9/27/2016 edit: This review was of the Seahf 400ohm LD 3.0 which was at the time the newest model. I understand nearly identical earbuds as well as several new versions by Seahf since this came out. I have had a chance to hear the newer 4.0's of these and the sound signature is nothing like the 3.0. Please be advised anything even of the same name, by the same company, will have a differing sound signature from what I review here, unless you know it is the LD 3.0 version. The other version 400ohms as i have come to find out have very little to almost nothing in common with this model sonically.
I've been using these with both a Garage 1217 Project Starlight with a 6n6p tube and a Cayin C5 driven either by a Xduoo X3 (review coming soon) or ODAC/foobar2000. I am a basshead, let's get that out of the way if you didn't already know. My C5's bass switch is always on and on Foobar I have an EQ that makes people mad, sick and confused.
Full disclosure - I have been told my SeaHf 400 is one of the "Earphone Association" ones, and that 4 or 5 variants exist (including one by TY?), but I can't confirm or deny any of this. I purchased mine on AliExpress from Easy Earphone on the 6th of this month.
These are my #2 earbuds, right after my VE Zen 2.0's. Both are high impedance and require an amp that can push some decent power for them to sound their best at acceptable volume levels.
After you take them out of the box with the hilarious catchphrase "Life is like a box of earphone...", where you find them neatly sorted into 2 smaller boxes, you may be a bit underwhelmed because they share the same housing VE and many other earbud makers have used, and has a reputation that began with the Sennheiser MX series over 15 years ago. To some this will be an issue, because fit is always a point of contention with these style shells. (please read on though, I do address this)
At first I was a bit unimpressed because there is so little midrange after coming from the Zen 2.0, it seemed kind of scooped out. I left it to burn in for a day and came back to it later after I had become a bit more accustomed to the sound signature and found I really was enjoying it. I'll quote my own post from the Earbuds thread as I still agree with everything I wrote:
If you don't already know the gear I compare it to in this post, allow me to break it down for you. The Aurisonics 2.0 is renowned for being a super energetic IEM with a crazy amount of bass slam, and a vrey energetic & raw presentation regardless of the intensity of the source material. The Cygnus and OG Monk (the first version of the VE Monk, also review coming soon for both the Monk and Monk+) are both held in very high esteem, despite one being about $70, like this earbud, and the Monk being $5. The cable has softened up with more use, but it's still not as soft as the Cygnus' cable.
One of this earbud's weaknesses is also one of its defining characteristics. In a world of high end earbuds focused so heavily on vocal & midrange quality, the SeaHf 400 stands out in putting the focus more on bass and treble refinement, focusing less on the midrange, and it shows in the lack of transparency in vocals compared to other more mid-centric earbuds. I'm not saying the vocals are bad, it's just nice that for once it seems like an earbud isn't focused on vocals and midrange as its specialty.
I've been using the JVC SZ2000 a lot lately because I've been missing the full head slam and impact of over ear headphones, and gone between those and these earbuds pretty frequently. It's become fairly clear to me the SeaHf 400ohm has a veil because the SZ2000 sounds more open in comparison. However it also makes it clear how good the SeaHf 400ohm is at sub bass in both impact and refinement. It truly excels in sub bass detail. I found a page in Mandarin which stated they had a frequency range of 18hz-23kHz, which I believe, it definitely does 60hz and under with great authority. The bass does not bleed into or affect the midrange at all - not that these have a ton of midrange, and that's why they've earned a permanent spot in my lineup - and the treble is effortless and clear. A basshead's dream, truly. Those who carry a portable amp and always wished you could have truly slamming bass from an earbud - this is what you want! (of course don't expect IEM level impact, these earbuds will never end up on the Top 10 Bass IEM list as contenders, but they have way more and way better sub bass than many IEMs I've heard, I would say these leave the Shozy Zero in the dust even!)
I've been using double foams on the SeaHf 400ohm because I love the bass rumble so much I don't mind the slight loss in high end detail I lose. (and I know some of you guys are losing your minds because of my EQ high shelf
- I'm sensitive to treble!) also this way I can still use the red foams I love without the color staining the white shells. If you don't like the extra veiling this creates, I suggest using the VE Monk+ red/blue foams in conjunction over rubber rings - that's how I use my Zen 2.0.
