Superlux HD681F Studio Monitor Headphones Over Ear Wired with 50mm Neodymium Driver, Semi-Open, Sweet Vocal Sound, Copper-Coated Aluminum Wire for Live Music Hall Listening Session Podcast Stream

Out of box they sounded very good, FAR better than other similar $ headphones. I would not say "hi-fi" but WAY better sound definition than most headphones under $100. They are not bass-heavy, rattle your noggin cans. They are more in the lane of "reference" or neutral. I thought they had slightly forward highs, occasionally sibilant, perhaps ... but that's a big word and hardly fair for headphones we paid <$40 for!!! Bass was there and controlled but recessed a bit on some tracks I listened to. For example, a cello won't sound booming, but will sound very real, and right there. For classical or critical listening, that's great; if you want to feel the bass from pop, R&B etc in your gut, these aren't for that. If you can afford over $80, sure, there are better options for critical listening, for example Phillips 9500 which are an amazing deal for the price, and you can sometimes score an audiotechnica M40 on sale or refurb for just a bit more.My son bought these to replace some skull candy and originally missed the bass those had. But, over a couple weeks he says the superlux are so much clearer, cleaner, and spacious sounding, he doesn't like the skull candy anymore. He says he can hear all sorts of detail in music he never heard before (and he likes it...). My experience lines up with that from the few tracks I listened to with these (though I don't put his skull candy on my head ... ever). Everyone will be different.... so look up more details elsewhere. But $ for sound, these surprized me in a really good way.Build quality doesn't look exceptional. They don't look fragile, just like they are "just adequate" and not more. My son usually tears things up pretty quick, headphones not withstanding. Hence he paid for these himself ... 2 pairs from dad in <2years and you're on your own, Jack. So far, a couple months of frequent use (he uses them every day, several hours per day ... some days I think he has these on more than he doesn't) and they are holding up okay.My son listens to them with a generic MP3 player and they sound fine, so no amp needed ... but if you add a little juice, they do perk up and shine. But so do most good headphones. I let him listen to these on a class A solid state and then a tube headphone amp, and his jaw dropped. He tried his skull candy on those and went "meh, yeah, better, but ... not like the superlux" The point is, these are surprisingly good headphones for "cricial listening" if it's not blasphemy to say such about a sub $50 headphone, but you get out of them what you put into them. On a marginal source, you may not notice a big difference between these and a typical $40 set but as the source improves, they start to really separate from other similar priced cans.Be aware, if you aren't familiar with semi-open/ open, that means they leak sound - in and out. You can still hear things around you AND others can hear YOUR music even if it's not cranked up. The tradeoff is, again if you are not aware, is that the design makes them sound really spacious. Open/semi-open headphones are rarely this cheap, so in case you wondered into reviews of this Superlux looking for a "cheap but decent" pair of cans to wear on the train while commuting ... hmmm ... think on that a bit.I have a lot of far better headphones ... but for the money, I've not heard anything this "good." It looks like these bounce up and down in price. If these were $70 you could do better for a couple bucks more and would be well to do so (phillips 9500 again). We scored these for less than $40. At that price I'd buy them again any day!! 5 stars for VERY good sound at a CRAZY, CRAZY low price. If $50, I'd say 4 stars because there are other competitors at that price that have better build quality better comfort, and better sound. Hit $75 and I'd drop to 3 stars - too close to Phillips, Sennheisser, and Audiotechnica options that edge these out.

So, I'm finally in a position to write a review of the Superlux HD681 headphones.. I've purchased 2 sets of these headphones over the last (nearly) 6 years. The first set was for myself. The second set was for my mother (4 years ago). After 6 years of regular use, sometimes upwards of 8 hours, my almost 6 year old set is still in "like new" condition, as is my mother's 4 year old set. Durability is not an issue in the slightest, if you don't abuse them. If you abuse them, yes, they will eventually break. However, when treated properly, they will last for years. Even after 6 years, the audio is very clean. The bass is not overbearing by any means. I do enjoy reading reviews from others regarding these headphones. After 6 years, I've only heard static, distortion, etc from low quality audio files and streams. When playing FLAC files, the sound is crystal clear through the entire volume and gain level. I'm running these from a FiiO E10K DAC/AMP. I'm not an audiophile by any means, and it appears neither are most posting reviews. Most of the reviews here appear to be written by people who are more impressed by price than actual experience or by people that listened to a brand new set for a few minutes before posting a review. Sound quality is heavily affected by source. Low quality audio chipsets, low quality audio recordings, etc. If you're listening to Spotify, Napster, Youtube, etc, expect distortion, hissing, popping and crackling. If you're using Realtek or VIA integrated audio, expect distortion, crackling, popping and hissing. That is the fault of the audio stream or audio device and not the headphones. As I said earlier, FLAC files played through a FiiO E10K outputting to these headphones are crystal clear, even with the volume and gain turned all the way up. Yes, these headphones WILL make your ears sweat....but after nearly 6 years, my ear pads are in near perfect condition.For those looking for 100% perfect sound reproduction. You're going to be looking forever. Your perfect product does not exist. For the rest of you. IF you want good sound quality with a wide sound stage for a reasonable price, and don't want to invest several hundred or thousands of dollars in audio equipment, these are well worth the cost. You'll have to invest thousands to actually hear the difference between these and the more expensive headphones they compete with. The only people that can truly hear the difference between these and the more expensive "brand name" headphones, are those that think cost and quality and directly proportional.

They sound decent especially for the price. Ive noticed a lot of people saying that the earcups are way too shallow and firm. I have to disagree as they fit my head very well and they dont become too uncomfortable after wearing them for hours at a time. The extra long cable is nice too as I no longer have to worry about accidently ripping it out on my pc. As for the sound, they dont sound bad overall. Im most impressed with its very neutral and direct sounding profile. The bass sounds absolutely incredible, super crisp and clear. The treble on the other hand, is on the louder side than what im used to and sounds a bit harsh. But, EQing the the 5-20kHz range down a bit makes it sound perfect.