[Review] Superlux HD681 EVO
Dec 10, 2016 at 3:59 PM Post #826 of 911
WOW! right outta the box, EVOs do bass. they sound a little sterile & spitty at volume, but the bass kicks with more authority on tracks than it does on bass boosted versions on my presonus HD7s! i can finally hear the infrasonic tone on woofer cooker. it's still at a low volume, but it's there. the treble's ruthlessly revealing of ticks & pops on vinyl, but that's a good thing for cleaning them up in audacity.
 
it's only been a few minutes, but i think they've already loosened up a bit. they already sound clearer overall and deeper than my old cans. if they're only going to get better with break in, i'm glad i read a lot of reviews.
 
i ESPECIALLY like the 3 foot cord!!! it's just right for throwing in my gym bag, and isn't flimsy, though it's a pain to connect one handed, but as a safety feature, it's better that the jack isn't mounted solid in the cans.
 
 nicely balanced, detailed, and easy on the ears sound. they do clamp a little hard, but the force is distributed across big pads, & even with glasses and using the stock pads, they aren't bad, but that's what i thought with my AKG K55s too. it's looking like they'll be the best headphones i've ever owned so far. i really like the bass balance. it's there, but isn't head shaking overpowering. for semi-open cans too, they offer decent isolation. the bass doesn't sound particularly loose to me either. listening to jean le jeux et son orchestre by doop and the bass is thumping nicely and the analogue "buzz bass" texture doesn't sound blurry, but tight & dry. maybe it will loosen up after break in, but it sounds nice enough to my ears, especially compared to what i've owned so far. WOW! i can really hear some low level midrange texture in orbit's the beat goes on that i've never heard before.
 
hopefully the dry analytical sound will gain some air after break in.
 
thanks for your help headfi.
 
they're going to be blasting white noise all night all week.
 
Dec 13, 2016 at 3:50 PM Post #827 of 911
  ...they do clamp a little hard...

take a look at this video, it works nicely, i've loosen clamp on mine max i could... but at cost of perfect seal which you get with stronger clamp, but hey now they are way more comfortable to wear for longer listening sessions :D
btw i'm using velour earpads which are raised a bit with a piece of rope, foam removed
 
Dec 17, 2016 at 2:12 PM Post #830 of 911
to my ears, the EVOs sound just shy of NEUTRAL in the bass department. when i listen to speakers systems at audio shops (i've always gone the minimonitor route at home) the bass often sounds overblown, but on virtually every headphone, sounds light, including the EVOs which do have more bass than a lot of phones though. it seemed like the bass was bigger before the driver started relaxing.
 
i guess i'm just less sensitive to headphone bass than others. i'm not a basshead by a long stretch, but i think the EVOs could easily stand another 3dB or more in the low end without sounding bloated. i still struggle to hear the bassline on a lot of recordings, especially oldies.
 
Jan 16, 2017 at 9:16 PM Post #831 of 911
after trying and arguing my self, finally dedicated to use velvet pads, and yeah I loss it's bass response, but I got some treble, which is nice
biggrin.gif

 
Jan 17, 2017 at 5:03 PM Post #832 of 911
After years of reading about Supberlux cans, I finally ordered a set of HD681 EVO's. Will get them from Amazon in a day or two. Really looking forward to hearing them.
 
I ordered them because this happened to my Shures:

 
Jan 18, 2017 at 4:43 PM Post #834 of 911
  Ouch! Sorry about that. Maybe the Superlux will ease your pain somewhat...


Cyanoacrylate to the rescue!!!  :)
 

 
They're fixed. Well, guess I didn't need to order the Superlux EVO's after all....but I'm glad I did!  
 
Jan 20, 2017 at 3:24 PM Post #835 of 911
Just got my 681 EVOs, and YES!!!!!!  I am loving them!!!! My favorite pair of headphones yet.
 
The sound quality lives up to the hype. I've been reading about Superlux cans for years now, and have finally gotten the chance to hear for myself. Really nice, muscular bass....really nice highs...superb clarity and crispness.... I am high on these!
 
