Superlux HD-681

I bought these to listen to music and for playing PC games after reading online recommendations. I have them connected to a Monolith Liquid Spark headphone amp connected to my PC's onboard DAC line out.

My main decision was based on sound quality, imaging and price. I liked the noted sound signature listed on the Superlux website and from reviews I've read. I have to say I'm actually blown away with how they sound! These have a nicer sound signature than my old Sennheiser HD580s. Yes they are cheaply built, but look how much they cost. I'm sure if you look after them and treat them with respect they will last long enough. My biggest complaint is the clamping force and thin earpads. Very uncomfortable, I've ordered thicker velour pads from China to compensate.

Pros: Spacious sound with good clarity, depth and punch making them ideal for gaming. Gorgeously musical. Ridiculous price.

Cons: Treble forward. Not going to compete with high end headphones (but snapping at the heels of phones costing 5-10x as much). Clamping force is probably the worst I've encountered. Build quality fits what you pay for...cheap.

I needed a pair of headphones for work just to filter out some noise and helping to focus. I tried out couple cheap ones, but was very disappointed with sound quality every time. I already had a pair of Superlux HD-330's which I had been very happy with for about four years already. I checked back and forth between them and these (and HD-660) but decided to give these a shot.

Enough blabbering - these headphones are absolutely worth the price. The sound is pretty clear and the phones are comfortable to wear. They are a little bass heavy though so keep that in mind if you are considering between these and some other ones. But for my purpose, casual music listening while in work, they are just perfect. They are semi-open, but I'd be ready to call them open. It's good when someone tries to reach out from outside as they don't need to shout. On the other hand they are massive enough to be seen so other understand that they might need to raise voice — good perk compared to earphones.

Overall strongly recommended for casual use. Notice still that the given 5 stars is strongly quality-price ratio -based, so if you want the best sound quality I would recommend spending a bit more.

I got introduced to this brand through a site which professionally reviews headphones. Headphones from 10$ up to the 1000's of $$$.
Intrigued by their positive review, especially their opinion of the sound quality / fidelity, I decided to purchase a whole set of them.
4 of this exact type, two more of other types of the same brand.
And I was really blown away : the HD-681's produce a sound quality that is unheard of at this price level. Or at 5 times the price.
I'm talking about neutral sound, something you can trust, not one that will give you the highest "kick" when listening to Dub or other genres, but something that translates very well anything you throw at it.
A bit like a cheap Sennheiser 600/650 - which of course plays in premiere league .
3 of them went to my kids, to learn to listen to music as it was recorded, instead of getting hyped sound out of "fancy" brands (where 50% of the budget goes to the "artist who developed the product line") ...

Negative : build quality - don't just throw them into your bag !!
Positive : replaceable ear cushions (two sets provided), replaceable cables (multiple lengths provided) --- did I mention "Sound Quality" ?

I installed ear pads from Superlux HD660PRO, it greatly improves comfort. I hate leatherette.
660 more than 681 velor and more than 681 leatherette.
The speaker grill protrudes forward, due to this, the ear touches the speaker, but you can put something in the ear pads and the problem will almost disappear.
The headband unbends without problems and does not put pressure on the ears.

These are semi-open headphones and there is no hum here.
There really is bass here.
Sub-bass starts somewhere around 27 hertz.
Upper frequencies are of disgusting quality and there are sharp dips.
At first glance, the sound is close to natural, but made to please.
In general, this is a sharp sound.

Theoretically, this is a good option for a beginner.
BUT, I had 2 copies and both pairs had a different, but very serious frequency response imbalance (disagreement between the left and right speakers). Hence this assessment... The manufacturer needs to increase quality control, despite the fact that these are one of the cheapest headphones.

I prefer the comfort, quality and sound of the DT770 and DT990.

Thomann, my favorite store, I recommend it to everyone!
Addicted to Thomann all my friends)

Pros:
-Affordable
-Decent quality, doesnt feel as cheap as the price would suggest
-Pretty flat sounding

Cons:
-High frequencies are not very defined
-Cable not removable


I got these headphones as a backup and to try out what open headphones have to offer as I've only used closedbacks before. I mainly used it for gaming and for silently practicing guitar and for those purposes these headphones are great. Sound is decent, its fairly flat, not too much bass and not very bright either, nicely balanced. The soundstage (stereo separation) is great, not perfect but definately usable for most situations, especially if you are on a budget. Comfort is not the greatest but I can wear it for an hour or two without discomfort so its not too bad. The padding is very stiff but the clamping force on your ears is not that strong so it cancels out. You dont need a good seal for open headphones afterall...

If you are on a limited budget I can highly recommend these headphones. They sound flat enough for basic mixing and the open design also helps a lot.
However... I can't recommend these headphones for outside or public use because of its open design.
Also if you are lookign for a very high quality professional monitor then I recommend you spend a bit more money...

First, a quick shoutout to Thomann for handling the order perfectly and delivering the headphone to the Netherlands within two days.

This headphone is worth every penny and puts my much more expensive JBL E50BT to shame. Great sound stage and replacable earpads.
The earpads themselves are decent, but if room temperature is above 25 degrees your ears will start to sweat.

If you like bass you will need an amp and an equalizer for these cans. Without amp the bass distorts quite fast, even at low volume.
On a desktop pc I’ve used APO equalizer with 15 bands and the following settings to get the best results;

25hz +10
40hz +10
63hz +10
100hz +10
2500hz -5
4000hz -5
6300hz -5
10000hz -5
16000hz -5

Bottomline; I could never recommend these headphones enough!