When I was contacted by Baybars (or @baycode) about the possibility of being sent a review unit of the Havi B3 Pro 1s, I was completely ignorant of their existence. Possibly due to the manufacturer’s position (both geographically and in terms of product line-up) Havi had totally evaded my attention. Intrigued by these oriental mysteries I eagerly accepted the offer. My initial sample was sent to me curteousy of Havi. The views and opinions expressed in this review in no way originate from, or are affiliated with Havi or any other commercial body, they are my honest opinions from time spent with the product.
 
Opening the unusually luxurious packaging of the Pro 1s, I was immediately impressed by the how the wonderfully presented in-ears looked! In pictures they looked like typically plastic low-cost enclosures, clunky and ugly, but after removing them from their packaging they didn’t look at all out of place next to my shiny and intricately decorated Ostry KC06As, in fact I preferred the Havis’ minimalist and understated look. Havi had spared no expense with the tip selection either, presenting a rather surprising range given their price-point. Okay, maybe sparing no expense is a little hyperbolic; there was a large selection of tips, some of them of very good quality, the selection included foam tips for a more comfortable seal, and Sennheiser’s double flanges in three sizes – but considering their cost that’s pretty good going. Also included were two ear guides for over-ear usage, but they were tough and plasticy, they fit awfully around my ear, fortunately the cable weighed a sufficient amount to keep them in place, and malleable enough I had no need for a guide. The Pro 1s also come with a nice bag, a VERY handy protective case, and a microfiber cloth for the gorilla glass glaze (and a shirt clip for if you’re a massive nerd )
 
Packaging: Utilitarian but pretty and sturdy 7/10
 
Included Accessories: Large selection, everything that one could really need 9/10
 
Looks: Minimalist, understated, but in person really quite striking 8/10
 
 
After trying all of the tips it was evident that they fit pretty tediously into the ear, even after I had found the godsend medium double flanges it was a finicky affair (probably due to the large enclosures). These same large enclosures can make them uncomfortable at times too, they’re not painful but in my usage I’ve never forgotten that I’m wearing them, which a real shame considering they did a fantastic job with the rest of the build. Speaking of nailing build quality, their cable solution is brilliant and other producers need to take note, the L-shaped connector keeps the jack from straining much or getting caught coming in and out of pockets, the soft rubber insulation wasn’t particularly nice to the touch but it wasn’t obtrusive and unlike almost every other in-ear or earphone I’ve tried in the price range I didn’t experience a single problem with the insulation. The slider that couples the left and right earphones together was supple and hardy. I’m sure it might seem nonsensical to spend so much time on build quality but they’re delightfully well made, thoughtful is the word I’d use. It takes a lot to make a product that really doesn’t get in the way, these guys kept up with a lot of heavy usage, I even had to go abroad to and run around London for a while, dashing in and out of tubes and buses they never missed a beat, shoved in pockets and thrown in bags. Their endurance is definitely a selling point, kudos Havi!
 
Fit and comfort: Kind of finicky and a little odd, forgivable but not good 6/10
 
Build Quality and Endurance: Brilliantly well thought out, yet made for real-life usage 8/10
 
 
Biting my teeth into the meat of the affair we arrive at how they sound, how they’ve treated my ears and how you can hope that they treat yours. What makes this case so curious is the polarising nature of the Pro 1s. It’s no longer a rare occurrence, some no-name brand popping up and producing a product capable of taking on competitors many times it’s price, we’ve seen this happen over and over again with the likes of KZ and Ostry, even Oneplus have been capable of doing it with the Icons, but it’s not often that these products polarize people quite like the Pro 1s do. I’ve seen lovers love them, and haters absolutely despise them, with nothing in the middle. I had resolved after reading their reviews across internet to appreciate these in-ears for what they did right and openly acknowledge what they do wrong in order to find a middle-ground. Here are my findings:
 
The first thing to go through my mind, as I put them in my phone and my phone on shuffle was wow, these are shrill.. Starting to use the Pro 1s sounds like salt liquorice tastes, slightly too sharp. I’d guess that this imbalance lay somewhere around 10Khz, and it gave a biting edge to the snare drums and the like. I can gladly report that in both pairs of Pro 1s I’ve owned the issue disappeared after a little break in/letting myself acclimatise to the sound, and it soon falls out of focus (So never fear new Pro 1 owners!).
 
The tonality of the earphones can be accurately described as thin. People complaining that the Pro 1s are bass-less are categorically wrong, they have a brilliantly textured and fantastically potent bottom end (The bass layering and texture in Frou Frou’s Let go is amazingly clear, I’ve never heard better in anything sub $150), but (in my opinion) unfortunately, the bass sits somewhat meakly behind the forward upper mids and top end. They’re bright, and they’re very upfront about it. While it’s not correct to say that the bass simply isn’t there, I do feel that there’s a significant problem in their dual-drive design. While one driver covers the bottom end, and another the top, there’s insufficient coverage of upper bass/lower mids, which is where I think they meet – male vocalists are completely stripped of any growl, and you can say goodbye to deep timbre, it’s just not there. That’s not to say that their tuning is a failure, I felt it as just an unfortunate mistake on behalf of Havi’s design. Otherwise the clarity they’re capable of outputting is insane, you can pick up inflections of Lana Del Ray’s Ultraviolence that hide from all but the most revealing hardware, and their toppy nature keeps them well up to whack with rock and pop drumming like the Ting Ting’s Be the One, where they exhibited sparkle and positioning that shamed their competitors the KC06As. In the end I did find myself missing those lower mid/upper bass notes, they aren’t just on the back foot, they’re on the other end of town, and that gets fatiguing after enough time with them. Some tracks just don’t sound very good on them, they can be a little clinical, going from sunlight bright to your average visit to the dentist. After a certain amount of time listening to them, especially when listening loudly you might want to take a break.
 