They aren't the earbuds for everyone, but they're the earbuds some people will want and need in their lineup. I don't keep much gear as I like to rotate it, but I honestly think these are keepers along with the Zen 2.0. I have moved on from a lot of earbuds but these are something special, not only because of their great bass response, but because of their energetic and fun sound, incredibly similar to the JVC SZ2000 in fact. These aren't earbuds to be used if you are focused on refinement places other than sub bass or lots of detail - they simply aren't the most detailed earbuds. The Asura 2.0 is the same price and excels on mids and vocals and detailing. Same with the Shozy Cygnus. There are a bunch of earbuds I can recommend if you want mids and detail. There aren't many I can recommend if you want serious bass slam and a raw, aggressive sound that isn't fatiguing. I won't use these for reference, like the Rose Mojito, but I can't stop having fun listening to everything through these. They're just so much damn fun.
If you don't have an amp you will really need one. Trying to drive these with my laptop's headphone jack was a total joke. I did manage to drive it with the surprisingly powerful Xduoo X3 but that has a much stronger amp than many DAPs, and I had to crank the volume very high (between 80 and 90). These are the only earbuds I have where I can be using high gain headphones like the SZ2000 and then plug in these without worrying about blowing out the volume. In fact, I usually have to turn it up a bit, and remember to turn down when going back to the SZ2000!
If you're not a basshead these are still killer earbuds to have. They probably aren't the only ones you'll want to own, as honestly, the Monk is more refined overall, has more present mids, and has better detail overall, but again, these earbuds are in a territory not many other earbuds have tackled. For $70 I'm very happy with them, and I wouldn't be one bit upset if I was stuck with these and the Zen 2.0 for the rest of my life.
9/27/2016 edit (repeated): This review was of the Seahf 400ohm LD 3.0 which was at the time the newest model. I understand nearly identical earbuds as well as several new versions by Seahf since this came out. I have had a chance to hear the newer 4.0's of these and the sound signature is nothing like the 3.0. Please be advised anything even of the same name, by the same company, will have a differing sound signature from what I review here, unless you know it is the LD 3.0 version. The other version 400ohms as i have come to find out have very little to almost nothing in common with this model sonically.
I've been using these with both a Garage 1217 Project Starlight with a 6n6p tube and a Cayin C5 driven either by a Xduoo X3 (review coming soon) or ODAC/foobar2000. I am a basshead, let's get that out of the way if you didn't already know. My C5's bass switch is always on and on Foobar I have an EQ that makes people mad, sick and confused.
Full disclosure - I have been told my SeaHf 400 is one of the "Earphone Association" ones, and that 4 or 5 variants exist (including one by TY?), but I can't confirm or deny any of this. I purchased mine on AliExpress from Easy Earphone on the 6th of this month.
These are my #2 earbuds, right after my VE Zen 2.0's. Both are high impedance and require an amp that can push some decent power for them to sound their best at acceptable volume levels.
After you take them out of the box with the hilarious catchphrase "Life is like a box of earphone...", where you find them neatly sorted into 2 smaller boxes, you may be a bit underwhelmed because they share the same housing VE and many other earbud makers have used, and has a reputation that began with the Sennheiser MX series over 15 years ago. To some this will be an issue, because fit is always a point of contention with these style shells. (please read on though, I do address this)
At first I was a bit unimpressed because there is so little midrange after coming from the Zen 2.0, it seemed kind of scooped out. I left it to burn in for a day and came back to it later after I had become a bit more accustomed to the sound signature and found I really was enjoying it. I'll quote my own post from the Earbuds thread as I still agree with everything I wrote:
SeaHf 400ohm sounds kind of similar to in between Cygnus and OG Monks. if I have to compare to any other earbud I know. I am very much reminded of the Aurisonics 2.0 while using these actually.
much more V shaped than Zen 2.0... actually kind of similar to the Mojito but I don't have it any more so I have to go on memory.
When amped, it has slightly better bass than Zen. Just slightly. i think it can hit just a bit lower than the Zen can. On bass heavy tracks it has a bit more sub bass. However Zen has a much stronger mid bass, whereas the midrange sound scooped out on the SeaHf by comparison.
SeaHf 400ohm has great sub bass response, probably the best I've heard in an earbud, but I still prefer the Zen 2.0's sound personally. These are good but they are a bit too "V" shaped for me, at least too much for me to prefer them to the Zen. The overall sound is not as smooth as the Cygnus, the SeaHf is more raw sounding. Some may find it to have a slightly aggressive sound signature. the treble is not sibilant for how "V" shaped the signature is.
The cable is nowhere near as nice as the Cygnus cable.. actually I probably would have said this cable was pretty good if I never knew the Cygnus cable
The housing isn't too impressive, same as the Monk, but white. They aren't too exciting looking.
I will probably keep them. They won't be my main earbud and I definitely don't consider it to be even in the same league as the Zen 2.0 personally but I think it's a very worthy competitor to other sub-$100 earbuds. Of course an amp is highly recommended even though my Xduoo X3 was able to drive them, I had to turn volume to 80 where I usually use 50-55.
