interesting to compare a hybrid IEM with a single dynamic driver earphone.
 
Packaging 7/10
Outside: A matt board box with spot UV
Inside: Form product holders
Apple all but revolutionised how we perceive electronics packaging, regardless of what they were packing inside their boxes. The Fidue packaging is on a par with FiiO's - functional and Far Eastern. It gets the job done, but a lot more effort could be put into improving the customer journey with this aspect.
 
Accessories 5/10
A S/M/L silicone tips, a very small carry case, M double flange silicone tips, ear guides, cable clip.
In comparison to the accessory laden RHA T10 that I also have, Fidue have let themselves down in this area. The RHAs have a lovely soft case and more tips than you could hope for (arguably this is because the RHA T10 are more difficult to get a good fit so the tips are needed). I'd like to have seen a better case that this, but I can forgive based on the other merits of these IEMs.
 
Fit - 8/10
Out of the box they fit nicely. This was without the ear guides or messing with tips. I changed the tips to the small size and fitted the ear guides and they fitted even better. They also didn't change their sound based on the tips, which was interesting after my experience of the RHA T10.
 
I was surprised not to see any foam tips, but I'm told that the Comply T-200 tips work with these IEMs should you not like the included silicon tips.
 
Comfort - 8/10
Once they're in, you don't really know. I wear glasses, so you can feel them touching the glasses, but it's definitely not a deal breaker, and I suspect that anyone who wears over the ear IEMs with glasses will encounter some issues.
 
Isolation - 8/10
Well I wear them at work and can't hear anyone talking. Which is a good thing. They do a good job, for universal IEMs, of isolating.
 
Microphonics - 7/10
The myth that over the ear means no microphonics just isn't true - there's some noise, but nothing too bad.
 
Design - 5/10
As someone with a design background, man these things are ugly. A side by comparison with some of the more attractive IEMs available from the likes of RockJaw, DUNU, RHA, Westone and Aursonics, the Fidues look a bit, well, "meh". I'm not a fan of burgundy, and the grey makes the look unfinished. The nice touches are the metal Y joint and plug but again, the RHA T10 is just so much nicer to look at and touch. A real shame. I'll call these "utilitarian" in appearance. 
 
Overall Sound First Impressions - 9/10
Wow. After the just above average packaging, moderate accessory pack and "meh" design, I knew something had to impress - just as well then it's the sound. The second I started listening to them and went through my usual list of tracks that I use to gauge equipment I found myself just enjoying the music rather than critiquing the earphones. They're not perfect, and for £90 I wouldn't expect them to be, but they are pretty close for the cash.
 
Detail - 8/10
There's oodles of detail coming from the Fidues. It might be a cliche, but I found new subtleties in my music that I hadn't heard before, and thanks to the soundstage (more on this later) I was hearing stuff I'd heard before but in different places. There's just so much more information in the music now, whether that be breathing, guitar strums, symbols, subtle electronic noises - it's just there in so many layers. The word I'd use is "revealing".
 
Soundstage - 8/10
Again, a big surprise. I was expecting a bit of width, but understanding that these are closed IEMs I wasn't expecting miracles. Instead there is both a width and depth to the soundstage that is extremely entertaining. Massive Attack's Teardrop had me mesmerised. 
 
Bass - 9/10
The A73's party piece, if it has one, is it's bass. This is not bass-head bass, this is tight, controlled, musical bass. There is an ever-so-slight roll off in sub bass in Daft Punk's Lose Yourself to Dance but nothing that I could notice and these things go low. It never feels too much, it never feels slow and it's never at the expense of the rest of the frequencies. It's a lovely, warm, textured bass that just makes the music enjoyable.
 
Mids - 8/10
The A73 is an all round performer, and it's the mids which are slightly less capable that the bass or treble. There's an ever so slight "V" shape to the sound, and the mids are recessed just a little. Having said that, it's such a warm sound signature that it isn't detrimental to the overall sound of the earphones - the treble isn't overly bright so it's not like the mids go missing in action. They're there, and they're not obvious and in your face, but they are wonderfully textured and make male vocals a joy to listen to. Ed Sheernan's vocals in Photograph are smooth and layered, also mesmerising.  
 
Treble - 9/10
Smooth and detailed. Never fatiguing or bright. May not be to everyone's taste, but I like to hear the details without feeling like my eardrums are being pierced, and the A73s don't disappoint here. Carol Decker's vocals in T'Pau's Secret Garden can be extremely bright and painful, but the A73s manage to smooth over the highs whilst still providing sparkle. 
 
Noise Floor - 6/10
Well look, they're IEMs. They have a relatively high noise floor. The FiiO X5ii does a reasonable job of keeping it to a minimum, but listening to say Spotify on a MacBook using a FiiO E11k it's still quite high. It's not *too* high - but you can hear it. For those who like hiss free music, these probably aren't the boys, unless you're happy looking for an IEM amp to reduce this.
 
