Mixcder HD601

They say the third time is the charm. Well, this is the third Mixcder product I have reviewed, and while good for those wishing for more bass than the MS-301 I reviewed awhile back; these might in fact be a good bet for those looking at a better bass response and Bluetooth to boot. Having reviewed the fine X5 IEM, this brings back around the review circle so-to-speak.



I want to thank @Mixcder for this gracious opportunity, as well as apologize for the lengthy delay in my review. My hope is that the company is doing well, and all they ask is for an honest review, one in which they can use to constructively build upon this product.


To be honest, the 601’s were a nice surprise from Denise at Mixcder. Through the HeadFi page, several of us showed a good bit of interest in the product and signed up (https://www.head-fi.org/threads/loo...uetooth-headphone-with-apt-x-ll.856288/page-2). Ten lucky participants were chosen, and I felt very lucky to be included.

Obligations other than reviews shoved these to the back shelf for far too long. Collecting dust, I would look at them, and in my mind state, “Another day perhaps.” I felt guilty. I felt like I was abandoning a once well-used toy. A toy, which was at one time played with quite a bit, but then cast to that shelf…you know the one…the one with the toys missing a button, or wheel, or just for newer “brighter” toys…sigh. Two things happened to rekindle my interest (OK, three…). My son took an affinity to the Mixcder MS-301’s, Denise politely asked me how it was going, and strangely; I saw dust marks left from where the headphone USED to be…but was moved slightly. Sometimes using all four of my eyes, I do notice details…not often enough from my wife’s perception…




Upon investigation, I had caught my daughter using the 601’s…almost sheepishly; she asked if it was OK, she really liked the sound. I of course acquiesced to her repose, stating that since big bro liked the 301’s, that the 601’s were hers after I was done. As BOTH kids want the BT-enabled headphones NOW, I decided enough was enough. I owe it to the fine Mixcder people not only a fine review, but a fine story, too. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I do like to weave tales into my reviews. And, this is no exception. I say this, as I listen to Los Lonely Boys on Tidal Hi-Fi, through my iPhone X. And quite a pleasant sound it is, too. That said, duty calls, as my daughter “politely” gives me the look, darn near every day…It isn’t pleasant. It is like she learned that from her mother. I love her mother very much, but it scares me to be outnumbered whenst the boy returns to College…I genuinely fear that…







Specs from the Mixcder site:


Mixcder HD601 Specification

Mic. Spec

Microphone Unit: Φ4*1.5mm

S.P.L: -42±3dB S.P.L at 1KHz

Impedance: ≤2.2kΩ

Frequency Response: 100Hz-10,000Hz

Operating Voltage: 1-10V

Directivity: Omni-directional


Speaker Spec

Speaker Diameter: Φ 40mm

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20,000Hz

Impedance: 32Ω

THD: <3%

S.P.L: 96±3dB S.P.L at 1KHz

Bluetooth Spec

Transmission Format: SBC, apt-X, apt-X Low Latency

Bluetooth Version: BT 4.2

Support Profile: HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP

Transmission Frequency: 2.402GHz-2.48GHz

Transmission Distance: 33 feet (about 10 meters)

Pairing Name: Mixcder HD601

Battery Spec

Charging Port: Micro USB 5V/1A

Standby Time: More than 1800 hours

Talking Time: About 15 hours

Playing Time: About 15 hours

Charging Time: About 2 hours

Battery Type: Built-in 360mAh rechargeable lithium battery

Environment

Operating Temperature: -10℃~ 45℃

Storage Temperature: -25℃~ 60℃

Dynamics:

Sporting the latest iteration of Bluetooth (BT), 4.2 apt-x-LL, the 601 paired easily with everything I had. Better in fact than the 301. With the 601, I rarely had to “forget” the device and reconnect. With the 301, it was quite often. I say this, and this has subsequently been rectified, so one need not worry.

Something I noticed right off the bat upon the first full cycle use, was the longevity of the battery. I could and did attain the 15 hours. And, subsequently, I achieved near-15 hours the majority of time. Factors such as source, distance to device, and other considerations did lower the time, but none of my “tests” showed less than 12 hours. Quite nice. And I can verify that the “Standby Time,” was indeed LOOOONNNGGG! As stated above the unit can sit idly by on that dusty shelf, errrr while not using for greater than 75 days. That is an outstanding time, and one where I pretty much didn’t worry about charging, because there always seemed to be a charge. One could easily go a full week of using the 601 for a couple of hours a day. You can also fall back upon the charging cable and still use the 601’s. But, you will lose the “Bass Boost” function as others have noted.