They should be praised immediately after talk of their tonality, for their frankly outrageous soundstage, they sound like headphones! They have a brilliant illusion of sound coming from outside your ear, not inside it! The effect can elevate itself to holographic at times, elevated by their artificially (though not unpleasantly so) clear and precise nature; Blank Banshee’s signature travelling synths can be tracked as they travel around your head, and while the lack of crossover leaves nothing sounding particularly in front of you, it’s not unusual to find tracks where you can pick out the location of each instrument individually. Let’s be clear, they’re not a pair of speakers, but no IEMs are, and these Pro 1s have a beautifully talented soundstage, beating out some full-sized headphones comfortably. This plays into well into their tonality, allowing them to do exceptionally well with rock and roll, if you’re a fan of anything drum and guitar heavy I doubt you would be disappointed with their performance. This soundstage, it should be noted, can really reduce the typical IEM fatigue I and many others I know suffer from, they don’t suffer from the terrible in-head sound source effect typical of so many cheap IEMs.
 
They’re technically outstanding in-ears, but I can see how people wouldn’t like them, sometimes they don’t feel artful or passionate. They hold a copious amount of detail, as well as wonderfully straight upper-mids and sparkly, well-judged treble. The bass they do have is textured and fast, detailed and controlled, but unfortunately reserved. Their biggest problem, and what I perceive as being the cause of a lot of their hatred is their often shocking lack of lower-mid grunt. To some people they sound irreconcilably flat, if you think that a lack of power at the pelvis is going to be a problem for you, probably steer clear of these. Still, with soundstage like theirs, along with such clarity and detail, it’s difficult not to praise the technical achievement Havi have made in producing the Pro 1s
 
Flat and clinical are the last descriptive words any hifi enthusiast should want to hear about a potential purchase, but I would hasten against allowing that to be any deciding factor for you, due to factors outside of my control these Pro 1s ended up being my only source of music for 3 weeks, and I found them to be surprisingly versatile. I’ve clocked around 250 hours listening time on them and they still surprise me from time to time with their ability to recreate music in an enjoyable manner, regardless of their unfortunate disposition to sound linear and boring. They aren’t nearly as clinical as V6s are, they aren’t as bright as prestige line Grados either, if you can get over a lack of bassy passion they’re very capable of bringing you your musical bliss. And all of this description is takes not regard of their price, factor in their $50 dollar price tag and you’re talking about a hell of a deal. I’m sure you can find more musical in-ears for those 50 bucks, but I’m certain you can’t find any more technically capable. If you’re a big fan of unregimented flatness (like many people are) these will blow your socks off, if you’re not – give them a go, they might just do so anyway.
 
Sound quality and value: A tuning revision could bring this score up easily 7.5/10
 
How should I wrap up my take on the Pro 1s? Did I like them? Could I recommend them? Would I buy my own pair?
 
 
I did buy my own pair. After my first pair had broken, after a disagreement with a car, and I immediately ordered a second pair in, but having said that, I’m also eagerly awaiting the arrival of my KZ ATEs in the mail, I’m need a change. Are they brilliant? Absolutely, but I’m just not content enough with their strict correctness, and their lack of passion can become chafing. They’re not comfy enough for me to keep them on those grounds either – but I don’t regret at all buying my second pair, they’re still brilliant and when I’ve gotten tired of other mischievous sub $100 dollar IEMs I get the feeling I’ll be glad for their technical brilliance returning to reassure my ears.
 
I can recommend these easily to the kind of people who love neutrality, especially to those in the head-fi community who come seeking what they see as a “Reference” sound.
 
Havi B3 Pro 1s: 8/10 – after everything, still something special.
 
And a special thanks to Baybars, who has been an absolute gentleman and a pleasure to get along with.
 
 
A note on amping: I’ve used these extensively on an O2/ODAC, FiiO Q1, and straight out of an OPO’s headphone out. They don’t get as loud as they might otherwise do coming out of a phone, but if you’ve a phone with relatively good Amp/DAC circuitry I wouldn’t worry too much about amping, they certainly benefit from more power but not as much as people would lead you to believe.

First thing's first lads, I was sent these headphones to review by Pro-Ject Audio (their manufacturers), as a part of their head-fi review tour. Special thanks to @WayneWoondirts and Simon from Henley Designs for being timely, polite, and generally great guys.
 
About me:
I'm a rural Irish university student, adamant music lover, tech enthusiast, and gamer. I listen to a wide range of music, from classical to EDM, and almost everything in-between. The few times when I'm not listening to music, I'm either with friends, in a lecture, or gaming.
 
Introduction:
 
So, who exactly are Pro-Ject audio? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t know, these headphones were the first I’ve seen of them! They’re an Austrian manufacturer of analogue audiophile equipment, and now, headphones. Today we’ll be taking a look at their first offering, the Hear-it Ones.
 
Use Case:
 
The Hear-it Ones have received 3 weeks of intermittent usage, as well as several heavy listening sessions, they would have been most frequently compared with my Zensor 3 bookshelf speakers (which I use as my reference), my OSTRY KC06As (which I use for portable listening daily), and my Audio Technica A900Xs (which I use as my main gaming cans). The Hear-it Ones have been used portably, for gaming, and for both casual and intensive listening.
 
