[airomjosh]

ljokerl has a review of these new Xiaomi headphones  http://www.head-fi.org/t/433318/shootout-114-portable-headphones-reviewed-xiaomi-mi-headphones-added-04-21-2015#user_b37

 

[greenarrow]

Thanks for the nice writeup on what matters here. The Xiaomi Mi headphone is very well written. One thing I should add, is the length of the audio cable which I find rather short. I've to buy a extension from Amazon to fill my need,
 
Good job bro.

 

[ksat90]

I also just got the Mi Headphones. After burning in for 20 hours on JLab's burn-in track, it's considerably less harsh, smoother, and more even sounding.
 
On earpads
The default pleather on-ear earpads sound the best to me. Lots more focus and depth especially from bass to the low mids.
The pleather over-ear earpads lose a lot of focus and coherence. Bass is looser, and soundstage becomes wider but flatter.
The soft velour/foam on-ear sounds the worst, with treble sibilance and attenuated bass/mids.
 
They remind me of my NAD Viso HP50s, which are technically one of the best headphones, but also 3x the price.
 
Sound Stage
The Mi Headphones sound "larger" but less precise. Layering is noticeably worse than the HP50. They also can't render sounds coming from the rear as well as the HP50 (yet again even significantly more expensive headphones like HE-400/500, DT 880 don't do this particularly well)
 
Sound Signature
The Mi Headphones are also darker, slightly bloated, slightly muffled in the bass to low mids regions. There is more impact, but less texture and detail. It's also slightly slower (particularly obvious in fast EDM).
 
Vocals actually sound pretty similar, with the Mi Headphones having slightly more emphasized mids, placing most pop and ballads centre-stage. I actually prefer the voicing of the Mi Headphones in this regard
 
The Mi Headphones actually do present lots of detail in the treble, but harder to pick through the more congested sound compared to the HP50. They have less sparkle and extension in the treble region, but at the same time somewhat hotter, more congested in certain orchestra symphonies (maybe more burn-in? HP50 are used hundreds of hours).
 
A particular characteristic of the Mi Headphones is that they provide a real good atmosphere, but it doesn't significantly muddle the overall sound.
 
Another plus point, is that they have inline mic + they are foldable + nice casing. I don't think it's easy to get such a package at this price point. My Audio Technicas, Beyers and Hifimans just came in sparse cardboard boxes with nothing much more than a 3.5mm to 1/4" jack.
 
Overall
All in all, I'm really impressed that the Mi Headphones have something in this price range that has made me compare upwards to a headphone 3x the price.
 
Will update if I have any other impressions.

 

[stratocaster]

FWIW, measurements of different pads ...
 
1. on-ear (p)leather pads:

 
2. over-ear (p)leather:

 
3. on-ear foam pads:

 

[stagaga]

The way I mainly use my headphones are to create "my bubble” on the train or airplane. This means that I treat them quite badly. So I am always torn between spending a lot for good sound quality and spending little because they will break anyway. In the past I have also had some noise cancelling headphones (expensive), so I was also concerned if the Xiaomi could provide the isolation I look for. I didn't change out the earpads - kept the on-ear pads the headphone was delivered with.

The experience on a two and a half hour train ride was magical. I listened to classical music and to iTunes TV episodes, and was completely absorbed. Both the comfort was good and the hearing experience, which felt “light”. Honestly I don’t know the proper words to describe a listening experience. But I do notice with other models (Marshall, Urban Ears) that I develop a beginning of a auditory overwhelming after an hour or so, and with pistons I feel somehow cramped. Oddly, with active noise cancellation headphones I feel a buzz in my ear (Sennheiser).

So this headphone is a real relief unlike I’ve experienced before in the price category that I shop in. And at the price, I am not too concerned if they get banged around a bit. The case is too bulky for my use. I carry them in the soft pouch and squeeze them into my overstuffed bag. So far they have held up admirably to my abuse!

I got my headphones from iBuyGou. I was a little annoyed with Xiaomi to announce so long before availability, but luckily iBuyGou got them in stock before others so I have now had some weeks experience with them. I can join your opinion: I really love them, and am surprised that this quality is possible at the price point.