Gear used:

iPhone X/iPhone 6+

Shanling M3s

Shanling M1

MacBook Pro


Compared to:

Mixcder MS-301

thinksound ON-2



The vast majority of testing was done using BT, only using the cable for sound, when charging (which was rare!).









Aptandum et consummare:


Made of formed plastic, metal, rubber, and synthetic leather; there is nothing revolutionary, or extraordinary about the fit and finish. I say this in a good way. The unit does not draw attention to itself save the red highlight stripes on the driver housing and ear cup edge. This is a tasteful design, which underlies how a lack of ostentatiousness can be a good thing. Not drawing attention to oneself can be a good thing, on a commute, or again in office.





The thinksound and 301’s on the other hand do their best to respectfully draw attention to themselves. Understated is a nice change in this regard and much appreciated by the Mixcder designers. I will say that the shape of the band lends itself to being more prominent than others, but this is not a bad thing. Clamp pressure is a bit above the 301, but definitely less than the ON2’s. Those are almost like a vice grip after a bit.


Microphonics do come into play, when touching the 601, due to the plastic, but…just keep your hands off, and it will be fine! Adjustability of the headband is good, with me finding a comfortable position both with and sans hat. A nice addition is the marking on the band to ensure you are of equal height. Although I have found myself using different heights on some bands, this is not the case on the 601. I equate this to my “lopsided head,” which my Mother stated happened from dropping me as a baby…sometimes even by accident, she tells me...(I jest, and I hope you understand that…)





What this drivel boils down to is that I could find a comfortable position, with which I could listen for a good long time. Not as long or comfortably as the 301, but I could go much longer than the ON2. Headband padding is sufficient enough for long listens, too. And a big step up from others I have, or have auditioned (nameless here to protect the less than innocent). Controls were easy to use, and not the least bit confusing to this old dodder, a definite plus. Pushing the power button 2x, while on BT activated the Bass Boost, giving slightly “more” rumble to the mid-bass region. And while it gave (me) a more powerful punch, on some songs I noticed a definite loss of clarity. As @wiljen noted, Bass+, and Bass+++. I would concur. A somewhat congested sound resulted from complicated songs, due to the rumble. This did not happen but a couple of times, and when bass boost was off it did not happen to my ears. And I might add, probably not discernable when on a commute. This is a definite warm sounding headphone made more so, with bass boost.


The one fault I think Mixcder made with the construction of the 601 is not making them completely portable and foldable. One must be careful if you take them along for the ride (and not be listening…), as they are a full size headphone and take up that space in one’s backpack or briefcase. The plastic/metal construction does lend itself to abuse of said packs, but a better solution would have been a more foldable design. Overall, not bad and better than many at this price point, but behind more “refined” headphones, too.


A nice touch on the power/volume button side (right) is a light, which shows at what level BT is connected. From blue (powered on and in SBC), to red (a purple) for aptX, to green (aqua) denoting aptx LL. Thanks to @turbobb for noticing this. I was able to verify the slight change in colors as a result. Low Latency is the latest iteration of BT (as well as the 4.2 system), and it works quite well. I was unable to discern a delay in YouTube videos watched from my X. Not that I probably would have otherwise, but good to note regardless.





Altius aldite:

Upon reacquainting myself with the HD601, some things had not changed. The bass was still very prominent in the scene, as was an intimate sound stage. As a result, separation of instruments suffered, as each fought for space in the sound signature. Mind you, this is critical based upon the very good setting of the MS-301’s. The two are tuned VERY differently. I find that the bass, while overly present and forward, do provide the necessary cover for noisy situations. And, based upon the looks “my” girls give me, that is indeed comforting. But compared to the 301’s, that slight airiness is definitely missing. The two are most definitely oriented for differing purposes and types of people.



I found myself quite enjoying the 301 again when compared. But, that lack of bass coming from the 601 did take time to get used to again. Where the 601 shines is in that isolating sound, with a good decent bass rumble. If you desire that in your sound, one would be silly not to consider this for your commute, or office setting. I do find the isolation better on the 601, as a result of the pads, and that bass. I confirmed this from the outside, too as I had each child-unit don a pair (the respective ones they will “inherit/steal” from me) and listen. The 601 had the leg up on isolating from the outside, too as it was near silent to my old ears. Call it a “near-bass-lovers” dream commuter pair, for an extremely reasonable price.