Overall - 9/10
Very happy. Lovely sound that is just enjoyable. I'd not call them reference, nor are they consumer. They sit somewhere between - just thoroughly musical IEMs that need looking into if you're in this budget.

Pre-amble
Let's start by stating the obvious criticism that has been thrown at the Y50s – the coloured versions of these headphones. They are obviously love/hate, and I personally (like many I've heard from) hate them – in particular the yellow ones. The Y50s are, from what I am led to believe, AKG’s attempt at a lifestyle product – taking on the likes of Beats and Sennheiser Urbanites.
 
This is why, predictably, I chose the black version. It’s subtler, and despite the size of the AKG logo on the cups, the gloss black logo on matt black finish does tone everything down a bit. I'm surprised at AKG for this cosmetic treatment, as typically their equipment is on the conservative side.
 
With this huge caveat out of the way, we can concentrate on what is an excellent product.
 
In the box
Inside the packaging, which is workmanlike but not exactly premium, is the headphones, detachable cable with inline universal one-button remote/mic, soft drawstring bag and a 3.5 to 6.3mm adaptor.
 
Looks 8/10 (Black version)
Aside from the coloured versions, which I’ve covered, these are a handsome looking pair of headphones when you actually get them out of the box. The polished bevel around the cups adds an air of sophistication, and the matt plastics not only look good, they feel substantial and high quality. The surround of the bevel has a nice touch, with tiny AKG icon cut outs all the way around, with the joint from the headband to the cups also featuring the AKG icon. The AKG logo again features on the headband, and whilst this might sound like branding overkill, it’s actually done in quite a subtle fashion. Whilst I prefer the look of the Sennheiser Momentums (who doesn’t), the Y50s are attractive enough to be worn as a lifestyle product without looking like you’re trying to hard in the office.
 
Build 9/10
The Y50s feel really substantial. Only time will tell if they stand up to the abuse they'll be subjected to, but as these are intended as portable headphones that fold, they should in theory last the distance. The plastics used certainly feel high quality, and in general build quality feels good. Let's bear in mind these are £80 headphones though, and compared to the fragile feeling Beats these are positively bulletproof.
 
Comfort 6/10
I’ve always found on-ear headphones the most difficult to get along with. Over-ear headphones just seem more comfortable. Unfortunately, the Y50s haven’t changed this opinion for me. I wouldn’t call them uncomfortable, but longer periods of wearing may cause some fatigue on the ears. The pads are soft, but the band does pull the headphones in tight on the head and the ears get quite warm.
 
Sound
I’ve read elsewhere that the Y50s are intended to tempt customers away from Beats, and that the sound signature is similar. I can confirm this to be absolutely NOT the case, and to even mention the Y50s in the same sentence as even the most expensive Beats is an insult to AKG. I have never yet listened to a pair of Beats headphones that I have wanted to take home with me at any cost – all the marketing in the world cannot hide generic drivers, lightweight plastic casing and an artificial sound signature.
 
AKG describe the Y50 as having “signature AKG-quality sound with enriched bass performance”. If by this they mean they have coloured the sound signature to provide a deeper, enhanced bass, this isn’t massively apparent - unlike other headphones where the bass is overemphasized at the detriment of the rest of the frequency range. In fact, I found the bass to be about right – that is to say it’s very evident but not in an artificial way. Mid-bass is punch and tight, and the kick drum in Elbow’s “Mirrorball” is powerful without stealing the show. Sub bass, when it’s there to be had, comes in smooth but thickly textured layers that is inherently musical and not just noise – the bass track to Daft Punk’s “Lose Yourself to Dance” sounds deep and tuneful and doesn’t muddy the waters. Ironically, Dr Dre’s “What’s the Difference” had deeper sub bass and tighter mid bass than the headphones that bear his name.
 
Treble is precise and nicely separated, although poorly produced music can become a little fatiguing – especially on inherently bright sources. In general though, it’s there in just the right amount at the right time, cymbals are clear and crisp without being too abrasive.
 
Mids on the Y50s follow suite – no one particular frequency is dominant, and if anything the mid is the only slightly subdued performer.
 
Where the Y50s really shine, for portable, closed back, on-ear headphones that is, is the detail and soundstage. Whilst they aren’t as open and as spacious as AKG’s K550 or something like a Grado SR80e, they don’t leak noise and they have substantially more bass response. Madonna’s “Swim”, for example, is deeply immersive, although being produced by William Orbit helps. Newton Faulkner’s “Uncomfortably Slow” is deeply revealing with layers of detail and dimension – close your eyes and you’re in the recording studio with him.
Unsurprisingly, the Y50s perform better with well-produced music. They aren't overly fussy, but poorly produced music doesn't come across particularly well. Where they can, the Y50s will reveal the beautiful sonic detail in your music collection.
 
Conclusion
With a retail of £80, the Y50s are already popping up for £60 on some online retailers. At £80, these are a bargain. At £60, it’s daylight robbery and you should have one eye over your shoulder for the Police (whilst listening to The Police?)