 

[ksat90]

Ah the measurements seem to correlate with what I found. Thanks @stratocaster!
 
Seems like Xiaomi designed these predominantly for the on-ear pleather earpads, while the other earpads were just tacked on more for comfort/marketing purposes, without much thought about how they change the sound?

 

[pv2008]

The Mi headphones are now available from Xiaomi's official website for Europe and USA. It should be cheaper than buying through forwarding agents.
 
http://www.mi.com/en/miheadphones/

 

[onlyjamesbrown]

Rumours say there will be a 2.0 version of these headphones soon. Has anyone heard anything similar?

 

[r0msk1]

No, I didn't hear a thing about that.

But it makes sense, following that Piston got v3 next to v2 afterall.

 

[kaiteck]

I would prefer a new headphone at different price point though...

 

[r0msk1]

I'm a Xiaomi fanboy myself, I admit that.

But I have to agree with you, since on the side of audiophile (I am not, I just love music), I have so many better and tested options for this price range.

 

[r0msk1]

Rumours say there will be a 2.0 version of these headphones soon. Has anyone heard anything similar?

could you refer me to your source my friend?

 

[Maniac]

I have far less favorable review of this headphone.
 
First off, the beryllium only appear on the center of the driver cone, I don't think it even covers close to 1/2 of the total surface area, of course, PET film throughout, just the center section is coated with our favorite toxic metal.  (to be fair, it is quite safe sealed like this.)

The Grado SR325/Music II like can, well, not it is not.  The can itself is very shallow, what you see in the photo is ALL you get, unlike Grade, which hide 1/2 of the metal can under their earpad. Not only that, the aluminum shell is only there for decorative purposes, and all the aluminum on each side would be similar to what you get from a coke can.  The actual structure is plastic, and the aluminum cover on top to make it look like they cut it with a lathe.
 
The sound I'd say would be about right for the price point, but other users reports that headphones from major audio brands (not fashion brands like beats) at similar price would beat it pretty easily.


The good?

The cable it come with is one of the best cable on headphone I've ever seen, construction and ease of use wise that is.  The cable is thick enough that it is hard to tangle, yet soft enough to not annoy you.  The material and feel of the cable is great, there just isn't any other cable that I've seen would come even close.

The looks, well.  For the price, there isn't a prettier headphone anywhere.  Especially if you like the metallic look.
 
The headband quality is also extremely high, better than most high end headphones even.  The size adjustment is also very very very well made, from my own experience, the extension with track would be fairly expensive to make.

Independent L/R wiring, well... it would be simple to make a balanced cable for that...



Why did I get it?
 
Well, I don't intend to keep the driver there for long... I'm thinking about shoehorning a T50RP driver in there sometime later, perhaps with a 3D printed adapter that would also accept Grado foams.  I find everything is great with this headphone, I just don't like the tiny cavity and the driver.

 

[Maniac]

Been tinkering with it some more, cut out the filter cloth of the faux leather pads, and that made things even worse.  Couldn't keep it on my ears, except when I use it to listen to John Oliver's Last Week Tonight.

 

[Caipirina]

Got my own today for 2 million ... Vietnamese Dong .. that's below 100$ ... while online shopping and postal service are still rather adventurous here, I found a place that had those and after opening and comparing to other unboxing videos I am very certain those are the real deal ... those cans are just too new and no high demand for pirated versions yet, at least not in Vietnam  
 
I love the looks, the built quality, the different pad options! What a cool idea, but yes, it changes the sound considerably .. I started out with Lorde - Royals, with the pleather on-ear, and the bass came across like some evil rumbling monster .. way too intense for my taste .. but switch to classic and everything is peachy .. I love the over-ear pads for the fit, isolation and somewhat more 'surround' sound. And while foam on-ear pads somehow do not feel very comfortable, they seem to ad some space to the listening experience. The cable is probably the best I have ever seen on a set of cans.
 
Overall I am very impressed, but I am beginner in this hobby and have not had much chance to compare with other, bigger names. Learning step by step