Bass can be defined as VERY present. This is for bass lovers, and I do believe those who favor large amounts of bass would like this sound. Think of being in a smaller room (soundstage), but having a 15” subwoofer going. Then when you tap into the bass boost, you effectively add a second 15” sub. It can be disconcerting, but a nice change from those headphones, which have what we will call “polite” bass, especially those who promote themselves as having bass…Ummm, no you don’t when compared to the 601. The thinksound ON-2 does have better bass to me, and more controlled, too. Defining them selves as a bass headphone, the ON2 has better expressed and precise bass than the 601. But for a headphone, which is well less than ½ the price, the 601 accords itself well. And as a nice compliment to its cousin the 301, which I would call that “polite” bass, but in a good way; not as described above.



As a result of the bass push, the mids do suffer. Vocals are pushed to the back, and can get lost in the shuffle. Turning off the bass boost helps, but this is not what you would purchase for a vocal-oriented headphone. That said, EQing the bass push down, did help solve this a bit, and male vocals became pretty decent. But, what is the point of taming the bass, if that is the critters intent? Mids were presented clean and clearly, and helped with separation and instrumentation. While behind the 301, the mids do help pull the aforementioned into a good acceptable range.



Treble as expected paid the price for the bass/mid “agreement.” Rolled off (even to my old ears), this is where the 301’s shine well ahead. While not meant to be a treble-lovers dream, the 301 is quite good at presenting the highs, especially when one considers that you are listening to a BT phone. And yes, technology has made this to where BT headphones are no longer the butt of jokes. To the point where I considered betting the excellent BT Focal Listen recently. I didn’t, but considered it deep into the decision. And, I would respectfully add, that it is because “budget” companies such as Mixcder have embraced BT, pushing the latest versions that we have to thank. I am glad, and can see several excellent examples since the release of the 601/301.



Soundstage does suffer as a result of being closed-back, which is a shame. I was hoping for a more open airy sound, but pretty much knew better going in…That said, this can be an advantage for those wanting a more personal listening environment. Sometimes, we just want to be left alone, and here the 601 does provide us that avenue.







Separation suffers as a result of this small soundstage, and some music can be hard to discern and isolate as a result. But, we are talking about a budget BT headphone, which caters to bass loving people. Instrumentation is not the forte of the 601, either. But again…see the comment two sentences ago…





Sana consummavi:



Throughout this review, I have been drawn into the negativity of the 601. And, I do apologize. That is not my intent, nor conclusion. I think a good part of that stems from how the bar was set from the MS-301. An extremely competent 4.2 BT headphone with a very good overall sound signature. One I could and would gladly listen to for a good long time. Eminently comfortable to wear and listen to, the 301 set a high standard for Mixcder, on the heels of the well-received x5 IEM to boot. When a company has many hits in a row, there is bound to be a miss. And based upon that last statement, one could rightfully conclude I will say the 601 are a miss. Well, guess what, I won’t.



When a company has hits (in a row as mentioned), this can embolden said company to try different things. Some even out of their comfort zone, or to fill a niche in which they did not have an offering. Think of where we would be if Mazda did not continue the convertible in the form of the excellent Miata (MX-5), in 1990. While I do believe we would still have an affordable convertible; Mazda single-handedly kept the passion for small affordable convertibles alive. Plus ours was EXCEEDINGLY more reliable than my old Triumph Spitfire. The Miata was and is back to being a fabulous example of that passion, when a company sets their site on something, which might go missing.







I liken this to what Mixcder has done with the 601. They have stepped into a realm, where they saw fit to compliment the offerings they already had. Maybe not on Mazda-level, but the connection reverberates the same, especially with bass boost on…and largely they did succeed. Turning on bass boost, then playing your favorite old rock-n-roll song, or bass heavy genre can indeed make you relish that time in the small room. And getting at their roots, Mixcder has developed a quite competent bass BT headphone. One, I did enjoy and do appreciate.



