Mi headphone: Complet Picture Review

Fellow MIUIers,

From the product launch of 15^th January, came the Mi Headphones - a masterpiece of its own category. Boasting hardware found usually on higher end models of rival companies, will the Mi Headphones be the must-have of any consumers? Let's unbox it first and do a simple review!

The Unboxing

Following the tradition of simplistic cardboard boxes, the Mi Headphones come in a white packaging. The one I received is a public testing model, as the headphones is yet to be sold to public.

Pushing out the slide-out drawer, one will be presented with a user manual and a black carrying pouch

Beneath the pouch is a black velvet bag, also for users to store the headphones.

Opening the black carrying pouch reveals the contents - the Mi Headphones

The complete set - Mi Headphones, 1.4M cable, a 3.5 to 6.3mm cable adaptor, dual jack adaptor for on-plane use and a pair of larger ear cups

The cable has a 3.5mm end that goes into an ouput and a 2.5mm end that goes into the headphones.

The First Impression

The gold-and-black colour combination definitely makes the headphone looks elegant, but is the sound on-par with what 1more and Xiaomi claims? We'll find out later.

Using leather for both earcups, it feels comfortable and soft after putting them on. Depends on users liking, the default earcup is a smaller on-ear while users can opt for the bigger over-ear. Giving users choice is always good. Removing the earcup reveals the prized 50mm Beryllium diaphragms.

The band is also covered in leather and a layer of cushioning, with a Mi logo sitting on top. Clearly of quality, the band sits and curves on one's head comfortably.

Most of the jacks come plated with gold to improve signal transmission. The 3.5mm to 6.3mm adaptor is covered in too much gold to my liking though.

Putting the headphones on, it clearly stands out of the crowd with the design and colours.

The Review

Let's start with my experience of putting on the headphones. While leather and proper cushioning promises a comfortable wearing experience, the on-ear earcups will press on and cause pain to the ears besides the heat. Using the over-ear earcups solves these problems, but adds too much bulk to it.

Now on to sound quality testing. While listening to The Piano Guys - Cello Ascends, the sound of cellos and piano are crisp and clear. The sense of space is there, but insufficient. Bass is a little low but acceptable as the song is not mainly about bass. Sound reproduction is exemplary at this price point, but not exactly screaming top notch as compared to other audiophile headphones.

Tested with Mi3, Dirac Audio: Off, Equilizer: Flat

After we try out instrumental music, it's time for some techno. Punchy bass lines and clear electric tones, all just nice and not overwhelming, can be heard on Dimitri Vegas, MOGUAI & Like Mike - Mammoth; DVBBS & Borgeous - Tsunami and BORGORE & SIKDOPE - Unicorn Zombie Apocalypse.

Tested with Mi3, Dirac Audio: Off, Equilizer: Flat

Conclusion

All in all, the Mi Headphones is a great piece of audio equipment if you're looking for a good hardware at a very low price: the punchy bass; responsive and clear highs; elegant design. Once again proving Xiaomi's philosophy of "Technology that everybody can enjoy" and 1more's great design capabilities.

Disclaimer: Using only a Mi3 for audio quality testing, the sound reproduction review might not be accurate as Mi3 doesn't utilize the headphones to the maximum. (I was going to borrow a Mi Note to try out, but then I returned it before I can actually test it)

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