I'm a huge sound and music fun, I've owned a couple of expensive brand phones and reluctantly, for being cheap, I decided to give them a go, based on hundreds of positive reviews especially from enthusiasts, and man.... The best bet ever, I started with the hd 681 standard version, then I got the 668b and now I own my brand favorite until now the 681F variant. The F version is amazingly perfect. My gear for music is Creative Titanium cardboard , a valve tube preamp, and a mixer. They do require equalizing, If you intend to hook them on portables, or poor sound source they'll sound thin.. Forget about the expensive brands. Superlux can deliver and outperform most of them at a 1/4 or less of their price tag. If you're still wondering whether give these babes a try, go for it...
Got me the HD668B because it looked the more sturdy and it has I think the best detachable cable design. Replaced the fake leathers with velour pads and added the extra foam inserts that came with the aftermarket velour pads that I bought and it definitely fixed the piercing high frequency.
Everyone's ears are different. And worse, our audio characteristics change as we age. With that, I love my 668Bs. I use then equalized to my ears, where my son might find my listening characteristics intolerable. What I love most about them is the staging, which not enough of us talk about. I was hoping to find more discussion on the difference in staging between the 668Bs and the 681s. I may have to just buy them and hear for myself, and then give a different review on characteristics other then just EQ. What I can say about the HD668Bs (And the way that I have them equalized), is that the sonic reality is excellent. It is so good that many times I can hear production aberrations. There have been so many times when I have listened to a poorly produced digital track and felt the ground shaking beneath me (no subsonic filtering during production). The more pleasing times are when I can hear each instrument with so much clarity that I can actually hear what the audio engineers were thinking when they were placing microphones and mixing. I would like to think that other more expensive headphones are even better at this, but do I really need to know? I am so happy with my headphones that I should just stop looking and just enjoy my listening experience. I want to also state that I bought velour ear pad replacements at the same time I bought my headphones. I highly recommend them. I also use the EQ in FOOBAR 2000 and amp my HD668Bs (Aune X1s DAC Amp), which allow me to keep all my computer controls set to the middle for additional headroom before the digital stream hits the DAC/Amp. I have instruments and vocals bouncing around in my head for hours of critical listening enjoyment...
I've had these for months, and have lots of hours in them. While my poor memory ruins my recollection of how they were when I first got them, I can say that now there is absolutely NO brightness in the treble, except on naturally sibilant tracks (usually lossy/compressed ones). I will also say that these things can handle a ton of power, no surprise given the 50mm drivers. Turn the bass up and crank it, it will handle the power. They sound great at any volume.
I love mine for any recordings that sound too muffled on my Koss Porta Pros, like old gospel reggae. It makes the music come to life. But for modern music with normal highs, yeah...ear razor blades like Tyll says, haha! I call them Baby DT 990s.
The information in this video is no longer valid as in the mean time Superlux did certain modifications to the transducers of both headphones. The current versions sound different - the "red" 681" have a typical "V-shaped" sound signature, bassy, but not overhelming and no piercing heigths either, with slight "sennheiserrish" veil in the upper mids. HD 668B is nicely balanced, not that bassy as 681, but not flat either, they have also better mids and wonderfull soundstage many much pricier headphones may only dream about. I woold say they sound better then Superlux HD-330, often celebrated as the reference of the brand. HD 681 has 32 Ohms impendance, 668B 56 Ohms impendance, so both can be properly driven with any better smartphone. But do not evaluate them out of the box - they do sound harsh, which is quite normal. All they need is a proper break-in of some 50 hours of loud load - so let them play something dynamic and complex in a loop for two-three days, covered by some quilt - and then listen and enjoy... definitely the best value for the money in the whole known headphone Universe :) And maybe then you sell your boring "Holy Grail" Sennheiser HD 600/650 and invest the change to some good headamp...;)
I just bought a HD681B, which Superlux claimed to have good bass. Nothing is further from the truth; the bass is lacking and the highs are just like InnerFidelity described - very pronounced and piercing! I'm very disappointed at Superlux, and impressed by InnerFidelity's honesty.
