[SymphonyX7]

Hi to everyone. I'm a long time lurker at Head-Fi and I'm posting now because it's the first time I've been let down by a budget-fi recommendation here. I just acquired a Somic MH463 today. As far as hype is concerned, I wouldn't say it's bad but I believe it's not as good as many here make it out to be. I believe this is particularly a matter of taste.
 
First off, I have bias towards resolution, and a balanced and analytical sound. My MH463s have been burning in for about 4 hours now as I'm typing this. Mids aren't as recessed anymore which is to my liking. But the highs remain harsh (i.e. Pioneer SE-EX9, Grado SR80i) and the bass, while adequately bodied and detailed, doesn't extend deep as say a Superlux HD669. This thread made me get the MH463 and some of the comparisons done in this thread, I feel, seem exaggerated because the MH463 really hits the spot in terms of sound signature. It does sound like the more expensive open-aural Senns, the airyness is there as well as the vaunted HRTF, but it's more energetic, husky. Basically, it's a more fun imitation of the open-aural Senns. Note: imitation, not replication.

But they don't quite do it as studio monitors so far. I'll give them another go after I complete my burn in and probably after I change the pads (too shallow!), but so far my expectations of "revealing" sound have not been met. As far as resolution is concerned, these still cannot touch the Superlux HD668B or even the Takstar Pro 80 for monitoring purposes. The HD668B may be very boring for music but its HRTF and neutralness is unrivaled as far as <$50 is concerned, and it's receptive to EQing. The Takstar Pro 80 is a better comparison, but they're more expensive (I got mine for the equivalent of almost $70), yet they can still be used for monitoring purposes despite being rather fun and closed (more fun than the MH463, that's for sure).

My main concern is that the MH463s are colored and sound very good with particular genres like blues and metal. But it's selective and doesn't exhibit resolution as good as the HD668B or Pro 80 in a wider range of genres. Balanced and neutral sets shouldn't have detail bias with certain genres. I just hope that by 50 hours of burn-in I finally get the "poor man's Senn HD600". That is, after all, what convinced me to purchase these in the first place.

Just my 0.02 cents. I'll post again once I find any improvements from the burn-in.

 

[davidsh]

Remember finding the treble metallic on the mh463 from a short audition.

 

[UnknownAX]

I'll never understand this...

  I've compared the somics with a few other low-mid range headphones and this is my experience with the Somics:
 
PRO
 
- good metal connector & adapter
- natural (not quite neutral) sound
- really nice and highlighted midrange + vocals!
- very smooth treble and sound in general
- clean, deep bass
- decent soundstage and good seperation
 
CON
 
- slightly creaky build
- shallow pads
- heavy weight
- treble could be a little more present and clear
- overall resolution could be better
 
 
I like them for everything that involves vocals and midrange. To be honest, I think metal is the genre they suit the least.
Btw. I didn't like them out of the box either, but that changed after burn in. And I would never, ever trade them for the Superlux HD668B's.

 

[SymphonyX7]

My point is Sennheiser's higher-end open-aural headphones are good for monitoring duties. The MH463, however, isn't. It's hard to describe. Like of like comparing an entry-level Porsche 911 to a Porsche 911 Turbo S. They're worlds apart. Similar sound, different abilities.

I don't see how the treble is smooth. I echo davidsh's observation that it sounds metallic. My Takstar Pro 80 and Superlux HD668B have much smoother, silk soft treble that extends. It's easy to discern when listening to Vivaldi or early 90s Mariah Carey.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad headphone by any means. It sounds very good, but it's far from what many here have lauded it to be. If they still don't mellow down after the 50 or so hours of burn-in, I'll most likely sell them so I can add towards the Etymotics HF5 instead. I got spoiled by the Vsonic VC02 and the HF5 appears to be the most suitable upgrade.  

 

[UnknownAX]

That the Somics are bad for monitoring duties is quite obvious to me too. They're fun to listen to but they sound quite "impactful" and sometimes it feels like their sound should be anchored or something...

 The more I think about it the more obvious it gets that the Somics could be downright bad monitoring headphones. They're still really fun for simply enjoying some types of music, though.

 

[bravobs]

if the mids is the best asset of the somic mh463, how does the mids compare to takstar hi2050 which i already have. thank you.

 

[Beocord]

If I remember correctly Somics have somewhat fuller sound to them. Might be I remember wrong. My somics are in pieces waiting for modding so I can't do a direct comparison. I wouldn't say that the mids are best asset of somics. For me it is definately bass impact. It really has extraordinary slam to it. Like UnknownAx said, "Impactfull" would be the one word I'd use describing somics. Bass is also the achilles heel of mh463. It's great bass but it rolls over the mids rendering mh463 pretty much useless with rock music and other stuff that depend on more controlled presentation. For me hi2050 pads tame the bass to suitable levels so you as a hi2050 owner might aswell give somics a shot
.

 

[bravobs]

as for me, i prefer a "detailed" mids, i already think hi2050's mids are a little veiled, so i think i'm going to pass on that?

thank you for the response.

 

[Beocord]

Can't tell really...It has been a while since I compared somics to takstars. Have you tried removing the cloth in front of the hi2050 driver? It will ad to the allready prominent highs but also removes the slight warm coloration takstars have. I'm guessing highs would be too much for most people if the cloth is removed but I'f you have smooth source/amp and you're not sensitive to highs it could work. Out of curiosity: Which headphones you have previous experience? I agree that there is slight veil on takstars but compared to most headphones clarity is actually pretty impressive.

 

[bravobs]

i had an experience with grado sr60 from a friend. but the takstar hi2050 is so cheap plus i read some good impressions to it so i bought it. and it is my first headphones by the way

 

EDIT: seeing you have both takstar hi2050 and pro80, how does their mids compare? thanks
        (wrong thread to ask but please let me slip this one. thanks)

 

[Beocord]

HI2050 is great headphone. I prefer it over grado sr60,sr80 and sr125. To my ears Pro's don't have the warm veil of hi2050. If you remove the fabric covering the driver on hi2050 you pretty much have open version of pro80. For me pro80 is not worth the extra cost compared to hi2050 but maybe you'd like them. Try removing the fabric on hi2050, use eq to boost the bass a bit and you have a pretty good idea what pro80's sound.

 

[bravobs]

Thank you beocord. I really appreciate it.I read your post about the hi2050 having a cloth cover but pro80 doesnt have.. Thanks again for the info.

 

 

[Beocord]

 

[BBEG]

I greatly prefer the sound of the MH 463 over the Hi 2050s (I have both). The 2050's are pretty veiled; they have pretty thin bass naturally and I don't know how to mod them to fix the bass without screwing something else up. The 2050's are lighter and more comfortable in the short term, but cause me some discomfort via jaw pressure after 20min or so. The 463's with Turtle Beach pads are much more detailed all around and for me have a more pleasing audio quality. The Turtle Beach pads make them bearable/comfortable-ish enough for fairly extended use, but if you move around a lot while jammin' out then prepare for the headphones to go flying off due to their weight.
 
I still need to sit down for a few hours and side-by-side compare the 2050's, 463's, and HD600's...

 

[Redcarmoose]

 
 
 
http://www.amazon.com/Somic-MH438-Dynamic-stereo-headphone/dp/B00HPL6N1C
 
Just purchased a pair of the MH 438 Somic Headphones today for $20.00 out the door.
 
Post a mini review when burned in.
 
 
 
$27 at Amazon.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Updated-version-head-mounted-MH-438-microphone/dp/B00HTSDCOC
 
 
Not bad sound right out of the box. Not that efficient and I don't believe the specs on the box. Still how they can make these for this price is nothing short of amazing.