Superlux HD330 mini-review
Feb 8, 2012 14:26:23 GMT
Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2012 14:26:23 GMT
The open back version of the HD 660, or is the 660 the closed back version of the 330?
In the normal way of Superlux the headphone design is a, lets say “homage” rather than copy, of another classic headphone. With the 681, it was the AKG 240, with the 661 it was the Sony 7506. With this, the 330, it’s the Beyerdynamic 770/880/990. Whether the drivers of the 330 have been designed to try to mimic the FR of its ‘design parent’ like the 661, or bear no relation to its parent like the 681/240, I leave to others. I have never heard the 990 (the fully open model), so cannot comment on the 330’s similarity or otherwise.
I ordered mine from Thomann. It was priced at £19.82 + £10 shipping so very inexpensive. It arrived in a cardboard box, which contains a blow-moulded plastic case with the headphones inside wrapped in bubble-wrap. Not particularly good packaging.
As standard, they come with a curly-wurly cable with a 3.5mm socket and a screw on 6.3mm adapter. They are rated at 150ohms. They come with soft pleather earpads and headband, which I find really comfy, so I’ll not bother changing these. It has a metal headband and frame and thick and solid driver capsules, so actually feels quite rugged and durable.
I took them out of the box and put 24 hours of Radio 2 on them before I listened to them. On first listen, the bass was huge, but warm and woolly. Mids were O.K., but were overshadowed by the highs which had great extension but (surprise surprise) were harsh and coarse. After just an hour or so of listening, I knew there was one thing I had to mod immediately before I listened any further. That curly cable was a PIA. The specs say 3M which I assume means it can stretch to 3M. God knows how much force that would require, but to even stretch it a little either pulled the phones off my head, pulled the jack out of the amp, or threatened to pull either my V2 or SCHA off the rack. It had to go. I had some of Mike’s Evolution pro lying around but eventually decided to cable it with the original Superlux cable from the 681. Interestingly, the curly-wurly cable is a 4-core design with a + and – for the L/H/S driver and a + and – soldered to the signal carrying cable for the R/H/S driver. Is this how the Beyer is wired?
After being re-cabled, I gave it 150 hours worth of Radio 2 and some Isotek burn-in disc. As I write this I’m listening to some early Radiohead and it sounds excellent. Starting at the bottom end again, the bass is now superb. It has lost all of its previous wooliness and sounds tight and punchy. The mids have blossomed and are clear and precise. The highs have become much sweeter and have lost their hard edge. They are crisp and clear and well extended but not harsh or coarse any more so produce no fatigue even after 2 or 3 hours. These headphones completely outstrip my heavily modded 681’s in every way and apart from the cable (a Superlux cable remember) are completely stock.
I have posted elsewhere about the Goldring DR150 being a very balanced can. In some ways the 330 reminds me of them. Imagine the great SQ of the DR150. Now dial in just a little more treble to give a little extra clarity and crispness, but not so much that it becomes harsh. O.K?, fine. Now leave the mids as they are but turn up the bass slightly. Again, add just a little, but not too much. Make it so that there is great extension when the recording calls for it, but with lots of definition and speed. O.K., that's it. That’s what the 330 sounds like – the DR150 with just a little extra at both ends to ‘pep’ it up. And like the DR150, it’s not a good headphone for the money; it’s just a good headphone. As ever, YMMV, but I for one have no intentions of modding it in any way. I feel this is the SQ we were aiming for when modding the 681, not realising it was right there in the 330. I repeat though, the 330 in stock form is much more refined in every way – bass, mids, highs – than the modded 681. They only cost £30 shipped from Thomann – what are you waiting for?
www.thomann.de/gb/superlux_hd_330.htm
Jeff
In the normal way of Superlux the headphone design is a, lets say “homage” rather than copy, of another classic headphone. With the 681, it was the AKG 240, with the 661 it was the Sony 7506. With this, the 330, it’s the Beyerdynamic 770/880/990. Whether the drivers of the 330 have been designed to try to mimic the FR of its ‘design parent’ like the 661, or bear no relation to its parent like the 681/240, I leave to others. I have never heard the 990 (the fully open model), so cannot comment on the 330’s similarity or otherwise.
I ordered mine from Thomann. It was priced at £19.82 + £10 shipping so very inexpensive. It arrived in a cardboard box, which contains a blow-moulded plastic case with the headphones inside wrapped in bubble-wrap. Not particularly good packaging.
As standard, they come with a curly-wurly cable with a 3.5mm socket and a screw on 6.3mm adapter. They are rated at 150ohms. They come with soft pleather earpads and headband, which I find really comfy, so I’ll not bother changing these. It has a metal headband and frame and thick and solid driver capsules, so actually feels quite rugged and durable.
I took them out of the box and put 24 hours of Radio 2 on them before I listened to them. On first listen, the bass was huge, but warm and woolly. Mids were O.K., but were overshadowed by the highs which had great extension but (surprise surprise) were harsh and coarse. After just an hour or so of listening, I knew there was one thing I had to mod immediately before I listened any further. That curly cable was a PIA. The specs say 3M which I assume means it can stretch to 3M. God knows how much force that would require, but to even stretch it a little either pulled the phones off my head, pulled the jack out of the amp, or threatened to pull either my V2 or SCHA off the rack. It had to go. I had some of Mike’s Evolution pro lying around but eventually decided to cable it with the original Superlux cable from the 681. Interestingly, the curly-wurly cable is a 4-core design with a + and – for the L/H/S driver and a + and – soldered to the signal carrying cable for the R/H/S driver. Is this how the Beyer is wired?
After being re-cabled, I gave it 150 hours worth of Radio 2 and some Isotek burn-in disc. As I write this I’m listening to some early Radiohead and it sounds excellent. Starting at the bottom end again, the bass is now superb. It has lost all of its previous wooliness and sounds tight and punchy. The mids have blossomed and are clear and precise. The highs have become much sweeter and have lost their hard edge. They are crisp and clear and well extended but not harsh or coarse any more so produce no fatigue even after 2 or 3 hours. These headphones completely outstrip my heavily modded 681’s in every way and apart from the cable (a Superlux cable remember) are completely stock.
I have posted elsewhere about the Goldring DR150 being a very balanced can. In some ways the 330 reminds me of them. Imagine the great SQ of the DR150. Now dial in just a little more treble to give a little extra clarity and crispness, but not so much that it becomes harsh. O.K?, fine. Now leave the mids as they are but turn up the bass slightly. Again, add just a little, but not too much. Make it so that there is great extension when the recording calls for it, but with lots of definition and speed. O.K., that's it. That’s what the 330 sounds like – the DR150 with just a little extra at both ends to ‘pep’ it up. And like the DR150, it’s not a good headphone for the money; it’s just a good headphone. As ever, YMMV, but I for one have no intentions of modding it in any way. I feel this is the SQ we were aiming for when modding the 681, not realising it was right there in the 330. I repeat though, the 330 in stock form is much more refined in every way – bass, mids, highs – than the modded 681. They only cost £30 shipped from Thomann – what are you waiting for?
www.thomann.de/gb/superlux_hd_330.htm
Jeff
but it has red/green for the left hand driver and black/white for the right side driver.
.
