I was reading a lot of stellar reviews on CAD products online -- not necessarily that they are top-notch performers but that they are an excellent value. Owning one of their microphones, I was intrigued when I ventured onto their site and saw that CAD has some headphone offerings as well.
Saw these on sale one day and just couldn't resist. My reasoning was that if CAD could make quality dynamic mic capsules, they might have an idea or two on how to make a nice headphone. Then I did some research and found these were rebranded china. Oh well.
FIRST IMPRESSION:
My first impression was of cheapness. The box reeks of it. Open the box and everything inside reeks of cheapness as well -- but nothing seems out of place. Costs were cut at every opportunity, but nothing about the headphone made me feel that it was "low-quality". There is a small color leaflet printed on glossy paper, magazine-cover-style, which has marketing, pictures, specs, etc. on it. A small, black (nylon?) bag sporting the CAD logo on it in a rich yellow -- a nice touch.
BUILD:
It seems that anything the engineers in charge thought could be made out of plastic, is. The sole metal components apart from the plug appear to be the headband springs -- despite this, every part of the headphone feels surprisingly sturdy. The plastic does not feel thin or yielding, nor does it provoke the impression that it will shatter the moment you drop it on the floor. The overall feeling is cheap, but solid.
COMFORT:
This is on the lacking side. The self adjusting headband is the gleaming feature of these cans, but is also where the comfort ends. The headband springs are somewhat tight, but this should get better with time, and can be easily remedied by stretching them out gently, as others have mentioned. The earpads are not the most uncomfortable thing in the world but neither are they a wearable couch -- pleather which is better than Sony's flaky black gunk, but sweats easily and isn't very soft. My biggest gripe about these headphones is that there is some noise transmitted where the cable meets the housing. The effect is not terrible, but a sudden turn of the head or a large cable movement makes noise where the headphone and cable connect.
APPEARANCE:
If you think they look alright in the picture, that may be so, but they will look stupid on your head. Chances are, if you're buying these, you really don't care anyway.
UTILITY:
They're big, bulky, and flexible enough that I would consider taking them anywhere to be a chore. Attempting to hang them around your neck will suffocate you.
SOUND:
In comparison to the Sony MDR-7506, a few things stand out:
The bass has greater presence than in the Sony's, but has less extension. Lows are easier to make out and seem more eager, where the 7506's have a deeper but more veiled bass response. The treble response sounds similar to me, but these headphones lack the harsh high-mids peak that the 7506's have. While both the bass and treble appear slightly hyped at times, the MH310s are, without a doubt, not as harsh, and IMO have greater clarity than the 7506's.
The soundstage is wider and clearer than the 7506's. I find it easier to place instruments, and I can distinguish more individual sources of sound in my music.
They seem to be slightly quieter than the Sony's, but for every other aspect except that and build quality, I find them to be superior.
Noticeably clearer, and without any harsh and distracting peaks. Tight bass and playful, shimmering highs make for a fun listen with an over-all controlled character.
CONCLUSION:
Corners were cut, but, at least in this case, everyone wins. All things considered, this is a cheap headphone with great pair of drivers inside. It may not be the most comfortable or pretty thing to hit the market, but in terms of performance, it rivals the MDR-7506, which costs $85.00 on Amazon at the time of this writing.
To me, that's value.
Great job, Superlux.
Saw these on sale one day and just couldn't resist. My reasoning was that if CAD could make quality dynamic mic capsules, they might have an idea or two on how to make a nice headphone. Then I did some research and found these were rebranded china. Oh well.
FIRST IMPRESSION:
My first impression was of cheapness. The box reeks of it. Open the box and everything inside reeks of cheapness as well -- but nothing seems out of place. Costs were cut at every opportunity, but nothing about the headphone made me feel that it was "low-quality". There is a small color leaflet printed on glossy paper, magazine-cover-style, which has marketing, pictures, specs, etc. on it. A small, black (nylon?) bag sporting the CAD logo on it in a rich yellow -- a nice touch.
BUILD:
It seems that anything the engineers in charge thought could be made out of plastic, is. The sole metal components apart from the plug appear to be the headband springs -- despite this, every part of the headphone feels surprisingly sturdy. The plastic does not feel thin or yielding, nor does it provoke the impression that it will shatter the moment you drop it on the floor. The overall feeling is cheap, but solid.
COMFORT:
This is on the lacking side. The self adjusting headband is the gleaming feature of these cans, but is also where the comfort ends. The headband springs are somewhat tight, but this should get better with time, and can be easily remedied by stretching them out gently, as others have mentioned. The earpads are not the most uncomfortable thing in the world but neither are they a wearable couch -- pleather which is better than Sony's flaky black gunk, but sweats easily and isn't very soft. My biggest gripe about these headphones is that there is some noise transmitted where the cable meets the housing. The effect is not terrible, but a sudden turn of the head or a large cable movement makes noise where the headphone and cable connect.
APPEARANCE:
If you think they look alright in the picture, that may be so, but they will look stupid on your head. Chances are, if you're buying these, you really don't care anyway.
UTILITY:
They're big, bulky, and flexible enough that I would consider taking them anywhere to be a chore. Attempting to hang them around your neck will suffocate you.
SOUND:
In comparison to the Sony MDR-7506, a few things stand out:
The bass has greater presence than in the Sony's, but has less extension. Lows are easier to make out and seem more eager, where the 7506's have a deeper but more veiled bass response. The treble response sounds similar to me, but these headphones lack the harsh high-mids peak that the 7506's have. While both the bass and treble appear slightly hyped at times, the MH310s are, without a doubt, not as harsh, and IMO have greater clarity than the 7506's.
The soundstage is wider and clearer than the 7506's. I find it easier to place instruments, and I can distinguish more individual sources of sound in my music.
They seem to be slightly quieter than the Sony's, but for every other aspect except that and build quality, I find them to be superior.
Noticeably clearer, and without any harsh and distracting peaks. Tight bass and playful, shimmering highs make for a fun listen with an over-all controlled character.
CONCLUSION:
Corners were cut, but, at least in this case, everyone wins. All things considered, this is a cheap headphone with great pair of drivers inside. It may not be the most comfortable or pretty thing to hit the market, but in terms of performance, it rivals the MDR-7506, which costs $85.00 on Amazon at the time of this writing.
To me, that's value.
Great job, Superlux.
