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| How very colorful, just missing purple |
Exact numerical breakdowns can be found in the headphones spreadsheet under the On Ear tab but let's get to some reviewing.
To do the reviewing I'll be breaking this into 2 groups, the sound and the overall.
Starting with the sound:
1. Grado SR80i
2. Yamaha PRO 300
3. Sennheiser Momentum
4. UrbanEars Plattan
5. Voxoa
6. Beats Mixr
7. Harman Kardon CL
8. Outdoor Tech Privates
Starting with the high notes, both the Grado SR80i and Yamaha PRO 300s impressed me with generally clear and precise bass. The Yamahas definitely win out in volume of bass over the Grados, which have the least bass of the bunch, but the Yamahas also win out slightly in quality of bass. Overall the bass race, pun intended, was quite clearly going to the Yamahas. However, for both mids and highs the Grados edged out the Yamahas with a bit of shine on the top end and more full bodied and detailed mids. Soundstage also went to the Grados, it was wider and things fit in the stage better, though again it was really, really close. Even though the soundstage on the Yamahas was smaller, things fit really well and it was a really nice presentation. Overall though, I found the presentation of the Grados and the cohesive nature of the sound the Grados had to beat out the Yamahas, though the Yamahas have quite good sound and are very fitting of a close 2nd.
Continuing on is the real surprise of the day, the fight between the Sennheiser Momentums and the UrbanEar Plattans. The UrbanEars Plattans surprised me greatly. Punching way above their weight class (read price range), they netted a convincing 4th place. Sound wise both the Momentums and the Plattans are quite similar, as are the Voxoas. All three have a good chunk of pretty good bass, a bit loose, looser than either the Grados or Yamahas, but not glaringly bad and not at a volume outside of comfortable listening. The Momentums and Plattans both had pretty decent highs while the Voxoas kind of lost their strength there. The main differences between the three were just in the little details. The Momentums were simply more detailed and clearer to listen to in comparison, followed by the Plattans, then the Voxoas. The other thing that the Plattans lack is substantial impact. As a whole they kind of sound muted and muffled even though they're generally louder than the other headphones. All three are quite respectable headphones soundwise. Annoying fact about the Voxoas, the controls/cable is on the right side which is the opposite of all other one sided headphones I know of.
Next up are the Beats Mixr headphones. I've decide to put these in a class of their own as they don't quite sound like the 3 above but aren't as bad as the 2 below. Anyways, as far as bass, the Mixrs definitely aren't shy. But at the same time they show a restraint to their bass that initially surprised me. That said, the Mixrs are also known to be the least bassy of the Beats headphones line. The bass itself was pretty good, garnering quite a high rating. The highs also didn't disappoint in the way I expected them to, though they lacked depth and detail. The stage and presentation of the sound was quite nice, though the stage was small. However the mids were really lacking and just didn't feel full enough to make me like the sound. Overall, they weren't terrible, but the sound was quite middling.
Rounding up the pack were the Harman Kardon CLs and the Outdoor Tech Privates. And jeez, I did not enjoy listening to these two pairs. Both of them suffer from really bloated and sometimes overpowering bass. Just the looseness and blandness of the bass was enough to make me dislike their sound. However, that wasn't the worst part about either. In fact, the issues I had for both were quite similar. Simply put, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be listening to. Besides the overpowering bass, which I might chalk up to my gear (see above), both of them had a really weird presentation to their sound. Things would pop out and stick out really awkwardly. Things would be isolated that shouldn't be to create a cohesive sound. The CLs suffered from it a bit more, but overall I was completely unimpressed by the Outdoor Tech Privates sound profile. Between the muddy lows, the boring and uninspired mids and highs, and the outright funky and bizarre presentation of the sound, both headphones just did poorly in all aspects for me.
Moving onto the overall ratings:
1. Grado SR80i
2. UrbanEars Plattan
3. Sennheiser Momentum
4. Voxoa
5. Yamaha PRO 300
6. Harman Kardon CL
7. Beats Mixr
8. Outdoor Tech Privates
Overall, the rankings haven't changed too much. The exceptions being the dropping of the Yamaha PRO 300s to 5th place and the UrbanEars Plattans taking 2nd place. The only reason why the Beats Mixrs fell below the CLs is because of comfort and price reasons, the Mixrs simply aren't that good for $200 and are quite uncomfortable, moreso than the CLs sounded bad.
Getting to the Yamahas, they are seriously uncomfortable. As good as they sound, they're equally uncomfortable. As you might see in the picture at the top, they're quite small. Added to that is the fact that they're really rigid so a lot of pressure is place on the ears when you put them on. Pretty much all the Amazon reviews say the same and I completely agree. If you are thinking about it, please try them out and don't be shy to return them if they're uncomfortable.
As I stated earlier, the Plattans punch way above their price. It was a tough choice picking between the Plattans and the Momentums for which one was better. Comfort wise, they're really quite similar with the Momentums taking the slight advantage with their velour covered pads. Neither pair is suitable for someone with a particularly large head, but neither of them is small either. In terms of sound, as stated above they go head to head quite well with the Momentums taking a lead, but again not a major one. Which leaves price and plain and simple the Plattans deliver a fully acceptable sound for about a third of the price of the Momentums. If however you can find the Momentums for $99.95 as they were during Black Friday this year, I'd give the edge to the Momentums.
In closing, the by and far favorite for me is the Grado SR80 headphones, the Grado SR80e is the current incarnation I have the previous version the SR80i. At $99, they are an amazing price to performance ratio and can keep up easily with headphones two or three times as expensive. The only caveat is that the Grados are open backed and as a result will leak sound and do not provide external isolation by design. They also have pads that take some time to get used to as they're foam pads and not pleather or velour covered and thus might feel scratchy. After you get used to them, they're actually quite a comfortable pair of headphones. If however, you want closed back headphones in the on ear category, the UrbanEars Plattans or Sennheiser Momentums are the way to go, neither will really steer you wrong by too much.
As a last note before final closing, if you're looking for Bluetooth, this group has two contenders and the only one I can recommend on a sound basis is the Voxoas, the issues with the Outdoor Techs are just too much for me. I have used both with Bluetooth and though I haven't tried calling with either of them, both pair quite well with my Android phone and tablet. The Outdoor Tech has a funky touch interface that is interesting but ultimately, I'd still stick with the Voxoas if you want a Bluetooth enabled pair of on ear headphones, at least in this group.
For a final bit, next month will see the first annual Stocking Stuffer Special, featuring headphones that cost under $50 and to start the new year will be the first annual New Years Over Ear Invitational so I hope you look forward to both of those. I'll try to get some other posts in as well but we'll see. Until next time.
--CsMiREK
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