Packaging and Accessories:
 
The unboxing experience of the Hear-it Ones was relatively painless, I would go as far as to say enjoyable. They came contained in a strangely appealing box of yellow and white, and sat fairly well protected on a fine fabric covered cardboardy pulp, moulded to hold the cans nicely with some wiggle room. I’d say that you can have confidence in these headphones arriving undamaged through international shipping.
 
Inside the box sat a 3.5mm to 6.3mm jack for studio equipment, and a silky carry bag with ‘Project Audio Systems’ plastered on the front. I’d say that the accessory range was entirely average, if not a little better owing to the generally high quality feel of the accessories provided.
 
Score: 7.5/10 – Better than adequate, well executed.
 
Build:
 
Taking the headphones from their cradle the first thing I noticed was their reasonably light and high quality construction. Some of the headphones’ chassis and headband was plastic, and an icky glossy kind to boot, but aside from this they’re pretty well constructed. The back of the driver is secured by a piece of metal with the Pro-Ject logo etched onto it, and the headband is wrapped in a soft leather. The craftsmanship one can find on these cans is worth noting, the headband has a fairly pleasant stitching all along it’s sides, and I’d be confident that those details would stand the test of time, as they felt substantial and durable. The earcups could be extended and retracted on little metal stints, they felt pretty sturdy, but I wouldn’t be comfortable putting them under strain. Moving down to the cable, it’s 1.25 meters long, which indicates that they’re intended for portable use, which troubles me because they don’t seem to try to fit into portable use aside from that one detail (said cable, for example, is totally non-removable – not great for durability outside).
 
Sure, the cans are light, and fairly well built, but the cups don’t fold in, the cable doesn't detatch, and the headphones are intended to be over the ear! They still can be used as portable cans easily enough, but the 1.25m cable is a serious restraint for home usage, and one that has frustrated me greatly during their use – I find myself tethered to my desk to an uncomfortable degree. Outside of this quibble, the cable is made of a woven, Kevlar like material, and is satisfying to both the touch and the eye (although appears to be incredibly kink-prone). Don’t abuse these headphones and they should hold up just fine.
 
Score: 7/10 – Once again, better than average due to some attention to detail, but not flawless.
 
Comfort:
 
One of the most important factors in the construction of any headphones is how comfortable they are, and these cans don’t shine here. Certainly not for me, and reportedly multiple other users. The issue we all seem to be running into is that, these cans aren’t big enough to be over-ears. The cups simply don’t, and won’t fit over my ears, they sit on-ear and squeeze. This is an important issue for a number of reasons. Not only does this render them prone to over-heating ears, rubbing, and compressing ear cartilage over-time, it also changes what they sound like. I’ll elaborate on this point in the sound section of the review. This failing is a massive shame, as the pads included with the Hear-it Ones are remarkably soft and comfortable feeling, but they do nothing to mitigate the pressure applied to the ears when worn as on-ears. They headband is of a nice material, and while not amazingly comfy, is well padded and isn’t uncomfortable by any means, it could do with being a bit wider methinks.
 
For the average user, perhaps these cans will end up being perfectly comfortable, but for me and many others (I should note that I really don’t have very large ears) they’re not, and I unfortunately that can’t be excused. Over long listening sessions my ears got very sore, and very hot, while I’ve had worse *cough* Sony… They still make themselves a poor choice for most potential customers.
 
Score: 4.5/10 – Comfort issues make long-term usage an impossibility.
 
Style:
 
Often overlooked, the looks of a pair of cans is something definitely worth noting, pride in a product owned is a good thing, and companies that can instil beauty in their products are also worth noting. The Hear-it Ones have a very retro feel about them (probably because they’re using an old AKG chassis), and they neither oversell nor sully this point, they look generally respectable. The colour-scheme is coherent and sensible; black, and white, with red accents and some metal. They’re nice enough looking to behold, and similarly decent looking when worn. They’re not winning any awards, but I’m pleased with their adequacy.
 
Score: 7/10 – Sensible and conservative, but soft enough on the eye.
 
Portability:
 
As said previously these are somewhat awkwardly placed for portability, having a short braided cable, and a lightweight design, however being over-ears with non-folding cups, and a non-removable cable – but this is a personal quibble, as a user who uses IEMs for out and about listening, I find that to wear headphones for out and about use necessitates portability centric design. However, these cans are light, have a short cable, and hang around the neck nicely. I’d say as a pair of do-all cans they’d be portable enough, but this is a matter of opinion, and personally I’ll stay with IEMs or folding cup on/over ears (for backpack storage).
 
Score: 7.5/10 – Not quite what I’d call portable, but they’re usable on the go.
 
Sound Quality:
 
This is where this review becomes interesting. Pro-Ject Audio’s CEO set out a clear message on camera (https://youtu.be/XF8Cp13uOPA), the Hear-It line will bring audiophile sound, cheap. Here I’ll explore the many areas in which Pro-Ject have succeeded, and why they have failed.
On the offset I’d like to say that these cans have many of the qualities I would desire in a pair of headphones, many of the qualities that would make me want to go out and purchase a pair for my personal use. Pro-Ject have managed to stay away from committing all but one cardinal sin with these cans, the cardinal sins being:
 

• The total absence of a range of frequencies
• The overpowering abundance of a range of frequencies
• A lack of control in a range of frequencies

          and,

• A total lack of tonal balance

 
The Hear-it Ones offer a reasonable tonal balance, presence of high, mid, and lower frequencies, and solid control in all fields. If you wander into a highstreet store and browse 100 euro headphones you’re sure to find most high-brand cans fail to provide what Pro-Ject have here. Now that is no excuse, Pro-Ject have experience in the audiophile sphere and aim at a separate market than the popular brand-names of today – but considering it’s their first jab at headphone design, I’d like to praise them for continuing their audiophilic tradition. Well done. Furthermore, they’ve actually achieved in creating an offering with some absolutely shining strengths. But I don’t think they’re for me, or for most of their audience.
 
