[Tryndamere]

Hello headfiers , I guess the title explains what am I going to do . This is a short review , I am not going to talk about the contents in the box . I am only going to review a few factors , and that is mainly portability , the sound , durability ,value for money and lastly , the looks.
 
 
 

 
 
 
So , the first factor I am going to talk about portability . As you can see from the picture above , the Beats could fold up nicely , the other two can't do that . The Crossfades kind of squeezes the earcups together , and with the hard case that comes together with it , it is also quite portable , providing you plan on carrying it in a backpack . The Sennheisers ? Not really ... and as you can see from the first picture , it has the largest earcup . It does not even come with a case . So sadly , its better to be left at home .
 
 
 
First factor : Beats : 4/5
                  Crossfades : 3/5
                  Sennheisers : 2/5
 
 
Sound and Comfort
 
The most important factor of the whole review. Beats have extremely powerful bass , punchy , but not so tight . This might also overpower the mids and high at times . Mids and high are fine , High are quite crisp , vocals could be heared quite clearly , mids are fairly well produced .Soundstage is just not present at all . Lows are just overpowered , but if your point of buying Beats is for the bass , you found your headphones . Oh by the way , the are very comfortable , I have used them for about 2 hours at a time , but any longer would not be recommended , your ears will hurt .
 
The V-moda crossfade LPs have very recessed trebles , Lows are quite punchy , like the Beats . But it sound much tighter than the Beats . With some EQ settings , they sound perfect . They have a wide soundstage despite the closed headphone design , Mids can be felt that they are present at all times . The are quite comfortable : if you have huge ears . At times  , the hard membrane in the earcups could be felt pressing against my ear . The cushioning are made of memory foam , very comfortable if you adjust it to not let it touch the membrane , your fine .
 
The Sennheisers are by far the most comfortable headphones I have experience , they are super light and the earpads are made from some kind of material which will not get all hot after long usage . The Sennheiser are also the most balance sounding in the trio , they have a very wide soundstage despite the close headphone design , even wider than the Crossfades . High and Mids are extremely clear , lows are not that powerful , but as I said , they are suppose to be balance . 
 
Second factor : Beats : 2.5 /5
                       Crossfade : 3.5/5
                       Sennheiser : 4/5
 
Third Factor : Beats : 4/5
                    Crossfade : 3.5/5
                    Sennhesiers : 5/5
 
 
 
Durability
.
 
I have to say that I am very dissapointed with the Beats regrading the factor . They are made of thin plastic and feels like a toy . Really badly build for such a high price . 
 
The V-modas Crossfade are the opposite , it has a metal headband and feels really durable , the cables ( the grey ones ) are tangle free and feels quite resistant to snapping . 
 
The sennhesiers are also fully made of plastic , but unlike the beats , they don't feel like a toy . The headband is made of thick plastic . But the cables ... they are just awefully thin . ( The Sennhesiers cable is in the middle of the picture .) They feel like they are going to snap when I thug on them .
 
 
Durability : Beats : 2/5
                Crossfades : 4/5
                Sennhesiers : 3/5
 
 
Value for money .
 
Considering all the pro and cons of the trio , I have to say that the Sennheisers are the best for value . They are reasonably durable , have superb sound and feels like you are wearing nothing .
 
V.F.M : Beats : 2/5
           Crossfades : 4/5
           Sennheisers : 4.5/5
 
Looks .
 
This all boils down to personal opinion. For me , I just love the V shape design the crossfade gives . This is a open topic , so I am not going to give a score for this .
 
 
 
 
 
 
Final scores : Beats : 14.5/25
                    Crossfades : 18/25
                    Sennheisers : 18.5/25
 
 
 
Note : Sound wise factor is base on all music genres . Comfort is also base on my own experience , might be different for other users . Lastly , I am NOT an audiophile .
 
Feels free to leave a comment on your experience or how to improve on my review . Hating and not giving any advise on how to improve the review will not do you good , but instead shows your immaturity .
 
Lastly , I am just giving my 2 cents here . Enjoy and peace out .

 

[yd2zhang]

Thanks for the review. I own the 428's and demo'd the beats for atleast 3 hours, and I have to say I personally prefer the sound of the beats to the 428's (price not taking into consideration). Haven't tried the crossfades though. I disagree with the senn's being sweat proof, as I tend to sweat a lot on hot summer days (my room is ridiculously hot), but besides that I agree with all your other points.
 