I thank Mixcder for this tremendous honor, and do again apologize for the delay. Plus, my kids will be happy to steal, errr…”inherit” both Mixcdr’s. In fact, they are waiting like vultures above me right now…aaaaahhhhh, gufpobnlef! Wait, I’m not done!.....




And in that Mixcder has succeeded

I’ve been an early adopter of Bluetooth head/earphones dating back to the original Jaybirds Bluebuds X as I simply couldn’t deal with the constant snagging of my earphones on the bus seats or fellow passengers limbs, bags, etc. on my daily commute. Given the decent sound quality (I’m not an audiophile by any means) I was quite content. However, as I expanded BT applications beyond just listening to music, I found the lag was a bit distracting at times while watching videos.

Once apt-X LL was released, I was intent on testing the reduced latency feature. My first foray into this was Avantree’s Audition Pro paired with their Priya II and there was definitely a noticeable improvement latency-wise, however the sound profile wasn’t totally to my liking so next up was Plantronic’s Back Beat Pro which I liked quite a bit. Based on memory, it had everything I liked about the original Backbeat and this time around, they are circumauraul (albeit just barely).

Not long after I purchased the BB Pro, Mixcder offered an opportunity to review their newly released HD601 of which this review covers with a focus on the Low Latency aspect.


PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES
The HD601 comes in pretty typical packaging; it arrived nestled in a plastic inner shell for protection with an outer cardboard sleeve:

Accessories include: User’s Manual (which is well written in decent English, no “Engrish” here), micro USB cable, 3.5mm audio cable, registration card (for extended warranty).

SPECIFICATIONS
Here are the specs as published by Mixcder:



DESIGN & FEATURES
The HD601 follows a pretty typical cookie cutter template as it comes to styling; that is, it should be instantly familiar to anyone who has ever used a Bluetooth headphone.

All the controls are on the right cup with each button serving multi-functions:

- power button (also used for pairing and play/pause, answer/hang-up, extra bass toggle)
- Vol + (or next track by pressing and holding)
- Vol – (or prev track by pressing and holding)

The microphone, 3.5mm jack and LED indicator are also housed on the right side. This particular LED is used to indicate pairing and codec in use.

Of note is that when connected to my iPhone, the volume controls are direct (you will see the volume change up and down on your screen with each button press). This isn’t the case with my Asus Zenfone (Android) in that the volume controls run independent of the one shown on the device. One will need to remember to set the volume on the HD601 to max and then control the volume on the device or vice versa. When paired with a BT Tx like Mixcder’s TR008 and using an analog source, I generally like to keep the headphone volume lower and the Tx source louder to prevent drop outs during quiet passages (this won’t occur with a digital source but I digress…).

The left cup features the micro-USB charging port and an LED dedicated solely as the charging indicator:

Both LED’s are well positioned so that they are well recessed within the hole and aren’t obnoxiously bright. I recall there was an old BT headphone I had (forgot which) but the LED was positioned to face forward and was really annoying with dark adapted eyes.

Each cup can be extended a total of 25mm length as indicated in 5mm increments on the steel bands:

However, the detents are actually at about 3.5mm intervals for a total of seven positions. They are solid enough and won’t accidentally slip between detents even when walking briskly.

The cups can be folded flat so that they face up towards your face when hung around the neck.

They can also swivel about 20 degrees the other way (with the front of the cups angled towards the nose when worn) for additional adjustment:

However, I feel that it’s far more important for cups to be able to swivel to follow the natural taper towards the rear of ones’ head. I’ve never understood why certain headphones don’t allow this.

Last but not least, the cups can also be articulated roughly 3 degrees on the Y-axis when worn to provide further adjustability.

Extra Bass (via Power button)
The extra bass feature is “hidden” given it’s activated by the power button and there is no label to indicate its multi-functionality capability. A quick double-press will either activate or deactivate it with no audio or visual cues save for the sudden and pronounced increase / decrease in bass and will retain this setting even after shut-off or when you pair it with another device.


COMFORT
Sadly, I’ve sold some great sounding BT cans due to the lack of comfort. Amongst those were Pendulumic’s Stance S1+ and ME’s Matrix 2 (which by memory are two of the best sounding BT cans I’ve owned). Subjectively, the HD601’s offer a great, comfortable fit overall as the cups can fully accommodate my ears (with lobes). The inner dimensions of the pads are 58.5mm x 38mm (2.3” x 1.49”):

As mentioned in the Design section, the ability for the cups to swivel towards the rear of ones’ head allows it to form a good seal around my ears that contributes to pretty decent noise isolation as well as reduced sound leakage.