The Hear-it Ones offer a wonderfully crafted mid-range, warm and intimate, controlled and extraordinarily well detailed. Vocals both male and female fit into place nicely, instrumentation hold their ground nicely, with solid separation and a pleasing timbre. Listening to rock, indie, and metal can be a very pleasing experience with these headphones.
 
Moving on with my praise, highs are fairly well extended (although they do still drop off too quickly for my taste, I’d like more sparkle and extension with cymbal crashes, etc.), they never even border on fatiguing, regardless of what source or file quality I use.

Soundstage is definitely present and accurate; not mind-blowing, but actually considerably more developed than I would have expected (I was perfectly able to play Counter Strike: Global Offensive on the Hear-It Ones). The Hear-it Ones manage considerable transparency for their price range, and liveliness isn’t lacking (any Hear-it One owners should try ‘The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)’ by ‘The Decemberists’ on the album ‘The Hazards of Love’, the instrumental intro I found particularly pleasing on these cans). They’re truly awesome cans! I’d have no issue giving them my total approval, but alas, they’re held back by a rather unfortunate flaw.
 
Here my praise has to stop, because I have to acknowledge the elephant in the room, the scuff on the Lambo, the utter party-pooper. That upper/mid-bass section needs to go. ASAP. You know that one classmate from back in secondary school? That’s right, the one who followed you around eating powdery food and loudly licking his fingers, proceeding to try and touch everyone?
 
That’s what the upper/mid-bass manifests itself as. Undesirable. To my untrained ears its sounds like Project-Audio have raised 400Hz to 1kHz considerably. A quick google returned similar criticisms, soundandvision.com declared that the Hear-it Ones had “a lot more energy between about 600 Hz and 2 kHz than most headphones”¹. To be clear, the bass response on these cans isn’t as awful as it could be. They exhibit decent control, and the umph factor hasn’t gone anywhere from where I would expect it to be, the problem is that this umph sits atop of the satisfying midrange and pleasant highs, strangling them, challenging them. This quoted 600 Hz to 2 kHz range forces the midrange and high end of these cans to fight through a cloak of darkness, and bass-heavy tracks can become a muddy mishmash of umph, with the occasional cymbal or lyric popping through, stumbling along with the over-enthusiastic bottom-end of these otherwise tremendous cans.
 
This is such a massive shame. Even with this bassy exaggeration, some parts of some tracks succeed in being entertaining, fun, and enjoyable – but they’re the minority, and often won’t last a full song.
 
I figure that at this point I’m starting to sound very critical and perhaps a tad unfair, I have, after all, praised almost all other properties of these cans. Well I have to admit that at some point this objectively disagreeable bass boost criticism slipped into my disagreeability towards bass humps. But that’s what I signed on to do with this review, give my subjective opinion. Honestly, I’m sure to some buyers this wouldn’t be quite as much of a problem, and power to those people. But I wonder who they are, and where they’ll be buying from – considering most audiophile buyers find highly bassy cans muddy and unpleasant.
 
And all of this being said, should Pro-Ject offer a mark II of the Hear-it ones, with better extended highs, larger ear cups, and a flatter bass response, I’d gladly throw whatever money I have at them, because these are truly awesome headphones without that bumped up bottom-end. And I do hope they will. Meanwhile, if anybody has a pair of Hear-it Twos, do let me know.
Certainly, I’ll be watching Pro-Ject Audio with keen eyes from here on out.
 
Score: 5/10 – Could’ve so easily gotten an 8, Very solid minus issues with bass response.
 
Conclusion:
 
Pro-Ject Audio have produced a truly promising pair of cans, one I’m honestly a little reluctant to criticise. But sometimes one must be cruel to be kind, and the truth will out, and all that jazz. They’re light, well constructed, nice looking, and could be really rather comfortable if your ears are the right size. They so nearly sound much better than their price might indicate, but they don’t. For me, they weren’t portable enough for outside use, didn’t have the cable length for comfortable home use, and weren’t comfortable enough for long listening sessions at all. Worst of all, they were far too bottom heavy – and spat all over their considerable strengths.
 
A truly admirable attempt, but not good enough to win me over. I wouldn’t recommend them in their current incarnation unless you have the money to spare, and interest to sate.
But do keep your eyes out. And if anybody has a pair of Hear-it Twos, really, do let me know, I’d love to arrange a temporary swap for some cans of my own.
 
 
Overall Score: - 6/10
 
¹http://www.soundandvision.com/content/review-pro-ject-hear-it-one-headphone#5oODSyPtAseFkF3I.97

This review might well make the 7506s seem like a poor set of headphones, they're not, at least, not objectively. They try to fill many rolls, but are only useful for one. Having strong feature sets that can appeal to both professional, and audiophilic users in one way or another is appealing to the budget minded consumer, but they shouldn't be considered hi-fi cans - nor can they be considered for studio work.
 
About me:
 
I'm a rural Irish university student, adament music lover, tech enthusiast, and gamer. I listen to a wide range of music, from classical to EDM, and almost everywhere in-between. The few times when I'm not listening to music, I'm either with friends, in a lecture, or gaming.

Use case:
 
MDR-7506s have recieved 3 months heavy usage, and have been subjected to a wide range of uses (music, videos, video editing, gaming). They've been compared to (over the course of these 3 months) my Sennheiser HD201s, Sennheiser MX170s, Brainwave Deltas, OSTRY KCA06s, Havi B3 Pro 1s, Pro-Ject Audio Hear-it Ones, and DALI Zensor 3s – all of which I'm very familiar with.

