swaffleman
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2008
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I know I do a lot of reviews here. It seems like most of the headphones I review go under the radar.
Anyway, I found these at Target for 20 dollars, and I've owned a couple of the zx series in the past. I picked them up wondering how bad they could be, since the other zx models aren't great (although not terrible either!). I can return them no questions asked within 30 days.
Well, I won't be returning them. Seriously, these headphones sound great. They sound better than the JVC flats, the skull candy grind (to me anyway), and those 20 dollar philips I reviewed. They give the PX 200 II's a run for their money and they are by far much better sounding than the other zx models I've heard.
Brief run down.
Build: Adequate, but nothing special. These were 20 dollars...all plastic, although they don't creak, nor do they seem flimsy.
Comfort: Pretty good actually. They are lightweight due to the plastic construction, don't clamp very much, and the faux leather pads are pretty soft and give a lot. No padding at all on the headband, but that isn't an issue for me.
Isolation: Eh...they kind of isolate, but not a lot. They do get a decent seal but there is something about their build that lets more sound in than other on ears. That said, they don't do as badly as an open pair would, obviously. They do OK on this end, but other pairs do much better.
Sound:
Honestly, I found the sound to be very natural and very full, if a bit on the dry side of things. Super balanced, with a lot of spacial direction and great instrument separation. The bass is full but has some good detail and impact (though it's not as impact-ful as the PX 200 II's, but there is more bass, which is good to me). It doesn't overwhelm the mids at all. The mids are fantastic, with a lot of good instrument separation in rock tracks (you hear the multiple guitar tracks and their crunchy sound with heavy metal, for instance) and a lot of clarity. The vocals also seem very clear and articulate. Highs don't seem rolled off and again, seem pretty natural.
Some people would say these have a bass emphasis, but I think they are ideal. You need a little more bass since the bass frequencies are easy to drown out and don't project as much as other high energy frequencies. They don't sound congested to me at all. I notice some congestion with the PX 200 II's (since they are so small). These have a pretty spacious sound. The sound is articulate overall, lacking any veil (something the other zx models seem to have a lot of). The attack of the sound is very good, and things like drums and the initiation of guitar strings hit with a solid attack and sound pretty realistic.
Lastly, they do seem to require a little more power to get a lot of sound from. But, mostly fairly easy to drive. I'm just used to the flats and how loud they easily get.
I'm pretty floored with how good these sound and how cheap they were. Really, just a really unassuming pair of cans. They may be my go to from here on out. They really are more fun than the PX 200 II's and might have just as good of clarity.
Anyway, I found these at Target for 20 dollars, and I've owned a couple of the zx series in the past. I picked them up wondering how bad they could be, since the other zx models aren't great (although not terrible either!). I can return them no questions asked within 30 days.
Well, I won't be returning them. Seriously, these headphones sound great. They sound better than the JVC flats, the skull candy grind (to me anyway), and those 20 dollar philips I reviewed. They give the PX 200 II's a run for their money and they are by far much better sounding than the other zx models I've heard.
Brief run down.
Build: Adequate, but nothing special. These were 20 dollars...all plastic, although they don't creak, nor do they seem flimsy.
Comfort: Pretty good actually. They are lightweight due to the plastic construction, don't clamp very much, and the faux leather pads are pretty soft and give a lot. No padding at all on the headband, but that isn't an issue for me.
Isolation: Eh...they kind of isolate, but not a lot. They do get a decent seal but there is something about their build that lets more sound in than other on ears. That said, they don't do as badly as an open pair would, obviously. They do OK on this end, but other pairs do much better.
Sound:
Honestly, I found the sound to be very natural and very full, if a bit on the dry side of things. Super balanced, with a lot of spacial direction and great instrument separation. The bass is full but has some good detail and impact (though it's not as impact-ful as the PX 200 II's, but there is more bass, which is good to me). It doesn't overwhelm the mids at all. The mids are fantastic, with a lot of good instrument separation in rock tracks (you hear the multiple guitar tracks and their crunchy sound with heavy metal, for instance) and a lot of clarity. The vocals also seem very clear and articulate. Highs don't seem rolled off and again, seem pretty natural.
Some people would say these have a bass emphasis, but I think they are ideal. You need a little more bass since the bass frequencies are easy to drown out and don't project as much as other high energy frequencies. They don't sound congested to me at all. I notice some congestion with the PX 200 II's (since they are so small). These have a pretty spacious sound. The sound is articulate overall, lacking any veil (something the other zx models seem to have a lot of). The attack of the sound is very good, and things like drums and the initiation of guitar strings hit with a solid attack and sound pretty realistic.
Lastly, they do seem to require a little more power to get a lot of sound from. But, mostly fairly easy to drive. I'm just used to the flats and how loud they easily get.
I'm pretty floored with how good these sound and how cheap they were. Really, just a really unassuming pair of cans. They may be my go to from here on out. They really are more fun than the PX 200 II's and might have just as good of clarity.
That was the prevailing conclusion 100 liked over the 300. So it will depend on how the 310 is. If exactly the same amount better but applied to the 300. A bit better than the ZX100 but still worse than the ZX110?? My head is starting to hurt 
