Superlux HD-672 Semi-Open Dynamic Over-Ear Headphone

Ordered these headphones to replace my Sony MDR-V150's which are starting to go out. Instead of ordering another pair of V150's which have since gone up in price by about 50% since the last time I ordered a pair, I decided to see what the true best deals were on headphones under $50. Superlux came up a lot, so did Monoprice, Koss, and Edifier. I wanted as close to a true Hi-Fi experience as was possible on my extremely low budget. So I picked up a pair of these for $20, the same price I paid in both 2006 and 2018 for the Sony MDR-V150.So how do these compare to my former go-to headphone model? In short, these blow the Sony headphones out of the water in every way, except for isolation, which both tie, despite the Sony being a closed-back model and these being semi-open. Shows how bad the isolation is on the Sony. These are so much more comfortable than the Sony, and I can wear them long-term without any pain. The silicone earpads feel weird, but they do their job in maintaining a seal and maintaining comfort.How about sound quality? The first thing I noticed was the large soundstage. Secondly, I noticed that these headphones nailed it on vocals. The bass response of these headphones took a bit of getting used to as there is no boost in the midbass region and that these handle subbass frequency so much better than the Sony headphones. Some songs benefit from a bass boost, while others will simply end up with overexaggerated bass.As for treble, I do find it to be too sharp and sometimes a bit harsh, but it becomes much smoother with equalization. I'll probably go for a new set of earpads and stuff some toilet paper in between the pads and the drivers for the long-term solution to the harsh treble so that the headphones are more listenable with audio devices without an equalizer.And yes, I'm aware that some of the pictures show that these have a removable cord and the drivers having no padding. I bought these knowing they had a non-detachable cord and a thin pad over the drivers, so I won't be deducting any stars for that.For such cheap headphones, there's no way I can deduct a star for the treble as sacrifices are to be expected somewhere, even if these headphones can keep up with many $150-$200 headphones. I do recommend these wholeheartedly to those seeking to get into the audiophile world without breaking the bank. For those who are treble sensitive and don't like modding their headphones, save up and buy something else like the Samson SR850.Update: These headphones seem to have a "break in" period similar to other Superlux models like the HD-668B and HD-681. I've been listening to them heavily since I got them. It's been three days since I got them. The treble sounds less harsh at normal volumes, making them listenable without the need to use equalization. But the treble can still get a bit harsh at high volumes. Without equalization, these headphones deliver excellent treble detail and sparkle. One thing I forgot to note before is that these headphones have more detailed sound than my old Sony headphones, period. These are amazing headphones, period. If I could give these a 6 out of 5, I would, because that's how amazing these headphones are.Update 2: 12/25/2020 - I received a Fosi Audio Q4 DAC as a Chrismas present, so I tested these headphones with the DAC and the sound quality was dramatically improved. Soundstage, detail, treble sparkle were all improved, and the headphones sounded a lot more powerful and many music tracks sounded like they were live. Classical music; sounded almost like I was at the concert hall. Rock, jazz, pretty much any genre recorded as a hi-fi recording will sound incredible and close to how the music sounds live. A lot of the music I tested with is from FLAC files, but I mixed in some YouTube, some MP3 files, and some movies and anime. Bottom line, an external DAC opens up these headphones, but for the best results, go for a USB one where you can still use Equalizer APO. I set the EQ to one-third octave and applied a 6 db reduction to the 6.3K and 8K sliders while leaving all the other sliders at 0db. And since the DAC I have has bass and treble controls, I found that these headphones work well with simple tone controls, but combining both tone controls and the EQ can provide some amazing results. It's hard to believe that audiophile-level quality headphones can be had for $20. Of course, you need an external DAC and applying equalization to the treble to get you there. Overall, my satisfaction with these headphones has grown further.Edit June 2022: I ordered a pair of Transtek earpads that were the same size, yet cheaper than the Brainwavz XL pads. I got the velour pads. It took me a bit of time to determine the best method of attaching the pads to the headphones while simultaneously using two-ply toilet paper in between the drivers and the pads to cut the 7-10KHz treble peak, which I learned from DIY-Audio-Heaven's review of this headphone. I tried their method exactly, but in the end what worked best was to put the a piece of two-ply toilet paper in the pads, put on the plastic rings to secure the toilet paper in place, then put the pads on the headphones.The result was the change from an analytical sound signature with some upper midrange and low treble de-emphasis and a great big 7-10KHz spike to bringing up the upper mids and low treble to the same level as the mids, while eliminating the 7-10KHz peak. The bass was also boosted a little, but there is very little to no bleed into the midrange. There was also some ringing caused by the silicone pads that was completely eliminated. I can't honestly say if the difference is night from day, but it sure sounded like it. The good parts about the HD672's sound were only improved, while the negatives were all but eliminated. The wide soundstage and good imaging remain. I can safely say that their sound signature is now perfect. I have never heard a headphone sound so good across all genres. I can switch from classical music and jazz to listening to The Doors and then go to listen to some modern EDM music. What about movies? They sound incredible. The treble still has a sharp characteristic to it, but it doesn't get harsh unless you listen at a high enough volume to risk hearing damage.Comfort improved drastically. They do clamp a bit more with the bigger pads, but my ears no longer touch the drivers and I don't get sweaty while wearing the headphones thanks to buying the velour version of the pads.I paid just $39 in total, $20 for the headphones themselves, and $19 for the pads. I don't use them all the time since I have since bought the Koss Pro4S and the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro for when I need to use closed-back headphones. Trust me, these headphones can keep up with both of those headphones in terms of sound quality. Both come close to the modded HD672, but the HD672 wins in terms of sound quality. I enjoy listening to all three headphones. But I paid less than half the price than either the Koss or Sennheiser headphones. Trust me, I'm keeping the Superlux HD 672 for as long as possible. If I could give a rating of more than five stars, I would.

These things came in filthy and obviously used, the silicon pads were already falling apart. There is no detachable cable as shown in the posting. Just a cheap super long permanently attached cable.

basic plastic construction but seems sturdy enough. The silicone earpads take some getting used to but are actually comfortable i like them. The cord is not detachable but no big deal for me at this price. the sound....very impressed its definetly v shaped profile. The bass and mids are very good definetly impressive bass but not bloated. Mids are clear and very present. the highs are up there some will find these a little too bright it really depends on what kind of music you listen to. btw the pads are easy to remove they are mounted to a plate that snaps into the cups very easy to change pads. Highly reccomended for the current price.

i really like these headphones, these cover my ears completely and so far feel really confortable to wear, i love the sound quality and enjoy hearing my music while working.

Extremely common to hear a crackle/popping noise on youtube, works okay with music and video players. Haven't had any problems with my old headphones, and updated my drivers/tried other ports to no avail. Happens independent of volume level.