Packaging and Presentation:
 
My intial encounter with these headphones was slightly underwhelming – and while I wouldn't say they're packed/presented particularly poorly, I've seen better for the price. The box itself was sturdy and undamaged, the plastic window in the front of their enclosure revealed the silky material that the cans sat on. It didn't quite look like a princely cushion, probably due to the immediate and imposing nature of the hard plastic mould that impressed out of the silk . Not that this should ever impact on anyones purchasing decisions, but it does make a difference to the unboxing experience. There was a lovely servicing slip with a diagram of the assembly of the cans inside the box, along with the promise of a warranty. One thing that was definitely highlighted by the unboxing was their crazy durability, which we'll touch on later.

Build:
 
Build quality, particularly durability is a crucial aspect of any headphones you plan to move about with. The one thing I can say without any hesitation, caveat, or pause, is that these headphones are top dogs with to their tankish strength. If you're looking for unkillable headphones (in this price point, and having read up on how they sound), look no further, these won't let you down.
 I treat my headphones relatively poorly, especially when they're replacing IEMs for mobile listening. These things have been stepped on, crushed in a heavy bags, dropped from heights, and rolled over on office chairs (band and cable). Minus some scuffing on the driver housing, they're still going strong. They fold up nicely, and have absolutely no pinpointable weakness; no cable tension, no weak headbands or extension struts. I have been able to pull  off one of the cups (twice, actually, by accident), but nothing was broken, weakened, or scuffed in the experience and I was able to reattach them.
 If it wasn't for that, or the slightly exposed and uncomfortably long cable going from the headband to the drivers on either side, they'd be a 9.5.
 
 9/10. Like a tank.

Comfort:
 
No praise here. The headband is okay, but hardly floatins above the head. The earpads really aren't that fab, they work alright for some people, myself, I have oddly pertrusive ear cartilage that led to the pads being unbearable, and I'm really not the only one Not only did they fail to be totally over-ear, the thin pads and shallow earcups lead to by ears being pressed up against the metal dome of the driver. Regardless of volume, this quickly became unbearable. I'm aware this is a personal issue, but this shouldn't be an issue. I actually bought some EDT250 velour pads for them, just so I could use them without murdering my poor ears.
 
4/10. Very poor, really could've done better.

Looks:
 
An often overlooked aspect of headphones is how they look, and personally, I love good looking equipment. Aside from being out and about and wanting to present yourself well, it's plesant to know you have a good looking equipment. Here Sony gets a pass because they're definitely a style in themselves, not one I'm fond of, and they're really no work of art (the completely broken color scheme of black, blue, gold, and red for example, is a huge negative.), but if you're into the retro look, you might really like these!
That pulls some more points into their jar, but don't mistake me here, objectively they're really no great shakes. Very poor colouring, decent craftmanship (the stitching really isn't so fab), strange material mix, and an unusual profile make these nothing to write home about.
 
6/10, if you're into their kind of thing, maybe a 8/10. Dissapointing really, it costs almost nothing to remedy many of the issues here.

 Portability:
 
It's not clear quite what's going on here. The MDR7506s have great folding cups that can lend them to portability, as well as adding a considerable extra level of durability. Perfect for a commuter with limited bag space, student, etc. Contradicting this message, they tote a bulky, heavy, and long coiled cable, great for studio use - but terrible storage or outside use. So who are these made for? Well, audio engineers I assume, but they invalidate themself for most mixing/music creation work as will be discussed later.
Not a wise choice for commuters, they'll do, don't get me wrong! But much better can be had for such an application. They're nice and portable for the studio?? A travelling audio engineer perhaps, so long as said engineer isn't mixing music. They've actually worked pretty well for me, the cable is a total nusiance when out and about though
 7/10. They're portable enough for most.

Sound Quality:
 
This is the tough section to cover, it's probably the most important and also hard to articulate. All findings using adjectives are subjective.
 
I would preface this section with two major admissions; 1) I'm a fan of neutrality, like many audiophiles – therefore, I can't speak for everyone. I'll try to remain as objective as possible, and cite my sources. 2) I'm just a smidgen unsure of how to write this section, because there's a lot to say about these headphones. They have a definite character and profile, but accurately describing any sonic experience with them is a hard task. Those things in mind, let me proceed to outline their sound.
 
The most first thing to jump to mind when listening to the MDR-7506s is that they present a distinct and tinted sound. At no point would I describe the 7506s as uncolored, neutral, natural or transparent. They're very true to themselves in all recordings; Sharp, harsh, and actually quite fun if you can get over the first two. It's strange that these cans would still be praised under the guise of nuetrality and professionalism, maybe I took that hype the wrong way – but reports of these headphones being anything remotely suited to professional (musical) applications would have you believe they have a flat, neutral sound. Having had this impressed upon me by 'professional' branding and it's community hype, I dismissed those complaining of harshness, silibance, and a top-heavy attitude, as those who preffered a darker sound. In my mind, the dissenters simply perferred a bass-heavy attitude, with colour and a recession of treble, but that was wrong
 
Looking at graphs of the 7506s' measured frequency response two things immediately pop out, a peak at around 2KHz, and a large peak at around 10KHz. In my experience (and according to numerous empirical tests) are the defining charictaristics of the 7506s. These peaks are a recipe for disaster, leading to a harsh, silibant sound, far from neutral, and totally unusable for mixing, or most other studio applications. The effect is worsened by the immediate roll-off of lower bass from about 50Hz.
 
