[AudioHipster]

[size=medium] AudioHipster received the new HD 681 EVO in the studio last week, at first listen the bass was a bit much, and highs way too subdued, very skeptical at first so let them set for two hours playing.  Upon returning, I heard a huge difference in sound, the bass tightened up, there was atantalizing almost 3D surround audio sound.  The HD 681 EVO has a very open airy feel, and the highs came to life as well, which ultimately provides a very smooth, natural and much more transparent sound.  Later that night I gave them another listen and I must say the sparkle transparent imagining really sounded nothing like the old 681 ...much better bass and punch, really a huge improvement in sound quality…you can hear every small detail in the music.  I let my wife take a listen to James Blunt, and she was very impressed.  She said the sound quality and placement of instruments along with Blunt’s vocal was the best she has ever heard. (A perfect soundstage for his Back to Bedlam LP.)[/size]
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[size=medium] The sound coming from the headphones while she was listing was very articulate, you could hear every note minus the deep bass of course, so I’m thinking…man these are way open, so i put them back on at moderate volume, and all I could hear was beautiful music.  My wife's lips was moving but I could not hear a word she was saying right in front of me, so even thou they are more open to the room, they isolate the listener more then the old 681. [/size]
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[size=medium] Looking at the self-adjusting headband I was skeptical at first, just playing around you could pull them down push them up, and hear them adjust to your head, they even fit my 4-year-old just fine.  The pads are much improved made out of "Leatherette" giving them a softer feel, a tad thicker, and really just what the old 681 needed just a tad more distance.  I was happy to see this on the new EVO ...over all these are truly a big improvement, and have a soundstage all to their own, "a great headphone made even better," really much better. [/size]
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[size=medium] Don't be fooled by the price, the initial US wholesale is only $24.50 and the suggested retail is $69.  This puts HD 681 EVO headphone in the $50 street price range ...and by far kills any Dr. Dreaded Skull Beats looking like the cheep horrible sounding overpriced garbage they are. And, BTW you can pay $130 to $300 & up for literal garbage if you must have the overpriced label tattooed between your forehead…or you can order this overpriced candy... straight from China for a fraction of the media overdriven sticker price. [/size]
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[size=medium] In conclusion, the Superlux HD 681 EVO is an extreme bargain, priced right and well worth much more than the MSRP... but most of all they sound unbelievably good... I would put these cans up with some costing 10 to 20 times the price.   Cheers Doyen  "engineer and owner at Audiohipster recording services" [/size]

 

[AudioHipster]

We hope to get a couple friends to take a listen to the 681 EVO and give their honest thoughts, like Steve Rothermel designer of the Sason speaker: http://www.stereomojo.com/SasonReview.htm ...most interesting and lovely sounding 300 pounds of mass in a two way speaker design ...and Adnan Abbasi engineer/design of the Angry Midget guitar amp & Thunder Cab. He was also designing some amazing ear pads ...leather, lamb, cloth & ear buds for metal music ...need to find out how that is going.
 
Any and all spending time with this headphone please leave your  Impressions of the new Superlux HD681 EVO. 
 
Hopefully it's ok to post testimonials we receive from time to time, maybe others well post their listening experience "impressions" of the new HD681EVO:  
 
Hi Doyen,
Just got my SuperLux Evo 681.  In a word--"WOW."  I had a pair of the regular 681 and this tops them.  I also have a pair of AKG 702s--great headphone but I have to say that the Evo tops them.  I only listen to headphones.  I have a Little Dot IV headphone amp.  What a wonderful experience!!   Keep up the good work!
John

 

[Sublevel]

I just got these headphones and I really love them so far; they don't seem like they're twice as good as the original HD 681's, but they're definitely a step up. 

 

[sofastreamer]

more interested in the truly closed back variant

 

[jackwess]

Any idea about their availability on Europe? if what i read is true, i have to go for a pair. 

 

[AudioHipster]

Ah the evils of needing closed back, as a studio owner we have to have closed when the drummer, bass player and alike are in the same room, or when you need isolation.  My listening pleasure has always been open airy and letting them breathe...  really surprised none of the US/Canadian distributors has the 662 EVO,  we at Audiohipster are trying to special order them.  All the superslutz has many a different soundstage, and most if not all different drivers as well, 669 single very thin, 662 thicker, 662F has a duel or part duel layer ...the 662 EVO should sound totally different and nothing like the open and airy 681 EVO.  BTW as a starving studio owner, we do ship worldwide, only $21 USD or less to ship first class mail anywhere, shipping time averages:  Norway 6 days, England 10 days, BR 30 days,  AU 10 days and so on ...altho some countries may want Priority ...cost can run 35 USD, but most countries such as AU and the like it is a total waste of extra cash.  First Class gets these just as fast ...and 1/3 of the cost or less. 

 

[Zopiac]

Awesome! I've been waiting for these to breach the market. When might they be for sale at Audiohipster (or another accessible North American dealer)?
 
Can't wait to pit the 681 EVO against the original 681!

 

[AudioHipster]

Quote:

Awesome! I've been waiting for these to breach the market. When might they be for sale at Audiohipster (or another accessible North American dealer)?
 