Im using my 681 for over 5 years now, nearly every day. I got them along with a pair of AKGs, which I use to produce music. For listening outside, the 681 are better, because theyre louder and because they are that cheap, you dont have to worry about breaking or losing them. I used to roughly put them into my bagpack, and so after all this time the head ribbon broke some weeks ago - just fixed that with some tape. They survived 2 Smartphones already... I also dont think the highs are too loud, they are very close to a linear sound. I listen without EQ, good music and these Headphones dont need that. A big difference is made by the device youre playing youre music on. My Sony Xperia sounded so amazing, but after two years, the headphone socket broke - guess what I was thinking first, when there was noise coming out my Superlux...
I got both of these. Swapped out pads with zmf angled round, sheepskin. Instead of eq'ing I use a round piece of foam to attenuate the highs. Very nice headphones for the price.
The trebles are kinda high on the 668B but they burn in over time, I recommend switching the pads to velour too (AKG ones fit), and yeah rolling the treble down helps aswell.
Am I the only person who thinks these headphones are not treble heavy? I switched from being a bass head to audio quality enthusiast because of these headphones, I think they sound great in all levels of noise.
+Techno Niko i'm planning to do the same now i wanna hear more details in music, so far i only cared about the bass regarding the music i was listening to but now i'm enhancing my music library with other genres of music and need as linear frequency response as possible... brighter sound is even more acceptable :D
***** Depending on your budget try the Philips Fidelio X2s, I think they're great. They are on sale on massdrop right now for $200 instead of the normal $300. I tried them and they are bassy, but it's a good quality bass, and the rest of the signature is really good. If you have the extra cash I recommend them.
I bought the HD661 cans the other day. After some burn-in time, I gotta say, it's the best investment I've done for 55 dollars. The build quality is top notch, and so as the accessories.
I have both 681's and 681 Evo's. 681's are much better nearly everything. They fit better for me and have better soundstage. Evo's have little more bass but less quality, soundstage is smaller and mids are worse. 681's sounds overall clearer and better. Evo's have extra veloure earpads and short and long wire with.
@@Soulless1666 Yes. I took of the attached foam circles and they are much better after that. I also changed bigger leather pads and they are so comfortable now. I attached the bluetooth transmitter to its cable holder and now my younger son likes to use them 🙂
I would love to see him review some gaming headsets like the Astro A40s or the Turtle Beach XP Seven - just to see how good those pricy headsets are compared to a some less expensive audiophile headphones.
Great video. I watched this after getting the phones and after rolling the treble off a bit as suggested I had a much better experience with my portable audio player and these phones. The mids, which previously seemed a little too weak, definitely benefited from getting some of those highs out of the way.
Quest ZMF Eikon pads decrease the highs by about5db and increase the bass by about 4db and make them pretty flat with an emphasis on bass. The pads are however twice as expensive as the headphones.
Eh? I bought the HD681 three weeks ago and found they had way too much bass which also caused distortion in the lower-mids. Perhaps you're thinking of the HD681F.
My opinion, looking at studio monitor headphones you want a flatter response. I would guess the 681s would be your best bet, if you were deciding between the two, and your budget is tighter. You just have to contend with the harsher highs. You can get a pair of AKG K240s new for just under $100 which are the studio standards and the headphones the HD681's design is cloned from. Hope this helps!
Very interesting, altho most of the 50mm drivers tend to have the upper treble boost, they all are very different from one another, from thiner, thicker to duel cone, etc. to say one is better then another, is really personal choice, i could write a book on the pro's cons and difference's. 681 is very far from flat (after break-in,) eve tho bright with a smile to the mid's the low subsonic soundstage can only be found in very few cans, and most is very costly, Super-Slutz musical pleasure. Doyen
i've had my hd681 for over an year now and found the brights more subtle now than from the first day i bought then (they burned in nicely), yet i would like to know if the regular equalizer from onboard realtek audio in a Z68 is enough to put then on place? This phones had an amazing price, blew up lots of others overpriced "marketing BS" "top brands" headphones lots of hipsters friends of my keep buying.
I would also like to mention that the software has sliders on the following frequencies(I will only mention the frequency range from the mid base(2 khz) until the highs(16 khz); please excuse my bad english also): 2 khz, 4 khz, 8 khz and 16 khz. These all the sliders that I can tweak the settings at. Thank you for your time and I hope you understood. I await your response, if you can, of course, otherwise, anybody is welcomed to explain if they know about this. Thank you!
