A Review of F&D H50 Portable Headphones- Only $25!!

[Aakash]

F&D Discovery H50 ~$25

Hi everyone! I'm a student from India, mostly interested in portable value for money stuff. I'm not an audiophile, i just like listening to music..an enthusiast maybe. This is my second review!
 
 
 
So i was trying to find the Samson Sr850 (Superlux HD668B) online, when i stumbled upon these..The Samsons were out of stock and these were just 25USD after discounts(1500

, original price 4000

) ..So..You know..
 
 
 
These come in a matt black cardboard box, with NO accessories.. None at all.
 
 
                         
So these have a metal headband, covered in protein leather(better word for cheap fake leather), metal hinges which connect the earcups to the headband, and those temple pads, filled with memory foam(work great with these). The clamp force was fairly light..i actually had to bend these a bit to fit tighter. They fold flat for storage, that's all.
                                  
 
 
The earcups themselves are made up of plastic..feel solid, but with a a ghastly carbon fibre print on them. They rotate almost 180 degrees in the vertical axis and about 45 degrees in the horizontal. They're fairly deep though, ~2 inches maybe..stick out a fair bit on my head. These are closed type headphones.
 
 
 
 
The cushions are thick and comfy, made up of velour and pleather. They're removable, but i don't know of any similar sized replacement pads. They feel comfortable enough, isolation is not the best though. Ears don't get warm n sweaty that easy either. I don't know if this dual material construction is supposed to help with its sonic characteristics, though i think velour provides for somewhat tighter bass and smoother highs..correct me if i'm wrong please..and pleather is to remind you to take the headphones off after a while.. ;D
                     
 
 
The cable is thick and soft, rubbery type. It is fixed, enters in both the earcups and terminates in a well relieved 3.5 mm plug. There's no cable cinch or any clip. For USD25, i guess its okay..you get metal and memory foam remember?? I've comapred it to the PX80(Or PX100) for size.
                     
 
 
Hope the pics are okay, i only have a Lumia 925..no camera  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sound 

 
 
40 mm Neodymium Magnets
 
 
Impedance 32 ohm
Sensitivity 97db/mw
 
 
FR 20-20000hz
 
 
Max power input 50mW
 
 
 
I'm using my Fiio X1, with and without the Fiio E6 amp, and a laptop, and will be comparing it to PX80(quarter mod and rear foam removed), a respectable, if not great portable on-ear. Its the only other on-ear i have anyway, rest are iems( Mh1, Mh1c, Xiaomi pistons 2.0, JBL J33, Philips she9850)
 
 
 
BASS- I find the px80 to be bass heavy, and somewhat slow, but still enjoyable. These have a very bloated bass, and not that tight either. It does spill over into the mids sometimes, but mostly is just boomy. Not my cup of tea.
 
 
 
MIDS- I won't call them veiled, but not forward either. Though i'm satisfied, perhaps just a bit more aggression would've been better..Just a bit. The px80 is a bit lagging in this department.
 
 
 
HIGHS- Extends well, but feels somewhat shouty at times, but i am finding them good, coming from the px80. I hear a lot more details in it, notes are clear and sparkly. Now it may be cuz the px80 is weak in the highs department, but the detail retrieval is perhaps on par with the xiaomi pistons 2.0.
 
 
 
The issue for me is, i find these congested. Now i don't know if closed backs are supposed to sound 'closed-in'..but they shouldn't be. There's a lack of 'space'..now it could be the px80 speaking again..could be the bloated bass as well. I like the airy sound of px80, though its lacking in other ways.
 
 
 
I didn't see the FR graph till much later, neither do i think i can read one properly..so you be the judge of these observations.
 
 
 
I might open them up to try some mods, as per the website, it has a 'specially designed for natural audio' earcup. Maybe some holes in the back of the cups would help? Or the quarter mod? 
 
 
 
Please leave comments!!

 

[Aakash]

I'd love to see these get some attention..played with the eq a bit and these sound noticeably better. I just want someone with more experience to scrutinize my observations, i really want to hear what others think of as a 'good' sound. I know its all subjective, but i just don't know what 'balanced' sound is like.. My superlux 668b might be here in week or so, with those i can read the reviews and compare with what i hear..unfortunately that's not the case with these.
Any response would be appreciated.

 

[egosumlux]

They look very reminiscent of the Beyerdynamic DT1350/T51P I guess you will be floored by the SL 668B it only lacks some depht in the soundstage but it has an amazing high end extension and pretty good instrumental separation

 

[Aakash]

That was my exact thought.. About the similarity with DT1350. I scraped n polished the back and it turned out to be aluminium.. So now it looks even better.. More premium maybe. Also..i tried some extensive modifications and i can say that i like these much better now.. Detail retrieval is better than the pistons 2.0 or mh1c, and it just sounds more.. Real. The bass is now somewhat controlled and fast, lesser in quantity.. Mids have come forward, treble remains well extended yet inoffensive..i like these better than px80 for sure.. Heck..i even made these partially open.. Much less congestion now. Will post pics once i get to a faster connection.
And I'm really looking forward to having the 668b.. It's proving to be a bit difficult to find in India! Thanks for the response anyway!

 

[Roderick]

Is there a way to get these in eu? I just noticed this thread but I first heard of these headphones a long time ago and since then always wanted to try these.

 

[Aakash]

I haven't seen them anywhere except Indian websites.. Most of which won't ship internationally. Now.. Although these are pretty good for the price.. Especially after the mods, I'd suggest you to go for the samson sr850..i have them for a week now n they're simply superior in every aspect, except for the dreadful earpads The price difference is pretty minor.