This can seem like a pretty unusual way to calibrate cans, so why is this the case? Well these cans are designed for a reason, and that reason is live sound. This struck me, oddly, not after reading the many reviews where various professionals rave on about their live sound applications, but taking a call while walking along a windy prom listening to music on the 7506s. Wow. The clarity of voice in windy conditions like those was unprecedented. It was almost like living through my own cutscene, enviromental noises were passively reccessed thanks to the 7506's very strong isolation, and there was crystal clear reception of voice, the effect was really rather spooky. This doesn't make up for their poor musicality, but it does lend some insight into their purpose. With that conclusion reached, let's talk about how they treat music.
 
Poorly. They're just not musical cans. They lack any sense of warmth (Try listening to The Gorillaz – 'Demon Days' on these, the album sounds devoid of passion or warmth), or desire to gloss over flaws in a recording, they're the epitome of critical listening - not due to a flat frequency response and copious amounts of detail but resulting from the emphasis of faults).
This doesn't make them a terrible listen, and they're not objectively awful – in fact, I would argue that they sound fantastic in certain situations. That's their main problem, they sound good in certain situations, and frankly underwhelming in others. There's not a lot to talk about regarding the body of their sound, because it kind of isn't there. The lower mids are linear and meek, horribly shy. It feels like certain frequencies are there for the sake of it, not for jubulant celebration of music. This really accentuates the 2K spike, worsening their anemic presentation. Bass response is pretty solid, but not technically great. The pads rattle your head a little. One of my female friends complained of the stock pads vibrating her chest too much in bassier moments, possibly not great cans for the bustier among us.
 
I had planned to use my experience with certain songs to contrast my slightly vague description of their sound, but after starting to do so I realised I was just mimicing what I've already said. Music with a lot of information in the mids (most music) sounds pale and is hard to enjoy. Instrument sparation is there, but only if you really listen to it. Soundstage is very small, and mostly just horisontal. They're not particularly slow or fast, and they never wowed me with their punch. In their favor, they're pretty controlled, and highly sensitive (although that doesn't set them too far apart).
Having said that, the cans being as character-ful as they are, they have undeniable strenghts:
 
While I've critisized their early and highly rolled off bass, the 7506s have a very pleasing bass response; pretty linear, deep, and impactful, but not overwhelming. This coupled with the (perhaps forced) clarity of the very top end and recessed midrange can make listening to EDM great lark. It's good fun to listen to bass heavy mixes like Deadmau5s' '4x4=12', or Blank Banshee's 'Blank Banshee 0'. Even rolling through thematic channels like Trap Nation on YouTube, hearing amateur mixes is thoroughly enjoyable. In fact, if you have a pair of 7506s, '4x4=12' and 'Blank Banshee 0' are required listening. I imagine most EDM (trance, house, dubstep, and dance in particular) will work beautifully with the 7506s.
 
With their sharp and cold nature, a severe lack of timbre and often texture, some ambient-type music (Speaking mostly about Vaporwave here), and very musical genres like Future-Funk can get recieve a very solid presentation played through these cans. I'm not quite sure why this is the case, I imagine it's the amount of information stored in the very top end of these tracks (a lot of Vaporwave, and Futurefunk have intesive filtering applied designed to give a slightly alloof sound – See Architecture in Tokyo (Yung Bae)'s mix: 's/t', and 식료품groceries': 슈퍼마켓Yes! We're Open), but the 7506s manage to give a relaxing, laid back demenor to atmospheric music.
 
Unfortunately, these strengths end up stumping other genres all together. Their harsh, often mid-less performance leaves them dead in the water when listening to other genres.Genres like hip-hop, R&B, and rap, are all severely stunted, vocals sound slightly distant, tinny, unnatural, and harsh. Drum beats particularly suffer from being far too upfront, ruining some mixes entirely. If you're looking for genre plasticity, you're not going to find it here. These cans can easily render half of your listening collection ruined, and still hunger for more. Anything like Rock, Jazz, Classical, Metal, Most Ambient,
Alternative has a 5-10% chance of still sounding pleasing encountering these cans.
 
The important thing to take from this review, if you take anything from it at all, is that these headphones aren't suitable for muscial enjoyment, the opposite of genre plastic, they're genrephobic. If you are looking to use the 7506s as audiophilic headphones, they're not what you're looking for. This isn't a matter of preference so much as a matter of design.
Some people really do enjoy listening to music throught the 7506s, and more power to them, we all have different perception, and perhaps the sharp edged nature of Sony's offering might appeal to those with less sensitivity for hearing higher frequencies, or those insensitive to the sharpness they suffer from/avail of.
 
Sound: 6/10 - not suitable for musical enjoyment, great for VOIP.
 
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In conclusion I really feel as though it'd be unfair to score the 7506s under a single category, due to the nature of reviewing professional equipment on a hi-fi premise so I'm going to offer three ratings, and explain my thoughts on each of them after that:
 
Consumer Use (Musical Enjoyment): 6/10 – The detail and control are there, but the sonic profile, neutrality, and attitude are all off. Would be 7.5/10 minus their exceptionally fatiguing nature (which is unforgiveable, in any instance for those susceptible to fatigue).
 
Professional Use (Mixing/Musical Creation): 3/10 – Strong detail earns it points, but I can't imagine mixing anything on these cans, your top end would be totally off, mids too forward, and bass textureless.
 
Professional Use (Live Sound): 9/10 – Ticks all the boxes (minus comfort), isolation, headphone strength, and clarity are all fantastic. Can't imagine you'll find better in the price range (I can't claim to be an authority on this though, if anybody can educate me, do.)