The angled driver provides even more space for the helix so that it doesn’t touch the felt within the cup but due to some weird condition, I find that my left lobe has a problem with a few headphones without enough clearance:

I did experience discomfort with the HD601 as well in this regard but the great thing is that if I adjust the swivel properly the problem goes away.

The clamping force is decent without being overbearing. They stayed in position even when I shook my head vigorously sideways or while tilted fore/aft and also remained in place while doing burpees.

The light weight and decent foam cushions in the pads create a good level of comfort during long listening sessions though heat can be an issue especially in higher ambient temps. I do anticipate them to make great ear muffs which I look forward to testing with the cooling weather here.


BATTERY LIFE / CHARGING
In spurts of listening at moderate volume over the course of a few days, I do find the 15hrs quoted by the manufacturer to be about right. Once battery is sufficiently low, the red LED indicator in right cup will start flashing; furthermore a multi-note tone will sound a few times at roughly 5 minute intervals before the HD601 would just completely shut down.

A charge from fully empty takes a little over 1.5hrs. While charging the red LED charging indicator in the left cup will remain on and shut off once charging is complete. The great news is that when the battery runs down, you have two choices to continue listening to your jams but with the caveat that both involve the use of a wire:

The first is that the HD601 can actually be used while charging in which case you just need to simply plug-in the supplied charging cable to a power source of your choice with the added bonus that you’ll be able to continue to use the extra bass feature. It however cannot be used as an USB headphone as the port is strictly for charging even if you use a proper data capable cable. Of course, charging time will increase slightly (I haven’t measured exactly how long) but at least the tunes won’t have to stop.

The second is to use the supplied headphone cable and listen in passive mode (powered off albeit extra bass won’t be available this way).


PAIRING / CONNECTIVITY / RANGE
Pairing is easily achieved by pressing and holding the power button from an off state for about 5 seconds. An audio cue is provided by a female voice: “Ready to pair, turn on Bluetooth. Pin code is 0000”. The LED indicator in the right cup will alternatively flash blue and red. You should see Mixcder HD601 on your smart device:

Once pairing is completed, the voice prompt states “Pairing complete, connected.” and the LED indicator stays on solid blue (if this LED is ever flashing blue then it means it’s not connected to a device).

Though not documented, in my time spent with the HD601, I’ve determined that there are additional LED’s (in right cup) that indicates the codec being used but since the Blue LED is constantly on the color is more like what’s in parentheses:

- Blue – SBC
- Red (purple) - aptX
- Green (aqua) – aptX LL

The HD601 features BT v4.2 via the CSR 64215 module and a key benefit over v4.1 is that there’s reduced interference with 4G LTE. I am able to roam to a little over the claimed max range of 10m (even though not line of sight) before it’ll start dropping out while connected to my Asus ZenFone Laser and with a door in between. This ranks as one of the best in terms of range but just slightly behind a Class 1 device like the Backbeat Pro 2.

In my testing, I deduced that the antenna is likely in the right cup since standing right at the point before it starts cutting out, if I turned so that the right cup was further away from my phone, the interference was much stronger.

The only major feature that I wish the HD601 had was multi-point support as I do switch often between my phone and their TR008 which I use with my PC in Tx mode. As a result, I’ve had to re-pair between it and my phone each time I switch between them.

However, there is a semi-workaround if you really need to use two sources, jut that it’ll involve using the headphone cable. Unlike most BT cans, the HD601’s BT circuity will continue to function even if the headphone cable is plugged in. So the trick is to connect to your first source via BT, then to connect to your second source via the headphone cable. You can actually play both sources at the same time but if the BT stream is on, the headphone line will be much lower in volume. Once the BT stream is paused/stopped, after about 23 seconds, the headphone line will return back to full volume (again with caveat that the extra bass feature isn’t available in passive mode despite the HD601 being powered on). It’s a hack to use it this way but at least it’s possible and hopefully a future version will support this.