IF you use an amp I might recommend them over a Cygnus unless you don't like the idea of a "V" signature or you prefer smoothness to the extra bass punch. Also if you listen to a lot of vocal stuff you'll prefer a different earbud, vocals aren't the SeaHf's specialty at all.
If you don't already know the gear I compare it to in this post, allow me to break it down for you. The Aurisonics 2.0 is renowned for being a super energetic IEM with a crazy amount of bass slam, and a vrey energetic & raw presentation regardless of the intensity of the source material. The Cygnus and OG Monk (the first version of the VE Monk, also review coming soon for both the Monk and Monk+) are both held in very high esteem, despite one being about $70, like this earbud, and the Monk being $5. The cable has softened up with more use, but it's still not as soft as the Cygnus' cable.
One of this earbud's weaknesses is also one of its defining characteristics. In a world of high end earbuds focused so heavily on vocal & midrange quality, the SeaHf 400 stands out in putting the focus more on bass and treble refinement, focusing less on the midrange, and it shows in the lack of transparency in vocals compared to other more mid-centric earbuds. I'm not saying the vocals are bad, it's just nice that for once it seems like an earbud isn't focused on vocals and midrange as its specialty.
I've been using the JVC SZ2000 a lot lately because I've been missing the full head slam and impact of over ear headphones, and gone between those and these earbuds pretty frequently. It's become fairly clear to me the SeaHf 400ohm has a veil because the SZ2000 sounds more open in comparison. However it also makes it clear how good the SeaHf 400ohm is at sub bass in both impact and refinement. It truly excels in sub bass detail. I found a page in Mandarin which stated they had a frequency range of 18hz-23kHz, which I believe, it definitely does 60hz and under with great authority. The bass does not bleed into or affect the midrange at all - not that these have a ton of midrange, and that's why they've earned a permanent spot in my lineup - and the treble is effortless and clear. A basshead's dream, truly. Those who carry a portable amp and always wished you could have truly slamming bass from an earbud - this is what you want! (of course don't expect IEM level impact, these earbuds will never end up on the Top 10 Bass IEM list as contenders, but they have way more and way better sub bass than many IEMs I've heard, I would say these leave the Shozy Zero in the dust even!)
I've been using double foams on the SeaHf 400ohm because I love the bass rumble so much I don't mind the slight loss in high end detail I lose. (and I know some of you guys are losing your minds because of my EQ high shelf
They aren't the earbuds for everyone, but they're the earbuds some people will want and need in their lineup. I don't keep much gear as I like to rotate it, but I honestly think these are keepers along with the Zen 2.0. I have moved on from a lot of earbuds but these are something special, not only because of their great bass response, but because of their energetic and fun sound, incredibly similar to the JVC SZ2000 in fact. These aren't earbuds to be used if you are focused on refinement places other than sub bass or lots of detail - they simply aren't the most detailed earbuds. The Asura 2.0 is the same price and excels on mids and vocals and detailing. Same with the Shozy Cygnus. There are a bunch of earbuds I can recommend if you want mids and detail. There aren't many I can recommend if you want serious bass slam and a raw, aggressive sound that isn't fatiguing. I won't use these for reference, like the Rose Mojito, but I can't stop having fun listening to everything through these. They're just so much damn fun.
If you don't have an amp you will really need one. Trying to drive these with my laptop's headphone jack was a total joke. I did manage to drive it with the surprisingly powerful Xduoo X3 but that has a much stronger amp than many DAPs, and I had to crank the volume very high (between 80 and 90). These are the only earbuds I have where I can be using high gain headphones like the SZ2000 and then plug in these without worrying about blowing out the volume. In fact, I usually have to turn it up a bit, and remember to turn down when going back to the SZ2000!
If you're not a basshead these are still killer earbuds to have. They probably aren't the only ones you'll want to own, as honestly, the Monk is more refined overall, has more present mids, and has better detail overall, but again, these earbuds are in a territory not many other earbuds have tackled. For $70 I'm very happy with them, and I wouldn't be one bit upset if I was stuck with these and the Zen 2.0 for the rest of my life.
9/27/2016 edit (repeated): This review was of the Seahf 400ohm LD 3.0 which was at the time the newest model. I understand nearly identical earbuds as well as several new versions by Seahf since this came out. I have had a chance to hear the newer 4.0's of these and the sound signature is nothing like the 3.0. Please be advised anything even of the same name, by the same company, will have a differing sound signature from what I review here, unless you know it is the LD 3.0 version. The other version 400ohms as i have come to find out have very little to almost nothing in common with this model sonically.
I heard those require less power..