@thebmeat the Supper-Stutz 681 is not the same driver as a K240, altho i agree they sound similar the 681 has farther reaching highs and lows, the HD-681B has a closer frequency response, to the K240, moving over to the closed 662 series, all of these are very pleasing, 662 wow deep tone perfect mid's, and that upper shimmer, you find in only awesome pre-amps, the 662F Flat, critical to loud monitoring +^, 662B punch, and perfect cymbal, crashes, very likable. i special order this series. A+++
I own both. I like the HD681 better. It has more clarity and in my opinion better soundstage than the HD668B. But both hp are very good for the price. You may want to change the ear pad tho coz they are not very comfortable
Do you think the 3.5mm male thingy on the HD688B would last long? I've been eyeing on these 2 for a while now, I feel like the HD688B is a better deal since it has detachable cable. But, from a lot of reviews and pictures I've seen, it doesn't seem like it's gonna last that long compared to the non detachable HD681. What's your opinion? 🤔
@@DanTraa i only had my HD668B for about a year or less than that. I can't say much on the durability. But had my HD681 for 6 years for listening to music and playing electronic drums before the cable fail on me and i had it replaced with hd668B. But i liked the hd681 so much that i bought another one. They are cheap too. But the earpad is not very comfortable. You will be better off replacing them with the aftermarket earpads. For the price, you cannot go wrong with either one.
At the end, I bought 2 of these. HD681 Evo and HD572, both are good for monitor headphones, not suitable for basshead like me, sold both of it to my friend the same night. haha
@@Gabkicks oh thanks, didn't expect a reply from a 11 years old comment. I read that they have a piercing sound and are harsh on the ears. I am considering the 681 evo. It's nice your headphones lasted all these years..
i love this review. This guy really give the impression that he knows and feels what he is talking about. It's a pleasure to listen to him and his descriptions of sound quality impressions are very educating for anybody who is willing to purchase those headphones. I'd like to ask him personally what headphones he'd recommend for about £100... I want something outstanding for that price, because there is always something outstanding for any price, just like these Superlux... I'm sure he'd know..
How easy would it be to mod the HD 668B to reduce some of the treble harshness? I am thinking about some sort of filter inlays, something like the Marshall Monitor headphones have, for example.
I have the Creative Aurvana Live but am thinking of getting these to try out open headphones and have a spare, but would these sound worse and potentially turn me off of open headphones?
I bought my first pair of HD668B 4 years ago. They came recommend from some of the local headphone geeks as the "best cheap headphones" around. I now own 3 pairs. I use them for gaming and music (better than Siberia). For office use be aware that they are semi-open, so another good reason keep the volume down at a reasonable level. FYI you can use the AKG K-240/270/271 velour pads
I'm looking for headphones that are around the $80-90 (can be lower) price range, and will perform well with electro, techno, dubstep, and club music so it has to have clear highs, great mids, and do decently well in the low bass range. I was told these headphones were great for that choice but do you have any other suggestions? I'm leaving for college in a week so I would like to know soon! Thanks in advance!
pioneer hdj 500's for 90 if u shop around great isolation great bass and mids trebles the slightest bit harsh but only on like 2 songs soz might wanna look em up
Hey I love all types of music, anywhere from blues to jazz to rock to reggae to soul to hip hop. What are the best head phones in the 100 to 120 i know that is a big range but could you just give me a couple models. it would be greatly appreciated coming from someone that clearly knows a lot about headphones and sound.
Can you re-do a video with the actual producs? I favorited your vídeo because of the tip about equalizer. I added in 3 of my playlist: Guitar, Headphones and Audio-Editing. Thank you.
I have one Question if you have the Choice what you will buy Superlux HD681 or Superlux HD681 Evo for Gaming/Music ? And is a Asus Xonar Dg good for this Headphones or is Onboard Soundcard enough ?