I don't currently have any devices that support NFC so can't comment on that feature.


aptX Low Latency
I’m currently using their TR008 with my PC with the following routing: PC (via USB) > Soundblaster E5 (via headphone) > TR008 and Priva II (via Monoprice splitter):

I’ve connected the second headphone line from the SB E5 to my speakers so I’m actually able to listen to both at the same time. This allows me to clearly distinguish any latency between BT cans and the speakers. While watching videos, the latency was negligible. It’s only because of my setup that I was able to discern an ever so slight delay as opposed to listening to my speakers. Without the speakers playing as well, I can barely discern any mismatches as spoken words are matched to their actor’s voices perfectly and not once did I feel I was watching a badly dubbed kung-fu movie. A quick test in an FPS like Overwatch yielded the same results of just about no discernable lag. This was about par when compared to BB Pro 2 as well as the Audition Pro.

Beyond this, another application is to utilize the TR008 in Tx mode hooked to headphone output of my DSLR so I can monitor my recordings using BT cans:

This gives me great freedom to roam away from the camera without fear of accidentally yanking it to its destruction on a tripod while filming.


SOUND
At first listen, one wouldn’t be wrong to call the HD601 a dark headphone but upon a more extended listening session, it becomes obvious why. Even with the extra bass feature off, there is no denying its presence or impact which unfortunately does bleed a bit into the mids and somewhat obscures the treble. Though I’m not a basshead, I’d imagine that the extra bass feature should delight those who are. On “Brothers” (by Tanline), the crisp finger snaps are dull and the pulsing bass line that starts @ :20 sounds bloated. The bass also features prominently at the start of Chris Tomlin’s/Phil Wickham’s track “Thank you God for saving me”, the guitar strums which are normally very crisp take on a dullish sound.

The mids are a bit forward and should delight those into female vocals provided the track doesn’t have a heavy bass line. To wit, Lauren Daigle’s voice comes through prominently on “Once and for all” but only to be slightly overpowered whenever the piano chords strike.

The treble is what I’d call polite given I’m sensitive to overly bright headphones. This is where it shines over Avantree’s Audition Pro in that I’m able to listen to Miles for miles without cringing at the sharpness of his trumpet. I felt that the Audition Pro’s had a bit too much energy in the 2-4K range that really hampered my ability to listen to them for long. However, due to the excessive bass, I wouldn't blame anyone for calling this a dark sounding headphone.

Sound stage
One word: claustrophobic – there is very little in the way of spaciousness. I realize most people reading this may retort “Well of course it’s closed in, it’s a closed back headphone after all!”. However, there are definitely different degrees of spaciousness between closed back headphones; Sony’s MDR-100AAP offers a reasonably spacious feel to the soundstage despite also being closed back and on the opposite end of the spectrum, based on memory, V-Moda’s M100 is as closed as they get and the HD601 slots into this category. In my experience, the sound stage and isolation go hand in hand; that is the better the sound isolation, the worse the sound stage would be and the HD601 doesn’t break this trend.

Passive listening
The HD601 is one of the rare cans that sounds just as good wired. I definitely can’t say the same for Sony’s MDR-100ABN which definitely sounds better wireless. Though my Asus ZenFone’s headphone port offers an anemic listening experience, the HD601 is relatively easy to drive (@32 ohm) and my Asus was able to get it to an uncomfortable listening volume:



FIT & FINISH
There’s no escaping the plasticky feel overall for the HD601 but the construction does feel solid enough. It does however suffer from some creaking at the swivel points which is a problem that features prominently on Sony’s ZX770BN & 100ABN but unlike those two, I can’t actually induce creaking even with vigorous shaking once the HD601’s are worn. It’s only as I’m actually adjusting the swivel while worn that I hear the creaking.

The detents offer solid clicks and won’t slip from set points even after a session doing burpees. The buttons provide nice tactile feedback from the electronic switches and in the weeks I’ve been using them, I’ve not experienced any electronic glitches.



INITIAL CONCLUSION
While headphones (and devices) featuring Low Latency are slowly on the rise, there still are only but a handful as of the time of this review. Towards that end, the closest competitor to the HD601 is Avantree’s Audition Pro both in terms of features and price. I’d give the edge to the HD601 due to its cheaper price ($59.99 vs $79.99 on Amazon currently), the better build quality and passive noise isolation and last but most certainly not least, the less piercing high’s.

The Audition Pro does however have one major feature I wish the HD601 had and that is Multi-point support given I had intended to use it with both my PC and via my phone, however I have learned to live with the hack I listed in the Connectivity / Range section.