Hello all,
 
This review is written from the perspective of somebody who has spent a lot of time looking for good, cheap, cans - and I've used these good, cheap, cans for 5 years now.  I've owned cheap IEMs, Over-ears, On-ears, Earpods, and speakers. On the other hand I own a pair of Zensor 3s and MDR-7506s, and in all of my experience I've never encountered as solid a value-for-money ratio.
 
For 25 euro you can purchase a new pair HD201s in a number of retailers, I can highly recommend them. Let's start at the beginning:
 
 
Packaging: A box, some fabric.
 
As one might expect from such a cheap headset, the HD201s have very underwhelming packaging. Given that, it's perfectly acceptable - the headset sits inside a cardboard box wrapped in a soft foamy fabric. I would assume that with the lightweight nature of these cans the protection offered should be sufficient to protect them from blunt impacts, and stop the cans getting scuffed. Fine for shipping of any kind.
 
 
Build: Bog standard, but very well thought-over.
 
These headphones are built with cheap-plasticy materials, there's really no other way of saying that, they don't feel or look premium. But to Sennheiser's defense, they've committed no cardinal sins. The plastic casing is matte, making it immune to fingerprints and quite scratch resistant. The colors are plain (silver and black), and don't run or fade. There are also no points of extreme weakness anywhere through the design. Sometimes the extension struts that allow for the cans to be extended or retracted can be snapped, I've experienced this a number of times over our 5 year run, and I can offer two bits of advice regarding this weakness: 1) Don't sit on your headphones - I've done this many a-time, and each time those struts snapped it was under my own weight 2) Using hot glue or epoxy resin to reattach the cups almost always works and holds. The cable is long enough for use for just about any application, is coated in soft (but plasticy feeling) rubber that leaves it durable, easy enough on the eye, and comfortable to have pressed against your body. You can find a lot better at slightly higher price points when it comes to sheer build quality, but If you treat these nicely, they will last, and look okay too.
 
 
Ergonomics: Not sleepers, but not in any way offensive.
 
The HD201s are decent to wear, but that's it. Until worn in they clamp a little hard, which sucks because the ear cups are fairly shallow and the pads aren't fantastic. Pleather and foam. The reality is that they don't hurt, and I have sensitive ears with hella annoying ear ridges . They hold onto your head through headbanging, and I've hiked with these through rain, sleep, and snow, they're no clouds floating on the ears, but there's little to complain about.
 
 
Sound: Best of category, by a mile.
 
The sound out of these cans is what makes them so remarkable. It's balanced, with clear separation between high, mid, and low frequencies - which is a lot more than can be said of 98% of headphones at this price range, and that's not where it ends. They do sound decent, even in comparison to my Zensors and 7506s, they're much less detailed than those two offerings, with softer treble, and weaker bass.
 
The mids don't provide much intimacy or subtlety, but they're reasonably musical and rounded - listening to the Gorillaz - D-Sides for example, you can still appreciate the mastery behind Spitting out the Demons, and the various remixes of Kids with Guns. Listening to low vocals, acoustic guitars, pianos, and violins such as - The National - The Alligator (A decently hard album to reproduce due to it's harmonic cacophony of instruments) once can separate, and appreciate each instrument, all of which are portrayed forgivingly. The mids aren't juicy or detailed, but they're enjoyable to listen to - and that's the primary objective of a 25 euro headset. Bang on Sennheiser, budget done right.
 
The aforementioned treble is a little soft, but present - non-sibilant, and easy to listen to. It strikes that difficult to find balance in similar low-end offerings between just not having anything up top, and the "we hope we've made your ears bleed" trigger happy treble approach. In short, the top-end offers musicality and balance, and while mixes can be left sounding soft when listened to on higher-end offerings and then compared with the 201s, there's nothing there to complain about at this price point whatsoever. Probably the greatest strength of the 201s in their price point, higher frequencies that can cause some mixes to be fatiguing and sibilant are forgiven for being over-zealous, but aren't muted to obscurity. This is rare and valuable, don't overlook it.
 
Bass. Well, these aren't for bassheads, but they're also not lacking in a way that feels totally unfair. The bass response is well controlled, decently low-reaching, and generally proportional - but it's quiet. Recessed to just about the point of complaint, it's not rare for bass heavy mixes to sound slightly underplayed on these cans. I think people make too big a deal out of this in this one instance however as in my *considerable* experience most decent all-rounder cans in this price point have either no bass whatsoever, or bass floppier than dying carp. The bass provided by the 201s is present, audible, and controlled. This makes them head and shoulders above most other options - but it'd be nice not to have mention it's recessed nature at all. I wouldn't consider this a deal breaker at all, the bass is there, and can be enjoyed in all mixes - if you're expecting bass that leaves your jaw dropped open, you're expecting far too much out of 25 euro cans.
 
Needless to say, these cans are low-impedance and will run fine with mobile devices. This review is written on experiences with a pair of 201s that have now been broken in for 500ish hours.
 
 
Conclusion:
 
These cans thoroughly trounce the majority of competitors, and some headphones far above their own price-point. The key to this isn't mind-blowing bass, jaw dropping detail, or stunning good looks. It's the fact that these cans are very well thought out, and then produced en-mass. They avoid all cardinal sins when it comes to packaging (Melt on packaging anyone?), build, or ergonomics - holding a strong 'good enough' on all of them, and on top of it they sound much much better than their price-tag would indicate (I actually had a few days back around 2013 where I got to swap between using 1st gen Beats and the 201s, the 201s beat them into the dust at a fraction of the price).
 