I love the styling...they are really comfortable on my head (and I haven't even put the velour pads on yet).....I love the removable cord and the fact that i'm given two (short and long).
 
I'm excited to get home and try these out with my DAC and some FLAC's.  
 
Two thumbs up!
 
 
[edit]
Just did some A/B comparisons,  Superlux against more expensive cans (Shure SRH-440, Sennheiser HD555) and the Superlux blows those other pairs out of the water.
 
Tomorrow I will try a comparison with my Grado SR80s. I have a feeling Superlux will win that one too.
 
Jan 21, 2017 at 11:24 AM Post #836 of 911
Listening to some FLAC's now, and using my NuForce UDAC 2.
 
Currently, listening to some ethno-jazz by Avishai Cohen and ELP's "Brain Salad Surgery". I'm really loving the sparkling clarity of these headphones, combined with the muscular bass. This is a combo that none of my previous headphones ever had.
 
I just did an A/B comparison with my Alessandro MS1's. The Alessandros sound more present, which I prefer, but they actually sound a little harsh in comparison to the Superlux, which have a more pleasant and almost creamy tone.
 
So...at this point...I'm pretty confident in saying these HD-681 EVO's are the best-sounding headphones I've yet owned, and they are very comfortable on my head. 
 
Jan 24, 2017 at 6:18 AM Post #837 of 911
I love these headphones as well, even tho a soldered cable broke off after a month and had to take it apart and solder it back on. This seems to have happened to several user users.
 
Anyway, these replaced my dying Sennheiser HD201 which were extremely airy (practically open) and had almost no bass (the occasional "right" note could trigger it, for example on Biosphere - Rotation).
 
The Superlux seem to have a rolled-off treble by comparison which in retrospect I enjoy - no more tinnitus after listening to metal! Even with the max volume being maybe 50% higher. I've also started to love bass which I didn't use to care about.
 
I'm using them with the velour pads and also removed the inner (smaller) felt disk. The pad change had the most noticeable effect on making them more balanced.
 
Jan 24, 2017 at 12:09 PM Post #838 of 911
Jan 25, 2017 at 4:32 AM Post #839 of 911
Ok so I bought the 681 Evos last week.  I wanted a upgrade from my headset for gaming and some music listening.   And they are that.   Overall im happy with them.   I realize now that I dont like auto headbands.  A constant pushing force against the top of the head isnt pleasant to me.   Luckily, with some tiny zip ties I was able to remedy this problem.  Ive thought about returning these for the 668b's.  But im not sure if that would matter much for my purposes.  Ive heard the 668b called more boring.  And I doubt the soundstage is much different for gaming so......

What pads fit these under $20?   The stock velour ones are decent.   But my ears touch the driver.   Any with more depth to them that are velour/velvet?   AKG240 pads seems to be about the same thickness in pictures.   The thickness of the Brainwavz HM5 pads looks exactly like what im looking for, but they dont fit these. 


I know this was asked almost 2 years ago but I figured better late than never. In case others wondered. I got the hd681 evo and I patiently stretched the HM5 white pleather pads on the ear cups and made them fit lol.

And they do come in velour too! They are very soft and WAY more comfy /cozy than the stock pads.

I too touched the inside of the foam pad with my ears on stock. They're 25mm thick. BUT.... the HM5 pads are 30mm and my ears don't touch anything now =-)

I've read posts on here for sometime now and decided to sign up just to reply lol. Here is a handful of pics of my 681 evo and the results I yielded.


https://plus.google.com/111918918107522415514/posts/3GP1RoxevQ9
 
Feb 10, 2017 at 5:38 AM Post #840 of 911
I've been looking around to see the difference in frequency response between the first version of the HD681 Evo (without velour earpads in the box) and the second iteration, which contained velour earpads, as i understood they are a bit different. Haven't been able to find the frequency response for the new release. Has anyone compared the 2 versions?
 

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