For those interested, here are the respective product pages for Mixcder’s HD601 & TR008:

HD 601: https://mixcder.com/Product/Qualcom...ep-Bass-Over-Ear-Wireless-Headphone-g068.html

TR008: https://mixcder.com/product_show.aspx?id=5

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FTC DISCLOSURE
The HD601 was provided by Mixcder for review.

Over the last 2ish years I’ve really enjoyed being a personal audio reviewer and that only continues to grow every month. Having the honor and opportunity to listed to products and brands that otherwise seems strongly unlikely, if not impossible, is incredible. A really cool aspect that I personally think doesn’t get enough credit is the ability to be introduced to new companies I’ve never heard of, such as Mixcder (pronounced Mix-c-der). A couple weeks ago I seen a forum on here that they were looking for reviewers for their new HD601 (not to be confused with Sennheisers lineup) headphones. After reading up on them a little bit, and also interested in trying out a new product, I put my application in and was fortunate enough to be accepted. So to Mixcder, I say thank you for allowing to be a reviewer for you and share my opinion with any who like to hear it. But without further adieu, allow me to now share my feelings towards the Mixcder HD601 wireless heapdhones.





The Opening Experience











I must be upfront, I didn’t have much hopes for enjoying the unboxing of the HD601 headphones. The vast majority of products in this price range (<100) are absolutely cluttered down with showoffy jargon and claims that are designed to make the given product look more interesting than the competition that’ll be sitting directly next to them on the shelf. Now, as for the Mixder HD601’s they pretty much followed suite. I really like what they did with the front (even though bright colors are also a ploy to bring in more attention) with keeping it pretty simple and a nice bright vs the dull, all black look that dominates the high end market. The sides show off most key features that the HD601 have and the back contains a cluster *bleep* of the specs written in 7 different languages that completely cover the back. Again, this is completely common and was pretty much spot on with what I expected.

Now, as we open up the box the headphones are placing inside of a grey plastic cutout of the headphones with a small black box in the middle (which hold the micro usb charging cable and 3.5mm-3.5mm aux cable) and the warranty info. behind the plastic. A REALLY cool thing that Mixcder includes is a generic thank you note that though it’s generic, I personally like seeing those. To me, it’s a small token of appreciation the company shows their new customer and I don’t think many people realise how far the small things can go in making a lasting impression.

As far as my overall thoughts on the unboxing experience of the Mixcder HD601 is it’s average. I liked the box being brighter vs a boring dark color and I really liked the thank you note, but everything else was pretty much exactly like every other company would do with a product of this price point. I’m aware that I’m one of the rare few people that really care about the unboxing of a product which is why it’s weighted very low on my scale, but it’s something I look at regardless.



Construction







Something that products rarely in the sub $100 impresses me for usually the focus will be on featured and cosmetics. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Mixcder HD601’s are built, at least to me, very nicely. In fact they’re built pretty much to the same quality as my Sony MDR-10RNCip’s, which is rather disappointing on the Sony’s because they’re between 4-5x more expensive.

But anywho’s, the headphone itself is primarily all black (woohoo) with a few red and white accents for the name and edges. The frame is made of a quite firm but lightweight aluminum with ample padding (to be talked about more in the comfort section), the top of which has the “mixcder” logo stamped into it. As we move down the earcups are made of a, very likely, cheap plastic but it feels like a moderate grade (again just like my more expensive Sony headphones) that have the ability to swivel 90 degrees (it’s not a smooth rotation for you can hear and feel the plastic rubbing against plastic). The cups are plenty large enough so the majority of the population shouldn’t have any issues with fit (even my big ears were fine),

On the right ear cup is where you’ll find all the controls for the headphone condenses into 3 buttons, V+ which controls the volume up if pressed and track forward if held, V- which controls the volume down if pressed and track back if held, and Φ which control the play/pause if pressed, power if held, and if continuously held upon startup will enter the headphones into sync mode. Also on the right ear cup is the NFC pad so NFC enabled devices merely have to tap the pad for the devices to pair. The drivers themselves are also angled which thankfully I’m finding to be more and more common in headphones but rarely in lower priced products such as he HD601. This says quite a bit and IMO does a great job at improving the imaging capabilities.

The aux cable that comes with the headphones are a standard, cheap cable that will do the job when the battery dies but it does have notable microphonics and most likely less than superb durability because it does feel rather cheap and flimsy.