My 681 arrived today and I listened quite a bit to my standard evaluation material before looking at reviews so as not to bring a bias. Results: I have exactly the same criticism and praise as Tyll. Their balance below the high boost range is similar to my AKG K702 which are the best sounding 'phones I've heard among a broad range of high quality devices. As Tyll says it is relatively easy to tame that high end after which they sound remarkably similar to the AKG K702 across the band. Amazing bargain if you are willing to apply a rather simple equalization up top. I also found the leatherette pads to be sweat inducing and would like more specific info on a set of velours that fit if anyone knows details.
MrStanley85 I own the k240 and their pads. When you get them they feel a fairly soft but after using them for over a week they do become rock hard and not very comfortable. I am sure the velour would be a better choice for most.
+Liternyj IT me too it looks and feels better, difference between Evo and regular ones is heard above 1kHz, on Evo that frequency range is not harsh anymore also it has better pads and comes with set of velour ones which makes it more comfortable to wear another thing worth mentioning that cable is detachable, it comes with 1m i 3m cable highly recommended pair of hp's
Have you tried the Samson SR850? Some are saying they sound better then the 668B but...they use the same driver so I am a it taken back by that...any idea of why that would be?
@allekkt I have the Sony MDR 7506 and I found those better than Sennheiser HD25 actually the MDR are built much better. The Portapro are just small and light sounding astonishing good but they dont block any sound from outside. I'm looking now at the ATH M35 but duno how those are (they are built almost as the MDR). Be aware of copies. Better Price/Quality/For Indoor/Outdoor headphones I haven't found yet. Others are too small or too big. Better sounding headphones are more expensive or opened.
Hello and good afternoon. I am from Romania. I have the HD681 headphones and I really like them. I did not understood how to tweak the equalizer settings. I would like to mention that I am new to this and I don't understand many things, especially technical terms, so I would like you to explain to me how can I tweak my equalizer settings from the audigy card's software to get the full potential of these headphones. Thank you. :-)
Have the 668B... Worth buy I guess... Nice details, Quite Punchy Bass, Nice Sound Stage, Detachable cable, and most important LOW COST... Some of my friends mod this headphone and they said this one is one of the easiest to mod...
So which had the best build quality or durability? I was just going to switch out the drivers with some real akg ones I have so sound quality doesn't particularly matter to me.
It's a bad idea to mix with anything that has a bias anywhere in the band. The results will have the reverse bias listening through anything neutral. Much worse to master with biased devices.
I have bought them blind like 4 months ago and at first they did sound dissapointing. I tried them with my integrated (but on a high end motherboard) sound card and not only it was a little quiet even on max volume, but the trebles were unbearable. Happily though i have a set of bose companion usb speakers with their own sound system and it did fix the volume problem. Unbearable trebles still were an issue though. I left them to play random music over night and used them casually in the daytime and after a week or so the trebles stepped down and the mids n lows sharpened a little. After 4 months i am more than happy with them, they sound awesome. For a price of 40 euros i am more than happy, because i think they would easily beat the 100-150 ones with a good input (Yes i checked them on my mobo again, they still sound shit compared to what they deliver when connected to bose companion speaker system).
So are those good for a gaming porpouses? I never owned a gaming headsets and i dont mind about talking with other people online, just want a decent and loud sound without bothering someone else on my house, thanks
Which Superlux is more comfortable and better for Gaming ? Superlux HD681 Evo or Superlux HD66B ? I have a big Head and Ears. I will buy AKG Velour Pads too :)
+Wologan B. you didnt have problems listening footsteps? im looking to buy the 681 but i saw a couple of post on the internet saying it wasnt good for cs go :S
+Op1e What did you buy finally? I am also looking for a nice headphones for csgo. I think I go for 669. It’s closed, so that’s important for me. I might also buy the 668B to check how much sound will go to the outside. Many people give recommendations on the 660, too.
Just got the 681s. Hard to beat the sound quality for that price. Very neutral. In fact they sound closer to my DT770 than my Sony MDR 7506, ATH M50X and Sennheiser 280 Pro. But yeah, a tad bright and chinsy build quality.
Play frequency sweep on youtube and find out what frequencies disturb you the most. I bet it will be 8-10kHz region, so you can EQ it down like -5dB.. If you dont have good equalizer in your sound card, I would reccomend you to use foobar as a media player, you can download awesome 32 band equalizer addon :)
