: comfortable, good soundstage and layering, cheap and light
: Probably not durable enough to last for real studio use, pads are shallow, cable requires a velcro strap for portable use in non-noisy areas, cheap
I must begin by stating I am an aspiring audiophile since I heard a HE6 connected to it's EF6 and actually was able to listen to the direction of a jazz singer's voice realtive to the microphone and got chills up and down my spine. I currently cant afford such an expensive setup but it does not stop me from trying to find cheaper gear to enjoy my extensive and rather eclectic music collection. I must confess I am also a musician and a very skilled guitar player so I know how I like my highs and lows by heart.
What I got from these cheapo phones was almost jaw-dropping accuracy for such an insane price and the most balanced and transparent sound south of 100 dollars in my almost hi-fi audio deprived country. To begin these are the most affordable open cans that sound right and perhaps even further than right. It is no surprise that their sister brand Superlux is highly regarded in head-fi forums.
The box they come with has a nice diagram that shows the exploded view of this remarkable product, unfortunately there is no bag nor box to carry them but that is more likely to be absent at this price level anyway. There is an adapter however for non portable hi-fi components. The box states these are "Digital Monitors" which means little to me for I have plugged it to my analog sources with pretty good results.
Althought the cans look plasticky and cheap they are sturdy, cable is thick enough althought I'd prefer a beefier one. The level of confort is more than acceptable and they clamp very little while not falling over your head if you tilt your noggin down.
The pads are kinda shallow and I want to replace them by velour or deeper ones if I find ones that fit. I am pretty sure SQ will improve dramatically by posisioning the driver grille a little further but the guys at Samson did it right by covering the driver grille with synthetic fabric so it does not press your ears so they are really comfy. My only gripe is that materials seem utilitarian rather than comfortable here and these are not winning any design contest for their rather derivative looks.
These won't turn any heads for they are big and dull looking but discrete enough to take them out for a walk if the place is not noisy however the 10 foot cable would require a velcro strap or a similar measure for portable use and being open means you will hear external sounds and they will leak sound to the outside so wearing them in the tube will force you to raise volume to unhealthy levels.
The Samson's are rated 32 ohms of impedance but won't sound very good out of low powered mp3 players. Amping them with the inexpensive and somewhat warm FIIO E6 would be a very nice idea for they open up and soundstage widens when amped. Drivers are coupled to ultrathin mylar diagphams.
Although the sound of these cans is seems rather balanced they seem slightly W-shaped in terms of sonic signature if that makes any sense. layering and soundstaging is superb for the price.
The treble is tamed without losing shimmer and the bass sounds surpinsingly controlled and present even though I am not sure how deep in the sub-bass region they can go, bass sounds so well that it never gets overwhelming or bloated (balanced) you hear the notes clearly. The RH600 portray the in your face kind of presentation similar to a Grado can for the mids sound a tad forward although they are never shouty or shrill as some Grado cans are.
The overall coherence of the sound makes them very musical to my ears and leave many pricier alternatives to shame. In fact they are fast enough to avoid smearing fast-paced notes and I tested them using the infamous Mogwai's "Mogwai Fear Satan" and they passed the test with flying colors, not a single note smeared. The bass layering is indeed astounding for an open heaphone and even though they are not the most resolving cans I heard I can think of any open set (or any closed one ) near it's price that sound as detailed as these.
I don't know how long they will last for they seem somewhat flimsy but the warranty is long enough to be happy with the purchase. To be consice they are as resolving, airy and transparent as their little price tag can buy and leave nothing to complain and no glaring sonic faults of any kind to steer away from them.
