Coming in around $20, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more budget-friendly pair of wireless headphones. But aside from the budget friendly price, do the HD901s bring anything of else of value at this price range? Check it out in this Mixcder HD901 Review.
Mixcder HD901 Review
DESIGN
The HD901s come in a simple, eco-friendly cardboard-looking box. The accessories are equally no-frills; coming with only a micro USB charging cable, 3.5mm cable and the user’s manual.
The headphones themselves are plain and unobtrusive, made of mostly black plastic. The earmuffs are made of “artificial protein leather” made to simulate the texture of human skin for better comfort. They fold up nicely, although the conspicuously loud snapping noises of the plastic hinges make me question their long-term durability.
While the construction overall doesn’t exactly scream “durability”, they are incredibly light. Coupled with the nice feel of the earmuffs, they sit on the ears with a light, almost dainty touch. I can’t imagine physical fatigue being a problem with these, whether you are wearing them or carrying them.
They have basic wireless integration, with the ability to accept or ignore phone calls, skip tracks and make volume adjustments on your phone. The 3.5mm cable provided seemed a little flimsy and noisy; I experienced significantly better sound quality using the Bluetooth connection.
SOUND
The words ‘boomy’ and ‘boxy’ are the first ones that come to mind. The lows and low-mids get a noticeable boost, which gives the sound a swollen quality if you compare to a more expensive set. Kick drums thump nicely, guitars growl aggressively, but the highs taper off, creating a distinct lack of detail and presence in some sounds.
The lower midrange can become muddy, but the high-mids manage to retain their own identity. There is even a slight quality of airiness in the higher midrange that works well with lead guitars and vocals, and lends itself nicely to tracks that feature several midrange voices together.
Certain genres work better than others with these headphones. Rock, hip-hop, and any rhythmic music that is meant to be felt as much as it is heard, comes across powerfully thanks to the boosts in the lows and the clarity in the high-mids.
Guitars and vocals separate and sit nicely on top of a strong low end, and the rounded highs will make even the most screeching guitar freak-outs manageable to listen to for long periods. But anything that demands more high-end articulation, like sparse folk arrangements or intimate vocal ballads, sounded unnaturally bloated and distant. Listening to Nick Drake or early Bob Dylan for example sounded… odd.
CONCLUSION
It’s hard to be too picky about a pair of headphones that costs so little. While the booming lows and relatively weak highs may turn off some listeners who are looking for details, if you plan on listening to dank beats or explosive guitars for hours on end, the punchy sound and super-portable construction might just be what you’re looking for. And c’mon, they’re only like twenty bucks!
Get these headphones at the best price here
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