Glad you enjoy the senns as much as I did.

 

[AirX]

I have both the Beats and  the Senn HD448. The Senn HD448 comes from the same family and same driver design as the HD438 / 428. They  only differ in the flavor of the sound. The HD428s are more neutral, the 438s are more BASS heavy, and the 448s are more for stage sound and vocals. But I did find out that you are able to "modify" any one of those sound signature to the other quite easily. Like say, I was able to modify my 448's to have a sound signature more like the 438s....and so I believe it is also possible to do that with the 428s. Search up HD448 mods and you will find how to do it
 
As for the Beats, I just don't like them. I can only wear them for like 1 hr and my ears and head starts to hurt. Maybe because of the overpowering bass and also the high clamping factor. It is also quite heavy and the need for rechargable batteries for noise cancelling is quite bothersome....and the noise cancelling is sub-par too. The only thing I would like about the beats is that they give you street cred and are good piece of hardware to have while going out....haha. Maybe I will wear mine around my neck just as a clothing accessory instead. lol

 

[Tryndamere]

It isn't actually sweat proof , but it does absorb them , and they don't smell ( I don't even know why ! Lol ! ) . Beats was a huge dissapointment for me , I hate how they are so bass heavy , but later I realised that people buy them for the bass they reproduce . How silly of me . 

 

[Deep Funk]

The HD428 is somewhat of a cheap gem given its potential. With a recable you can really improve it. I had a recabled HD428 and I still had a stock HD428 too at the time: the recabled HD428 was one of my favourite headphones.

 

[Tryndamere]

Thanks for the advice , by the way , my senns cable  is faulty , so maybe I am going to try to recable them . But heck , warrenty is over and I have no experience in such modifications .

 

[Deep Funk]

Quote:

Thanks for the advice , by the way , my senns cable  is faulty , so maybe I am going to try to recable them . But heck , warrenty is over and I have no experience in such modifications .

Check WayTooCrazy on Head-Fi. He recabled the HD428 with Mogami cable which I later bought. Search the threads with HD428 modifications...
 
 

 

[Tryndamere]

Quote:

Quote:
Check WayTooCrazy on Head-Fi. He recabled the HD428 with Mogami cable which I later bought. Search the threads with HD428 modifications...
 
 

Yeah I saw that b4 , been awhile here already , just didn't create an account . After I saw the picture , then I knew it was a hell of a job .
 

 

[Nero325]

 
 

[size=small]Unfortunately after a month I noticed the the inner plastic band where the metal adjustment bar that connects the phones to the padding the goes over your head had completely cracked on both sides of the headphones.[/size]

 
 
I read this on Amazon.com.
Have you this issue?

 

[Tryndamere]

Not at all , its still very new . 

 

[tribestros]

I've been singing the praises of the HD428 for years.  FANTASTIC headphone, blows away most competition in it's price range and anything slightly above.

 

[D7H7N]

My only issue with the 428 is that they are really inefficient so you have to crank up the volume or use an amp.  But once the volume gets louder, it distorts quite easily.  If you can find them for $35 or less, then it's a steal.  There are better options to choose from at regular price though.

 

[NotSoSerious]

Good Review, just a thought on improvement.
I think this review could improve a lot if you added isolation into one of the factors as it is a portable headphone review...
It's not necessary, as it is already quite a good review, but I feel it would improve the review a bit...
 
Also: Instead of writing "first factor" or "second factor" where the number rating shows up, try using "portability" or "Sound Quality" instead, as it might confuse a few. I see you started labeling with something other than "_____ factor" near the end.. 
 
Great review.
 

 

[asdfghjkzxcvbnm]

Did the crossfade really not sound as good as the Senn's?

 

[Tryndamere]

Quote:

Did the crossfade really not sound as good as the Senn's?

The crossfades was aimed at consumers who listens to electronic music. I would say that the Senn would perform better than the Crossfades if the genre in consideration was classical, but if aimed at purely EDM, the Senn is unable to reproduce the deep lows and bring out the atmosphere. I'll say that we can't have a one fits all kinda thing.