I would happily recommend these to any man or woman who was looking to spend under 50 euro on headphones.

Hullo, I've gotten many quality reviews of audio products on head-fi, from many competent people that have shaped my buying habits. But I've never actually written a review and given back to the community, so when I went down to my local HMV and purchased a pair of 10 euro ($11ish) (£8ish), and they startled me with their quality, I took it as an opportunity to return the favor
 
Having destroyed my second pair of Brainwavez Deltas the day I received them (don't be deceived by the metal housing, they are VERY easy to break), I was strapped for cash and headphone-less. Conveniently, my friend had just purchased a pair of MX170s, and was astounded by their quality for the mere 10 euro he spent - upon his recommendation I left school one afternoon, walked into town, and bought my 170s.
 
Unboxing the 170s it's pretty clear that they're budget earphones, they came in see through plastic packaging, with no thrills in sight. In the packaging lay one pair of MX170s, and one pair of cheap foam eartips to make them sit a little more comfortably. After struggling to fit those on (they were REALLY tough, had to ask another friend to help me get them on), I put them in my ears, grabbed the jack, shoved it into my phone, and blasted out a range of music.
 
Immediately it's weaknesses were clear. There's no real sound-stage to speak of, there's something, and it's alright - but you're not gonna get a spacious sound out of these. Highs were sharp, at full volume they became quite uncomfortable to listen to. Mids were acceptable, high mids were clear and pronounced - just about perfect but kind of eclipsed by the overemphasized top ends. The lower mids were there, and identifiable, but a little too quite for my tastes. A nice segway to the low-end, the bass was there, and you could feel it, but it was a little too quiet. It was surprisingly tight, but nothing that's gonna blow anyone away. If I had to label it as a sound curve, it's a U with an emphasis on it's top-end, but inherently insufficient bass.
 
We can about how they sound on a technical level, but I find it's far more direct to talk about how that translates to your listening experience.
 
Assuming you're listening at 70-85% volume, music sound bright but not painfully so, those highs could be a little rounder, a little less harsh, but they're balanced enough to listen to with a little EQing (literally just -1Db on the top frequencies, and +1Db on low-mid and bottom frequencies). Mids and lows are kinda ambiguous, or so I've found, not wonderfully tight, not wonderfully pronounced, but genuinely acceptable. I should stress here that I am ANAL about having a balanced sound with my equipment, any over-emphasis on a set of frequencies and I can't listen to them full stop, but these little MX170s at 10 euro were actually alright. And herein lies their incredible strength. In fact, with the right EQ in not too noisy an environment, I could really enjoy all genres of music on these (I listen to a VERY wide range of music, mostly: Rap, Metal, Classical, Punk, Inde, Rock, Pop, Techno, and Dance.). 

The important thing to take from this is that I don't know of a SINGLE competitor that offers enjoyable sound for 10 Euro!!
 
The clear wining factor for these understated contenders is their sound, but there are honorable mentions to make here, because they've got qualities that deserve them
 
Headphones do NOT have a nice time of it with me, I've broken about 6 pairs of HD201s, 2 pairs of Brainwavz Deltas, and 3 or 4 pairs of over-ears I can't recall the make and model of. I sit on headphones, I tangle earphones, I pay not attention to how much tension they may or may not be subjected to during use, which includes building work, hiking, and working out. These have lasted for over 5 months with no signs of wear, and completely intact. *Well deserved slow clap*
 
Unfortunately Sennheiser still has some revisions to make to these earphones before they'll deserve a five star review. For one the earphones are immediately uncomfortable for men or women like myself who have smaller ears, uncomfortable at first, and really rather painful for prolonged sessions out and about, whenever the earphones rub up against the cartilage or pull at their cables. Some people even find that the left and right sides are more comfortable when swapped around! I see this as being a pretty inexcusable design error - maybe I'm being pedantic. The foam pads they supply to combat this didn't help at all, merely providing more friction for me. Even then, I didn't get to spend a lot of time using these pads, because along with being difficult to attach, they fell off all the bloody time. 
 
Furthermore it really must be noted that the top-end at loud volumes is uncomfortably harsh. This cacophony is acceptable for a track or two if you really NEED the volume, but it's after not too long it becomes horrendously fatiguing, almost as painful as their poorly-fitting design.
 
 
To surmise this review, you may as well just look at it's title, it's an apt description. These little earphones offer unrivaled value for money (and I'm willing to back that up mathematically*), with really decent sound, not outstanding, but in the right place, perfectly enjoyable. They fit perfectly for those in need of throw-about earphones in that they will survive whatever you throw at them, behaving less like earphones under duress, and more like rope. They're in need of some perfectly affordable revisions I'd love Sennheiser to address, particularly regarding ergonomics. With some tuning, these could become the indisputable champions of budget audio.

And yes, I could recommend these. I could recommend these above literally any other contenders at this price point. While you could find better spending a mere 10 euro more it's okay not to. Yeah, I reckon you might have a much nicer time spending a little more - but not everyone can, for those, buy these, the poor man's saviour.

Tl;dr: Buy these, unless you can spend about twice as much. In which case don't buy these.
 
*At 10 euro these offer more utility than any other headphones I've ever owned. To name two competitors at slightly higher price points - the Sennheiser HD201s at 20-25 euro, and the Brainwavz Deltas at 25-30 euro. I have owned and used both of these, and I can promise to everyone reading this that my 201s aren't literally twice as useful as the MX170s, and the Deltas are certainly not 3 times what the MX170s are. 
*If anyone has any contenders, please name them! I'll be sure to buy a pair and revise this review