I feel like Mixcder did a great job in the construction of their HD601 headphone. They’re seemingly built very sturdy (I say seemingly because I didn’t throw them against the wall, step on them, or any other durability test) while remaining lightweight for extended use. The HD601 is definitely built better than many products I’ve tried and/or reviewed in this price range, that’s for sure.



Comfort



Though this area is quite subjective, with respect to the price of the HD601’s I personally found them to be quite comfortable. The HD601’s have a nice goldilox amount of clamping force and both the head and earpads, though cheap feeling, provide excellent amount of cushion. These headphones are very lightweight and I have comfortably worn these for several hours on end both relaxing and even doing yard work. Also, on the note of yard work, these isolate impressively well. I was able to comfortably listen to my Destiny lore videos on youtube and easily understand the words of the commentator.


Sound




I’ve gotta start this section by kinda jumping the gun but I gotta say I really enjoyed how these sounded. They’re definitely made to be more on the fun sound vs sonic accuracy but they don’t do it in the over common V shape. The Mixcder HD601 is most certainly a bass focused circumaural headphone that I honestly think will make most bass heads happy. The imaging is something that I was most impressed with. When I am listening to these headphones they do a surprisingly impressive job at allowing me to visualize the performance that far exceeds the asking price.

Soundstage though is what I expected, which is quite small personal. When I’m listening to the HD601 I never forgot that I was listening to headphones. When I discuss the individual aspects I believe you’ll be able to understand why better, but these never made me want to close my eyes to just take in the experience, they’re just headphones.

But allow me to now talk about the individual aspects of the Mixcder HD601 so that you may better understand how I feel the headphones perform.



Treble



The highs on the HD601 are quite lackluster. I was honestly expecting a prominently V shape to the sound as most products (especially in the >$100 price range) are but that definitely isn’t true with these. When listening to more higher pitches songs/artists such as Lindsey Stirling, Maxence Cyrin, or The Piano Guys, none of the higher notes really got me excited or gave me the energy or excitement that the artist was expressing. The treble peaked really early and just sorta, dove off.



Mids



Oh the mids, how I critique thee. Will the Mixcder HD601 make me happy and give me the soul and emotion the artist is expressing? Or, will I just hear what’s being played and nothing else? Well, if I had to choose it’d honestly have to lie smack dab in the middle. The mids on the HD601 are actually quite nice and impressive and make listening to Cellos, Guitars, etc… very enjoyable but just the limitations of the driver prevent it from expressing to me the feelings of the music.

Check out the song “The Last of the Mohicans” by Luca Stricagnoli. This song is beautiful to listen to and hear the reverb of the guitars. Rather the bow going across the strings or his own fingers making the guitar sing, it’s all a wonderful piece. And though the H601 makes this an enjoyable song to listen to, I never close my eyes to experience it. I just hear it and say ‘man that’s a nice piece.’


Bass



Oh Lawdy the bass on these cats. The first song you play you’ll likely get a pretty good idea of what I’m talking about but the bass on the HD601’s is quite impressive. From the upper to the sub you’ll get a nice punchiness that will satisfy but won’t overwhelm you, it’s like it teases you like it’s going to be overkill bass heavy but then backs off just before.

There’s a large amount of decay as well which on some songs bleeds over the details. There’s a few songs that show what I’m talking about but one that I’m listening to right now that’s a fairly decent example is “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten (yes I linked to a Naruto AMV, it’s a beautiful NaruHina and you’ll love it but anywho’s back to the review). The bass feels overpowered and the decay lingers on into the following notes which eats up some of the vocals.

To contradict myself a little bit, though all this talk seems to be like I wouldn’t like the headphones, for I rather don’t like over bassy cans, the entire sound signature of these headphones flowed really well and I honestly really enjoyed my time with them.



Conclusion




What can I say about the Mixcder HD601’s that I haven’t already? I usually don’t particularly enjoy headphones that are as bass heavy as these but them not subduing the mids into oblivion probably helped. They’re surprisingly comfortable and have great isolation, even when mowing the yard, and something I forgot to mention but they have a superb battery life (I’ve been listening to them well over 15hours this week and have yet needed to charge them).

I’m really glad I got to learn about this rather young company and despite having an interesting name they have produced a rather impressive and inexpensive wireless headphone.




Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.