Can't wait to pit the 681 EVO against the original 681!

Here at Audiohipster recording studios in GA we have the semi-open HD681 EVO in stock, colors: back & white ...shipping today.  Really need to update our Audiohipster web pages, and add our merchant account... email us for a PP or CC invoice, we ship fast.  Hope to soon have the closed 662 EVO... and we are checking into getting: 

HMC681 Gaming Headset for PC Designed for professional video gamers

Looks to be the EVO design as well... I am sure Heartbeat distributors in Canada & others will be getting the EVO's as well,  have to shoot Chad an email. 
 
 Hey thanks for asking...  and look forward to read others posting their impression of the new HD681 EVO.   Cheers Doyen 

 

[4nradio]

I've been enjoying the HD681 EVO for a couple of weeks now. I received an introductory priced pair ($39) shipped very quickly from AudioHipster (thanks, Doyen!) and the headphones were well packed, too. I purchased the black model and I think it looks classy.
 
Considering the low cost of these headphones, the packaging is very nice. In fact, every aspect of the HD681 EVO belies its cost... this is definitely one headphones model that's a very good value. I also like the two removable cables and adapter supplied... a nice touch.
 
I have burned in the EVOs over one hundred hours using a combination of white and pink noise, frequency sweeps, percussion, and various music genres. There did seem to be a small improvement to the high frequencies but not as much as with some other models (I thought my former AKG K550s showed more change during burn-in).
 
Again, considering the low cost, I feel the EVOs are quite well balanced and do justice to all frequency ranges except the treble range. Cymbal strikes and brushes, and snare drums sound blurry and artificial to me, but again, keep in mind the EVOs price and that I was pitting them against a pair of Audeze LCD-2 Rev. 2 headphones. The sound stage is reasonable, and isolation acceptable considering the EVOs are semi-open headphones.
 
I find the stock ear pads to be too firm and non-resilient for my liking; it would be nice to know if there are some memory foam pleathers out there which fit this model. Perhaps the stock pads will soften up with use. I also needed to do some careful tweaking to the over-the-headband wires that provide the clamping force for the EVOs. By slightly bending the wires just above the plastic channels the headband slides into, I changed the tilt of the ear cups and the headphones then sealed much better than they did out of the box.
 
These new EVOs are an excellent deal at AudioHipster's $44 USD regular cost. Their shortcomings can be forgiven since they are such a value. The HD681 EVO would make a great gift to a budding audiophile, or to take along in situations where you don't want to risk your more expensive headphones to theft, damage, etc.
 
Thanks, Doyen, for making this new model available at such a dynamite price!

 

[Hippopotamus]

Has anybody else bought these headphones? I'm attracted by the low price and sleek looks 

 How do these compare with headphones such as the Braiwavz HM5 or beyerdynamic dt770 in terms of soundstage and comfort?

 

[MusicLieber]

Anybody knows what pads will suit to EVO headphones? I wonder about AKG240 pads or Bayerdynamic DT880/990 velours version.

 

[wasabi521]

Quote:

Has anybody else bought these headphones? I'm attracted by the low price and sleek looks 

 How do these compare with headphones such as the Braiwavz HM5 or beyerdynamic dt770 in terms of soundstage and comfort?

I have them and they do not beat the DT 770 (only heard the DT 770 once though).  After EQ and BBE sonic maximizer, they have passable bass, but otherwise its extremely lacking (clean but it simply has little to no <40 Hz).  The soundstage is better than my closed back Ultrasone HFI 780's, impressively open sounding (you'll know what I mean at first listening).  The headphones hold their own above 40 Hz after appropriate eq/dsp as mentioned above.  I don't regret buying them, but I realize now that I really wanted the 662 (more bass).  This simply doesn't cut it for Hip hop but is great for audiophile/vocal/trance/edm/pop).  If you're used to 100 dB low bass then they will disappoint, but they are probably a step up from most all hp's in their price range.  Comfort is fairly bad, looking into earpads.

 

[wasabi521]

Comfort rating: 
DT 770 = 9
Superlux = 3
 
Soundstage (imo)
DT 770 = 8
Superlux = 7

 

[Greendriver]

Quote:

Has anybody else bought these headphones? I'm attracted by the low price and sleek looks 

 How do these compare with headphones such as the Braiwavz HM5 or beyerdynamic dt770 in terms of soundstage and comfort?

I have just taken delivery of a pair of these, which are smoother than my older 681's.  I also have the DT770, which has a more natural feel.  I am still burning the evo's in but I am impressed so far. I have the white ones.  I find the comfort to be very good, if a little sweaty. The emit a strange grating sound if you move your head, but this is not serious.  The headband is more comfortable than the original, which tugs slightly.
 
I'll give further impressions after burn in, and a more detailed comparison against the DT770, which, of course is a closed Headphone.
 
Incidentally, I changed to the AKG240 pads in my older 681.  I don't know why but it accentuated the treble even more....

 

[Grayson73]

The DT 770 cost $180 so the fact that they are in the discussion speaks volumes about the Superlux.  I'm curious about how these compare to the HD-668B